Looking for something to keep you busy this summer? Here are 10 truly amazing book-related cakes for you to try at home! (wink…wink…but if you do, send us a picture!)
They are all pretty amazing, but my favorite (of course) is the incredibly detailed Harry Potter cake. The Very Hungry Caterpillar cupcake mosaic is pretty cool too.
Image credit: https://unsplash.com/(Alisa Anton), licensed under CC0 1.0
Editor’s note: This is a message from CMLE Board President, Maria Burnham, (Media Specialist @ Sauk Rapids Rice High School) that was given during the Board meeting that took place on Tuesday, May 17th. The purpose of this letter is to provide encouragement and support during this time of transition.
Hello everyone! And happy spring!
First of all, I want to take a moment to congratulate and thank Patricia Post for all of her work as she transitions into retired life. She has worked tirelessly to keep our CMLE ship afloat these last 14 years, and she has served our librarian community well. She provides quality programming and blogs, as well as assisting the Executive Director Search Committee team with any questions we may have in trying to find the best candidate possible as her replacement. Patricia’s shoes are big ones to fill, but I have faith and confidence that whomever we find will continue to move our organization forward. Also, I’d like to thank Angie for joining the CMLE team. She has proven to be a good fit for CMLE, and I’ve been very impressed with her blog posts and her positive energy. And finally, I’d like to thank the members of the Executive Director Search Committee team for the extra time and talent they are donating in order to find the best candidate possible to take over the helm of CMLE. Karen, Seal, Char, Joanne and Patricia (as ex-officio), THANK YOU, for all you have done!
CMLE is an organization that makes a real difference in the lives of librarians. I have received nothing but support from CMLE in scholarships to attend conferences (including TeenLitCon, which was a wonderful opportunity for my students to meet YA authors). Also, recently I was able to attend the Supervor Nuts and Bolts workshop, a wonderful professional development opportunity in learning about the supervisory part of my job, an integral part of my daily duties but one in which I’ve received little-to-no training. These examples show how I felt support from CMLE. And my story is just one of many. CMLE’s work is important work and it can affect many.
Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/l6sc8te, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
We are in the middle of that wonderful season in Minnesota that is springtime! Excited to get outside and begin your next garden or yard project? If you need a little extra help, consider checking out the eBooks MN collection for gardening books.(Not sure what I am talking about? Get caught up with our earlier CMLE posts on eBooks MN).
They have a variety of gardening books, for everyone from the beginner planning their first garden to the experienced gardener. They feature topics like miniature, container, and edible gardening.
This article recommends starting with the Beginner’s Illustrated Guide to Gardening: Techniques to Help You Get Started by Katie Elzer-Peters. The book features helpful color images as well as illustrated tools, tips, and tricks to help you in your next gardening venture!
Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/mcpp3y2, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
This issue of the Weekly Review recaps our blog posts from May 13 – May 18, 2016.
CMLE Updates: State & Regional News
– Featured Book: May Day More
– Last edition: Where have all the media specialists gone? More
– Legislative Update: 5/15/16 More
Upcoming Events and Registration Information
– Looking for professional development? More
Tech Bits and Ideas
– Nine tricks for Google Calendar More
– Amazon and eBooks in NYC schools More
Resources You Can Use
– Books for teen writers and poets More
– Instagram and the ancient art of marbled paper More
– Helping preserve memories – public library creates memory lab More
– Need additional help stretching your budget? More
– AASL toolkit for preservice principals and teachers More
Food For Thought
– 2016 State of America’s Libraries Report More
– Misinformation spreads faster than Creeping Charlie More
Just For Fun
– Visit these 12 literary places! More
Editors note: This post could be the last in this annual series. Why? As sometimes happens, what is happening in the field can get ahead of the state education department, and the way that data is collected. From our work in the field, we witness an increase in the number of school media specialists being reassigned to new titles and new duties. Tech Integrationist or Digital Resource Specialist, Guide, or Coach are some of the assigned titles. It is unclear to us at CMLE how personnel in 265 schools are being reported to MDE; questioning the validity of our data set.
Could you hear us crunching the data? This is the sixth year that CMLE has been pulling the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) data and studying the slow decline of school library media specialists in our CMLE twelve-county region. Sharing the data is (was) the logical thing to do, but CMLE has found little appetite from the field in addressing this issue. Even those in the field feel unable to propose ideas, and the perennial question is: Whose problem is this to solve? CMLE can serve as a voice for school media centers, but has no authority or power to correct this lack of high quality staffing.
It stands to reason that if there is inadequate media specialist staffing in high schools, students may not be prepared with the skills they need to be successful in college. Will middle schoolers be prepared to do high school work, and when students have no library program at school, are they simply going to the public library for assistance? Are the public libraries funded or staffed to absorb this work on a large scale? Everyone is stretched for resources, so it is critical that K-12, public, and academic libraries all step up to do their part. Do school superintendents understand this? It amazes me that the public and academic libraries don’t push back when they are forced to pick up the additional weight as a result of this dodged responsibility. Is this fair, is this right?
Without further ado, here is data for Aitkin, Benton, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright counties in MN. In a nutshell, …..
According to public 2015-2016 MDE data, here are the CMLE school districts with no licensed media specialists in any school: Aitkin, Annandale, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Bertha Hewitt, Braham, Browerville, Eagle Valley, East Central, Foley, Hinckley-Finlayson, Kimball, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Maple Lake, McGregor, Royalton, Staples-Motley, Swanville, and Willow River. Are parents in these districts aware of this issue?
New to the list this year are shown in orange. Congratulations to Onamia, who graduated off this list!
In the past, CMLE used this data in its advocacy work, in targeting its programming, and in working statewide to bring attention to this growing problem. All Minnesota students deserve a high quality, K-12 academic experience that prepares them for the next step in their life. We need students to be able to proficiently use the research process and to think critically about competing sources of information. These are key lifelong skills needed by all high-functioning members of society.
Patricia Post
CMLE Executive Director
Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/mklc22b, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0