Category Archives: Check this out:

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

Appreciative Inquiry and Community Engagement

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Some rights reserved by giulia.forsythe

Appreciative inquiry focuses on increasing what an organization does well rather than on eliminating what it does badly, and how to analyze that success in order to achieve greater success in future endeavors. And what if you discovered another organization that really excelled at the parts your organization did not do well, but still needed. There are exciting possibilities for new partnerships, new arenas of opportunity.

Read about what one participant reported as a result of attending this session at the recent ALA conference in Seattle. The full blog post appeared on Jan. 27 on AL Inside Scoop.

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

Webinar: Engaging Stakeholders in Digital Community!

WebJunction-logoWebjunction is offering a free (60 minute) webinar, “Engaging Stakeholders, the First Step to Creating a Digitally Inclusive Community” on Wednesday, April 10th starting at noon (CT).  Using the model set by Broadband Rhode Island (BBRI) to create a process of engaging stakeholders in order to discuss technology access and use; each panelists will explain their involvement, how various sectors were engaged, the impact of NTIA funded projects upon the stakeholder engagement process, and how policy recommendations were created and prioritized. The target audience for this webinar should be local or state leaders (libraries, community-based organizations, government, business) interested in building digitally inclusive 21st century communities. Click here for additional information and registration.

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

MNLibLeg: Libraries in Bonding Bill and Update!

This CMLE Update has been provided by Mark Ranum, MLA Legislative Chair

Alice Hausman, Chair of the Capital Investment Committee, asked last week about a library request for the bonding bill being proposed this year.  We have submitted a request for $3M for the public library construction and accessibility grant program.  It’s HF1501 http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/bills/billnum.asp?billnumber=hf1501

All library bills we are pursuing as a part of the library platform have now been introduced.  The other bills are listed below.

2013 Library Legislative Platform Issues Status: Bills, Authors, and Committees

1. Fund Regional Public Library Basic System Support.

  • SF453    Wiger
  • HF630   Marquart

2. Fund Multicounty, Multitype Regional Library System Support.

  • SF453    Wiger
  • HF630   Marquart

3. Fund Telecommunications Equity Aid and Regional Library Telecommunications Aid.

  • SF453    Wiger
  • HF630   Marquart

4. Fund Minitex at $5,631,000 each year of the biennium.

  • SF995     Eken, Clausen
  • HF1150   Winkler, Nornes, Brynaert

5. Fund MnLINK at $400,000 each year of the biennium.

  • SF995     Eken, Clausen
  • HF1150    Winkler, Nornes, Brynaert

6. Fund Electronic Library for Minnesota (ELM) at current levels each year of the biennium

  • SF781      Hoffman, Johnson, Stumpf, Jensen, Nelson
  • HF1145   Brynaert, S. Erickson

7.  Dedicate the entire proceeds of the Permanent School Fund for school technology and library media resources to support Common Core Standards and other initiatives.

  • No action.  Lack of support from the Governor and House/Senate Leadership.

8.  Appropriate $750,000 in the first year and $600,000 in the second year of the biennium to subscribe, implement, and promote free, online homework help for all MN students.

  • SF781       Hoffman, Johnson, Stumpf, Jensen, Nelson
  • HF1145    Brynaert, S. Erickson

9.  Change the Regional Public Library Legacy funding formula by replacing the equalization factor in the formula with a “qualifying system entities” factor.

  • Elaine Keefe and Mark Ranum are working to include this in the appropriation language.
  • No specific lobbying effort is required at this time on this specific issue.

10. Fund Regional Public Library Legacy initiatives at $4,250,000 for each year of the biennium from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

  • No bill number.  The process to request funds does not require a bill.
  • We have testified in the House Legacy Committee on our request.  The Senate Legacy Committee has not met to hear requests from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

11.  Fund the Minnesota Digital Library at $750,000 to expand into a statewide digital preservation initiative from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

  • No bill number.  The process to request funds does not require a bill.

12.  Add data privacy protection for electronic materials and services to MS13.40.

  • SF745      Diedzic, Latz, Nelson
  • HF695     Simon

Mark Ranum, Director
Plum Creek Library System
Box 697
290 S. Lake Street
Worthington, MN 56187
507.376.5803 ext. 1 (office)
612.701.9989 (cell)
mranum@plumcreeklibrary.net

There will also be a Senate companion to HF 1501.  Sen. Alice Johnson has signed on as our chief author.  I hope to get it introduced on Monday. 
Elaine Keefe, Capitol Hill Associates