Please join us!

Better Together

June 13, 2023 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Lakes Country Service Cooperative

1001 East Mount Faith Avenue

Fergus Falls, Minnesota

And via Zoom Link, below

6 CEUs No charge to attend

Library aids and literary characters will be available to attendees at no charge

“Better Together” brings together colleagues who share interests in creating environments where people celebrate literature. We are here to support one another. All librarians, library para-specialists, and educators are welcome.

To Register, send an email to: Kathy.Enger@nlln.org

8:30 Coffee, Tea, and Warm Cinnamon Caramel Rolls

9 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. We’re Better Together Conversation

A conversation about reading, literature, and library topics that interest and concern us, led by Lynette Schwagerl and Glenn Heinecke, carried throughout the day.

10 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Guest Speaker: Dan Gunderson, Minnesota Public Radio (MPR)

Dan Gunderson has been a correspondent for Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) for nearly four decades, telling the stories of people and places across Western and Northern Minnesota. From Morris to Warroad, he explores a wide range of topics, led by curiosity and a desire to share what he learns from the interesting people he meets along the way. He will share some of his more interesting stories with us.

10:45 a.m. Continued Conversation

11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Grant Resources for Libraries

Kirsten Gulbro, Access Philanthropy

Miranda Lape, Lake Region Arts Council (LRAC)

Gail Nordstrom, Viking Library System (VLS), Legacy Funding and School and Public Library Partnerships

11:45 a.m. – 12:55 p.m.Boxed Lunches and Continued Conversation

1 p.m.– 1:45 p.m.MDE K-12 English Language Arts Academic Standards

Leigh Nida, Supervisor, Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

Academic Standards Team and (interim) English Language (ELA) Specialist

Academic Standards, Instruction, and Assessment Division

1:45 p.m. Continued Conversation

2 p.m.– 2:45 p.m.Native American Literature

Dr. Caitlin Johnson, Citizen of Turtle Mountain and Assistant Professor at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM)

2:45 p.m. Continued Conversation

3. p.m. Book Repair Techniques

Lucy Anderson and Lisa Mattocks, Thorson Memorial Library, Elbow Lake

Karen Breach, Wheaton School, CoverOne

Zoom Access:

Topic: Better Together June 13, 2023

Time: Jun 13, 2023 08:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting: https://minnstate.zoom.us/j/95543514161

That’s right: every week we are going to celebrate some small holiday! We want you to join us in celebrating every week – because really, everyone needs a little more happiness in their lives.

Join us in celebrating the holiday just yourself, and take some small quiet time to enjoy it. Or, take our book and program ideas, and celebrate in a larger way in your library. Take a small, goofy opportunity to have a little more fun today! (We celebrate you in doing this!)

I have to say, I think that juggling is almost a definition of goofy fun. Sure, some people do it, work hard at it, and look really impressive while they fling assorted objects into the air without dropping them. but most of us either can’t do it, or only make it for a few seconds. And that’s fine! We’re having fun this week, and whether you fling a few bean bags in the air, your hand out all kinds of things for your patrons to try to juggle – just have fun! The sillier it gets, the better it is. Lean into that.

And of course, there are a few books that might help:

• Juggling: What It Is and How to Do It, by Thom Wall
• Pathways in Juggling: Learn how to juggle with balls, rings, clubs, devil sticks, diabolos and other objects, by Robert Irving and Mike Martins
• Hey, Bruce!: An Interactive Book, by Ryan Higgins
• Contact Juggling, by James Ernest

Join us in celebrating the holiday just yourself, and take some small quiet time to enjoy it. Or, take our book and program ideas, and celebrate in a larger way in your library. Take a small, goofy opportunity to have a little more fun today!

This season, we continue to travel around Minnesota, but this time we’re learning about all the fascinating historical sites our state has to offer and giving you a book prompt inspired by each site.  

We will share six book suggestions to meet that prompt, to get you started on reading new books. You can also take that prompt and find any other book to meet the challenge!

Behold 1000 watts of ship-stopping power! Experience the sights, the history, and the technology behind this signature Minnesota landmark anchored on the rocky coast of Lake Superior. We encourage you to celebrate this and read a book about being on a ship.

In our show notes for this episode, we link each book to one of our state’s great independent bookstores: Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais, MN. It gives you a description, so you can get more information about the book to help you make a decision about your reading or recommendations.

It’s a tough time for libraries, and people in customer service. And while we don’t want to veer into any toxic positivity, it is good to spend a little time focused on building your happiness level. We are not going to solve people’s serious mental issues here. But bringing some happiness skills to your week can be helpful to everyone!

