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The Central Minnesota Libraries Exchange (CMLE) is one of seven regional multitype library systems established to meet the needs of and share the resources of all types of libraries. We love libraries, and are here to support them!
General, School Media Specialist

CMLE Featured Service: North Star Library Consortium

Are you looking for great pricing on a hosted software solution to manage your library collection? CMLE became aware of needs in this area several years ago. Some schools with extremely tight budgets were contemplating a return to their card catalogs, which is simply not acceptable anymore. There was a serious need to find solutions to jump start school library collections again!

Destiny is a state-of-the-art software solution that supports K-12 students and staff in the classroom, media center, or from home. Its higher-end, school-specific functionality is typically priced outside of the reach of small districts, unless they have access to a consortial buy. The North Star Library Consortium is now a statewide opportunity open to any school media centers. By working collaboratively with other multitype library systems  over several years to get a group of 110 districts, and 230 individual school sites, we are able to keep the pricing formula which offers affordability to even the smallest school districts.

It is not necessary, but we strongly encourage all schools in a district to join the Consortium at the same time. In this way, media specialists within a district can see all parts of the district’s collections, work together to solve problems, or assist each other with software tweaks too. And, by being part of the Consortium, these people also have over 200 other schools on a listserv using the very same product, solving the same problems. For media specialists who have been working in acute isolation, this can be energizing, and offers a huge layer of support in their daily work. By having the software hosted and maintained at Region 1 in Moorhead, MN, media specialists no longer have to rely on assistance from over-burdened tech staff in their district. Region 1 staff backs up Consortium data every two hours and attends to software updates too.

The full Consortium is currently represented by 110 districts, with 230 individual sites.  Over 2.7 million library titles are managed through this system, with an estimated value of $57 million, serving over 172,000 patrons. The following CMLE school districts (and associated number of school sites) are now part of the North Star Library Consortium, with interest from others in the region as budgets and staffing allows. NSLC members from the CMLE region include:

Image by 401 (K) 2013. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by 401 (K) 2013. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.
  • Sartell (4 schools)
  • Rocori (5)
  • East Central (2)
  • Melrose (2)
  • Aitkin (2)
  • Long Prairie/Grey Eagle (2)
  • Cathedral-John XXIII (1)
  • North Branch (4)
  • Kimball (2)
  • Monticello (4)
  • Paynesville (2)
  • Becker (4)
  • Maple Lake (2)
  • McGregor (1)
  • Royalton (2)
  • Eden Valley Watkins (2)
  • Osakis (1)

Go to http://nslc.pbworks.com/w/page/12282518/FrontPage to see all of the schools in the Consortium and to access the process for requesting a bid for joining. Note: Requesting a bid does not obligate you to join, but it can give you the information to do some possible tweaking on your budget!

This is one possible solution. Have you found other cost-effective solutions for managing your school library collections? Interested in other CMLE services? Additional information can be found on our website.

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Are You and Siri BFF’s?

Have you now downloaded iOS7 and gotten somewhat acclimated to the new operating system? If you haven’t done it yet, you may want to review our recent post about the Apple iOS7 Guide. Then, if ready to download, allow ample time as it is a big download and simultaneous downloads have caused a few school servers to crash! So, theoretically, you should now be competent in the iOS7 world, right? If not, read on….

Make Use Of is a site that makes complicated things seem simple and they have come through again! According to them, since being on iOS7,  “If you find yourself fumbling with your iPhone to make a simple phone call, locate and launch an app, set a reminder or wake-up alarm then you’re probably not using Siri enough. If you still don’t know about Siri or you’re new to the iPhone or iPad, Siri allows you to issue voice commands on your device, saving you the trouble of all the tapping, typing, and searching by hand.”  See Do More With Siri Using the New iOS7 Siri Commands to learn more about getting Siri’s assistance.

I can’t help but notice that the Kindle Fire now has a Mayday button which brings “Amy” up on the screen to assist you in using your Kindle, and you just can’t help but like her! I know that many libraries use chat to assist patrons, but maybe we also need the face-to-face help! Something to think about…..

Image by Make Use Of. Retrieved online 11/8/13.
Image by Make Use Of. Retrieved online 11/8/13.
Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist

Who Should Deal With Cyberbullies?

Image by J_O_I_D. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by J_O_I_D. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

Recently on the ISTE Connects Blog, Nicole Krueger wrote a great piece titled, Who’s Responsible for Teaching Kids Not to Be Cyberbullies? This type of bullying has gotten a fair amount of play in the media recently, often leading to tragic endings. In first person, Nicole describes what it is like in the  life of a bullied middle schooler before social media, and after. Her post made me realize how much additional stress is placed on kids who are bullied today, and it is time to figure out who should address this topic. Sometimes, parents think schools should handle it, while school administrators say they cannot ensure what students do outside of the school day. An interesting conundrum, but worth addressing.

Krueger goes on to  write….“In a typical classroom of 30 middle or high school students, 21 students  will have experienced some form of cyberbullying, according to the Annual Cyberbullying Survey 2013, which included responses from more than 10,000 teens worldwide. Of those 21 students, more than 10 are daily victims. The top venue for bullying: Facebook, which is used by 75 percent of respondents — more than half of whom have been bullied there.” And now that Facebook has loosened its privacy rules for teens, allowing minors to post publicly instead of just to their friends, the door to bullying has gotten a little wider for everyone from “mean girls” to sextortionists.

