Did you know that Google has an instructional site for digital literacy? Google’s Search Education provides resources, lesson plans, activities and advice for students and teachers alike. Individual categories of assistance provided include: Lesson Plans and Activities aligned to Common Core Standards, free self-paced “Power Searching” tips, “Google a Day” challenges or quizzes, and live or recorded webinars. To learn more visit Google Search Education and EdTech’s article on the topic.
All posts by Kate
A Sincere Thanks from Kate!
Hello from Kate at CMLE! 
As some of you may have heard, today (January 16th) is my last day at CMLE. Starting next Tuesday (January 22nd), I will embark upon new adventures in my position as a solo librarian at Rasmussen College – Brooklyn Park/Maple Grove campus. Lots of exciting changes are on the horizon, and I’m looking forward to working with students and faculty again (prior to CMLE, I worked at Rasmussen College – Eden Prairie campus for three years).
So, before I leave, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you (our CMLE members) for all of the memorable, enlightening, and fun experiences I’ve had with you over the last three years. The libraries in this region do a lot of great work. It has been a privilege to work with each of you, and I have learned a lot along the way. I hope to see many of you again at future library conferences and events!
Please contact papost@stcloudstate.edu with any questions about this change in staffing.
All the best!
Kate Bessey
Advice for Schools on Technology, BYOD, and 21st Century Learning
EdTech’s recent article What Districts Should Know About BYOD and Digital Learning by Jonathan P. Costa Sr. delves into a topic of interest to so many of us. Costa writes about the challenges most schools face as they move towards BYOD and 21st century learning environments. To combat common difficulties, Costa provides five pieces of advice to schools. The advice ranges from “Don’t sweat the small stuff”, to getting the proper infrastructure in place, to doing your homework in order to thoroughly understand upcoming changes/challenges.
Just for Fun: ‘Legends of the Library Ninjas’ Graphic Novel
Are you looking for a friendly and fun way to introduce the library to potential new users? If so, consider taking a look at the
graphic novel Legends of the Library Ninjas created by students, staff, and librarians at Kansas State University Salina and Kansas Wesleyan University. The graphic novel tells the story of two students as they wander into their college library to do research for a paper (assigned their first day of class!). The students have no clue where to start…. until the Library Ninjas enter the scene!! Be sure to check out Legends of the Library Ninjas and read Library Journal’s review of the graphic novel, too!
ALA Releases ‘2011 Academic Library Trends and Statistics’
Today’s Press Release from ALA announced that the 2011 Academic Library Trends and Statistics annual publication is now available. The three-volume publication highlights key data from 1,514 academic institutions regarding collections, available services, staffing trends, and overall expenditures. The press release reveals that library expenditures for e-books has increased dramatically from 2010 to 2011 — with baccalaureate colleges increasing their e-book spending by some 109%! Of course with e-book expenditures increasing, money has to come from somewhere, and the majority of institutions report a small decrease in serials spending.
Other interesting data… Salaries/wages have increased by just over .90% for most institutions. Additionally, in the next five years, 15.9% of academic libraries believe they will lose space, 20.4% expect to gain space, and 58.4% expect no change.
To learn more, check out the Press Release.