All posts by Angie

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

Check out some fun library apps: Boopsie, Gabbie, and Remind

Technology is even better when it can help you and your library! We are investigating three apps that are supposed to support communication with patrons, promote your library, and connect your services with the community.

boopsieBoopsie for Libraries is probably the most well-known library app, and is useful for all types of libraries, from K-12 to Special Libraries. According to their site, the app has been downloaded 3.4 million times, with 500,000 app users per month. The app enables libraries to provide patrons with constant access to digital and print collections and services. It also features a “Library locator” to help users find a location close to them. The app can connect patrons with their library’s social media and event calendar. Click here for more information on Boopsie.

gabbie-redNext up is Gabbie, which is a two-way texting app with auto-commands. Some of the features are providing patrons with free texts for overdues and reserves, the ability to add an “Ask a Librarian” link to your website or newsletters, and a console to communicate with patrons with visual and audio alerts. For some examples, check out these libraries in Iowa that have taken advantage of the Gabbie app: the Wilton Public Library and the Earlham Public Library. For more information on how to get Gabbie for your library, click here.

remindFinally, Remind is an app that was included in the 2015 AASL Best Apps for Teaching & Learning. It’s a messaging app that allows schools or libraries to communicate with large groups or just an individual. It also allows you to set reminders. To see how it can be helpful for libraries, check out this free webinar from AASL. If you don’t want to watch a whole webinar, the presentation slides are also available.

Do you use any of these apps in your libraries, or do you have other ones that you have found helpful? Share your experience with us!

 

Check this out:, CMLE, General, Public, School Media Specialist

Notable Date to celebrate: October 25th is World Pasta Day!

You probably already know that at CMLE, we offer a service called “Notable Dates for your Noggin” which feature special holidays and birthdays of authors, as well as publications of well-known books. In an effort to help you get more from this service, we’ve decided to select one “Notable Date” each month to feature. We will include a few fun programming and activity ideas too, all for you to use!

cat-and-pasta
Cats enjoy pasta too

 

October 25th is World Pasta Day. Spoiler alert: this post may cause cravings and/or hunger.

The obvious way to celebrate World Pasta Day is with recipes. At your library, you could display some pasta cookbooks, or even just books or materials that feature Italy.

Need some pasta recipes to share? This delicious-sounding chicken parmesan pasta skillet only needs 6 ingredients. If you are gluten-free, give this recipe to make your own pasta a try.  Pasta can be vegan-friendly too, with this recipe for vegan chipotle pasta.

If you really want to get serious, there is even a National Pasta Association!

Otherwise, get into the spirit of World Pasta Day through books. And who better to read about pasta with than Strega Nona? The book is read out loud in the video below, or order a copy here.

Share your pasta receipes, or favorite pasta related books with us!

 

scroll-307485_960_720Looking for more fun holidays or days to celebrate? Check out our Notable Dates Page!

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

Preservation and Decoding Civil War telegrams

civilwar_header_872
Preserving telegrams from the Civil War

The Huntington Library in San Marino, CA is working on a project of huge historical significance. They are working on decoding and digitizing 15,971 telegrams from the Civil War that were found hidden in a wooden foot locker for more than a century. This article from the LA Times details the contents of some of the telegrams, which are a window into the war experiences of the Civil War and include disease, fear, humor, and praise of President Lincoln. The telegrams were found to have come from the Union side, but the correspondence was coded for safety. According to the article, this led the Huntington Library to start “a Decoding the Civil War crowdsourcing campaign that relies on volunteers using cipher charts to unravel secret texts.” These volunteers, named “citizen archivists” continue to work through the ongoing task of deciphering the coded messages.

In addition to decoding the messages, the Huntington is working to digitize the documents to make them available online. The library is working with Zooniverse to put the documents online at the Decoding the Civil War website. Using digitization to preserve these formerly hidden documents is important to ensure they continue to provide a glimpse into this country’s history.

Check out the official site of the project for a glimpse into the decoding process, suggested reading, and links to more resources on the Civil War.

 

 

 

Check this out:, General, Resources, School Media Specialist, Tech

AASL Recommended App: Humanities and Arts: MusiQuest

musiquestIn 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.

MusiQuest is an app that teaches young students music theory through engaging activities. Using a variety of instruments, users are able to compose and share their own songs. Illustrations and animal characters help to teach students about harmony, melody, chords, and different musical styles. This article from Edify explains in more detail the features of MusiQuest, including the fact that it makes composing sounds and music for an entire orchestra accessible to a young child.

Cost: Free!
Level: Elementary
Platforms: iOS

Want to give it a try with an actual orchestra? Click here for a link to the New York Philharmonic Kidzone and select “MusiQuest” (in the bottom row) to play instruments and get a backstage tour!

Watch the video below to get a feel for how to use the MusiQuest app:

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

Library therapy dogs help kids with reading

office dogs
Good listeners!

The stereotypical animal that is often associated with libraries (and librarians!) is the cat. And here at CMLE, we definitely love cats. But dogs can be even more helpful when it comes to libraries, and reading in general, especially when it comes to teaching literacy to kids.

This adorable Tweet sparked our curiosity. Just how much do dogs help kids with their reading skills? We also wondered where else in our area might dogs be interacting with kids, students, books, and libraries?

First, we discovered just how helpful dogs can be when it comes to assisting kids with their reading skills. This article from Public Libraries Online shares research done that states, “Children who read to dogs improved their own reading skills in comparison to children who did not read to dogs, based on the results of the Oral Text Reading for Comprehension Test” and even “reported a greater enjoyment of reading than children who did not read to dogs.” When kids are able to practice their reading skills out loud to a patient, non-judgmental listener (like a dog!) their reading improves, and just as importantly, their love of reading grows!

The organization Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ) Minnesota works with “registered therapy animals who volunteer with their handler as a team, going to schools, libraries, and many other settings as reading companions for children” in order to help kids with their literacy and communication skills. Their site explains ways you can help the organization, and even how to become a READ team with your dog!

For real-life inspiration, we found a few instances of dogs and kids enjoying reading together. This article from MN Women’s Press tells the story of Lesa Hobright-Turner and her READ dog, Murphy, and their impact on a little girl with ADHD. The Hibbing Daily Tribune featured this article about kids reading with dogs at Keewatin Elementary school. The Rochester Public Library has the program “Sit, Stay, Read” that takes place the fourth Monday of the month from September – November. Finally, the Two Harbor’s Public Library has a program “Read to a Dog” that takes place on Fridays, featuring Lucy the dog: lucy-reading-dog

We’re sure there are more programs out there, and would love to hear about them! Do you know of, or participate in, any activity that features animals helping kids with their reading? Let us know!