SENYCon: SENYCon 2025

Sustainable Libraries - 10 Years Later

Claudia Depkin, Sustainable Libraries Initiative

In 2016 members of the NYLA Sustainability Initiative introduced the Triple Bottle Line definition of sustainability at the first annual SENYCon. Ten years later, Sustainability is a core value of librarianship. Public, academic libraries, school librarians and library systems around the country are earning their certification as a Sustainable Library. Learn how far the Sustainable Libraries Initiative has come and our next steps for ensuring libraries advance environmentally sound, socially equitable, and economically feasible practices to intentionally address climate change and co-create thriving communities. 

Take Care Update

Kate Bellody, SUNY New Paltz

An update on the 2019 presentation "Take Care: Integrating Mental Health & Wellness Resources in the Academic Library"  including new initiatives, challenges, and reflections. 

Still Growing

Sara Scoggan, Newburgh Free Library

This will be an update on the 2021 presentation "Growing Collaborators from 2020" noting some new collaborations we have done and how we have continued with other ideas that took their conception from the experience of lockdown.

Second Chance High School at Your Library

Richard Morbeth, Laura Wolven, Finkelstein Memorial Library

Finkelstein Library has piloted a program to assist people with getting their high school diploma through the library.  Through a partnership with Penn Foster, students earn a diploma from an accredited online school.  

Turning the Page for Pollinators

Sarah Holsted, Moshe Siegel, Southeastern NY Library Resources Council

The “Turning the Page for Pollinators” project will write a new chapter for the damaged landscaped grounds at Southeastern. Building on existing efforts to install more pollinator-friendly plants, the project objectives are to: 1) Remediate and sustain the soil food web; 2) Install site-appropriate native plants to support pollinator life cycles year-round; 3) Reduce reliance on gas-powered lawn equipment; 4) Engage in pollinator-supporting maintenance practices; and, 5) Demonstrate for Southeastern members and the public how to actively steward library grounds to support pollinators. This project is supported by an Ecological Restoration Grant from Partners for Climate Action.

The project will be well underway by early April! The presenters will 1) talk about the interconnection of the soil food web, pollinators, and native plants; 2) provide an update on project work and lessons learned to date; 3) introduce resources for attendees who want to support pollinators at their libraries.

Cutter Numbers and Racism: What You Can Do

Laura Streett, Vassar College

The Library of Congress Classification system is riddled with outdated and inaccurate hierarchy and terminology. The system reflects the perspectives and realities of American history, resulting in shelving arrangements that are sometimes confusing, and sometimes offensive and harmful. There are many problems in the system our profession needs to address, but there's one problem even the smallest libraries could tackle on their own. Cutter numbers are often used to break down a subject area by demographic group. The words we use for racial and ethnographic groups have changed over the years, though. Current LCC practice reflects those changes, but many libraries still have records based on the old system. This presentation will show what the Vassar College Libraries have learned about the problem and the project we started to deal with it.

Wi-Fi Beyond the Library Building

Katie Scott-Childress, Rosendale Library & Laurie Shedrick, Mid-Hudson Library System

Public libraries often partner with other organizations in their municipalities that provide educational opportunities for children, such as aftercare programs and summer camps. By creating a library annex through the e-rate program, public libraries can help to expand access to broadband in other areas of town where the need is greatest. Libraries can now apply for e-rate subsidies for hotspot hardware and recurring charges for data plans, providing internet access to patrons who do not have broadband at home through hotspot lending. 

Google Earth: A Programmer’s Guide to the World (For Free)

Mike Maggin, Monroe Free Library

Google Earth is a free resource that programmers can use to take their patrons anywhere. Beginning in 2024, the Monroe Free Library has offered a series of programs using Google Earth. These include programs exploring all seven continents, and ones themed around ghost tours and movie locations. Google Earth, paired with other free websites like YouTube, can provide patrons who cannot afford or may not be able to travel a chance to learn about new and different places. These resources assist libraries of all shapes and sizes in offering programs that are free or low budget. These programs also allow patrons to become familiar with Google Earth and potentially use it on their own for further exploration. 
This presentation will demonstrate how to use Google Earth, YouTube, and other websites as tools to design travel-themed programs with endless possibilities.  This presentation will empower participants to consider adding these programs to their library offerings.

Pathway from a 2020 SENYCon Presentation to a New Created Position

Jen Park, Ramapo Catskill Library System

During SENYCON 2020, Jen Park presented "Advocating for School Libraries in Your Town" which focused on grassroots organizing to advocate against curriculum changes which resulted in elementary school students being unable to check out books during their designated library classes. Little did Jen know that this would eventually lead to her current position as Ramapo Catskill Library System's Government Relations Specialist. In this session, Jen will explain the pathway that lead from the presentation to her position as well as the outcomes seen from this newly created position. 

Presenting a Renovation Through Video

Veronica Reynolds, New City Library

Through the pandemic, video editing became a critical tool in keeping the library in the public's consciousness. For New City Library, it's utility continued as a renovation begin just as restrictions were lifting. To keep the public up-to-date and invested, a series of videos were created to show the intentions and progress of the project. Learn how to make dynamic, information packed short videos to display your big projects to best advantage. 

"Aliens Are Coming! Assessing Student Understanding of the Connections Between Historical Hoaxes and Modern Misinformation"

Kristin McClune, Coxsackie-Athens Central School District

In this session, I will share the key insights from summative assessments used to evaluate student understanding of media literacy, as explored through the 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast. By examining the results, I will highlight how students applied critical thinking skills to identify and analyze misinformation, both historically and in today's media landscape. Attendees will learn how to use assessment data to reflect on student progress, uncover common misconceptions, and refine future lessons to enhance media literacy education.

Update: Librarian Infiltration on Campus: Multi-faceted Outreach Methods

Tess Hartman-Cullen, Ulster County Community College

The presentation will provide an update on the multiple outreach methods we use to engage the campus with our library services that we shared in our 2018 SENYCON presentation. This will include an overview and history of our Information Literacy Course (2025 is the 30th anniversary) and our Partner Library Program.

Stepping into 2025: The RCLS Step Challenge

Joanna Goldfarb, Meaghan Doyle, Ramapo Catskill Library System

What does 50,000,000 steps look like?  

In October of 2024, the Ramapo Catskill Library System (RCLS) became the third library system in the state to become certified as sustainable through the Sustainable Libraries Initiative. Part of the certification process was to improve employee wellness. Though the certification process has been completed, RCLS recognizes that employee wellness is an ongoing objective. There are always improvements to be made or new initiatives to try. 

As part of our continued efforts to support employee wellness, RCLS implemented a staff step challenge for 2025. This voluntary program encourages staff to walk more, and gradually increases step goals throughout the year to encourage attainable goals while staying healthy and injury-free. 

This session will cover the planning and implementation of this RCLS Staff Step Challenge, including how we determined daily, monthly, and yearly goals, resources provided to staff, and how we keep track of participant steps. 

Thank you to the Sullivan Public Library Alliance for being the inspiration for the RCLS Step Challenge challenge!