All posts by Angie

We Heart MN: Waterfalls


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!)

In the middle of the state where CMLE is located, things are pretty flat. But if you venture north or south, you can find some pretty impressive waterfalls to admire! If you need something to tide you over in the meantime, here are some books (not necessarily all based in MN) to read or recommend:

Waterfalls of Minnesota by Lisa Crayford
“Let Master Photographer Lisa Crayford guide you to the top-ranked waterfalls in the state, as well as her “secret waterfalls.” Your bucket list should definitely include these 117 gorgeous locales that decorate Minnesota’s landscape, including bridge views, short hikes, secluded waterfalls in urban areas and hidden gems along the North Shore.”

Waterfalls of Minnesota’s North Shore: A Guide for Sightseers, Hikers, and Romantics by Eve Wallinga
“Let the Wallingas lead you along scenic pathways to the magnificent waterfalls of Lake Superior’s North Shore. The Wallingas have explored the rivers and creeks flowing into Lake Superior and have provided maps and directions to over 130 waterfalls.”

Above the Waterfall by Ron Rash
“Les, a long-time sheriff nearing retirement, contends with the ravages of poverty and crystal meth in his small Appalachian town. Nestled in a beautiful hollow of the Appalachians, his is a tight-knit community rife with secrets and suspicious of outsiders.
Becky, a park ranger, arrives in this remote patch of North Carolina hoping to ease the anguish of a harrowing past. Searching for tranquility amid the verdant stillness, she finds solace in poetry and the splendor of the land. 
A vicious crime will plunge both sheriff and ranger into deep and murky waters, forging an unexpected bond between them. Caught in a vortex of duplicity, lies, and betrayal, they must navigate the dangerous currents of a tragedy that turns neighbor against neighbor—and threatens to sweep them all over the edge.”

Waterfall (River of Time #1) by Lisa Tawn Bergren
“Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives among the romantic hills with their archaelogist parents. Stuck among the rubble of the medieval castles in rural Tuscany, on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds…until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces.
Suddenly Gabi’s summer in Italy is much, much more interesting.”

A New Path to the Waterfall by Raymond Carver
“Raymond Carver, author of Where I’m Calling From, is widely considered one of the great short story writers of our time. A New Path to the Waterfall was Carver’s last book, and shows a writer telling the truth as best as he knows how in the time left to him. The sixty-odd poems in this collection are linked by Carver with selections from other writers, most notably Chekhov, whose work was an inspiration and a guide, and by the cumulative force of the life and death questions he poses in them.”

This Sunday, May 5th! Have Tea with CMLE!

Just a friendly reminder that this Sunday, May 5th at 10:30 is our CMLE Tea and Postcard Event at the Mad Hatter Tea House! Thank you to everyone that has RSVP’d, we are going to have a great time!

Yum!
  • Our reservation is for the Queen of Hearts tea service at 10:30am on Sunday, May 5th.
  • We will be covering the cost of the tea service for members that RSVP in advance! (Make sure you RSVP by Fri. May 3rd!)
  • We will also be providing postcards for members to sign that CMLE will mail to library stakeholders across our system. Spreading the word about the value of libraries (particularly school libraries!) is something we always strive for at CMLE.
  • This is our second time having a member tea event at the Mad Hatter. Read about our first event here.
  • Please email me with any questions: ajordan@cmle.org

Since our members work in school media centers, history centers, archives, public, and academic libraries, we really appreciate hearing about the variety of tasks and challenges you handle every day. Plus, we love when our members get to meet each other and form connections across different types of libraries! 

If you have not already RSVP’d, you can do so here:

Book Bouquet: Dreams


Each week we look at a collection of a few books on a topic. You can explore the books on your own, or use them as a foundation for building a display in your library!

Dreams are just so mysterious, it makes sense there are tons of books out there about them. Here are just a few to choose from, if you’re interested in the topic!

