All posts by Angie

Books

Book Suggestions: Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

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!!)

I don’t read a lot of nonfiction, so this book is honestly not one that I’d normally pick out, but I’m trying to widen the scope of the genres that I read and this book had some great reviews on Goodreads. Plus, the author grew up in small town Minnesota! It’s fun to read about her childhood helping her father in his lab, and walking home all bundled up against the winter weather. I also nodded with understanding when she described a particularly nasty May snowstorm! I’m looking forward to learning more about the world of science and the travels that the author takes through the course of her work.

From Goodreads: “Lab Girl is a book about work, love, and the mountains that can be moved when those two things come together. It is told through Jahren’s stories: about her childhood in rural Minnesota with an uncompromising mother and a father who encouraged hours of play in his classroom’s labs; about how she found a sanctuary in science, and learned to perform lab work done “with both the heart and the hands”; and about the inevitable disappointments, but also the triumphs and exhilarating discoveries, of scientific work.

Yet at the core of this book is the story of a relationship Jahren forged with a brilliant, wounded man named Bill, who becomes her lab partner and best friend. Their sometimes rogue adventures in science take them from the Midwest across the United States and back again, over the Atlantic to the ever-light skies of the North Pole and to tropical Hawaii, where she and her lab currently make their home. ”

 

Communication, General

Learning About Library Associations: New England Library Association (NELA)

Library science is an enormous field, home to every interest you could imagine! This means that there are many organizations out there for you to join, in order to connect with other people who share your professional interests.

So even if you work alone in your library, there are other people out there doing work similar to yours! Each week we will highlight a different library association for you to learn more about, and depending on your work, potentially join! You can also check out our page dedicated to Library Associations.

This week we will learn about the New England Library Association (NELA). NELA’s objectives are to “initiate, plan and support regional activities; to encourage the exchange of ideas; and to cooperate with regional and national agencies having related interests.” Their mission is to “provide educational and leadership opportunities for library staff in support of improved library services for the people of New England.” The organization is also a chapter of the ALA. Learn more about NELA’s Strategic Vision here.

Not only does NELA have an annual conference (taking place in October of this year in Warwick, RI) but they have a ton of really useful programs. Some of these include: Technology Training to Empower Your Library Colleagues, Verbal Judo Training Program, and The Future of Library Design: Physical Libraries in the Digital Information Landscape.

NELA has many resources available to their members, including a mentoring program, scholarships and grants,  and the New England Library Leadership Symposium.

Find out more about NELA membership, including ways to get involved and membership discounts on their membership page.

 

 

 

Visits

Visit to Macalester College’s Library

CMLE was so happy to present at the 2018 LibTech Conference in March! (We got to talk about our adventures in podcasting!) This conference takes place at Macalester College and of course, we were so excited to check out their library!

As we entered the library, the staff there were so friendly and welcoming and acknowledged that they had been dealing with excited librarians all day. We began to look around and right away noticed some excellent features designed to meet the needs of this academic library’s community.

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Also located on the first floor were several spaces that could be adjusted to meet the needs of students or faculty:

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Of course, we were extra excited to see their newly renovated second floor space! We had heard the library had incorporated some Maker space ideas along with adding collaborative learning spaces and even a meditation chair! And we were not disappointed:

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We appreciated the staff member that spoke to us about all the work that went into renovating the floor. Hearing about all the collections that needed to be relocated, the collaborations with different departments, and even how the ceiling needed to be redone, we were even more impressed with everything!

Once we were able to tear ourselves away from the Idea Lab (it wasn’t easy) we got to admire the rest of the floor.

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And finally, we got to see the meditation chair! Of course the schedule was packed and we didn’t get to experience the chair itself, but the person currently meditating looked extremely cozy and at peace! Meditation has so many health benefits and it’s fantastic to see the library providing these opportunities for self-care.

 

Well, we clearly enjoyed our visit to the DeWitt Wallace Library at Macalester College. This library is reaching out to their students and community in a variety of awesome ways and showing that libraries contain SO MUCH MORE than “just” books!

Have we been to visit your library yet? We would love to come see all the great ways you are connecting with your community! Email us at admin@cmle.org and we’ll setup a time that works for you! 🙂

 

 

Communication, General

Learning About Library Associations: Urban Libraries Council

Library science is an enormous field, home to every interest you could imagine! This means that there are many organizations out there for you to join, in order to connect with other people who share your professional interests.

So even if you work alone in your library, there are other people out there doing work similar to yours! Each week we will highlight a different library association for you to learn more about, and depending on your work, potentially join! You can also check out our page dedicated to Library Associations.

This week we will take a look at the Urban Libraries Council. This organization “has spent more than 40 years enriching communities by strengthening and promoting the value of libraries as essential public assets.

ULC provides a forum for library leaders to share best practices and innovative ideas that inspire programs that support 21st century learning, a strong economy, and an active democracy. ULC programs are recognized for creating new frameworks that invigorate public libraries and their communities.”

ULC is focusing on three strategic areas to advocate for the value of libraries. These areas are education, digital inclusion, and healthy, sustainable communities.

ULC has a ton of great member resources. Some of these include library infographics, member videos, their weekly e-newsletter, multiple publications, and of course their annual forum, taking place in September of this year in Baltimore.  Check out their website for additional resources!

Take a look at their member libraries (there are tons across the country!), as well as their list of state and associate members. Do you or your library want to join ULC? You can find more information about membership on their page.

 

 

Communication, General

Learning About Library Associations: Southeastern Library Association

Library science is an enormous field, home to every interest you could imagine! This means that there are many organizations out there for you to join, in order to connect with other people who share your professional interests.

So even if you work alone in your library, there are other people out there doing work similar to yours! Each week we will highlight a different library association for you to learn more about, and depending on your work, potentially join! You can also check out our page dedicated to Library Associations.

Let’s check out the Southeastern Library Association (SELA) this week! “For over sixty years, the Southeastern Library Association has been a unifying force strong enough to influence legislation and to attract foundation and federal funds for regional library projects.”

SELA has several accomplishments to their name, including two regional library surveys; the adoption of school library standards; establishing state library agencies; founding library schools; a professional journal, plus more!

SELA offers a great variety of scholarships and awards. They have awards for librarians, authors, books, and even individuals outside the library profession who have made contributions to the promotion of libraries in the Southeast.

The organization offers about two conferences a year. This year the SELA summer conference will take place in August in Birmingham and the South Carolina Library Association / SELA Joint Conference will happen at the end of October in Greenville, SC. Find more information here.

Their website has some excellent resources, including a page of Continuing Education library webinars, their quarterly publication called The Southeastern Librarian, and an extensive mentoring program.

Learn more about the benefits of joining SELA and find out how to become a member on their membership page.