April 2024: FLS Update
submitted by Terry Mulee, FLS Newsletter
FLS creates a network to connect and inspire Friends groups in all types of libraries to support the New York library community.
Friends News and Notes, March 2024
The March 2024 issue of Friends News and Notes is now available. FLS members may also login to see archived FLS newsletters.
FLS Awards and Scholarships
Applications are now being accepted for the FLS Randall Enos Conference Scholarship. An FLS member who is also part of a Friends of the library group will be reimbursed, up to $1,000, for conference attendance expenses. See the webpage for more information and download the application packet.
Nomination packets for the FLS Daniel W. Casey Library Advocacy Award are available online. Visit the webpage for more information on this prestigious award that recognizes service to a library or the entire library community. The nomination packet is available as both a PDF or DOCX file.
https://www.nyla.org/friends-of-libraries-session---our-awards-and-scholarships. (www.NYLA.org?Friends > Our Awards and Scholarships)
FLS Membership Notes
Getting Enrolled in NYLA’s New Membership System
The New York Library Association kicked off the new year with a brand-new website and membership database. NYLA staff have been pushing out reminders, updates, and instructions – including a handy Membership Database Guide which can be accessed in the Quick Links menu at www.nyla.org-- to members weekly via their e-newsletter, News You Can Use. If you haven’t had a chance to enroll in the new membership database yet, NYLA is extending its open renewal period for 2024 through May 31, 2024, and memberships will be good through May 31, 2025. Going forward, NYLA will run on a fixed membership year: all memberships will begin on June 1 and expire on May 31.
Your friends at FLS and NYLA are grateful for your past membership and invite you to join the new system. Just as libraries need Friends to thrive, Friends need friends to do the same. FLS facilitates conversations between Friends at in-person and virtual meet-ups; features the work of Friends groups across New York State in our newsletter, Friends News and Notes, to inspire you; and honors and promotes the personal growth of Friends through awards and scholarships including the FLS Daniel W. Casey Library Advocacy Award for outstanding volunteers and the FLS Randall Enos Conference Scholarship. Your membership fosters community and helps ensure FLS and NYLA can continue our work.
NYLA offers reduced individual and group membership rates for Friends. Personal “Friend” level memberships are good for one individual; whereas a “Friends Group Organizational Membership” entitles up to five members of a Friends group, one of whom is designated as the key contact, to become members of NYLA for a flat rate of $100; any additional members beyond the five can be added for $50 each. To enroll in the new system, you need to establish login credentials and create a user profile; however, your membership isn't activated until you submit payment and it’s processed by NYLA staff. All new accounts are being placed in a “pending” status following submission. Your NYLA membership comes with one section affiliation of your choice. Please choose FLS. Already a NYLA member? You can add FLS as a section for $15[LH1] [LH2] . To add FLS to your established NYLA Member Profile, login and click on the link to the “2024-2025 Unit Join Form” located under your welcome banner.
If you renewed your NYLA membership in mid-late 2023, you may qualify for a discounted membership when you join the new system. Lauren Hoyt, Director of Association Operations at NYLA, is reviewing memberships on a case-by-case basis as people join the new system. FLS and NYLA look forward to growing with you. Keep it Friendly out there.
FLS Newsletters
Read the current issue of the FLS newsletter, Friends News and Notes, at https://www.nyla.org/friends-of-libraries-section---newsletter. (www.NYLA.org?Friends > Our Newsletter)
Contact FLS at [email protected]