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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

Congrats 2014 Library Movers and Shakers!

NCBrianMovers and Shakers was launched in 2002, and it spotlights librarians and others in the library field who are doing extraordinary work to serve their users and move libraries and library services forward. The Class of 2014 brings the total number of Movers to over 650. According to Library Journal, “…it was difficult to select just 50 people to honor from the more than 225 nominations we received. There’s not one Mover, however, who hasn’t told us that they couldn’t succeed without their colleagues, so, in effect, the Movers & Shakers represent hundreds more who work in and for libraries.”

Take a look at this year’s lineup and consider following these individuals through your social networking tools too! To review the full U.S. map  from 2002 through 2014….

Has Minnesota had Movers and Shakers? Why of course….and they are….

Jeffrey Gegner, 2004
Meg Knodl, 2011
Daniel Marcou, 2009
Jessica Moyer, 2008
Jennifer Nelson, 2008  (Our current State Librarian)
Melissa L. Rethlefsen, 2009
Lois Langer Thompson, 2004
Julia F. Wallace, 2003

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

A Mindful Moment: Tool 4: Watch Ideals

Image by bibigeek. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by bibigeek. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

From now until the end of the school year, each week we will be including a post called A Mindful Moment.  Mindfulness is an emerging topic in libraries as it relates to our own personal wellness, but also as it affects good customer service. If you are at all like me, if you get a list of 12 things to consider at one time, it is just too overwhelming. Therefore, in these weekly posts, we will be providing small bits of information to assist you in moving toward  a more mindful life. All credit for the content goes to Leo Babauta at Fast Company, who believes “a mindful life is worth the effort.” I really, really love the introduction Leo gave to his 12 piece tool set and his explanation of a mindful life. This week, we feature this tool …..

Tool 4: Watch Ideals

“We all have ideals, all the time. We have an ideal that our day will go perfectly, that people will be kind and respectful to us, that we will be perfect, that we’ll ace an exam or important meeting, that we’ll never fail. Of course, we know from experience that those ideals are not real, that they don’t come true, that they aren’t realistic. But we still have them, and they cause our stress and fears and grief over something/someone we’ve lost. By letting go of ideals, we can let go of our suffering.”

What is this business about a mindful life? Read Leo’s introduction, it will take like one minute and is well worth your time to frame this subject!

Interested in other posts CMLE has done on mindfulness recently?

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

Google Earth "Tour Builder" Resources

Have you heard about Google Earth Tour Builder? It was introduced a few months back, and is a browser-based tool to assist you in creating your Google Earth Tours. Tour Builder is a storytelling tool which lets you easily create and explore stories and places around the world. Based on the Google Earth plugin, you can create a tour of any subject of your choosing, zooming in to show the places where events took place, and easily integrating the story’s text, photos and videos. Your tour will fly users from one place to the next along the storyline of your tour, immersing them in the relevant places through Google Earth’s imagery and the custom content you provide. Very cool way to share your travel with others. What a great way to help students travel the world without needing a signed permission slip!

Quick FAQ’s about Google Earth Tour Builder

Two quick video tutorials; one very basic, and another that includes special features too! Thank you Free Technology for Teachers site.

 

 

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Featured Book: In Sunlight and In Shadow

This post is a part of an original series created by librarians/media specialists across Central Minnesota featuring books. Please share your take on books you have read recently. If you have a book you would like to showcase, please send your review to our offices

Book cover2Title: In Sunlight and In Shadow, by Mark Helprin

Written by Maria Burnham, media specialist at Sauk Rapids Rice High School

This was my first experience reading anything by Mark Helprin. I was told his writing was lovely, and I couldn’t agree more. I’m the type of person who LOVES descriptive writing, and that’s just what I got in reading this novel. Lovely details, plenty of sensory notes, a nice balance of plot lines, and a set of characters to believe in. Set during post WWII in New York, Harry Copeland of the famous Copeland Leather Company, has returned home from war to run the family business. Upon arriving home, he meets and falls in love with Catherine, a well-to-do singer and actress of the New York stage. Theirs is a love story for the ages–hopeless, fearless, and intense. However, for Harry, though being in love has lifted his spirits, he now struggles with the mafia requiring payment for “protection” of the business. In an age of corruption and reconstruction, Harry is unsure how he will keep his father’s business and pride afloat while maintaining the steep payments due to the mob.

The novel beautifully blends the story of love, war, and courage through the perspective of the noble Harry, who continually works to do the right thing all the while following his heart.

I was entranced with the book. My only (minor) complaint would be the length of the book. 720 pages is significant, and by the end I was starting to get impatient for a conclusion. Otherwise, a beautiful story–one that ignites introspection and appreciation for life.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Upcoming Training on Historical Minneapolis Tribune

Some rights reserved by Kev_Hickey_UK
Some rights reserved by Kev_Hickey_UK

CMLE is happy to announce a face-to-face training in May for any interested library/school media staff.

Examine the functionality of the full-image collection of the Historical Minneapolis Tribune 1867-1922, as well as the tools and options it provides for all researchers. Explore selected examples of searches, topics and content associated with Minnesota, national, and world history during the dawn of the 20th century.

No charge, registration information will be coming soon.

Friday, May 9, 2014, 10 am-noon

Rasmussen College, 226 Park Avenue South, St. Cloud, MN 56301

Audience: Academic, public, and special librarians, or K-12 school media staff

Contact: Patricia Post, papost@stcloudstate.edu, 320-308-4779

Note: A big thank you to Pat Grelson, Rasmussen College for sharing her lab on the day of this training!