Thanks for Meeting Up!
The third Libraries Serving Youth Meetup was held on April 22 at the St. Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN). Sixteen enthusiastic school media specialists and public librarians came together to learn about the Saint Paul Public Library/SPNN Createch partnership, discuss makerspaces, share ideas, and network. Attendees left the Meetup energized to try more maker activities with tweens and teens.
Following the Meetup, ten librarians attended a stop-motion animation workshop presented by SPNN. Participants learned a lot, had a fabulous time, and created three very brief films during the course of the two-hour workshop. Participants used HUE cameras and software to make the films, and they proved to be both easy to use and reasonably priced. If stop-motion animation workshops are in your library’s future (perhaps to encourage your kids to create 90-Second Newbery Film Festival submissions, for example), HUE might be worth checking into.
Please contact Jen Verbrugge (651-582-8356) to request slides from the Createch presentation or for tips and tricks in planning your own regional meetup.
Better Together – Strengthening Adult Learning Communities
Please join us for Better Together, a gathering of colleagues from adult education, libraries, and workforce development that who focus on how collaborative digital literacy efforts can increase communities’ capacity to improve adult literacy and workforce outcomes for Minnesotans.
This year’s session will be Monday, May 15, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., with time for informal networking and discussion afterwards. We will meet at St. Paul Neighborhood Network, 550 Vandalia St., Suite 170, St. Paul.
The day will have two parts: 1) a learning strand highlighting resources that promote digital literacy and workforce skills, and 2) a Northstar strand giving participants the opportunity to provide input for the next level of the Northstar Digital Literacy Project.
Please note that Better Together is the day before the national Net Inclusion 2017 conference, also held in St. Paul.
Register for Better Together today. For more information, please contact Emily Kissane (651-582-8508).
Understanding Measures that Matter
As part of the national Measures that Matter initiative, the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) will offer a three-part webinar series about the public library data landscape during May, June and July. The first webinar, “Measures that Matter: A View into the Current Public Library Data Landscape,” will take place on Tuesday, May 23, 2-3 p.m. Learn more and register on the WebJunction website. Everyone is welcome to attend this webinar. Dates and descriptions for the second and third webinars will be announced soon. Jen Nelson is a member of the project’s working group and would love to hear from libraries about topics related to data collection to make sure Minnesota’s voice is heard nationally. Please contact Jen Nelson (651-582-8791) to share your input or get more information.
You Impress, Inspire, and Invigorate Us
One of the best parts of working for State Library Services is hearing about the amazing work you are doing in your libraries. We love to highlight that work, and help spread the word about it to the greater education community. Check out this recent piece featured on MDE’s blog, BloggED, about the great things happening in Mounds View High School’s media center. If you have a story you’d like us to cover, please contact Jen Verbrugge (651-582-8356).
Apply to Be a 21st Century Community Learning Center…
The Minnesota Department of Education is seeking applications from eligible applicants for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant program. Funding is available to establish, sustain, and expand community learning centers in order to provide students—particularly those who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools— with high-quality programs that support the whole child, primarily during non-school hours (including before school, after school, evenings, school release days, and summer.)
City or county governments, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, institutions of higher education, local education agencies (LEA), non-profit agencies and for-profit corporations, tribal agencies, and other public or private entities are eligible to apply—including libraries. Individuals are not eligible to apply. Specific eligibility criteria are identified in the General Information Section of the grant opportunity instructions document. There is no maximum grant award amount, and the minimum grant award allowed is $50,000 annually.
Please visit the Grant Opportunity webpage and scroll down to this grant opportunity for the application documents. Applications must be received (not postmarked) by Thursday, June 1, 2017, 4:30 p.m. Please contact Eric Billiet for further information.
…Or Apply to Be a Grant Reviewer Instead
If you prefer not to apply for 21st Century Community Learning Center grant, please consider learning more about the process by reviewing applications. To do so, you must be available to participate in a Reviewer Conference scheduled for June 6, 2017, 1-4 p.m., at MDE in Roseville. After the conference, reviewers will work independently to read, evaluate, score, and provide detailed comments on each section of the application online. Reviewers will read and evaluate up to 12 applications. Each application is approximately 30 pages and should take approximately one hour to review. Reviewers must also be available for possible conference calls June 27-30. Once the scores and review materials have been completed, each reviewer will be paid a stipend of $250.
If you are interested, please complete the reviewer application by May 10, 2017. Potential reviewers will be selected and notified by May 19, 2017. Thank you for your consideration. If you have any questions about this process, please feel free to contact Eric Billiet.
Screen Documentaries for Free at Your Library
POV is a long-running PBS documentary series that puts a human face on contemporary social issues through timely films that share unforgettable stories. This year, they celebrate their 30th anniversary. Part of POV’s mission is to lend out its films for free screenings. All it costs your library is shipping costs to return the DVD via media mail to POV. There are nearly 100 titles available to borrow from the POV Lending Library, which is browsable by title or topic.
It takes just a few quick steps to register a screening and borrow a DVD. Begin by registering on the POV Community Network site. If you have questions, contact Alice Quinlan at 212-989-8121, ext. 318 or aquinlan@pov.org.
Reintroduce Your Library – Outside the Lines
Outside the Lines (OTL) provides a framework for libraries—no matter their size or type—to share their stories, connect with their communities in new and exciting ways, and shift perceptions of libraries everywhere. Celebrate OTL with your community Sept. 10-16, 2017.
If you’re interested in taking part, but you’re not sure what to do, check out these ideas brainstormed during OTL sessions at the PLA conference last year. Then, register your library to participate in OTL 2017. Registration will get you such things as new graphics and shareable content, webinars that focus on specific ways to make OTL work for your library, and updated examples and tips from participating libraries. For more information, visit the OTL website.
Conference Call: Afterschool Meal Program in Schools – and Beyond
Schools are a natural fit for operating the At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program, with the food service experience, established systems, and educational programming already in place to support successful implementation. By acting as a sponsor, vendor, site, or collaborating with community partners, schools can play a huge role in ensuring children have access to the healthy meals they need when school is out, while also bringing in more federal reimbursement to support overall operations. Join the conference call on Thursday, May 18, at noon, to learn how schools can build stronger, more sustainable Afterschool Meal Programs by engaging community partners and serving healthy, kid-friendly meals. Presented by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC).
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