All posts by Michelle

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

MILE Participant: CMLE Scholarship Recipient!

1 Comment

Minnesota Library Association (MLA) Institute for Leadership (MILE) encourages and promotes leadership regardless of the position a person holds with in a library . The following post was submitted by CMLE scholarship recipient Sarah Seeley, Branch Assistant, Great River Regional Library-Buffalo. 

My experience at MLA’s Institute for Leadership Excellence (MILE) exceeded my expectations on every level.  I met fantastic people, both attendees and presenters, and discovered leadership skills I had never identified. I also learned new techniques and forums for library leadership that I know will serve me throughout my library career.

The most valuable part of the retreat for me was identifying and understanding my own personal leadership themes, discussions of how those themes interact with other individuals, and strategies for building good teams with various leadership styles.  I have already begun using this new understanding back at my job, and know it will continue to benefit me in the future.

I enjoyed learning about various forums for library advocacy and techniques to get the message out about libraries in Minnesota and the nation.  We also had a great coach who led discussions and exercises about keeping yourself and staff engaged and effective at work and in life.

On the last day we set a number of goals for ourselves to be achieved in the next eighteen months.  Going forward I will be working with a mentor for advice, coaching, and accountability toward those goals.  I am thrilled with the mentor I have been assigned and have already begun work on my goals, all of which will have a great effect on my work and within our library system.

I appreciate the support CMLE has provided for my attendance at the MILE program. I recommend it to anyone interested in leadership in the library field.

Sarah Seeley

Academic, Check this out:, General, Special

Physical Vs. Virtual Libraries

1 Comment
Image by JD Hancock. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licensing.
Image by JD Hancock. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licensing.

Most libraries engage in a yearly (more or less) assessment of their collections; weed dated materials and identified additional, new items to purchase. However, not all libraries are treated equal when it comes to budget allocations for resources. So at some point a process is generally developed to identify what to purchased, and ultimately in which format (print or electronic.)

With the growing interest in electronic resources, a dialogue has began about the viability and perceived importance of sustaining a physical library. The Higher Education Network recently weighed in on this discussion, from an academic perspective, in an article stating that. “Academics will need both the physical and virtual library for years to come (June 2013). ”  Click here to read the full article.

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

Looking for a Book Club?

Image by Sanda Rowe. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licensing.
Image by Sanda Rowe. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licensing.

Are you an adult who loves to read children and teen books?

Chapter & Verse Book Club is coming to St. Cloud. The Children’s Literature Network is the sponsor of the 8 chapters  (to date) nationwide. The Great River Regional Library in St. Cloud will partner as the meeting spot.

The club will be facilitated by SCSU faculty member Marcia Thompson (mthompson@stcloudstate.edu or 320-308-2120). It will meet the third Thursday of the month from 6:30 to 8:00 pm starting September 19.

This month’s books are Nobody’s Secret by Michaela MacColl and Emily by Michael Bedard, illustrated by Barbara Cooney. Click here for more information and a look at the upcoming Chapter and Verse monthly meetings and book selections.

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

Half Price Book Sale!

Image by Chor lp. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licensing.
Image by Chor lp. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licensing.

Did you know that every year, at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds-Grand Stand, a company called Half Priced Books has a clearance sale?

On October 5-6th, from 9-6 pm, you can join hundreds of book lovers. Sift through rows and stacks of materials on the hunt for missing pieces to your personal and/or professional collections.

Tip: If you plan to attend on behalf of your library, consider bringing a helper to watch over your finds. Also, if you intend on making several purchases, bring a cart to do the heavy carrying so you can keep your hands free.

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

Recommended Ed Tech Tool: National Constitution Center

Image by Stan Faryna. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licensing. Some rights reserved.
Image by Stan Faryna. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licensing. Some rights reserved.

At the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, on September 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed by 38 of the 41 delegates present (This Day in US History.) Two years later this document would become the foundation of the Country’s Bill of Rights.

Therefore, this week CMLE’s Recommend Ed Tech Tool is the National Constitution Center’s website. This phenomenal resource is broken down into three main components;

  1. The Experience Center showcases exhibits, programs, museum links and current initiatives.
  2. Search Constitutional Articles, Amendments, and Issues by using the Explore the Constitution tab.
  3. And finally, click on the Learn tab to participate in free and live webcasts (Constitutional Hall Pass), find out more about civic holidays and how they became recognized, incorporate recommended resources from the educational resources page, and much more.

Tip: If you work with a teacher interested in traveling to the nation’s capital, the Plan Your Trip tab provides tickets, visitor’s guides and lists with links for trip essentials.