Does cyberbullying happen in your school? Who is responsible for teaching  this important content, and does your school develop its own curriculum on this subject?

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

New Version of 23 Things is Coming!

Image by lukew. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by lukew. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

Over five years ago, the seven regional Minnesota multitype  library systems brought you 23 Things on a Stick, a self-paced learning program about Web 2.0 tools. Over 300 people in our Central Minnesota region engaged in the self-paced online learning fun, and we had a large group of people who finished the program too!

When it comes to technology, five years is a long time and there have been a lot of changes. A big change is the shift to mobile devices. We know that PCs are on the decline and mobile devices are skyrocketing. Therefore, we think it only makes sense to continue the learning with a focus on “mobile.” This version of the program  will  also be a self-paced learning program that will identify 23 types of apps for you to explore or take to a whole new level. As we did in the original program, we will be asking participants to blog about their progress through the program. As noted by a participant from the past program, “the blog posts are where the real sharing happens. By reading the blogs of others in the program, I can easily see how others in the field are using the tools in their work setting, and sometimes in their personal lives too. This application piece is what creates the ‘stickiness’ I need to retain new information”

The program will be open to all staff in any Minnesota library – public, academic, school, or special – as well as members of their Governing Boards, their Friends groups, or Advisory Groups. Experienced users as well as novices and everyone in between are invited to join. Although this is a self-paced and self-directed program, CMLE staffers and additional coaches will be monitoring, coaching, and encouraging bloggers from Aitkin, Benton, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright counties in Minnesota.

CMLE may offer some workshops to support this program, but not for every Thing. This is a self-paced program, and participants are encouraged to work together in their libraries or region and share their discoveries and techniques. Sharing can happen in person or through participant blogs. Registration happens as part of Thing 1 (projected for January), so be thinking about which mobile device you might use, and stay tuned for future updates!

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Your Voice: One-to-One (1:1) Initiatives in Central Minnesota

Central MN Libraries Exchange
Central MN Libraries Exchange

Your Voice is a column that shares Quick Question Poll (QQP) results from libraries/school media centers in the twelve-county, CMLE region. Whether a statistical response or textual response to open ended questions, your voice matters. Invitations to engage in the polls arrive in your email; please participate! Most poll results will be shared in aggregate form unless stated otherwise in the poll or through additional approval arrangements.

Last year in April, we asked a total of five questions of school media center staff in our twelve-county region about 1:1 Initiatives. When we refer to 1:1, we are referring to schools who have moved to an educational setting where each student is furnished with  a dedicated device, sometimes a laptop, sometimes a tablet or other similar portable device (in BYOD schools, students furnish the device). In some schools, students are allowed to take devices home, some schools allow them to use devices in the summer too. In some 1:1 schools, no print textbooks are used, and new needs for simultaneous use of affordable online content is the most pressing issue. Teachers and media specialists often share this pressing issue, and are looking for opportunities to hear what other schools have deemed appropriate for teaching different subjects at various grade levels.

CMLE serves 265 schools, and there is a broad range of interest, adoption and/or engagement in this topic. Our sample size was small, a total of 33 schools participated in this poll, which was a bit disappointing. In part, these results could help inform some of our future programming, so a larger sample would be more useful in future QQPs. However, this data helps us pinpoint the state of 1:1’s for 33 schools. The questions and their results are shown below.

1. Has your school incorporated a “one-to-one” (1:1) initiative? Please select all answers that apply.

  • My “school” currently has a 1:1 initiative (19%)
  • My “school” is currently planning a 1:1 school initiative (22%)
  • There has been some discussion at the “district level”, but no plans to move ahead at this time (31%)
  • We are NOT planning a 1:1 initiative at my “school” (38%)

2. If you answered “yes” to question 2, what types of devices is your school using in their 1:1 work?

  • iPads: 68.97%
  • Laptops: 34.48%
  • Chromebooks: 27.59%
  • iPods: 3.45%

3.     Are you part of a team discussing or implementing 1:1 initiatives at your school/district?

  • Yes: 53%
  • No:  25%
  • Not sure if such a team exists: 22%

4.     Who is the primary contact in your school regarding 1:1 initiatives?

  • Media Specialist or Director: 31%
  • IT Department Staff: 34%
  • Curriculum Director: 9%
  • Tech Integrationists: 9%
  • No one at this time: 28%
  • Other: In most cases, these responses were principals or superintendants

5.      In closing, we asked participants to indicate the grades engaged in 1:1.

  • By far, 1:1 is most heavily implemented in high school, with a slight increase in ninth grade, where students entering high school often receive their device as a beginning high school experience. Middle school grades followed closely behind high school, with lightest, almost no 1:1 engagement until sixth grade.

As CMLE refines its focus on the needs of school media centers, it is important for our staff to understand the changing role of the media specialists in 1:1 schools. Kudos to the media specialists who serve as the primary contact or part of the team at their school  for 1:1. It is an exciting, yet challenging time, and teams that prevail and succeed feel stronger and often re-invigorated in their practice! And, everyone in the school understands the power of having the media specialist as part of the team.

Did you know that the highest ranking need of school media staff in our region (69%) is to  engage in opportunities to talk to/collaborate with peers in the field. Yet, many of those people do not feel they are able to leave their setting to do this important work. See our full post next week to hear other results of that poll and to hear of  ways CMLE is prepared to help meet this need.