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

23 Mobile Things: How Are We Doin?

icon_23_100px1Try to remember waaaaayyyyy back to January. I know we have all been through a whole lot of winter since then, you may be sitting in a snowbank as you read this, but winter is a perfect time to hunker down, let the wind howl, and take care of some of your online learning needs. When spring finally arrives it is often much harder to stay inside….but with the 23 Mobile Things program, you will be able to be outside with your device still working your way through the program.

Many of you are doing well, and are well on your way. Some who registered are still struggling to move beyond that first post! We want everyone to  reach their learning goals in this program, whether that is learning one new thing, or completing all 23 to be in the drawing for prizes.  Share your successes, struggles or frustrations in your blog posts, and our coaches will try to encourage or assist in whatever way helps you feel successful! See you online…

Need a breadcrumb back to the program?

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

March Productivity Tip

According to the folks at  MakeUseOf, “The time has come where we all make promises to ourselves that we’ll be better, harder, faster, and stronger by the end of 2014. Twelve months is a long time, though, and it can be easy to lose steam over such a long period. What can you do about it? Our approach: break the year down into months and dedicate each month to a particular change. This method lets you internalize one change at a time before moving onto the next one. Front loading all of your resolutions together is just a recipe for being overwhelmed. A common resolution for most working people is to be more productive. If you do it right, by the end of the year you’ll be doing more work in less time!” Credit for the content of these monthly posts goes to Joel Lee, MakeUseOf.

Image by AJC1. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by AJC1. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

March’s Bad Habit: Working Too Long

“There are two forms of working too long: 1) working so much that it detracts from your rest and recreation and 2) working over long stretches of time without any breaks. For the most part, there’s nothing you can do about the former since your job is your job, but there’s a lot you can do about the latter.

Solution: Ever heard of the Pomodoro Technique? Essentially, you divide the work day into 30-minute chunks: 25 minutes of work followed by 5 minutes of break. You can personalize it to your own needs (e.g. 45 minutes of work and 15 minutes of break). The point is that you’ll be more productive working in short bursts than long crawls.”

Note: Please consider whether your employer is onboard with this technique before you drastically change your work habits!

This excerpt is from 12 Productivity Habits To Finally Hack Your Life In The New Year by Joel Lee, MakeUseOf, Jan.1, 2014

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

A Mindful Moment: Tool 1: Meditation

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 beleives “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. Today, we feature his first tool …..

Tool 1: Meditation

“ Meditation is where mindful living starts. And it’s not complicated: you can sit still for even just one minute a day to start with (work up to three to five minutes after a week), and turn your attention to your body and then your breath. Notice when your thoughts wander from your breath, and gently return to the breath. Repeat until the minute is up.”

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, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

LSTA Grant Opportunity

MDE logo retrieved online 12/17/13..
MDE logo retrieved online 12/17/13..

TO: Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: March 5, 2014
SUBJECT: LSTA Competitive Grant Round Open

Library Services and Technology Act Competitive Grant Opportunity Federal Fiscal Year 2014

State Library Services is pleased to announce the 2014 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) competitive grant opportunity. We welcome applications from any legally established public library, academic library, special library, school library, library cooperative or consortium in Minnesota or any Minnesota organization with tax exempt, non-profit status willing to serve as fiscal agent for a project that benefits a library.

An estimated $600,000 is available to fund grant projects that address the priorities identified in Minnesota’s Five Year LSTA Plan (2013-2017). We welcome proposals that expand programs and services that support Minnesotan’s needs for education, lifelong learning, continuing education, workforce development, 21st century and digital literacy skills; and/or establish a strong infrastructure and build capacity for improved coordination among eligible libraries to improve the quality of and access to library and information services.

Application forms and instructions are available at the Department of Education’s Grants Management Site. Scroll to Library Services and Technology grant opportunity. Please visit the State Library Services LSTA page for the 2014 competitive LSTA anticipated timeline, descriptions of Minnesota’s most recently funded LSTA grants, and Minnesota’s Five Year LSTA Plan (2013-2017).

Please contact Jackie Blagsvedt, State Library Services, with any questions or for more information:Jacqueline.Blagsvedt@state.mn.us or 651-582-8805

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

This is What a Librarian Looks Like!

Truly inspirational photos and text. Thanks to photographer Kyle Cassidy who embedded himself in the ALA Midwinter Meeting in January, and set up a makeshift studio, we have a nice collection of librarian photos. Deepest appreciation to the librarians who took the moment to sit for a portrait. Do they fit your image of today’s librarians? Steampunk all the way I say!

This is what a librarian looks like
Slate: Behold the Photo Blog, Feb. 11