Check out the news from our colleagues at the State Library Services!
Join a Project READY Cohort! Are you looking for ways to sustain and deepen your professional work around racial equity? Did you miss the first round of Project READY in 2021? State Library Services and the Minnesota Library Association are kicking off another round of learning and professional development through Project READY (Reimagining Equity and Access for Diverse Youth). This online professional learning curriculum is targeted at youth services and school librarians but has broad applicability. We will focus on the first 13 modules, covering a range of topics from the history of race to implicit bias to cultural humility. Cohorts will work through the online content on their own and meet online for one hour every other week for a facilitated discussion of their learning. The cohorts will start in January and continue until the summer. To learn more, join us December 7, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., for an informational webinar (not required): Project READY informational meeting If you are interested in participating, please fill out the Project READY interest form by December 9. If you have any questions, contact Ashley Bieber at ashley.bieber@state.mn.us. Youth Services Connect – Homeschooling in Minnesota Join our next YS Connect to learn more about homeschooling in Minnesota with special guest, Cindy Jackson, Minnesota Department of Education Ombuds, whose policy areas include homeschooling. December 14, 2 p.m.: Join the YS Connect Zoom meeting. There will be time for questions and a discussion about ways to assist homeschool learners and teachers in your community. Reserve Traveling Exhibits for 2023 State Library Services has partnered with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to create several traveling tabletop exhibits that are loaned for free and distributed via interlibrary loan service. There are seven interactive exhibits available, highlighting different facets of climate change and actions we can take to address it. Each exhibit is loaned for four weeks followed by a 1-2 week transport to another library. The available exhibits are: Climate Change in Minnesota Climate Resilient Communities Food and Climate Change Save Your Food! Karst and Water Pollution Fix a Leak Pollinators, Bee Aware To learn more about each exhibit, and make your reservation, go to the MCPA Scheduler. Exhibits are reserved on a first-come first-served basis. Once an exhibit is fully booked for 2023, it will be removed as an option from the reservation site.
Updates From Our Partners Meet Librarians from Charters and Small Schools There’s one more chance this year to join the Charter School Librarians meeting. Register to get the Zoom link for the Charter School Librarians meeting.Thursday, December 1, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. This is a monthly meeting for librarians, media specialists, or paraprofessionals who work in the media center at charter schools, independent schools, or small school districts. The meeting is hosted by Lynn Delesha, librarian at Twin Cities Academy. Services for Strong Communities Has your library responded to the latest Public Library Association (PLA) survey? This year’s survey focuses on the role libraries play in meeting community need. We need about 15 more respondents from Minnesota in order to reach the sample goal. To access the survey, log in at Library Benchmark click on “Surveys” and choose this survey from the list under “Open Surveys.” All libraries have free access to Benchmark to complete open surveys, view past survey responses and key metrics, and update contact details. Please submit your library’s responses by December 10, 2022. Grants for Disability Services The American Library Association (ALA) invites applications from small and rural libraries for the Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant to help them better serve people with disabilities. Selected libraries will receive $10,000 or $20,000 to support costs related to their community engagement project; virtual training to assist project directors in developing their community engagement, facilitation, and disability service skills; a suite of online resources developed to support local programs; and technical and project support from the ALA Public Programs Office. Library workers may apply online for grant funding from November 1, 2022, to February 28, 2023. Up to 300 libraries will be awarded in this application period. For help with the application, view a recording of a November 8 informational webinar. To be eligible, a library must be located in an area that’s more than, or equal to, five miles from an urbanized area and with a population of 25,000 or less, in keeping with Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) definitions of small and rural libraries. Science Kits for Kids
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Science Kits for Public Libraries Grant project is offering up to $2,000 per library in funding for public libraries across the Midwest for 2023. The grant is focused on the creation of a circulating science kit collection for primary and secondary education students (K-12). Applications will be accepted from public libraries in the IEEE Region 4 from November 1, 2022–January 16, 2023. Those libraries which have previously applied for the grant but have not received funding are invited to submit again. For grant program details, visit the SKPL website, contact Doug DeBoer (Douglas.DeBoer@Dordt.edu) if there are any questions. Back to TopPhoto/illustration credits: Michal Parzuchowski, Rod Long
About State Library Services 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.
