I was originally hired as Program Assistant and quickly promoted to Program Coordinator once my supervisor moved on from the organization within a six-week period of being hired in October to early December of 2017.
One of the primary reasons I was hired for The Nyack Library was to become the social media lead and assist with graphic design. The Digital Marketing & Social Media Proposal is only one of the few I developed over the past few years, and this plan was shared with all the leads. Some of the assets of this proposal includes aligning to the business goals of the organization, establishing SMART goals, auditing different platforms for the organization and local competition, developing strategies, generating an action plan, tips, and sharing resources, and more.
Platforms that were utilized for the library included Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I was hoping to integrate Instagram and Pinterest, then eventually YouTube. Prior to my departure, I reached out to a contact of mine to assist with a website evaluation and today, the website and logo have been integrated from my original proposal.
Highlighted Programs
What truly makes The Nyack Library a unique building is the connection to Andrew Carnegie himself. Carnegie went from steel-building to funding numerous libraries throughout the Hudson Valley, in Nyack. The Carnegie Concert Series takes place in the original building that was the library before its expansion. For this November 2018 concert, friends of mine of the Candice Reyes Quintet performed as a part of their tour "Your Way."
Lavene and I had multiple classes together during our MBA program while attending WPUNJ. Her goals were to become a motivational speaker and host Vision Board Workshops. I extended the invitation to her to host a workshop at the library. She was thrilled when I gave her 200+ magazines to help her saves on costs! See Lavene's guest blog on www.35mediamarketing.com.
This was one of my favorite programs at The Nyack Library! As a fellow folkie, it was great to speak with Daniel and we discussed folk music and my time with the Philadelphia Folksong Society at length. He truly inspired when he said, "Everyone has a story to tell. Look how many books Lincoln has." This was in reference to actually writing a book in regards to folk music.
The Film For Thought Series was a way to generate bi-weekly programming to highlight the new Kanopy database that patrons can watch films for free at any time. All programs at the library were coordinated on a quarterly basis and this particular program was extended again to the summer months. Films were selected by various staff members to highlight themes, purpose, education, and of course - entertainment!
Another aspect of my responsibilities as Program Coordinator was coordinating the calendar for community rooms, working with museums and the pass program, and the art galleries. To highlight and gain traction for the monthly art showings included hosting artist receptions. This striking graphic was for Ken Ricci and his recent collages.
Although the program was known to sell out immediately once the Bookend was published, this was still a great graphic to make!
Coordinating Events & the "Bookend"
The quarterly "Bookend" newsletter was mailed to 6,000+ residents in the area for highlight upcoming programs at the library. Based on surveys, this is where patrons learned about programs that attended. The greatest challenge when facilitating these programs was being able to bring free programming to the library since the budget had run out six months prior to the new fiscal year.
New York Small Business Development Center Open House
Hiking the Nyack Area & The Long Path
SBDC Individual Business Consulting
Carnegie Concert Series: All Seasons Chamber Players
Welcoming Spring with Bio-Regional Herbalism
Art Talk: Sean Scully - No Words
Carnegie Concert Series: Lynn Stein
Beyond the Argument Culture: Dialogue in Divisive Times
How to Taste Wine & Develop Your Personal Palate
Local Author Event: Denize Lauture
Andrew Carnegie: From Steel to the Building of Libraries
ONA Immigration Legal Consultation
Planning a Future For Your Family's Past
Preparing for Spring with Chinese Medicine
Local Author Event: Margarita Meyendorff
New Seed Exchange - Open Hours
Discover Hidden Italy: Florence [Cancelled - Snow Storm]
Nyack Seed Exchange: Successful Seed-Starting
Carnegie Concert Series: Cocomama
Defensive Driving 6-Hour Course
SBDC Workshop: The Federal Tax Plan - 2018: What Small Businesses Need to Know
Film for Thought Series - Sneak Peek: Oscar Shorts
Carnegie Concert Series: Trinity Ensemble in Concert
Film for Thought Series - Sneak Peek: We Shall Overcome
Formal British Tea Party with the Besteas
Love Songs: A Valentine's Day Concert
India Through the Eyes of a Dancer
Hopper House Art Talk-African American History of Nyack & Beacon
Public Speaking for Young Adults (and up!)
