All posts by Kate

School Media Specialist

Free Art Books from DUC

The Distribution to Underserved Communities Library Program (DUC) distributes books on contemporary art and culture free of charge to rural and inner-city public libraries, public schools and alternative reading centers nationwide.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the DUC´s 2012 catalogue of brand new art books (and journals, and DVDs)!

You may now browse the selection of titles from new and returning art publishers on our website, www.ducprogram.org, where you may also place your order.  As always, all materials are shipped completely free of charge!

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

There are no restrictions on the number of titles you may request.

However, we must make certain we serve as many communities as possible with our limited resources.  We kindly ask that you order only what you need.

Each institution may place one order per calendar year.  Please consult with your colleagues and place one order on behalf of your institution; multiple orders from the same school or library will not be filled.

Once you reach the final stage of the ordering process, you will be taken to a screen listing your book requests.  This page also contains a tab that reads `EMAIL ORDER/RESERVE BOOKS´ in the top right and the bottom right corners.  You MUST click on this tab in order to submit your order (only then are the books deducted from our inventory and held for you). After your order has been submitted, you will receive an automatically-generated confirmation email.  If you do not receive this email, or if you experience any other problems, please contact us (and, if possible, do not close this final screen until we are able to confirm that the order was submitted successfully).

Due to the large volume of orders we receive, it may take up to three months to process and ship the books you request-your patience is appreciated.

One final reminder: the mission of the DUC is to distribute free art books to rural, inner city, and other underserved public schools and libraries (including correctional facility libraries).  We are unable to fill orders from private institutions.

If you have questions about the program or the ordering process, feel free to contact us at info@ducprogram.org or (212) 255-2919.

We hope you enjoy the books!

The DUC Library Program

Art Resources Transfer, Inc.

The DUC aims to actively further a more egalitarian access to contemporary art, and is committed to fostering partnerships between publishers, non-profit organizations, librarians and readers to enrich and diversify library collections.  The program offers several hundred titles by a roster of major museum, gallery, and art publishers.  The program reaches readers in all 50 states and has placed over 300,000 free books in public libraries, schools, and alternative pedagogical venues.

The DUC is a program of Art Resources Transfer, Inc., a nonprofit organization founded in 1987, that is committed to documenting and supporting artists’ voices and work, and making these voices accessible to the broadest possible audience.

www.artresourcestransfer.org

School Media Specialist

Registration Open for Reading Rocktober

Announcing Reading Rocktober! Registration now open!

School’s back in session and there’s no better time to rock out with your favorite book! Our friend, Read-it, has been reading across Minnesota all summer, and now you can join him in a NEW reading adventure!

Reading Rocktober is an exciting new program where learners of all ages can receive prizes just for doing what they already love, READING! It’s simple: By setting reading goals and meeting them, students become eligible to receive rewards from participating sponsors.

By instilling a love of reading at a young age, students will develop a greater appreciation for reading that will continue their whole lives. Even more important, improved literacy and reading skills can help a student improve in other subjects as well.

Educators, sign up your students and encourage them to:

•Read for fun

•Read more often

•Improve their reading skills and overcome reading obstacles

Join Read-It, grab a book and Rock on!

To register: http://readingrocksmn.com/index.html

This program is offered in collaboration with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment and community sponsors.

For more information contact:

Kari Ross

Reading Specialist

MN Department of Education

kari.d.ross@state.mn.us

School Media Specialist

2012 MEMO Fall Conference Registration

ATTENTION ALL SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS, TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATIONISTS, AND TECHNOLOGY COORDINATORS!!!!

Back to school and tired already? Trying to get the spring back in your step? The 2012 MEMO Fall Conference can fix that. Don’t delay, register today!

 

Leading Change: MEMO 2012 Fall Conference

October 11-13, 2012

River’s Edge Conference Center and Kelly Inn

St. Cloud, Minnesota

Register: http://www.tfaforms.com/239647

  (Register by September 15th for a special early-bird rate!)

Conference Schedules: http://memotech.ning.com/page/2012-fall-conference

Don’t forget to reserve a room at the Kelly Inn!
They have a block of rooms for the MEMO conference for $99 each night.
Free parking, free wireless Internet.

100 4th Avenue South • St. Cloud, Minnesota 56301
Phone: (320) 253-0606
Directions: http://www.bestwesternstcloud.com/location.php

 

What you will get:

Keynote Speakers – Not just ONE but THREE! (1 + 1 + 1 = 3!!!)

 

Kathy Schrock                                                      

Shannon Miller                                                                   

Gail Lovely        

AND…

Special Guest Author Mary Amato

WITH… over 50 sessions on topics like:

Flipped Classroom

Demystifying Digital Publishing

Google Literature Trips

ELM Mobile

iPads

Using Infographics

AND don’t forget there is a special one day preconference event: Tap Into Technology –  with strands for technology coordinators and administrators, integrationists, and technology support specialists.

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Academic, General, Special

National Medal Video: Hill Museum & Manuscript Library

Video

More news from the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library in Collegeville, MN! As we reported in our December edition of the CMLE Exchanger Newsletter, the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library was selected as one of ten winners of the 2011 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. A recently released video available on the Institute of Museum and Library Services Blog highlights the work being done by the Director of the Library, Father Columba Stewart, and Dr. Getachew Haile, Cataloguer of Oriental Manuscripts and Curator of the Ethiopian Study Center, as they discuss the preservation of Ethiopian manuscripts.

School Media Specialist

Children’s Literature Workshop Recap: A CMLE Scholarship

The following was submitted by a CMLE scholarship recipient.

 Submitted by: Jenny Hill, St. Michael Elementary School Media Specialist

On June 25th and 26th, I had the privilege of attending the 33rd annual Children’s Literature Workshop thanks to a generous scholarship from Central Minnesota Libraries Exchange.  This year, the conference changed venues and was held on campus at St. Cloud State University instead of the Holiday Inn as it has in the past.  The conference featured two key note speakers, Jacqueline Briggs Martin, author of the Caldecott Award winning book Snowflake Bentley and MN Newbery Honor winner Margi  Preus who wrote The Heart of a Samuri.

My favorite part about attending conferences such as these is gaining the opportunity to hear authors talk about the creative writing process.  Martin stressed that writing is challenging for everyone—it’s just that authors don’t mind doing the work.  Preus agreed.  She shared her beliefs that she herself is not a good writer, but she is good at rewriting and loves the work she does as an author.  This reminded me of what MN author John Coy wrote in his 2012-2013 Maud Hart Lovelace nominated book Top of the Order.   “The word RE VISION is a very simple word with two parts…it means to see again” (2009, p. 144).  I was reminded after hearing these authors speak that much of the work of writing is that of re-visioning:  examining stories from multiple angles until a story comes into focus.

Another thing I enjoy about the Children’s Literature Workshop is having the opportunity to learn from presenters during break-out sessions.  This year I attended a session about Google Lit-Trips.  I hope to project Google Earth on my SMART board in the media center this year to help students gain a stronger sense of the setting of their books.

I also attended a session on the award winning books of 2012 including Jack Gantos’ Newbery winner, Dead End in Norvelt, and Chris Raschka’s book A Ball for Daisy, which won the Caldecott.  I aim to promote this books this year on our school news broadcast during a segment that I created called Book Talk Tuesday.

 Finally, I attended a session where I learned how to create text sets, or groupings of books around a similar theme or genre.  I think that grouping texts in this way, whether through displays in the school library media center or through lists of recommended titles, will help readers discover their next great book!

Want to attend the Children’s Literature Workshop next summer?  It will be held on June 17th and 18th at SCSU!