This online professional learning curriculum is targeted at youth services and school librarians but has broad applicability. We will focus on the first 13 modules, covering a range of topics from the history of race to implicit bias to cultural humility. Cohorts will work through the online content on their own and meet online for one hour every other week for a facilitated discussion of their learning. The cohorts will start in January and continue until the summer. To learn more, join us December 7, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., for an informational webinar (not required): Project READY informational meeting If you are interested in participating, please fill out the Project READY interest form by December 9. If you have any questions, contact Ashley Bieber at ashley.bieber@state.mn.us. Youth Services Connect – Homeschooling in Minnesota 
Join our next YS Connect to learn more about homeschooling in Minnesota with special guest, Cindy Jackson, Minnesota Department of Education Ombuds, whose policy areas include homeschooling. December 14, 2 p.m.: Join the YS Connect Zoom meeting. There will be time for questions and a discussion about ways to assist homeschool learners and teachers in your community. Reserve Traveling Exhibits for 2023 State Library Services has partnered with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to create several traveling tabletop exhibits that are loaned for free and distributed via interlibrary loan service. There are seven interactive exhibits available, highlighting different facets of climate change and actions we can take to address it. Each exhibit is loaned for four weeks followed by a 1-2 week transport to another library. The available exhibits are: Climate Change in Minnesota Climate Resilient Communities Food and Climate Change Save Your Food! Karst and Water Pollution Fix a Leak Pollinators, Bee Aware 
To learn more about each exhibit, and make your reservation, go to the MCPA Scheduler. Exhibits are reserved on a first-come first-served basis. Once an exhibit is fully booked for 2023, it will be removed as an option from the reservation site. 
There’s one more chance this year to join the Charter School Librarians meeting. Register to get the Zoom link for the Charter School Librarians meeting. Thursday, December 1, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. This is a monthly meeting for librarians, media specialists, or paraprofessionals who work in the media center at charter schools, independent schools, or small school districts. The meeting is hosted by Lynn Delesha, librarian at Twin Cities Academy. Services for Strong Communities 
Has your library responded to the latest Public Library Association (PLA) survey? This year’s survey focuses on the role libraries play in meeting community need. We need about 15 more respondents from Minnesota in order to reach the sample goal. To access the survey, log in at Library Benchmark click on “Surveys” and choose this survey from the list under “Open Surveys.” All libraries have free access to Benchmark to complete open surveys, view past survey responses and key metrics, and update contact details. Please submit your library’s responses by December 10, 2022. Grants for Disability Services 
The American Library Association (ALA) invites applications from small and rural libraries for the Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant to help them better serve people with disabilities. Selected libraries will receive $10,000 or $20,000 to support costs related to their community engagement project; virtual training to assist project directors in developing their community engagement, facilitation, and disability service skills; a suite of online resources developed to support local programs; and technical and project support from the ALA Public Programs Office. Library workers may apply online for grant funding from November 1, 2022, to February 28, 2023. Up to 300 libraries will be awarded in this application period. For help with the application, view a recording of a November 8 informational webinar. To be eligible, a library must be located in an area that’s more than, or equal to, five miles from an urbanized area and with a population of 25,000 or less, in keeping with Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) definitions of small and rural libraries. Science Kits for Kids 
Applications will be accepted from public libraries in the IEEE Region 4 from November 1, 2022–January 16, 2023. Those libraries which have previously applied for the grant but have not received funding are invited to submit again. For grant program details, visit the SKPL website, contact Doug DeBoer (Douglas.DeBoer@Dordt.edu) if there are any questions. Back to Top Photo/illustration credits: Michal Parzuchowski, Rod Long