All posts by Angie

Advocacy, CMLE

Join us at the Local Blend on May 31st for a Postcard Party!

Not only are we looking forward to National Library Legislative Day next week and our virtual event at CMLE HQ, but we are also excited to host another Library Advocacy Postcard Party on Thursday, May 31st! We will be at the Local Blend in St. Joseph from 3-5pm with postcards, library facts, addresses for state and federal legislators (if you have information for principals or school board members, bring those along too), and sample text of what to write on your postcard. Plus, we’ll mail all the postcards at the end!

The goal behind our Postcard Parties is to share the value of libraries with legislators and other library stakeholders who may not hear enough about the incredible work that takes place in libraries. It’s up to us to let them know how important libraries are!

We really had fun at our last Postcard Party in December. As you can see, there was lots of advocacy, networking, and conversation. So don’t miss out, join us May 31st!

Advocacy, CMLE

Join CMLE in some Library Advocacy on Virtual Library Legislative Day!

Join us next Tuesday May 8th from 9am – 5pm at CMLE HQ for some important library advocacy!

National Library Legislative Day takes place May 7-8 when librarians and library supporters will go to Washington DC for a two-day event. The first day they learn about advocacy tactics and current federal legislative issues that will impact libraries. Then the second day they have the opportunity to meet with their members of Congress to encourage support of libraries! Past MLA Legislative Chair, CMLE member, and podcast Guest Host Jami Trenam will be leading the delegation from Minnesota! If you are looking for some tips on library advocacy, listen to that episode now!

However, since traveling to DC is out of the question for many library supporters, there is a virtual option! You can register to participate and join in from home or your library – or have even more fun and join us at CMLE HQ! We’ll be advocating from our office between 9am – 5pm (ring the bell after 3pm and we’ll let you in!) and would love to have you join us! (We will have snacks, advocacy postcards, suggested text and other supplies to help advocate for libraries!)

Take a look at this great advocacy toolkit from ALA to get inspiration for social media posts, talking points, and letter templates. You can also use #NLLD18. Keep in mind these legislative topics when you are advocating:

  • House & Senate: Reauthorize the Museum and Library Services Act (S. 2271)
  • House & Senate: Fully Fund LSTA and IAL (Innovative Approaches to Literacy) for FY 2019
  • House & Senate: Visit a library, see broadband access in action

We hope you can join us next Tuesday for Virtual Library Legislative Day! If you can’t make it to our office, definitely take a few minutes to send an email, make a phone call, or post to social media about the importance of libraries!

Books

Book Suggestion: Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

We love to read books, and to talk about books. Check out our entire series here! Need more book chatting and suggestions in your life? Listen to our Books and Beverages podcast! (And check out our lineup for Season Two which is coming soon!)

Magical realism is such an intriguing genre! This book incorporates magical realism into the story of a traditional Mexican family, particularly the youngest daughter Tita. Tita can’t marry the man she loves because of the custom that says as the youngest daughter she must stay home to care for her mother. Tita has amazing cooking skills and the book includes several recipes as well as detailed descriptions of how the food is prepared. So be warned, your stomach may start growling while reading!

From Goodreads:
“Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico became a best-selling phenomenon with its winning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit.

A sumptuous feast of a novel, it relates the bizarre history of the all-female De La Garza family. Tita, the youngest daughter of the house, has been forbidden to marry, condemned by Mexican tradition to look after her mother until she dies. But Tita falls in love with Pedro, and he is seduced by the magical food she cooks. In desperation, Pedro marries her sister Rosaura so that he can stay close to her, so that Tita and Pedro are forced to circle each other in unconsummated passion. Only a freakish chain of tragedies, bad luck and fate finally reunite them against all the odds. “

CMLE, Communication

Office Hours for May!

This week we welcome the month of May and a new schedule for our CMLE Office Hours! Now that the sun is shining on a regular basis, stop by our office and say hello! We have plants, occasional visits from Official Office Dog Lady Grey, snacks, and lots of enthusiasm for chatting about library projects and challenges!

In May we will be holding Office Hours on Wednesdays from 11am – 1pm at our CMLE HQ location. Drop by and visit us to chat libraries, no appointment needed. And we can’t guarantee her presence but Lady Grey often enjoys stopping by Office Hours too 🙂

Why do we offer Office Hours? A vital part of being a multitype library system like CMLE is that we want to be easily available to our members! You can always email us at admin@cmle.org or call our office, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to have a face-to-face conversation, especially if you need shared excitement for a new project, or sympathy for a challenge you’re experiencing.

Need to set up a different time for a discussion with Mary and Angie? Want us to visit your library? Email us at admin@cmle.org and we’ll work out a time!

CMLE HQ is located at 570 1st St. SE St. Cloud MN 56304. We are in the cmERDC building right next to East Side Target.

Communication, Programs

Notable Dates for Your Noggin: May 2018

Each month we’ll bring you a compiled list of fun national holidays, birthdays of authors, and publication dates of favorite books. You can use these for your own personal use or for some library inspiration! Share what inspired you in the comments.

May is Gifts from the Garden Month! Other fun things to celebrate in May: