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

Books & Breakfast Event

i readThe Books & Breakfast Event is Back!
Saturday, February 13
9:00 am to Noon

Mary Kunesh-Podein, Library Media Specialist in Robbinsdale,  and  Sally Mays an Osseo LMS wish to personally invite you to come to the revived Books and Breakfast 2016. Say the two….”We are your hostesses –  two Library Media Specialists who have felt the loss of the annual breakfast started  over 20 years ago by Gertie Geck, beloved media specialist, librarian and bookseller.”

See the author/illustrator lineup here (32 in all); I know you will be impressed!

Register here ($35) CMLE scholarships are available for this event.

“Our hope is that you will all find yourself mesmerized and entertained by our bounty of talented local children’s authors and gifted illustrators. Enjoy a delicious breakfast on a chilly winter’s morning, purchase a variety of books to entertain yourself, your students or a young child, chat with your table mates and  authors. Know that you are with friends!”

~ Mary & Sally

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/q3p6r8n, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Happy New Year from the Director

Next Thursday, our CMLE members will see the Weekly Review email again in their inbox, recapping the blog posts from the upcoming week. We hope you enjoyed your holiday break as much as we did. It seems appropriate to wish you a Happy New Year now while we are still in the first week of PPphotothe new year!
Best Wishes as You Blaze the Trail in 2016!
Are you coming down from your holiday sugar high? Tip: Keep the caffeine supply plentiful until you get equalized and back to normal!
Welcome to a new year. It sounds like “resolutions” are passe this year, as they are often supposedly not kept. And “commitments” seem to be more in vogue; I am not sure I understand the difference. I see more on social media about the quest for happiness than ever before though. Call it a resolution or a commitment or a search for happiness, but try to do something for yourself in 2016. Even a new hobby that pushes you creatively, can enhance your work creativity too.

I don’t know about you, maybe it is the tortured times we live in with really fast change along with fears about national security, but it feels like maybe this is the year to keep it simple. I was looking back at old newsletters, and am reminded of where my head was at way back in 2007; definitely a more zen time in my life. My parents were still well, sure-footed,  and living in their own home, and 2007 was the year my first grandchild was born. Six of the little rascals have followed him since then; creating a gaggle of grandchildren! The holidays this year were loud and chaotic! However, I took the time to view the world through their eyes. To see this bright and shiny world through a child’s eyes reminds me of what we miss in our hurried world. I am going to keep my “commitments” simple this year, and will pull key sections from the grandkids playbook. Eat when you are hungry, sleep when you are tired, and wear comfortable clothes. Seems simple doesn’t it? Oh, and only read seriously good books, and feel no need to finish books I don’t like! Maybe eat only very good chocolate too! Smile…I could go on….

I hope 2016 surrounds you with 1) positive people, 2) creative ideas, and bountiful opportunity for 3) professional and 4) personal growth! Pssstt….I can help you get started. Register now for the Snippets and Sneak Peeks Book Lovers event!  We can easily take care of all four items within a mere hour!
Patricia Post
CMLE Executive Director
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Weekly Review: 12/23/2015

CMLE Updates: State and Regional News
  • CMLE Scholarship report: LITA Forum More
  • Holiday greeting from CMLE More
  • Updates from your State Librarian More
Upcoming Events and Registration Information
  • Notable Dates for your Noggin (January) More
  • Statewide library events calendar More
Resources You Can Use
  • Need a $500 mini grant? More
  • Six hot tips by Library Girl for meaningful book displays More
  • AASL Recommended App: Algodoo More

Tech Bits and Ideas

  • How to create word clouds in Google Docs  More
Food for Thought
  • Big idea for a giant catalog in the Cloud More
Just for Fun
  • Bookish crafts…just for fun! More
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

State Library Update: 12/22/15

MDELogoAttend an Upcoming Tax Resources for Libraries Webinar
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, 2016 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. The webinar will be recorded. Please contact Emily Kissane (651-582-8805) with questions or to request the recording link.

Minnesota Public Library Report Update
Thank you to everyone who completed our data element questionnaire. Your feedback informs State Library Services about what information is useful and not a burden to collect for the annual Public Library Report.

Seventy-one public library directors, survey filers and other stakeholders responded. As a result of that feedback, the 2015 survey will add questions about library boards and summer reading programs. Public use indicators for duration of wireless sessions and number of full text retrievals from databases will not be included this year. Libraries will report branch daily hours by number of hours rather than opening and closing times.

The 2015 survey opens in early February. Instructions and documentation will be updated to include all the changes for this year, including definitions for electronic resources. If you did not have the opportunity to complete the questionnaire or have questions or concerns about the Public Library Report, please contact Joe Manion (651-582-8640).

Calling All Kid Filmmakers!
Know some imaginative kids? The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival is an annual video contest in which kid filmmakers make movies that creatively tell the entire stories of Newbery-winning books in ninety seconds or less. Making the film is a fun, creative and multi-faceted educational exercise. Kids cooperatively write, storyboard, produce, direct, costume, act, frame and edit their films.

Public librarians, school librarians, parents, teachers, and scout leaders are encouraged to work with their kids to make movies. The deadline to submit films for the 2015-2016 film festival is January 10, 2016. Inspiration and more information can be found on the 90-Second Newbery website. The second annual Minnesota screening of the best local entries is on Saturday, February 27, 2016, from 3:00-4:30 pm 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).

Save the Date—Libraries Serving Youth Meetup
The 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 serving diverse audiences from author/librarian 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.

Upcoming Minnesota Literacy Council AmeriCorps Opportunities
The Minnesota Literacy Council (MLC) is recruiting organizational partners for the Summer Reads VISTA program. If your library offers summer learning for children entering grades K-4 and you’d like to benefit from highly-skilled tutors, check the MLC website for more details. For questions, please contact Meghan Paul-Cook (651-251-9069).

MLC has a second VISTA program, Literacy VISTA, which provides full-time, year-round VISTA members to work behind the scenes on creating, expanding or improving literacy-focused programming for children, youth, adults or families. For more info, visit the website, attend an information session (attendance required prior to applying) and contact Ellen Bergstrom (651-251-9151). Organizations may host both a Literacy VISTA and Summer Reads VISTA.

We wish you a happy and safe holiday season!