Event Recordings & Materials
for ESLN sponsored events
Visit our YouTube page to view recordings of past events.
Human Resources and Management Webinar Series
Leadership Transitions of Key Employees
March 5, 2026
Organizational stability and sustainability rely in part on effectively preparing for and shepherding leadership transitions for key employees, to smoothly fill critical vacancies, develop staff potential, preserve institutional knowledge, and support long-term success.
Join Kathy Parker and Kate Hall, authors of The Public Library Director’s Toolkit and long-time library directors, for a session exploring effective leadership transitions. Parker and Hall will discuss the role of staffing analyses in assessing and planning for vacancies, staff leadership development, and tools and methods for documentation of knowledge, including special considerations for small or rural institutions. See below for resources from the event:
- Presentation slides
- ABC Library Director Succession Plan
- Departures and Arrivals Checklist
- Succession Planning Worksheet
From Selection to Separation: Hiring and Parting Ways Respectfully
April 21, 2026
This human resources training is designed for library staff and supervisors to strengthen skills across key stages of the employee lifecycle, from an employee’s first experience with an organization to their departure. Participants will explore good practices in structured interviewing and fair, consistent candidate evaluation. The training will also address respectful and legally compliant procedures for employee separation, including clear documentation, effective communication strategies, meaningful exit interviews, and thoughtful approaches to saying goodbye that support both organizational integrity and staff well-being. While not designed to be a comprehensive training in staff onboarding and offboarding, this session will address tangible strategies and questions to ask at particular stages in an employee’s journey with an organization. See below for resources from the event.
Amanda E. Perrine is the Executive Director of Onondaga County Public Libraries and an instructor at Syracuse University’s iSchool. She began her management career in retail and restaurants and then moved to libraries where she has been a director and branch manager. Her passion is helping library staff increase their leadership skills. When not at work, she can be found reading, tracing her genealogy, and exploring Central New York and beyond with her son. See below for resources from the event:
January 24: New Laws in the New Year, A roundup of employment-related laws going into effect in 2025, with a focus on how they will impact libraries and other 3R-member institutions. (view the recording) See below for resources from the event:
- The New Laws checklist handout
- The link to the information on AED’s is here: https://ogs.ny.gov/real-estate/automated-external-defibrillators-aeds
- A template library dress code document is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rD5kvMAh0XMXWoIgMb8DPEH0-5juYrky-6tHeKPJvAw/edit?usp=sharing
- NY DOL Record of Employment (pdf)
- NY DOL Freelance Worker Agreement (pdf)
- Breast Milk Expression in the Workplace
- Ask the Lawyer Resources
- And an answer to the question: Does the “Freelance Isn’t Free” act cover contracts with LLCs or small corporations?
- Answer: In “Freelance Isn’t Free,” a “freelance worker” is “any natural person or organization composed of no more than one natural person, whether or not incorporated or employing a trade name.” The requirement of a written contract with the required elements kicks when the payment is over $800/year (whether due to one contract, or several).
February 28: Innovations in Employee Benefits, Exploring unconventional benefits that libraries, museums, and other cultural organizations can offer to recruit, retain, and inspire employees. (view the recording) See below for resources from the event:
March 28: AI on the (GLAM) Job, A review of how the law impacts use of AI at work in libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions.
April 25: Open Ask HR, This seminar is a chance to pose your “What ifs” “Whys” and “Howabouts” for employment practices in the future.
Conservation and Preservation Grant Writing Workshop
Using Data for Building and Presenting Academic Library Value
ESLN Services Webinar Series
January – September 2022
This nine-part webinar series explores the various services the Empire State Library Network has to offer.
1/28/2022 – Empire Archival Discovery Cooperative
2/25/22 – New York State Historic Newspapers
3/25/22 – New York Heritage Digital Collections
4/29/22 – Empire State Immersive Experiences
5/27/22 – Ask the Lawyer
6/24/22 – Ask Us 24/7
7/29/22 – Academic OverDrive
8/26/22 – Empire Library Delivery
10/28/22 – Ask the Archivist
YouTube Playlist
Slide Decks
PILLARS Symposium
July 13, 2022
The symposium introduces educators to a wide range of teaching and learning resources for practical use in the 21st-century classroom.
Grant Writing Kit Workshop
June 9, 2022
This program outlines a useful system for organizing, preparing, and staying current with all the critical documentation and information needed for efficient grant writing.
Bouncing Back: Our Students, Ourselves
April 14, 2022
Keynote Slides: Meet the Prospective Student: Moving between Generation Z and a COVID Generation
Breakout Session: Overcoming Unprecedented Adversities: The Milne Library Experience
Breakout Session: How Will Libraries Deliver a Sustainable Future?
Calm, (Legally) Cool, and Collected: Tactics for Libraries Facing Book Challenges and Collection-Based Protests
December 2, 2021
Webinar Recording
Session Materials
Leading Performance: Ask the HR Expert webinar
October 18, 2021
Webinar Recording
Trust & Leadership: Ask the HR Expert webinar
September 20, 2021
Webinar Recording
Effective Selection: Ask the HR Expert webinar
June 21, 2021
Webinar Recording
HR 101: Ask the HR Expert webinar
May 17, 2021
Webinar Recording
New Sick Leave Law Webinar
January 13, 2021
Webinar Recording
Session Materials
Know Your Rights: Copyright Hacks for Librarians and Educators Webinar
May 14, 2020
Webinar Recording
The 2020 Census Counts Webinar
June 1, 2020
Webinar Recording
Project Outcome For Academic Libraries: Data for Impact and Improvement
June 4, 2020
Session Materials
Reopening Libraries in NYS Webinar
June 16, 2020
Webinar Recording
Legal Issues & Reopening: The Saga Continues
July 29, 2020
Webinar Recording