Local Author Event: Daniel Wolff discusses "Grown-up Anger"
Arduino Workshop with Open Collaboration Time
- Jan. 24: Installing IDE, adding libraries, & opening serial monitor
- Feb. 14: Working with Blink, LED, & RGB LED
- Feb. 28: Setting digital inputs & active buzzer
- Mar. 14: Setting passive buzzer & tilt ball switch
- Mar. 28: Setting up the servo monitor
- April 11: Using the ultrasonic sensor module
- April 25: Setting DHT temperature & humidity sensor
- May 9: Setting the analog joystick module
Alexander Hamilton - The Musical & the Duel
Controlling Your World: Intro to the Arduino Microcontroller
Local Author Event: Rebecca Watkins & A. Anupama
MarTEAni: An Evening to Sip n' Mingle
Women of the Ramapough Lenape Nation: A Visual Talk
Defensive Driving 6-Hour Course
Song by Song by Sondheim
M&M Productions Present... "Marriage is Murder" Comedy Play
Youth Mental Health First Aid Course for Adults
Friends of the Library Book Sale
Graphic Design
The portrait of Andrew Carnegie currently hangs in the original Carnegie Library building and I wanted to showcase this portrait in a modern way for an important program during National Library Week!
What I wanted to convey most about this program was its neutrality, especially during a time where there was such political divide amongst neighbors. Ideas and perceptions can be black and white, however the grey area is being able to listen and understand.
All text was provided by the sponsors. This program, along with AARP Free Tax Aide, Small Business Development Center and Consulting sessions, and other programs are important to incorporate in a library setting to demonstrate the library is for and stands by the local community.
Networking Opportunities
Source: You Can Thank Andrew Carnegie For These Local Libraries -
Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie left his mark on the Hudson Valley, helping to build nearly a dozen libraries in grateful towns.
One day, I received an inquiry from Hudson Valley Magazine and they were looking to do a piece on the all the Hudson Valley libraries that were funded by Andrew Carnegie. This was a fantastic opportunity and one that we could not pass up!
The library was originally founded in 1879 and currently serves the residents of Nyack, Upper Nyack, South Nyack, Grand View, and Valley Cottage. In 1890, the library was incorporated and on June 5, 1894, it was entered under the New York State Board of Regents, by which means it received state aid.
In March 1901 the Trustees of the Nyack Library decided to petition Andrew Carnegie for funds for a library building. On December 21, 1901, Andrew Carnegie offered to give $15,000 for the erection of a library building in Nyack, if the village provided a suitable site and pledged by resolution to support the library with no less than $1,500 a year. On January 6, 1902, trustees of the library appeared before the Nyack village board to ask for an increase in funding by $187.50; the village had already been funding the library with $750 a year from 1894 - 1902. The new total was 937.50 annually. Carnegie offered to donate 15,000 for a building on the condition that the Nyack community raise not less than 1,500 annually.
The cornerstone for the new building was laid on May 21, 1903. The public reception for the opening of the new building was held on January 16, 1904. The total cost of the library was $15,597, almost $600 more than the gift of Andrew Carnegie.
Press Releases were only set out for the Carnegie Concert Series and I was lucky to have one of my releases published in the November 22, 2017 edition of Our Town highlighting Sing We Enchanted.
Every month, the Director attended Rotary meetings and I asked if it was alright if I joined her for one and she was pleased that I was interested. I was surprised how different it was from other business chamber meetings and seminars that I've previously attended in the past!
During my time at The Nyack Library, I was a member of the following committees:
- Programming
- Admin
- Monday Morning Training
- Carnegie Concert Series
"Monday Morning Training" seminars include reviews of lock-down procedures, staff book club discussion, guest speakers, and more. For one of the trainings, I was asked to develop a presentation on LinkedIn to help engage the staff and to further support the brand on social media in a professional manner.
Topics for this presentation included:
- About LinkedIn
- Demographics & Fun Facts
- The Importance of LinkedIn
- Top five reasons all working professionals should be active and have a presence on the platform
- "What is a Personal Brand?"
- Layout of LinkedIn Profile
- Used my personal LinkedIn Profile to breakdown how to utilize a digital resume
- How to Customize Your Public Profile
- Again, used my personal LinkedIn Profile to breakdown how to utilize a digital resume
- How to Adjust Privacy Settings
- Showcased the preview screen for privacy settings and adjustments
- Which Headshot is Better?
- Source: Entrepreneur Magazine
- Job-Hunting
- Managing a Professional Business Page
- Demonstrated with The Nyack Library's page
- Jobs Listed on a Professional Business Page
- Demonstrated with a then-recent The Nyack Library's vacancy
- "Hi, How Can We Help You?"
- How to utilize the LinkedIn Help platform
- Staff Questions
- Asked the team prior if they had any questions if they wanted to discuss during the presentation
- Book Recommendations
- The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success by Wayne Breitbarth
- What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles
Wishful Thinking
I only spent a few months at The Nyack Library due to receiving a full-time opportunity at Palisades Center. Looking back, somethings that I could have improved programming and the position at the library includes:
- Creating monthly media plans for press releases, program promotion, sharing to community calendars
- Developing deeper relationships with Rivertown organizations and hierarchies in the Village of Nyack
- Unable to post to social on a daily basis once the department was reduced and too many admins that could share to social with no action plan or consulting
- Not being able to share weekly eblasts and created by another department - not attached to marketing or programming
