All posts by Angie

CMLE

Visit CMLE HQ tomorrow, Aug. 30th, for Office Hours

Since tomorrow is an even-numbered Wednesday, we will be holding CMLE Office Hours from 11am – 1pm. Feel free to stop by our office to discuss library ideas or problems, talk about grants or policies, or just to chat with Mary and Angie (and the CMLE Office Dog).

Our office is located within the cmERDC building at:
570 1st Street SE 
St. Cloud, MN 56307

 

 

You can feel free to stop in, with no appointment necessary.  Feel free to come talk about library programs, policies and procedures, ask questions, talk about cool things you are doing, or any other library-type stuff! We are available to you.

Programs, School Media Specialist

Discover some fun Back-to-School ideas for your school library!

If you aren’t already back to school, you will be soon! We thought this list from School Library Journal had some great suggestions that you could potentially use in your school library this year!

Read some of the ideas below, and check out the full list here.

  • This idea sounds both fun AND delicious: “I’m really excited to be getting a small hydroponic garden system for school-wide use,” says Ellen Luca, media specialist at Brookdale School in Bloomfield, NJ. Reflecting the school’s implementation of Next Generation Science Standards, Luca’s media center “is becoming a hub for STEAM-related activities.” Students will plant lettuce and basil, with the goal of making pesto. “
  • We love how this school librarian is getting the word out about her awesome media center: “Jaime LeRoy, library media specialist at Cross Timbers (TX) Middle School, is looking forward to another year of sneaky library advertising with her Bathroom Book Blurbs, advertisements for popular titles, in student bathrooms, as well as her Potty Mouth newsletter, housed in faculty restrooms, with news about library happenings, new books, tech tips, and more. “I am willing to do whatever it takes to promote the library and its goings-on!” she says.”
  • This school librarian has a fun way to get her students to experience her collection: “Anastasia Hanneken, who recently genrefied her school library’s fiction collection, is planning an “Around the Library in 180 Days” program. Students will receive a passport “and will be asked to read a book from each genre, including nonfiction and biography.” Prizes await students who complete the genres in their passport.”
  • Learning math with dancing robots? Yes, please! “Laura Gardner, teacher librarian at Dartmouth (MA) Middle School and SLJ 2016 School Librarian of the Year finalist, has been collaborating with the school’s math department using Ozobots. Last year they worked with students to teach the mini-robots how to dance, and this year they will use lessons found on the Ozobot website to explore the concepts of pi and slope.”
  • This public library is teaching students some very important adulting tips: “The San Jose Public Library will continue offering a series of Life Skills Academy programs, says Berman. Teens ages 14–19 can attend sessions on topics including “Pizza Is Not a Food Group,” “There Are No Potty Breaks in College,” and “Why You Shouldn’t Have 27 Credit Cards.”
  • This media specialist has a cute and relatable idea for her program: “In her new position as media specialist at Falmouth (ME) Elementary School, Amy Reddy will offer the passive program “Once Upon a Time…We Were Your Age, Too!” Teachers and staff will share photos of themselves as kids, with a favorite book. Students will guess their identities, and winners will receive gift cards. At Reddy’s old school, “Students made connections to the teachers and often chose a teacher’s favorite books to read.” Plus, “they realized their teachers were children once, too!”

Are you trying out a new or exciting idea in your school library this year? We’d love to hear about it! Share a comment or consider writing a blog post for us about it!

 

 

http://www.slj.com/2017/08/programs/33-winning-back-to-school-ideas/#_

Books

Book Suggestions: Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

We love books at CMLE Headquarters!

On our weekly podcast, Linking Our Libraries, we always have a book segment so we can share some of the books we are reading. Since this has been so popular with our listeners, we decided to talk about books even more, in additional formats! This includes a second podcast about books coming out later this fall, and also includes some regular book suggestions here on our site.

(Books below have links to Amazon; if you follow them and make a purchase Amazon will donate a small percentage of your sale to CMLE! We appreciate it!!)

Looking for a delightful story for middle-grade readers? I loved listening to Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver, narrated by Jim Dale (he also narrated the US version of the Harry Potter series). The story had a definite fairy-tale vibe, plus great villains, development of unlikely friendships, and using teamwork to overcome obstacles. Even though it is technically a book for middle grade readers, the story was easily enjoyed by an older reader as well!

From Amazon: “Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost named Po appears from the darkness.

That same evening, an alchemist’s apprentice named Will makes an innocent mistake that has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.”

Lauren Oliver has written many other books, some of which include:

What do you think? Have you read any of these books? Do you have other suggestions? We want to hear all about it in the comments section!
Resources

CMLE Resources: Take advantage of CMLE Scholarships!

Each week, we will draw your attention to one of the many resources available to you from CMLE Headquarters. Our mission is to help build connections between members, across all types of libraries. We exist to share information across libraries (and archives, and museums, and history centers) – and we are always looking for more ways to make that happen!

One of the ways in which we encourage creating connections is by offering scholarships for professional development opportunities. And there are so many options out there for library people! We want to make sure all of our members get a chance to participate, whether it’s taking a webinar or attending a conference. Since we know money is often tight in libraries, CMLE has scholarships available to help fund your continuing learning and professional programs! And starting this year, you can apply for up to $300 to help with your expenses!

Some quick guidelines:

  1. You can apply for up to $300 in each CMLE fiscal year (July 1 – June 30).
  2. We need the application before the event, to approve it.
  3. You must be an employee or Board member of a CMLE member library. Preference will be given to first-time scholarship requests.

Find the rest of the guidelines here, along with the FY18 CMLE Scholarship Application.

If you are looking for professional development opportunities, make sure to keep an eye on our Continuing Education calendar which we update frequently! Or check out sites like TIES, ALA’s webinars, Library Juice, AASL’s eAcademy, and ACRL’s online learning page.