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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

Where Have the Media Specialists Gone in 2014?

This is the fourth year that CMLE has been pulling the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) data and studying the slow decline of school library media specialists in our CMLE twelve-county region. Sharing the data is our attempt to engage people in helping  think of solutions to this issue. If there is inadequate media specialist staffing in high schools, are students going to be prepared with the skills they need to be successful in college? Will middle schoolers be prepared to do high school work, and when students have no library program at school, are they simply going to the public library for assistance? Are the public libraries funded or staffed to absorb this work on a large scale? Everyone is stretched for resources, so it is critical that  K-12, public, and academic libraries all step up to do their part. Without further ado, here is data for Aitkin, Benton, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright counties. In a nutshell, the grim news is…..

  • 79 individual schools (41%) in Central MN have no licensed media specialist. This compares with 53 individual schools in 2013, and 48 in 2012.
  • 52% of the schools without a media specialist are middle, secondary, or high schools. A whopping 69% of secondary schools are functioning without licensed staff!
  • 38 elementary schools have no media specialist (compared to 28 in 2013), yet as far as I know, we are still focused statewide on demonstrating reading proficiency by 3rd grade!
  • 16 out of 52 districts (31%) have no media specialist in any school in the district. This compares to 14 in 2013, and 9 in 2012!
  • Is there any good news? Yes. The great news is that 36% of CMLE schools have a full time media specialist. Let’s applaud those school administrators for understanding the value of maintaining a professionally staffed media center.

According to public 2013-2014 MDE data, here are the CMLE school districts with no licensed media specialists in any school: Annandale, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Bertha Hewitt, Browerville, Eagle Valley, East Central, Foley, Kimball, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Maple Lake, McGregor, Onamia, Royalton, Staples-Motley, Swanville, and Willow River. Are parents in these districts aware of this issue?

CMLE will use this data in its advocacy work, in targeting its programming, and in working statewide to bring attention to this growing problem. How can we change this trend?  All Minnesota students deserve a high quality, K-12 academic experience that prepares them for the next step in their life. We need students to be able to proficiently use  the research process and to think critically about competing sources of information. These are key lifelong skills needed by all high-functioning members of society.

If you have comments, solutions, or ideas, please email me at papost@stcloudstate.edu

General, School Media Specialist

Local Media Center Celebrities at ITEM Conference!

As ITEM conference participants convened in the banquet hall for the Friday luncheon, everyone quickly realized that the time would not be simply devoted to eating. Not in the least! This time slot also included an important awards ceremony, which included two individuals from schools in the CMLE region. Hearty congratulations to Zoma Olson and Pam Beckermann for the titles of Media Assistant of the Year and Media Specialist of the Year (respectively).

These awards are well deserved and CMLE staff extend heartfelt congratulations! Well done.

Zoma
Zoma Olson, Elk River High School, Media Assistant of the Year.
P1070092
Pam Beckermann, Dassel-Cokato Middle School, Media Specialist of the Year
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist

ITEM Conference Recap

The 2014 Information Technology Educators of MN (ITEM) Conference has come and gone and it was a fast-paced, invigorating event. Memorable moments abound, but some of my favorites follow…..

Keynote presenter Naomi Harms, shared her excitement around ideas like student driven passion projects, moonshot thinking,  and genius hours. More about those ideas soon..

Author Jonathan Friesen did a superb job of slowing us down, and grounding us too. He reminded attendees of the importance of connecting with kids within the realm of the heart. Indeed, we need to start with the heart to get to the mind. Kids who feel weak, different, victimized, out of control, or not trustworthy, have hearts  that need to be rescued. Something as simple as saying “I believe in you”, or demonstrating that you genuinely want to know a kid, begin the healing process. Make a profound difference in a child’s life by noticing them.

Apps were heavily discussed and shared…..names John and I  heard often included:

The Minnesota Multitype Library Systems hosted Literary Parlor Games on Friday evening with our Literary Lumberjack Ross Nervig. We are proud to report there was much excitement and buzz as a cash bar, taco bar, friendly game competition and chocolate fountain rounded out the evening! Pssstttt….John made a new friend!

And wait…..there is more…..

Conference Links You Can Use Today!

Did you attend the 2014 ITEM Conference? Share your favorite takeaways in comments…..

 

General, Public, School Media Specialist

Sauk Rapids-Rice District Re-Thinks Finances

217/365 August 5 - Found MoneyThe St. Cloud Times recently placed a spotlight on the Sauk Rapids-Rice School District.  Did you know that with changes made in the 2013 legislative session, schools can re-think the costs of doing business? For instance, now that the state is picking up the cost of full day kindergarten, district money is back on the table. In this case, many previous costs to families will be eliminated or reduced, and there is new opportunity to engage students with technology too!

A few of the Sauk Rapids-Rice improvements include:

  • Student transportation fee was dropped (some students were paying $400/year)
  • Supply lists in elementary schools were pared back to save parents money.
  • Free breakfast for all students (Currently, 34% of students receive free or reduced lunch)
  • Next year, fees to participate in sports or activities will be reduced.
  • In December, the District is choosing to lease 1,300 MacBook Airs for its high school students.

Superintendant Dan Bittman shares….”As a district, we are focused on eliminating financial barriers and creating more equity regardless of their family income or regardless of the color of their skin”

Make sure to read the entire article at SCTimes.com for all of the details. Is your local school district using freed up dollars in new and exciting ways like Sauk Rapids Rice is? How about restoring media centers that have been severely cut? Share in the comments….

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/k8cbqwd, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

The Art of Listening

One of the traits of a really great librarian is the ability to listen well. From “reference interview 101”, we know that end users often do not ask for what they need, but rather, by listening carefully, and leading them through a series of questions, we discover what they want. So, it is key for our communication skills to be great!

Did you know that there are things we do as we speak to children that may increase or lessen the likelihood that they will be active listeners? We include a great blog post here for you to evaluate how good your skills are in this area. Not only does it tell you what NOT to do, it also includes suggestions for improvement too!  Six ways you are telling kids not to listen 

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/pzc7ysv,
licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0