All posts by John

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Napping Stations in the Library?

Image by clemsonunivlibrary via flickr
Image by clemsonunivlibrary via flickr

The University of Michigan’s Shapiro Undergraduate Library recently launched a pilot napping space. Sponsored by U-M Central Student Government (CSG), who worked with faculty researchers and the U-M Sleep Disorders Center, the napping station is intended to counter the negative effect of sleep deprivation on students’ academic work. Naps are limited to 30 minutes, and the space, which is in a well-trafficked area on the first floor of Shapiro, is equipped with vinyl cots, disinfecting wipes, disposable pillowcases, and lockers. The Library Journal reported that they started by surveying  over 4,000 students, finding out what they valued most in a potential designated nap space, and found that the top priorities were proximity to study areas and classes, making the library a natural partner. Check out an interview with Senior Supervisor for the Shapiro Undergraduate Library, Steve Griffes on Michigan Radio talking about the pilot.

What do you think? Money well spent or waste of tuition dollars?

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Featured Service: Book Discounts Reminder

Image by 401 (K) 2013. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by 401 (K) 2013. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

Do you need to do some end-of-the-year ordering of books (including e-books) and are you looking for discounts?

CMLE provides book discounts to libraries in Aitkin, Benton, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright counties in Minnesota. This year we have nine book companies participating in the discount program, and six of them are discounting e-books! These discounts provide cost savings to 319 academic, school, public, and special libraries. The nine participating book  companies this year are listed below, the companies with e-book discounts are in red. You can go to our website to review all of the savings at http://www.cmle.org/discounts.asp. Each discount has a promo code that you need to mention to receive the savings.  In the Fall, our member libraries should have received an email attachment of the discounts and their associated promo codes. Didn’t get the attachment? Send an email to cmle@stcloudstate.edu to receive the document with codes.

Please let me know if you have any problems using these discounts, or if the list does not include a company you would like to suggest for inclusion next year. These discounts are a perk to you as part of your free membership as a CMLE member library. Send email to papost@stcloudstate.edu with your input. Thanks!

Abdo, Baker & Taylor, Brodart, Follett, Gumdrop,

Ingram, Mackin, Scholastic, and Usborne

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

YALSA News: Teen Read Week

TRW14_lowreslogoGet a jump on 2014’s “Turn Dreams into Reality” themed Teen Read Week by visiting the Teen Read Week website. Teen Read Week is a national adolescent literacy initiative created by Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) with its purpose to encourage teens to be regular readers and library users. Teen Read Week isn’t until October 12-18, but its never too early to line up resources or get ideas for planning your week’s activities. You don’t even need to be an ALA or YALSA member to take advantage of this great resource.

2014 Teens’ Top Ten nominees

YALSA also officially announced the 2014 Teens’ Top Ten Nominees on April 17 in honor of Celebrate Teen Literature Day. A list of the nominees with annotations can be found on the Teens’ Top Ten website. This can be a perfect reading list to share with your students for the summer. Teens are encouraged to read the 25 nominees before the national Teens’ Top Ten vote, which begins on August 15 and runs through Teen Read Week.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Do Students Know How to Have a Conversation?

image by Paul Martin Lester
Image by Paul Martin Lester

A recent article, My Students Don’t Know How to Have a Conversation, by The Atlantic raises an interesting topic that seldom gets talked about. With the push for 1:1 in schools and with 98% of adults ages 18-29 owning a cell phone, most young people have lost the art of having a conversation.

Paul Barnwell, who teaches English at a high school in Louisville, KY noticed that his students were struggling with even simple face to face conversations. “Conversational competence might be the single-most overlooked skill we fail to teach students,” he said. “Kids spend hours each day engaging with ideas and one another through screens—but rarely do they have an opportunity to truly hone their interpersonal communication skills.”

In the article he goes on to wonder, “what if we focused on sharpening students’ ability to move back and forth between the digital and real world?” he asks. “The next time you interact with a teenager, try to have a conversation with him or her about a challenging topic. Ask him to explain his views. Push her to go further in her answers.”

Have you seen a deterioration of student conversation skills? How can we address this issue? Is this even an issue or just the way of the future? Let us know what you see in your K-12, public or college libraries!

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

There's a Tech Tool for That!

Recently, Charlie Wierzbicki posted an excellent compilation of tech tools for schools. CMLE thought it might be worth sharing.

Did she miss some? What tools have been working at your schools?