Congratulations! You've been hired as a a library director! In the North Country, many of our libraries are small and only have a few staff members. You may find yourself doing a little bit of everything, from troubleshooting technology to leading storytime to coordinating a renovation project.
NCLS is here to help.
Librarianship is all about helping people get connected to what they need, whether that's a tax form or a good mystery novel or the entire internet. But as a small library director, you also have four main jobs to perform, or to delegate, depending on the size of your organization - collection development, programming and outreach, supervising staff and volunteers, and facilities management.
This guide will provide you with resources on a variety of topics that will help you fulfill your duties confidently. It's not a comprehensive guide to librarianship, but it's a very good start.
You're also want to check out the Handbook for New Public Library Directors in NYS. We have some hard copies at NCLS, or you can print out your own using the PDF below.
Running a Small Library by 
Small Public Library Management by 
NCLS provides a variety of continuing education opportunities in the form of classes, toolkits, and tutorials.
NCLS Events: Our calendar of upcoming classes, meetings and special events, both virtual and in-person.
NCLS on YouTube: Video library of tutorials and archived classes.
NCLS LibGuides: In-depth toolkits on a variety of subjects, including Annual Reports, Library Construction Aid, Summer Reading, and more!
If you would like to suggest a topic for a class, toolkit, or guide, please contact Angela Newman.
Each library system in New York State has one or two central libraries. Flower Library in Watertown is the Central Library for the North Country Library System (NCLS). Learn more about central library services here.
Keep up to date on news, trends and opportunities in librarianship!
Subscribe to the NYLINE email list
Attend NCLS Update calls, held monthly on Zoom. You can find them on our NCLS Events page.
The North Country Public Library Directors Organization (or, the DO) is an advisory group for the North Country Library System, providing important input and feedback for system services. It's also a great place to find support and advice from people who do the same job that you do.
The DO meets several times a year, and all member library directors are invited to attend. You can find more information, including agendas and meeting minutes, here.
As a library director, you'll work closely with your board on funding, policies, and more. Check out our Trustee Guide to better understand the role of the library board.
If you need more support on a certain topic or issue, feel free to reach out to your library's consultant. If you are unaware of who that is, a consultant contact list is available below.