All posts by admincmle

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, Public, School Media Specialist

The FART Test and website evaluation

Kids with Education Tablet ComputersDoes this website smell funny to you?

Website evaluation can be a new concept for elementary and early middle school students. As they move into eighth grade, the CRAAP Test (pdf) works well for them. Younger students, however, need something simpler. According to Amy Gillespie, “Almost all of my students arrive at my school with one simple rule for choosing online sources: Don’t use Wikipedia. But beyond that, they tend to assume that if it’s online, it must be true. So in the middle school information skills class, we now teach the FART Test.”

The FART Test Evaluation tool for websites:

Friendly
Authority
Repeated
Timely

For specific details on the FART Test evaluation, click here.

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/mhroxam, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Bed bug guide for your library

No SignAre you worried about bed bugs infesting your library?  What would you do?  Here is a wonderful resource specifically written for public libraries but can also be useful for all types of libraries.

The book’s expert author, Sarah Kittrell, is the Collection Development Division Manager of the Wichita,Kansas Public Library. She has served as her library’s pest management coordinator since 2012.  Her expertly written guide is meant to “help you and your library develop the plans and tools that are necessary to ensure introductions are caught and dealt with as quickly as possible”

This book will help you:

  • Recognize the signs of bed bugs
  • Create an action plan
  • Develop policies to work with customers who have bed bug issues
  • much more

Some chapters include:

  • Working with Customers Suspected of Returning Items with Bed Bugs
  • Talking with the Media and Public About Bed Bugs
  • The Fall and Rise of the Modern Bed Bug Problem

Click here for more information on the Bed Bug Guide and to digitally download it.

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/h68gcm4, licensed under Public Domain
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Irish Jokes for St. Paddy's Day

St_Patrick's_DayNeed some new jokes for St. Paddy’s Day? Check out all the fun on St-Patricks-Day.com.   Here is one to get you started:

A Spanish singer chatting on television used the word ‘manana’. When asked what that meant, he said it means “maybe the job will be done to-morrow, maybe the next day, maybe the day after that, next week, next month or next year. Who cares?” An Irishman in the conversation, Shay Brennan, was then asked if there’s an Irish equivalent. “No. In Ireland we don’t have a word to describe that level of urgency”

 

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/glrjb4j, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Cambridge Community-Wide Read

A-Man-Called-Ove-261x400What if your whole community read the same book at the same time? What if you had the opportunity to meet the author who wrote it and were able to engage in conversation with others about it?  Sounds almost too good to be true, doesn’t it? Well, many communities across the country have begun similar community-wide reads, including this one in Cambridge, MN.

2016 is the 9th year for the Cambridge Community Read.  It is hosted by the Cambridge Friends of the Library and supports and strengthens literacy and the community.  Community residents (or anyone who is interested) will be reading, A Man Called Ove by international bestselling author Fredrik Backman. Book events and discussions will be held all over town including Scout & Morgan Books, the Cambridge Public Library, North Folk Winery, and Anoka-Ramsey Community College – Cambridge Campus.  What may be the most exciting news of all is that the publisher, Simon & Schuster, will be flying the author in from Sweden for the grand finale events on May 16!

Press Release – Community-wide Read (pdf)