Queen of Dreams by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
“Rakhi, a young painter and single mother, is struggling to come to terms with her relationship with ex-husband Sonny, a hip Bay Area DJ, and with her dream-teller mother, who has rarely spoken about her past or her native India. Rakhi has her hands full, juggling a creative dry spell, raising her daughter, and trying to save the Berkeley teahouse she and her best friend Belle own. But greater challenges are to come.”

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
“George Orr is a man who discovers he has the peculiar ability to dream things into being — for better or for worse. In desperation, he consults a psychotherapist who promises to help him — but who, it soon becomes clear, has his own plans for George and his dreams.”

The Book of Dreams by Nina George
“Henri is about to meet his teenage son, Sam, for the first time. But as Henri crosses Hammersmith Bridge, an accident happens. Sam reads about it in the newspaper – his father is a hero, now in a coma in hospital. So their first meeting takes place there, alongside the hospital’s neurologist, whom the staff name God and is the first person to treat Sam as an equal in intelligence. And that’s because Sam, due to a condition called synaesthesia, can sense things the doctors can’t – he can see the colors of his father’s thoughts and dreams, and many relationships build from this.”

Matthew’s Dream by Leo Lionni
“Matthew the mouse lives in a dreary corner of a dusty attic. But a trip to the museum helps him to see his surroundings in a new way. With brush in paw, Matthew sets out to paint “the shapes and colors of joy.” A cleverly told and beautifully illustrated tale of self discovery from four-time Caldecott Honor winner Leo Lionni.”

That Is My Dream! by Langston Hughes, illustrated by
Daniel Miyares 
“Follow one African-American boy through the course of his day as the harsh reality of segregation and racial prejudice comes into vivid focus. But the boy dreams of a different life–one full of freedom, hope, and wild possibility, where he can fling his arms wide in the face of the sun.”

Tomorrow: Season Five of Linking Our Libraries premieres!

Library community, we’ve got great news for you! Tomorrow will begin the fifth season of Linking Our Libraries podcast!!

We began our adventure into podcasting what feels like forever ago and are so happy we are able to continue sharing library information, skills, and leadership strategies with our community.

In Season Five we’ll be talking about practical skills that library people need to be successful in their work. For example, some of the episodes that we’ve already recorded include customer service, social media, and answering tech questions! All of these feature Guest Hosts that have experience in the areas they are discussing, and have plenty of tips you can use in your job.

Feel like getting a refresher? We have all our previous seasons available to stream on our website, or subscribe to our podcast on whatever app you like best! And THANK YOU for listening!

Season Four

Season Three

Season Two

Season One

We Heart MN: Umbrellas!

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!)

Part of the journey from winter to summer is that in-between time full of melting snow, puddles, and rain showers. That’s why this week we’re looking at some great books featuring umbrellas!

Umbrella by Taro Yashima
This book was nominated for the Caldecott award in 1959,
“Momo can’t wait to use the red boots and umbrella she received on her birthday. All she needs now is a rainy day! Soft illustrations portray a thoughtful story about patience and growing independence.”

Harper and the Scarlet Umbrella by Cerrie Burnell
“Harper lives in the City of Clouds with her Great Aunt Sassy and her beloved cat Midnight. When Midnight goes missing – together with all the cats of the neighbourhood – Harper realises that only her magical scarlet umbrella can help her find him…
When Harper steps out with the umbrella in her hand, she is carried up into the sky on a series of amazing adventures.”

My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
“Meet T.C., who is valiantly attempting to get Alejandra to fall in love with him; Alejandra, who is playing hard to get and is busy trying to sashay out from under the responsibilities of being a diplomat’s daughter; and T.C.’s brother Augie, who is gay and in love and everyone knows it but him.”

The Umbrella Man and Other Stories by Roald Dahl
The Umbrella Man and Other Stories is a collection of thirteen short stories selected for teenagers from Dahl’s adult works. By turns shocking, ironic, humorous, and touching, these stories are filled with bizarre twists and unexpected delights.”

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
“The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria – a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible – until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.”