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!
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Minitex year in review

PrintRecently, Minitex produced a picture that is indeed worth a thousand words. According to Zachariah Miller, Minitex Communications Manager, “…Minnesota’s libraries remained the cornerstone of Minnesota’s information sharing economy, as you have for over a century. And since 1971, Minitex has been proud to support you. Please review our year-in-review infographic to learn about what we accomplished in FY2015. Together, we’ll accomplish even more in the year to come.”

Whether you are just trying to understand what Minitex does, or if you are trying to understand the scope of its work, this infographic is worth your time.

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Weekly Review: 1/14/2016

CMLE Updates: State & Regional News
•Happy New Year from the CMLE Director More
•FREE Upcoming Genealogy Research event More
•Books and Breakfast event is back! More
•Question from the field about combining media centers More
•Update from your State Librarian More
•Cambridge bookstore: Top 10 national finalist More

Upcoming Events and Registration Information
•Notable Dates for your Noggin (January) More
•Statewide library events calendar More

Resources You Can Use
•Five TED Talks about libraries More
•YA must-reads for 2016 by Book Riot More
•I Love my Librarian Award winners More

Tech Bits and Ideas
•Google’s Best of the Best List for 2015 More

Food for Thought
•My unfortunate “mother of all booklists” experiment More

Just for Fun
•Unbelievable things found in library books More

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

My unfortunate "mother of all booklists" experiment

photo-1431608660976-4fe5bcc2112cHave you noticed the abundance of “best books” lists? It is starting to feel a bit daunting, I must say! Here at CMLE, we seek to manage the noise for our readers, keep the clutter from your inbox, and find tools or solutions to make the tsunami of information more manageable. So, I was on a mission!

I valiantly decided to get my arms around the many entities that are creating these book lists. And, a real plum in the process would be to find a mega site that was the ultimate list of book lists; the mother of all book list sites! It started out as all fun and games with a Google search on “best books” 2015.  I was happily copying the sites and lists into a Word doc in hopes of later creating a possible LibGuide, maybe nicely categorized to further “containerize” the content. Suddenly, I sat back, looked over my list, and became very sad. It became really apparent, very quick, that my list contained almost all commercial sites, and that libraries were nowhere in the first four pages of search results.  Yes, I know the average user will not last this far into the search results! Amazon, Time, New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, etc…. filled my screen. How sad is that and why is it true? Where are libraries? Librarians are the ultimate content curators, aren’t they? What started out fun, became depressing.

A recent post I did about the absence of libraries in typical book search results online, A Great Big Cloud Catalog for the Greater Good of All? came to mind. In it, I questioned why it is that if libraries are the biggest book “containers” online, they don’t they show up in search results? Is it any wonder libraries often feel marginalized, and are often scrambling to find opportunities to “tell their stories” or even change what it is that they do altogether? If we could get library holdings front and center in online end-user search results, is it possible there would be less scrambling?

How did my experiment come out?

  • I further wondered what criteria is used to create all of these individual lists. Are they  based on sales or actual quality of writing? Doubt prevailed. What if we harnessed all of the creative power of librarians nationally, and built a “go to” site with all possible book lists? Now that would be phenomenal!
  • Inevitably, I abandoned my Word doc when doubt overtook me, and Pima County Public Library in Arizona and the Los Angeles Public Library (scroll down) showed up, among others. While I am impressed with their lists, I am still not sure they are the best, the most comprehensive. More of everyone “doing their own thing?” Click on their links here to see what you think.  If you know of a better, more comprehensive “list of lists” please share! Send email to admin@cmle.org or use the comments field to further enlighten me!

Patricia-

Image credit: https://unsplash.com/(Glen Noble),licensed under CC0 1.0

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Save the Date – FREE Genealogy Research Workshop

Genealogy Research Workshop
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Bremer Room, St. Cloud Public Library
4 – 6 pm

Sherlock_holmes_pipe_hatCMLE is pleased to partner with GRRL and genealogy expert, Wendy Sykes, to host this free workshop in early February. Come and learn the basics of genealogy research both for your own personal enrichment, but to better help others too. Come right after school or work; there will be food and drink at this fun and interactive event. Wendy will be highlighting how to use library and free internet resources to search for genealogy records. She will also demonstrate tips and techniques that make the searching easier. Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops or tablets to amp up personal learning. No device? GRRL has got you covered. We will have use of ten GRRL laptops during this event! Genealogy is a perfect topic to make all types of librarians shine! Amaze your friends and family with your newfound knowledge and skills. We hope you will join us.

To register, click here. Problems registering? Send email to admin@cmle.org

See our earlier post about Wendy Sykes

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/zethamn, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Update from your State Librarian

MDELogoTO: Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: January 11, 2016
SUBJECT: Updates from State Library Services

Join Us for Webinars in January
Please note that the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) requires a two-week advance notice in order to provide a requested reasonable accommodation to participate in this event, and requires a 48-hour notice in order to cancel a requested accommodation.

