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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

Free Copyright Webinar from ALA

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Some rights reserved by
psychicdevelopmentgroup

Copyright issues pose many challenges for librarians. In an era when we rely increasingly on electronic materials while still making use of traditional resources, our picture of rights and responsibilities can get cloudy. In April’s American Libraries Live, a panel of experts will discuss challenges and offer strategies to help you navigate copyright in this rapidly evolving area. Please tune in Thursday, April 10 at 1 p.m. Central for this free, streaming video broadcast that you can view from your home, library or on-the-go.

The expert panel includes:

Registration is not required, but if you are unable to attend the live event, registering is a good strategy. ALA will send you a link to the archived content, but if you have a burning question, consider attending live to get your question answered!

Don’t miss this episode! You can pre-register here or go to americanlibrarieslive.org on April 10 at 1pm CDT to view (pre-registration is not required).

Tip: If you are in the K-12 world, please notice that you have representation on the panel to deal with K-12 issues, which can be slightly different.

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Five TED Talks Teachers and Students Should Watch Together

TED talkThe folks at Edudemic did the hard work of looking through the scores of TED Talks, and have boldly identified the five best ones with an education focus. The world of education is changing fast, whether we like it or not. Technology is only part of it. According to this blog post, ” These are the stunning ideas that are at the very cutting edge of learning and have the potential to change the way we are taught and learn forever.” Go ahead, watch all five, or only one; the longest one is 20 minutes. Topics run from bullying, to turning trash into toys, to teaching the arts and sciences together,  and more….

Read the post and select your videos.

 

 

 

 

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

Handy Guide to Badges in Education

badgesAt the MEMO March Conference last Saturday, there was interest and discussion about using badges in education. It came up in several topical areas including gamification, digital citizenship, iPad Ninja initiatives, book clubs….etc. Therefore, it seemed entirely possible that our friends at Edudemic had something to say about it, and sure enough, they have developed a Teacher’s Guide to Badges in Education. Don’t do badges in the media center? That is ok, but don’t forget your role in offering helpful resources to teachers who are trying to put together a badging program!

This blog post includes video and online tools to implement a badge program. Are you ahead of the curve?  Please share the details in comments or if your explanation is too long for that space, send your story to cmle@stcloudstate.edu to tell us all about your badge program!

 

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Mindfulness Event #2: Miller Center Library (SCSU)

Is too much change stressing you out? Do you feel so scattered that you find it difficult to focus and “be in the moment?” You are not alone, many seem to be looking for ways to stay well and feel centered and fulfilled in their personal and professional lives. I am a member of the St. Cloud State Health and Wellness Committee, and we are proud to offer campus and the Central MN region a free, three part series on mindfulness! If you were at the Fall MLA Conference, you know that this is a hot topic of interest in the library world.

No registration is necessary; everyone is welcome!

Not up to speed on this topic as it relates to library staff? See our earlier post on mindfulness here.

Did you see the recent free webinar on mindfulness offered by Minitex. The archived version is now available.

Note 1: The SCSU university Library is inside the Miller Center!

Note 2: Miss the first event in this series? Not a big deal! You will not be at a disadvantage if you attend the April 2nd event! See you there!

Mindfulness

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

MN Library Legislative Update

The following legislative updates were written by Elaine Keefe, library lobbyist for the Minnesota Library Association (MLA) and MEMO/ITEM.

CapitolReceived: Friday, 03/21/2014 at 2:46 pm

Omnibus Education Policy Bill (HF 2397 / SF 1889):  Yesterday both the House Education Policy Committee and the Senate Education Committee marked up and passed out of committee their respective versions of the omnibus education policy bill. Both bills were amended to remove the library maintenance of effort language proposed by MDE.  Both bills include the MDE provision allowing some flexibility in how public libraries meet the requirement to be open at least 20 hours per week in order to be eligible for Regional Library Telecommunications Aid.

The Library Task Force proposed by MDE was not included in the Senate bill.  This was done so that the bill would not be required to go to the Senate State and Local Government Committee.  The House also wanted to avoid having the bill stop in the House Government Operations Committee, but accomplished this in a different way.  They amended the language so that rather than creating a task force the bill requires the Commissioner of Education to consult with all of the same parties who were to have been represented on the task force and to issue a report by February 15, 2015.  MDE does not plan to do anything differently than they would have had their original language been included in the bill.

The House version of the bill was referred to the House Education Finance Committee, where it will be heard next Thursday, March 27.  The Senate version of the bill was sent to the floor.

Telecommunications Equity Aid (SF 2167):  Our bill to increase TEA funding by $6 million was heard in the Senate E-12 Education Budget Division yesterday morning. Marc Johnson of ECMECC and Dennis Fazio of TIES did a great job testifying about the need for an increase.  The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus E-12 budget bill, which will be released next week.

Minnesota Digital Library:  On Wednesday the House Legacy Committee heard an informational presentation from the Minnesota Historical Society about the programs they are providing with their legacy funding.  Since the Minnesota Digital Library appropriation is part of the Historical Society’s legacy funding, Valerie Horton testified about the progress of the MDL.  She did a terrific job and was very well received by the committee.  Chris Olson and Michael Scott attended the hearing to lend support.  David Kelliher, lobbyist for the Historical Society, commented to me how nice it was that Chris and Michael came to the hearing, and what great partners libraries have been with the Historical Society.

Received: Sunday, 03/23/14 at 6:27 pm

I am happy to report that there IS an increase in Telecommunications Equity Aid in the House Education Finance bill of $5 million!  The appropriation is increased from $3.75 million to $8.75 million.  This is a permanent increase. Thanks to the the eagle-eyed Sam Walseth for spotting this.  It is in the facilities article, at the top of page 59. It  includes an increase in the general education formula of $58 per pupil, about a 1% increase.

Please send thanks to our chief author, Rep. Kathy Brynaert, who pushed hard for this funding:  rep.kathy.brynaert@house.mn  and Rep. Paul Marquart, chair of the committee: rep.paul.marquart@house.mn

The bill will be heard on Tuesday, and marked up and passed out of committee on Wednesday. Here is a link to the delete-all amendment:  http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/comm/docs/H3171DE4.pdf

Elaine Keefe
Capitol Hill Associates