Mondays can be a little hard, even when things are going fine. Use this small injection of a happiness skill to your week. We are here to support you, and to help you to be a little happier in the library.

In this series, we’ve talked about the importance of gratitude and showing it as a tool for building your happiness. In this article excerpt, the discussion is all about building your gratitude journal. Making this a more formal strategy for yourself may be helpful in building up more sustainable level of happiness for yourself.

The excerpt below is from the article How a Gratitude Journal Can Drastically Change Your Life:

“Neuroscience has shown the act of being thankful releases dopamine and serotonin in your brain.

Dopamine is what makes you feel good and causes you to want more, so simply starting that practice of gratitude will help you develop a habit of doing so.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that activates the happiness center of your brain, which is similar to how antidepressants work. So you can basically consider gratitude as a natural antidepressant, and some argue that it’s even better than the drugs.

Your brain cannot focus on positive and negative things at the same time. This is a key reason why practicing gratitude can help you shift your focus from being sad about the things you don’t have in your life to being glad for the things you do have.”

Some tips on getting started:

“1. Don’t Just Go Through the Motions

It’s important to be intentional on why you are doing this exercise. Instead of doing this because someone is telling you to, think about what you are hoping to gain out of this exercise. Take the time to acknowledge you are doing this because cultivating more happiness in your life is important to you. “Motivation to become happier plays a role in the efficacy of journaling,” says Emmons.

2. Go for Depth Over Breadth

After you’ve developed a gratitude journaling habit, it will serve you well to become more specific with the things you are thankful for. Being able to express one thing you are deeply thankful for is so much more meaningful than being thankful for a bunch of general, superficial things.

3. Get Personal

Taking time to focus on people you are grateful for has more of an impact than focusing on things that you are grateful for.

4. Try Subtraction, Not Just Addition

If you are having trouble coming up with things you are thankful for, one simple trick to spur up some gratitude is to start thinking about how your life would be if you didn’t have some of the things that you have now.

5. Savor Surprises

Keep track of pleasant or unexpected surprises as these are great things to reflect on when you have a chance. You may find reflecting on these moments can bring up stronger feelings of gratitude.

Emmons goes on to say that he recommends that people view each item in their gratitude journal as a gift, and that the whole process shouldn’t be an errand to do just to get it over with. Instead, it should be something you actively engage in to connect with the things you are genuinely thankful for.”

CMLE can be part of your support network; we are here for you, and support you in your library work. Take a nice deep breath in, and whoosh it out; it’s going to be okay today.

Can you feel the book excitement in the air??? All those books! All those authors! All those teen readers!!!

Teen Lit Con is always a great event!!! Some fantastic authors have been through here, and thousands of teens have enjoyed the festival, aimed just at them!! Our colleagues from Metronet do such amazing work with this event, and it’s great for everyone involved.

You can be part of the action – join today as a volunteer ambassador! Check out their information:

Volunteer!

Teen Lit Con 2023 April 29, 2023 Two Rivers High School 10-3 Teen Lit Con returns to Mendota Heights, join us for the biggest and best TLC yet! Nothing happens for this event without our amazing volunteers. Keep reading to find out more about joining our team.

Be a TLC23 Ambassador!

We are calling at book lovers, teachers, media specialists, and librarians to volunteer at the event. We need YOU to make this day a success for our teens.

Our volunteers, called Ambassadors, fill many vital roles; they may help out in the auditorium, hallways, at breakout sessions, in the exhibit hall with hands-on activities or book signings, and more!

Adults only, please. We want teens to fully experience the Con. 

MELSA Library staff please note: When serving as a Public Library Ambassador from a MELSA public library you are representing your library system. Therefore, MELSA understands you are on work time and have obtained permission to participate from your supervisor.

This form gives us the information we need to create the volunteer schedule. Please understand this is a long process. You will receive a confirmation of your registration today. You will hear from us next around one week before the event, with your specific schedule for the day.

Ambassador Sign Up

Questions? Email the Ambassador Coordinator, Olivia Moris at olivia@metronet.lib.mn.us

FAQ

Where is the signup for Book Squad?

We have enough Book Squad volunteers for 2023.

Do I need experience to volunteer?

Not to be an Ambassador, we will give you the information/training you need on the day of the event.

Can I request specific tasks?

You can always ask and we will try to accommodate reasonable requests, but this is a big task to coordinate so many volunteers and sometimes it’s just not possible to give specific assignments.

Can I volunteer with a friend or family member?

Yes, you can! We will do our best to schedule you together, but, again, this is a big task and sometimes it’s just not possible.

More questions?

Teen Lit Con website

Or email the Ambassador Coordinator, Olivia Moris, olivia@metronet.lib.mn.us