All posts by John

General, Public, School Media Specialist

Genrefication of your school’s fiction collection

Sports FictionUpdate 4/22/2015: Check out ITEM’s information about the Bookstore Model.

Do you use the Dewey Decimal Classification at your school? Can your kids figure out what “142.780973” means? Would they know where to find the “Sports” books? Using this logic, many schools are wondering if they and their students might be better served using a book-store model, or genres, when it comes to their fiction collection…. but where to begin?

There are many resources on the web but most applicable for CMLE members might be the slides from a presentation at the 2014 ITEM conference by Mary Brimacomb called Genrify Your Fiction Books. In it she talks about getting volunteers, working in Destiny software, and signage. The topic of genrefying even came up at the 2014 ITEM unconference. You can find that discussion here. Looking beyond our region, there is this wonderful blog post about “Genrefying” a High School Library. Another great resource is a series of blog posts by, 2014 Mover and Shaker, Tiffany Whitehead thoroughly discusses the subject. Her 5 part series is an excellent breakdown of the issues involved:

Got a second? Help us learn more about genrefication in the CMLE region by answering our Quick Question Poll.

Finally, check out the slides from Tiffany Whitehead’s co-presentation at AASL: 

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/mvnbsv8, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Public, School Media Specialist

Are you ready for the St. Cloud Public Library History Day Hullabaloo?

mnhistoryday

February might seem like a long way away but it will be here sooner then you think! Get ready for the History Day Hullabaloo at the St. Cloud Public Library now.

Great River Regional is here to help with research librarians available to visit any branch library or school – to assist with any and all research needs. They even have a cool poster you can use to publicize the event!

Need even more? Look no further then the History Day resources at ELM:
• ELM databases for History Day
• History Day Research in Minnesota tutorial
• ELM Learning Center Course: ELM for History Day

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

MILE 2015 applications due

The Institute for Leadership Excellence (MILE), a subunit of MLA, is looking for applications for its 2015 leadership conference and program.

MILE helps you discover the leader within yourself and learn to lead effectively today—even if your current position is not one of leadership. During the four-day conference, selected participants spend their days in an intimate conference setting with 24 other emerging library leaders from across the state. – MLA MILE website.

With a December 1st deadline, apply now to develop your leadership skills and network in the library community.

Want to be a library leader mentor? You can apply too. Applications for mentors are due January 15, 2015.

A CMLE scholarship of up to $200 can be used for MILE. The application process is easy, so go for it!

Academic, General, Special

We’ve Learned: Job Openings

LightbulbJob Openings

Centracare is looking for a Health Science Library Assistant. “The Health Science Library Assistant provides a variety of library clerical and technical duties of moderate complexity as appropriate to the diverse operations and specialized procedures of the Health Science Library.” Link to the position: http://bit.ly/1u68OmE

The College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University is currently hiring for a Library Technology Support Specialist. For more information or to apply for the position please visit http://bit.ly/10yjsIh and search for the Library Technology Support Specialist. (New Extended Date 12/12/2014).

The School of Education at St. Cloud State University is currently seeking applications for potential adjunct positions for academic year 2014-15 and 2015-16. In particular, they are searching for part-time teaching positions in their Information Media program. To apply visit: http://bit.ly/1pwcnUy

The St. Cloud State University Library is currently seeking to build a pool of applicants for part-time, temporary, adjunct Librarians and Instructional Technologists for the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 academic years with responsibilities in various service areas within Learning Resources Services (LRS). LRS includes the Library and InforMedia Services. To apply visit: http://bit.ly/1xcQXvB

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

General, School Media Specialist

Cathedral stays in session during snow day

Winter WonderlandSNOW! In Minnesota we know its coming, its just a matter of when. With all the snow comes the occasional snow day. Many see these as missed opportunities for learning and ultimately days that need to be made up in the spring. Others relish the day off from school (i.e. Students).

Not so at St. Cloud’s Cathedral High School where this year they are trying out an “online schooling” program when snow days occur. “Because all of Cathedral students have school-issued MacBook Air computers,” said Cathedral Principal Lynn Grewing, the online school is an “alternate way of delivering the lessons.” On November 10th they got their first opportunity to try out the process.

From the St. Cloud Times: “Faculty posted assignments in the morning. Using digital textbooks and the online Schoology platform, students completed assignments and communicated with teachers.”

The story was even picked up by the Weather Channel.

So what is the future of the snow day? Online School or Day off?

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/pgd66ny, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0