In this month’s news and updates…
- Save the Date for the MLS Member Annual Meeting
- Register for MLS Member Webinars
- Join Us at Strategic Plan Town Halls
- MLS Merch Fundraiser Now Available!
- Delivery Open House at the Worcester Sort Facility
- Libraries as Cooling Centers: Northeast Summit on Climate Adaptation for Library Facilities
- Language Learning Grant Spotlight
- MLS and MBLC Host Friendly Competition to Benefit the Boston Bruins PJ Drive
- MLS at the MLA Conference
Save the Date for the MLS Member Annual Meeting
The Massachusetts Library System (MLS) is excited to announce that we’re hosting our Member Annual Meeting on Wednesday, November 5, 2025 at the Devens Common Center!
Please note: This year’s event takes place on a Wednesday instead of our usual Monday meeting.
MLS is celebrating 15 years of service to our members! Join us this fall as we reflect on our work together and look ahead to new experiences. We look forward to sharing more details, including registration information, in the coming weeks.
Until then, please save the date and contact MLS Event & Project Manager Sarah Donnelly (sdonnelly@masslibsystem.org) with any questions.
Visit our LibCal event page for more details.
Register for MLS Member Webinars
MLS is pleased to announce the launch of the first MLS Member Webinar series!
MLS member library staff will share their knowledge and expertise on a variety of topics in a series of four webinars taking place May 22 – June 10.
Visit LibCal to register for an MLS Member Webinar or check out the lineup below:
The Art of Facilitation: Creating Healthy Library Spaces in Programs & Beyond
With Heath Umbreit and Kate Tigue
Thursday, May 22, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Regardless of your audience, successful programs require careful planning. Clearly communicating expectations helps everyone at a time when libraries serve many functions across diverse groups.
Consistent facilitation supports program quality and morale, and is an accessible skill that applies across all library services.
In this 90-minute session, an adult services librarian and a children’s services librarian will speak for 50 minutes and then answer questions.
Register for the Art of Facilitation
How to Find (Almost) Anything About Transportation
With Cara Marcus
Tuesday, May 27, 2 – 3 p.m.
Library users have questions about transportation. Maybe they are passengers who need a ride or are researching transportation. But transportation information can be hard to find.
This one-hour webinar covers the best resources to find transportation information and statistics. Learn about the National Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP)’s Find Anything Toolkit. Discover information about transit for your zip code. Leave with data and resources to answer patron questions about transportation.
Register for How to Find (Almost) Anything About Transportation
Processing the Peculiar: Managing Libraries of Things in Technical Services
With Lydia Sampson
Wednesday, June 4, 10 – 11:30 a.m.
This webinar shares best practices to manage Libraries of Things. You’ll get tips on how to package and label items to make them more appealing to patrons and easier for staff to manage.
Learn how to adjust your current workflow to deal with unconventional materials. Find out how to work with other departments to keep things running smoothly. You can ask questions, swap ideas, and talk about what has worked, or not, in your library.
Register for Processing the Peculiar
AI for Library Workers: The Very Basics
With Elizabeth McKinstry
Tuesday, June 10, 10 – 11:30 a.m.
This webinar is for library workers who thought AI didn’t apply to them. You haven’t missed the window to learn! Start with this basic introduction for staff who want to be able to join conversations about AI topics with patrons and colleagues.
You’ll learn basic vocabulary and concepts, how AI might show up in libraries (or already has!), and ethical considerations. No prior knowledge or use of AI required to attend.
Register for AI for Library Workers
Join Us at Strategic Plan Town Halls
This spring and summer, MLS is developing our new strategic plan, and member and stakeholder input is essential to the process. In these interactive Town Hall sessions, we’ll discuss your expectations for MLS, exploring the direction you would like to see our organization go in the future. We’re pleased to be working with Stephanie Chase of Constructive Disruption.
Please sign up for a Town Hall using our online form, and we’ll send you a calendar invite, Zoom link, and any other information you need to know in order to take part. There’s no pre-work necessary to participate — just bring yourself and your experiences.
Whether or not you can attend one of our upcoming engagement sessions, we hope you will take 10 minutes to complete our strategic planning survey.
The survey is open through Friday, May 23.
Thank you so much for your work in your community, and thank you for considering to be part of our planning process.
MLS Merch Fundraiser Now Available!
Thanks to your great feedback, we reopened our merch page for a limited time!
Show your support for libraries! By making a purchase, your support will help extend the impact of our programs and services.
Visit our Custom Ink page to browse our merch options.
Delivery Open House at the Worcester Sort Facility
Curious how Statewide Delivery works? Join MLS and Optima Shipping on Thursday, May 8 for an in-person open house at the sort facility in Worcester!
This is an opportunity for library staff to come and see the sort facility in Worcester, where Optima handles library materials destined for Delivery to and from libraries in the central and western Massachusetts.
Spaces are limited, so be sure to register for one of the time slots below!
- Register for the 1 – 2 p.m. Open House Time Slot
- Register for the 2 – 3 p.m Open House Time Slot
- Register for the 3 – 4 p.m Open House Time Slot
Libraries as Cooling Centers: Northeast Summit on Climate Adaptation for Library Facilities
The next event in the Northeast Summit on Climate Adaptation for Library Facilities is Libraries as Cooling Centers: Every Library Can Be One!
Join us on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, from 1 – 2 p.m. Learn more and register for this webinar on LibCal.
This event is part of the Northeast Summit on Climate Adaptation for Library Facilities, a collaboration of the State Libraries from Maine to Maryland. This webinar was planned by the Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services and the Vermont Department of Libraries.
Language Learning Grant Spotlight
Did you know about the MLS Language Learning Grant?
MLS member library staff are eligible to apply for a grant to help learn the languages spoken by their communities’ residents.
Forbes Library Processing & Services Assistant Steven S. shared his experience with the grant in a new MLS blog post.
He wrote, “I’ve found so much empathy in learning and using a new language. It’s an exciting challenge that I anticipate with each exchange. I’m using what I’ve gained from my studies to further my individual reach in meeting the needs of our community.”
Read Steven’s full blog to learn more. Visit the Language Learning Grant LibGuide to learn more and apply for a grant.
The Language Learning Grant supports Initiative 1, Goal 3; Initiative 2, Goal 2; and Initiative 3, Goal 1 of the MLS Strategic Plan.
MLS and MBLC Host Friendly Competition to Benefit the Boston Bruins PJ Drive
The final numbers from the Boston Bruins PJ Drive are in, and MLS collected 67 pairs! Thank you to everyone who donated.
It wasn’t enough to beat the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC), who collected 160 pairs. On April 3, 2025, Sarah Sogigian honored the terms of their competition agreement: wearing PJs, she awarded MBLC the chocolate-filled trophy at their Commissioners meeting.
Cradles to Crayons reports that they have collected 6,520 pairs statewide, and over 50% of those come from collections at our libraries!
Well done and thanks to our participating member libraries!
MLS at the MLA Conference
We’re looking forward to the 2025 Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) Conference! Visit our booth to learn more about our services and take home some MLS promotional items.
Be sure to attend MLS Consultant Jane Stimpson’s session on Monday, May 19 at 2:25 p.m. Learn more below:
Think Outside the [Black] Box: AI and Privacy, Copyright, and Information Integrity
Hype about artificial intelligence (AI) often minimizes serious concerns regarding data privacy, intellectual property (IP) theft, and the ability to produce misinformation at scale. Those concerns are compounded by the “black box” nature of AI and how companies operate, train their models, and employ safety guardrails. This session covers AI privacy policies, IP and copyright lawsuits regarding AI, and the proliferation of AI-generated content online.
