Get Ready for the 2017 Minnesota Public Library Annual Report
Library directors and annual report filers are invited to participate in a webinar on Wednesday, January 10, 1:30-2:30 p.m., to learn about proposed indicators and modifications to current indicators and definitions and how to enter data into the online survey tool. This webinar will be useful for both experienced and new report filers. When it’s time, join the 2017 Minnesota Public Library Annual Report meeting via WebEx. Registration is not required.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Joe Manion (651-582-8640).
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Order Your Library’s 2018 Tax Season Outreach Materials
Tax time is important in the lives of low- and moderate-income individuals and families. That’s why every year, Prepare + Prosper works with libraries across Minnesota to distribute outreach materials about free tax preparation and the Earned Income Tax Credit. Order your free materials soon in order to receive them for tax time.
Libraries in the 9-county metro area: order your materials through the online Prepare + Prosper order form.
Libraries in Greater Minnesota: order your materials through the Prepare + Prosper online order form.
For more information, please contact Emily Kissane (651-582-8508).
Connect Your Community with Affordable PCs and Internet Access
You can connect members of your community with affordable personal computers, computer repair, and internet access. Learn how your library can partner with PCs for People, an organization that works with businesses, government agencies, and residents to recycle and refurbish computers. Those computers are provided to low-income people, along with support for getting online.
Madeline Tate, PCs for People’s director of Partnerships and Programming, will give an overview of the organization, then describe how you can partner with them to benefit residents of your community. She also will tell us about an exciting pilot program with several rural libraries in Oklahoma. We’ll have plenty of time for your questions, too.
The webinar will be on Tuesday, January 30, from 11 a.m. to noon. You may join the webinar without registering, however if you do register, we can provide follow-up information and continue the conversation.
For further information, please contact Emily Kissane (651-582-8508).
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90-Second Newbery Film Festival Screening in February
You’re invited to the fourth annual Minnesota screening of the year’s best student-made 90-Second Newbery Film Festival entries on Saturday, February 10, 2018, 3-4:30 p.m., at Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central. The event is co-hosted by 90-Second Newbery founder James Kennedy and Minnesota author Pete Hautman. Help us promote the event by downloading and sharing the screening poster.
Don’t forget—the deadline to submit films for the screening is January 12, 2018. Learn more about how to submit on the 90-Second Newbery website. For more information, please contact Jen Verbrugge (651-582-8356).
Updates from our Partners
Letters About Literature Essay Contest Readers Needed
The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, as the Minnesota Center for the Book, seeks qualified first round readers for Letters About Literature, a national Library of Congress reading-writing promotion program for school-aged youth, grades 4-12. Students are asked to write a letter to an author, living or dead, about how the author’s work changed the reader’s view of the world or self. Letters are accepted for three levels: Level 1 is grades 4-6, Level 2 is grades 7-8, and Level 3 is grades 9-12. Readers are asked to review up to 50 letters (most are one to two pages) with a rubric for guidelines and submit a form indicating whether each letter is recommended for the next round or not. All letters and forms would be included in a Dropbox file. The reading period is from January 26 to February 16.
If you are interested in helping to support this program by volunteering your time, please email Alayne Hopkins before January 19 with your contact information, including mailing address, occupation, and Level preference. Last year, nearly 50,000 students participated nationally and Minnesota is proud to partner on this valuable student program.
Start Planning for Teen Tech Week
Find resources on the American Library Association website to plan great Teen Tech Week activities for March 4-10. Celebrate the many ways teens can leverage technology to effect positive change in their lives and communities with the “Libraries are for Creating” theme. Please share with State Library Services what you plan to do or what you did. We love to collect and share your stories! Send your anecdotes (and photos if you have them) to Leah Larson.
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Minnesota’s Star Libraries
Congratulations to the state’s top-rated public libraries. Five Minnesota libraries are among the 259 Star Libraries on the Library Journal Index of Public Library Services. Ramsey County, Grand Marais, and Edgerton public libraries are repeat Star Libraries for 2017. Baudette and Ely public libraries are new to the index this year. Grand Marais received the highest rating of five stars. The other libraries earned three stars each.
The index compares U.S. public libraries with their spending peers based on per capita loans, visits, program attendance, and public computer use. The scores are based on data reported annually by public libraries to their state library agencies. The 2017 ratings are based on 2015 data compiled nationally by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. To be eligible for Star status, be sure to complete the Minnesota Public Library Survey which opens in February.
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State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), partners with libraries to achieve equity and excellence in our collective work for Minnesotans. Division staff are consultants who help libraries plan, develop and implement high-quality services that address community needs. State Library Services administers federal grant, state aid, and state grant programs that benefit all types of libraries.
State Library Services wishes you and yours a happy and fulfilling 2018!
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