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!
Long gone are the days of thinking of Twitter as an utter and useless waste of time! Professionals are using it to search on hash tags affiliated with conference events, and there is also new interest in Twitter Chats. At the fall MEMO conference in St. Cloud, several presenters/keynotes mentioned Twitter Chats as a resource they used for learning and networking. Indeed, these chats allow educators from anywhere in the world to come together at appointed times on a regular basis to talk about what is important. If you are new to the field, Twitter Chats are also a nice way to get your name and face out there to gain authority and visibility with your peers. Get connected and stay informed! Want to try it out?
ALA announced the top books, videos, and audiobooks for children and young adults—including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery, and Printz awards—at its Midwinter Meeting in Seattle recently. The announcement was webcast for those who could not attend and is still viewable as an hour-long archived recording. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards guide parents, educators, librarians, and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Public Information Office, Jan. 28
Blogger Liberty Hardy writes: “What’s the best thing in the world? Reading books. And the second-best thing? All things pertaining to books. Here’s an eclectic playlist of songs about our spiny little friends to brighten up your ears.” Check it out at Franzen Comes Alive: Songs About Books and Reading, Book Riot, Jan. 25
CMLE staff are anxious to interview both school media specialists and librarians alike! We are looking for stories about how you have successfully raised funds to support your library or media center. For instance, we know that Mackin and Follett offer an online fundraising alternative to the usual book fair that many of you have been engaging in for quite some time now. Book fairs can serve tangible needs too like team building with your PTA/PTO, but the media center often gets little or none of the proceeds. With the online fundraising options, the media center often gets 100% of the raised dollars, and this option makes it very easy to solicit donations from any location. For instance, if Grandpa and Grandma are snowbirds when you are fundraising, they can still engage in the health and care of their grandchild’s school media center by making their donation online. In the case of Mackin, I also remember that their donation can even be reflected in the bookplate of the book! If you have a story to share (none too big or too small), either leave a comment below, or send email to cmle@stcloudstate.edu with Subject Line: Fundraising Story. Thank you in advance for sharing your story with your colleagues in Central Minnesota!
If you are like me, you carry around a bit of ongoing guilt about getting more educated about your online privacy settings and then possibly making some needed changes. January is a great time to think about getting organized and such, so a recent blog post by Ellyssa Kroski (iLibrarian, Jan. 29) caught my eye. Not only was her email hijacked, but her Walmart account was also hacked using her stored credit card information. The great news is that Ellyssa did her research about privacy tips and shares here what she found helpful in making some needed changes. Read her hints and tips at http://tinyurl.com/9wwyukf
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Long gone are the days of thinking of Twitter as an utter and useless waste of time! Professionals are using it to search on hash tags affiliated with conference events, and there is also new interest in Twitter Chats. At the fall MEMO conference in St. Cloud, several presenters/keynotes mentioned Twitter Chats as a resource they used for learning and networking. Indeed, these chats allow educators from anywhere in the world to come together at appointed times on a regular basis to talk about what is important. If you are new to the field, Twitter Chats are also a nice way to get your name and face out there to gain authority and visibility with your peers. Get connected and stay informed! Want to try it out?
