Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

CMLE Featured Service: Shadowing

Walk alongside another librarian for a day to see how alike or different your worlds are!

Image by Pings and Needles. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by Pings and Needles. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

The CMLE shadowing  service is relatively new, but promises lots of potential in Central Minnesota.  CMLE staff pay attention to the details of academic, public, school and special libraries in 319 locations in 12 counties. Through our work in the field, our communications to library staff, and our use of  tools like our Quick Question Polls, we strive to have a good grasp on the library landscape in Central MN.  Then, by using that knowledge, our staff can play matchmaker and connect you to a library setting other than your own. We call this activity shadowing.

Who could benefit from a CMLE shadowing experience?

  •  Many librarians wonder wistfully whether they made the right decision back in library school about what type of librarian they wanted to become. Maybe shadowing can provide clarity without the professional risk of changing jobs!
  • Are you a para running a school media center, wondering if you should pursue a degree? Particularly in K-12 schools, the experience of media specialists can be quite different, depending on whether the school is moving into Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) or One-to-One Initiatives (1:1). CMLE staff  know which schools are in these stages of transition and can provide you with the right fit.
  • Are you an academic librarian trying to anticipate how the high school student coming out of a BYOD or 1:1 school might approach a college experience differently? Will there be impact on how you provide an academic library or teaching experience?
  • Are you a high school media specialist feeling beyond stretched as you single handedly run the media center and teach classes? Are you wondering if a public  or academic library might be a better fit for you?
  • Are you a special librarian, working fairly solo (often not feeling so special), and wondering if it might be time for a larger setting and a team of people with whom you can work?

If any of these scenarios sound like you, our  shadowing program may be a good option for you. Or, maybe you are simply a curious person, willing and anxious to understand a bigger library world….that is ok too.

If you are interested in setting up a shadowing experience, please make contact with me to sort out the details. I will help you with connections and logistics.