All posts by Angie

Check this out:, CMLE, Communication, General, Tech

CMLE's web redesign week is Dec. 14th – 20th, stop in and say hello!

December 8, 2016 Angie 2 Comments

holiday-1 — Snowmen and Sound of Music candles at CMLE HQ!

Here at CMLE Headquarters, we have eagerly been awaiting the chance to dive in and make some changes and improvements to our website. Mid-December would be the perfect time to do that! During the week of Dec. 14th – 20th, we will be here at HQ devoting our focus to website redesign. We are sharing this information with you in case you have some suggestions for the updated website! Is there anything you’d like to see more of, certain features that would make the site more accessible, or templates that you find especially useful? Let us know! Email us or feel free to stop in during our week of web redesign.

Since we love the holiday season, if you do stop in, we will show you around our decorated space and share some yummy treats – maybe even some hot chocolate! You can feel free to chat with us about libraries, websites, or your holiday plans.

Hope to see you then!

Academic, Check this out:, CMLE, Public, Resources, School Media Specialist, Special

From Good to Great as a library leader

December 3, 2016 Angie

Pencil tips — Working on our professional development!

If you’ve been keeping up with CMLE’s book groups on Goodreads, the phrase “Good to Great” may ring a bell! That’s because the book “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Other’s Don’t” by Jim Collins was our November read in the Librarian Professionals group! We hope that if you read the book, you were able to take away a sense of what helps great leaders and companies function at such a high level.

Library Journal recently posted this article written by librarian and Vice President of the ACRL Steven Bell on why the book can be especially helpful to those in the library world. He discusses how the book is still relevant in today’s library leadership world, but also names additional articles and resources that have continued to build upon Collins’ book.

Bell names a main component that is necessary for achieving greatness – passion! Leaders need to be able to channel their passion for their work in a way that inspires others to follow them and leads their company in the right direction. Bell also gives some suggestions of how to lead successfully in the library world.

If you are interested in developing your leadership skills, CMLE’s Librarian Professionals book group is an easy place to start! Our book for December is The Happiness Project, and we welcome you to join us!

Check this out:, CMLE, General, Resources

Learn about these 13 unusual holiday traditions from around the world!

December 3, 2016 Angie

christmas cookie — Learn cool holiday facts!

Do you find yourself lacking in conversational topics this holiday season? (If you are a librarian, you have all sorts of interesting knowledge, so probably not, but just in case!) Reader’s Digest Canada compiled this slideshow of intriguing holiday traditions that are celebrated in different places around the world. Don’t be put off by the goofiness of Number One – they are fun to learn about and the pictures are great too!

For a kids version of worldwide winter holiday celebrations, check out this article from National Geographic Kids, where they cover holidays from Hanukkah to the Chinese New Year.

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

Discover books about old Yule traditions

December 2, 2016 Angie 2 Comments

Snow Tracks — What sort of creatures are roaming through the snow in winter?

Interested in reading some winter books that aren’t holiday themed? This article from Book Riot should help you out! The article includes several books that delve into some of the older traditions of the winter season. Daylight is short, and the nights are extra dark and long, so it seems logical that some spooky and mystical traditions exist during the season!

One of the books, The Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year even includes cookie recipes and craft ideas alongside it’s description of the enchanted creatures of the season.

The list also thoughtfully makes a suggestion for your probably stressed-out body with Four Seasons of Mojo: An Herbal Guide to Natural Living that includes techniques to help with winter-related ailments like colds, flu, and depression.

Finally, since it’s likely you will be around some kids at some point during the winter season, you can’t go wrong with Tomie dePaola’s The Legend of Old Befana which tells the traditional Italian story of an old woman and her flight to find the baby Jesus.

Extra credit: Not included on the list in the article, but also incorporating enchanted creatures and magical forests (although technically, yes, it is about Santa) is L. Frank Baum’s The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus which I grew up enjoying!

Do you know of any Yule or traditional winter folk books that we should be reading? Tell us in the comments!

Check this out:, General, School Media Specialist

AASL Recommended App: Books: Professor Astro Cat's Solar System

December 1, 2016 Angie

In June 2016, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced their 25 Best Apps for Teaching and Learning. The apps encourage qualities such as innovation and active participation, and are user-friendly.

Learn about stars, planets, and and outer space with Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System app. Users are able to earn medals and parts to build a rocket for completing tasks and correctly answering questions. There’s even a “jetpack challenge” quiz for students to play. The app is a good tool to reinforce concepts learned in science class.

Get more information about the app from this review, or this article from Fundamentally Children which features feedback from kids that have used the app, and also lists other related apps to try in the classroom!

Cost: $2.99
Level: Elementary
Platforms: iOS and Android

Watch the trailer here:

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