Tax Resources for Libraries
The 2016 tax season is coming up quickly! To help libraries serve their communities during the tax season, State Library Services and the Minnesota Department of Revenue invite you to attend the Resources for Libraries webinar on Thursday, January 14 from 10-11 a.m.

The webinar will cover:
– Minnesota Department of Revenue updates
– Common Minnesota credits
– Important tax dates
– Identity theft
– Free tax preparation sites
– Helpful resources
– Q&A
Please join the WebEx meeting online and call in at 1-888-742-5095 (toll-free) or 1-619-377-3319 using meeting number 594 801 277 / conference code 492 064 9083. The webinar will be recorded. Please contact Emily Kissane (651-582-8805) with questions or to request the recording link.

2015 Public Library Report Refresher
You’re invited to a webinar about how to submit your library’s 2015 Public Library Report to State Library Services. You’ll learn about data element additions and revisions as well as definition changes for electronic resources. You will also get a refresher about how to input data into the online LibPAS tool.

Joe Manion, State Data Coordinator, and Lindsay Thompson, Counting Opinions Director, will guide you through the process and answer your questions. Library directors, those newly assigned the task of submitting annual report data, and those who collect the data will benefit from the presentation.

The webinar is Thursday, January 14, 2-3 p.m. No registration is necessary; just join the WebEx meeting online or call 1-888-742-5095 (toll-free) or 1-619-377-3319 using meeting number 593 230 972 / conference code 289 945 0924. For more information, please contact Joe Manion (651-582-8640).

Building the World’s Best Workforce at the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library
The Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library offers real-life work experience to Faribault-area students. Through Cannon River Educational Center’s Secondary Transition Education Program (STEP) and Faribault High School’s Work Experience Program, students gain employment readiness, social and work skills as they transition from school to the workforce. Read more about the program on MDE’s blog.

Save the Dates for Upcoming Special Events
The Libraries Serving Youth Meetup is an annual opportunity for school librarians and public librarians to meet, network and share ideas. We invite you to join us at MDE on Saturday, April 16, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to learn about diversity in children’s literature from author Cathy Camper and get creative ideas from colleagues. Registration opens February 16, 2016. Stay tuned to the State Library Services website and this listserv for more information.

The second annual screening of the best local 90-Second Newbery Film Festival entries is on Saturday, February 27, 2016, from 3-4:30 p.m. at Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central. Make your free reservation here. Co-hosts of the event will be James Kennedy (90-Second Newbery founder and middle grade author of The Order of Odd-Fish) and Kelly Barnhill (Minneapolis author of The Witch’s Boy). Please download and print a promotional poster to help spread the word about this popular event. For more details, please contact Jen Verbrugge (651-582-8356).

Learn How to Offer Storytime for Grown Ups
Join Joe Manion, Library Development and Services Specialist with State Library Services, and Tim Claussen, Reader and Trainer, to learn how to create and deliver a storytime program designed for individuals living in senior residences (apartments, assisted living, care facilities, etc.).

During the training you will:
• Learn from the experiences of both national and local storytime programs for adults.
• Receive suggestions for choosing a theme to provide program cohesion.
• Share and brainstorm with others about authors and selections that fit your theme.
• Practice and/or observe “cold” readings and receive feedback and tips on reading selections.
• Receive guidance about contacting facilities, setting up a storytime space, interacting with residents, handling discussions, and obtaining audience feedback.

Participants are encouraged to complete some simple pre-work, which is optional.
• To help maximize your training time, come with a possible storytime theme (or two) that would appeal to senior residents in your library’s service area. Themes can be as specific as baseball or food or as general as seasons or holidays.
• Then–as inspiration strikes–add authors and story/excerpt selections that fit your theme to start fleshing out your storytime program.
• Bring two copies of one, lengthy paragraph (or similar-sized section) from a selection you have chosen. Depending on time, we will use the examples to practice delivery and stimulate brainstorming.

This free workshop is Thursday, March 3, 12:30-4:30 p.m., Roseville Library, 2180 North Hamline Ave., Roseville. Register early as space is limited. The workshop is sponsored by MELSA and State Library Services. For more information, contact Joe Manion (651-582-8640).

Submit a Proposal for the Minnesota eLearning Summit
The Minnesota eLearning Summit, coordinated by Minnesota Learning Commons, is a gathering place for educators and innovators in the Midwest who are committed to effective online and blended learning. You are invited to submit a presentation, panel, and/or poster presentation proposal by Friday, March 11, 2016 for the 2016 Minnesota eLearning Summit, July 27-28, 2016 at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. For more information, including submission requirements and topics, visit the Minnesota eLearning Summit website or contact Julie Schmitz (612-624-4754).