All posts by Angie

Advocacy, School Media Specialist

How School Librarians Help Literacy

This article from Education Week Teacher delves into several ways school librarians can collaborate with teachers to enhance student learning. It also tackles the question of classroom libraries replacing school libraries, and the problems this can create.

The article also links to this research article explaining how having a school librarian leads to higher-achieving students and a better school community. It’s impressive research and really reinforces just how much school librarians have a positive impact on their schools.

From the article “Why School Librarians Are the Literacy Leaders We Need”:

“Making Connections: Our school librarian helped students connect to reading and digital literacies in a variety of ways.  She found out what students were learning about in history and science class and found interesting reading materials to connect to those topics. She helped us bring local authors to visit to talk to students about their work. She helped students and teachers access periodicals and other helpful programs online.

There is a cumulative benefit to students and teachers, both academic and cultural, when a school librarian becomes a literacy leader.”

Read the rest of the article here!

Programs

We’re All Ears! Library Podcasts Worth a Listen

This post is a preview of a series we’ll be starting in the Fall showcasing our favorite library podcasts. Obviously at CMLE we are fans of podcasting (pump up your library skills with Linking Our Libraries and get some great book recs on Reading With Libraries) and we’re so excited to see more libraries creating podcasts.

This week, we’ll feature a podcast that was included in American Libraries magazine. The podcast Stork Storytime Talks is created by the North Liberty Community Library in Iowa and shares tips for early literacy aimed at expecting parents and caregivers.

Personally, I found the episodes interesting and informative. The sound quality was great, which is SO important! If you work in early literacy or are a parent/caregiver yourself, definitely check this one out!

From the article:

“The podcast grew out of an actual storytime at the library for expecting parents. Experts would talk about a specific early-literacy skill, and the library would share how we support that skill via programming and our collections. For instance, we had AmyRuth McGraw, lecturer at University of Iowa, discuss print motivation and how to read aloud to children. Karla McGregor, professor emeritus at University of Iowa, spoke about enriched vocabulary and the role of play in learning and development. At the end of the storytime, there would be social time for the adults. We wanted to provide a place where expecting parents could meet, start to build relationships and a network of support, and develop a habit of coming to the library.

But, as library programmers might empathize with me, I quickly realized that it’s hard to find a time that works for this specific population to attend. Even though North Liberty is a fast-growing community with a large number of young families, expecting parents have a lot going on in their lives—and a short time frame before baby arrives. 

I knew sharing early-literacy concepts was important and wanted to see the program continued, so I decided to turn it into a podcast. This format would allow adults to listen and learn when they had the time, as well as expand the program’s reach beyond our community.”

Read the rest of the article and find the podcast on your favorite app or here on Apple Podcasts.

CMLE, Podcast

Reading over the summer? Share a Book Bite with us!

Summer is busy but it’s also a fantastic time for reading, especially if you get to do it outside, lemonade in hand! And we’d love to hear about the books you read. We’re looking for people to share a quick book review on our Book Bites podcast series.

Book Bites is just what it sounds like: A bite-sized book review in under 5 minutes! We publish these on both our Linking Our Libraries and Reading With Libraries podcast feeds because everyone could use more book ideas 😊

This summer we are really hoping to include more voices from school library people on our podcast (look out for an email from us about this soon!) but know all our library people are probably readers and have interesting book suggestions.

If you have a smartphone or computer, record yourself talking about a book for under five minutes. If you want to invite a friend to talk with you so it’s more like a conversation, awesome. Then send us the recording! Use either admin@cmle.org or ajordan@cmle.org.

We’ll edit the sound to the best of our abilities and publish it on our feeds! Then you can spend the rest of the summer bragging to friends and family that you are now podcast-famous.

As always, questions are welcome! Email me (Angie) ajordan@cmle.org and we’ll figure it out!

Books

We Heart MN: Baseball Books


In this series, we’ll pick some of our favorite things about Minnesota and share some related book suggestions. (We’re open to your suggestions! Comment below or email us and tell us some of your favorite MN things!)

Baseball is such a fun sport, whether you’re playing, watching a game at Target Field, or just reading about it. Here are some Minnesota titles to help you get full baseball enjoyment:

Town Ball: The Glory Days of Minnesota Amateur Baseball by Armand Peterson
“Fondly remembered and celebrated throughout Minnesota, old-fashioned town team baseball was the glue that held a community together and generated a great sense of pride and passion among its residents. A love of baseball—and, of course, the desire to whomp the neighboring town’s team—spurred on players and fans alike.”

They Played for the Love of the Game: Untold Stories of Black Baseball in Minnesota by Frank M. White
“A tale of unsung heroes and forgotten stars who battled discrimination and other hardships to play the game they loved, told by the son of one such legend of Minnesota black baseball.”

Swinging for the Fences: Black Baseball in Minnesota by Steven R. Hoffbeck
“From the early formation of barnstorming teams that toured the state to the moment Dave Winfield hit number three thousand, Minnesota’s African American ball players have made the state a land of baseball. However, the stories of many black players parallel the larger struggle for civil rights. Those tales, collected here for the first time, show how teamwork on and off the field led first to acceptance, then to admiration and triumph. Swinging for the Fences is the first collection to highlight the thrilling and controversial landmarks in the history of black baseball in the North Star State.”

Baseball in Minnesota: The Definitive History by Stew Thornley
“Beginning with the sunny August afternoon in 1857 when Minnesota’s first ball club was organized in Nininger and continuing through the Twins’ latest season, Baseball in Minnesota is the first comprehensive history of America’s Pastime in the North Star State. Encompassing the rich heritage of minor league baseball, town teams, the Minnesota Gophers, the Saint Paul Saints, and the Minnesota Twins, this encyclopedic volume delivers exceptionally detailed stories of the games, the ball parks, and the larger-than-life personalities, all woven with carefully researched statistics, eyewitness accounts, and vintage photos.”

CMLE, Programs

Kick off your summer at Library Bootcamp!

Join us!

Get your summer off to an AWESOME start and join us at CMLE Summer Library Bootcamp!

Do you work in a library?
Do you want to learn some new skills and strategies that will help you better serve your community of users?

Great! That’s all you need to be able to attend our Bootcamp Series!

Our goal as a library multitype system is to provide training and connection opportunities for our members. We’ll be covering several different library skills and sharing strategies and experiences to help you in your own library practice.

Classes will run from 11:00 to 1:00, and light lunch will be provided. Each class will be $10.

Certificates will be issued for two hours of clock hours or CE credit after each class.

Here are the classes being offered this summer. Sign up by following the links to Eventbrite:

CMLE members can apply for a scholarship to take the entire series of all five classes. Do not register through the links below; email us at admin@cmle.org, give your name, your library, and your job there, and confirm you will attend all five classes. We will process your scholarship application with that information and get back to you.

All classes will be held at CMLE Headquarters:
570 1st Street SE
St. Cloud, MN 54304

Email admin@cmle.org with any questions! Let’s kickstart our summer!!