All posts by Angie

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Registration now closed

Colorful lightsRegistration is now closed for our New Library Celebration and Jess Lourey Author Talk event. 

Don’t miss this great event on May 5th at the St. Cloud Community and Technical College! Come and check out their new library digs, enjoy author Jess Lourey, hear about eBooks MN, and enjoy Cinco de Mayo themed food and drink!

Get more information here, and make sure to register! Deadline is close of business Friday, April 29, 2016. We look forward to seeing you there!

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/n66vvn2, licensed under CC BY 2.0
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist

Author Spotlight: Jess Lourey

Jessica LoureyJess Lourey is a Minnesota-based author who firmly believes “books are magic.” According to her website, when she is writing, she feels that she is “in the right place at the right time.” She shares her enthusiasm about writing and books with her students at St. Cloud Community & Technical College as well as with the public through workshops and presentations.

Her work explores several genres, including mystery, YA, and even fantasy. In September, her new book Salem’s Cipher will be released. It will be the first book in the Witch Hunt series. Preorder your copy here.

February FeverLourey will be giving a presentation at our event on May 5th at the new SCTCC Library. Come tour the new library and hear a show-and-tell about ebooks Minnesota. Plus, you will get a FREE copy of February Fever, from Lourey’s popular Murder by Month series!

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, culinary students will be providing a taco bar as well!

Get excited for spring, fun activities, and time with colleagues. Register here! Thanks to the library staff at SCTCC and Minitex for their partnership.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Treasure trove of old seed catalogs

everything for the gardenWarmth in the air, sun on your face, the feeling of soil between your fingers…welcome to springtime gardening! After the gray and depressing landscape of winter, we are itching for a change – preferably one that is colorful, sweet-smelling, and edible!

With gardening on the brain, you may be interested in this article, which explains that Archive.org is currently working on expanding their collection of over 18,000 seed and nursery catalogs. The National Agricultural Library has been working on digitizing the Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection, a huge undertaking since it includes more than 200,000 catalogs!

These seed catalog collections are important because they teach us about agricultural history, including changes in landscaping, seed prices, and plant hybridization. They also showcase some beautiful line drawings.

An excerpt from Everything for the Garden: 1922 urges readers, “For your health’s sake, grow and eat plenty of vegetables,” advice that we would still be wise to follow today!

Image credit:https://archive.org/details/everythingforgar19pete_19
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Notable Dates for your Noggin: May 2016

Calendar BannerEach month we’ll bring you a compiled list of fun national holidays, birthdays of authors, and publication dates of favorite books.  Although it is still April, we share these dates now so you can plan ahead! You can use these for your own personal use or for some library inspiration! Share what inspired you in the comments.

May is National Bike Month. Other things to celebrate in May. . .

May
dinosaurs-before-dark-cover-image
  1  Mother Goose Day
 5  Cartoonists Day
 9  J.M. Barrie’s Birthday (1860)
 12  Limerick Day
 16  National Biographer’s Day
 17  Gary Paulsen’s Birthday (1939)
 20  Mary Pope Osborne’s Birthday (1949)
 23  Scott O’Dell’s Birthday (1898)
 24  National Scavenger Hunt Day
 28  Hamburger Day

Did we miss anything?  Let us know if we did!

For our calendar of library events, including conferences and library days, check out our Events/Initiatives page.

And for more Notable Dates for Your Noggin, check out our Notable Dates page.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Introducing new CMLE staff: Angie Gentile-Jordan

photoHi, Patricia Post here….After six weeks of working solo, I am more than pleased to announce our new Office Administrator. I have asked Angie to write a few words of introduction here, and she can be reached at ajordan@cmle.org. Welcome Angie!

Hello! My name is Angie, and I’m excited to be the new Office Administrator at CMLE!

I grew up in St. Cloud, and graduated from St. Catherine University in 2012. My degree is in English, with a minor in Women’s Studies. I’ve worked in a variety of settings before, including retail, law, non-profit, and even trucking! I’m really excited to put my skills to work at CMLE, and help the organization connect and assist member libraries.

Currently, I live in Albany with my husband and our son Carson, along with a crabby cat named Stanley and our retired racing greyhound Lady Grey. In my free time I love to read, and try to mix it up with a variety of genres. I’m also training for my first half marathon, which will be a challenge!

I am looking forward to working with Patricia and member libraries, and can’t wait to get started!