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

Update on eBooks Minnesota

ebooks minnesotaEbooks Minnesota will offer every resident of our state an easy-to-access collection of children’s, young adult, and adult ebooks on a wide variety of subjects. We are proud to say this collection will be Minnesota-made, with books from our state’s thriving independent publishers. The collection will highlight some of the best of Minnesota’s literary and non-fiction works and provide a strong and diverse set of ebooks to support school and public libraries as they work with readers of all ages.

State Library Services is using LSTA funds to co-fund the project with Minitex.

For more information, please contact Emily Kissane at emily.kissane@state.mn.us

Excerpt from SLSY Update, November 30, 2015

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

Featured book: The Doubt Factory

This post is part of an original series created by librarians/media specialists across Central Minnesota featuring books.

51Y2SaaN9IL._AA160_Title: The Doubt Factory by Paolo Bacigalupi
Review by Maria Burnham, Media Specialist at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School

I waver between giving this book three or four stars. It was the last YA book I read this past summer, and it was just an okay read (but perhaps I was a little saturated with YA books at that point).
The story is about a girl, Alix, who is being stalked by a mysterious man. Turns out that the man is the leader in a rogue group of citizens looking to get revenge on Alix’s dad who runs a questionable PR company.  Throughout the book, Alix questions whether she really knows her father and all his business stands for.
Kidnapping, love, mystery, questionable ethics, deceit and loyalty–this 480-page book has it all. A good mystery for high schoolers, but not my favorite read of the summer. It was just a bit too cliche for me.
Would you like to review a book for CMLE readers? It is easy, we let you take the reins on the length and tone of your review. Send email to admin@cmle.org if you are interested and thank you!
General, Public, School Media Specialist

ConnectED Library Challenge touches Minnesota

15854128181_5c4ec55106_kWe all perk up when the White House gets involved with libraries! Have you heard of the ConnectED Library Challenge?  Apparently, this is old news, but I just heard about it in two places! According to the Initiative page, this is a way for communities throughout the country to create or strengthen partnerships so that every child enrolled in school can receive a library card. Sounds good, right? The initiative calls upon library directors to work with their mayors, school leaders, and school librarians, to provide wider access to the learning resources and books of America’s libraries.  OK so far. Here in Minnesota, Hennepin County Public Libraries and Hopkins Public Schools were chosen to partner up with the goal of increased learning in the classroom. Go to the Hopkins site for more background, and a short video too about Power Up: Libraries.

In addition, the White House website provides details of all of the partners and contributions toward this effort. Major publishers are announcing they will make over $250 million in free eBooks available to low-income students. This is the tip of the iceberg….all Initiative contributions total $10 billion dollars. I wonder if funds could ever be used to get public libraries “over the hump” of undertaking this serious task of getting cards in the hands of each student. The struggle is real! This all seems like a big deal; it will be curious to see how it all plays out, stay tuned….

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/l92kuy3, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

10 Tips for Google Drive folders

photo-1447931958677-954446df5f70Did you think that once you started using Google Drive your file management woes would be over? While we are giddy with our easy ability to share and collaborate through Drive, file management matters. As you consider projects and sharing permissions, it is helpful to know how to create folders, understand permissions, and add documents to folders. Alice Keeler from Teacher Tech offers a very handy step by step process, resplendent with screen shots to get Your Drive organized and functional. Take a look at 10 Tips for Folders in Google Drive. So smart you need no help on this one? Consider sharing with teachers and others who may need guidance!

Image credit: https://unsplash.com/ (Louis Magnotti), licensed under CC0 1.0