You probably already know that at CMLE, we offer a service called “Notable Dates for your Noggin” which feature special holidays and birthdays of authors, as well as publications of well-known books. In an effort to help you get more from this service, we’ve decided to select one “Notable Date” each month to feature. We will include a few fun programming and activity ideas too, all for you to use!
October 25th is World Pasta Day. Spoiler alert: this post may cause cravings and/or hunger.
The obvious way to celebrate World Pasta Day is with recipes. At your library, you could display some pasta cookbooks, or even just books or materials that feature Italy.
Otherwise, get into the spirit of World Pasta Day through books. And who better to read about pasta with than Strega Nona? The book is read out loud in the video below, or order a copy here.
Share your pasta receipes, or favorite pasta related books with us!
Looking for more fun holidays or days to celebrate? Check out our Notable Dates Page!
As we get updates from the State Library Services people, we share them here so everyone can get the news! Looking outside your own individual library is always good, because as a state we are doing all sorts of new and interesting things. Learning about other library activities, or ideas for programs you could offer or skills you could develop will be useful as you keep up with the demands of your community!
Jumpstart Your Library Programming with Early STEM Literacy Play and learn with instructors from the Science Museum of Minnesota at a hands-on workshop. Discover how early literacy and early science learning are intertwined and deepen your understanding of early childhood scientific thinking, problem solving and inquiry. Come ready to explore curriculum and activities designed by the Science Museum to help Minnesota libraries offer high-quality early STEM experiences. Leave prepared to facilitate children and caregivers in playful STEM learning experiences that capture their imaginations and prepare them for kindergarten.Continue reading State Library Update→
It is always great to meet library colleagues – you have so much to talk about right away! Going to conferences is a very good strategy for meeting up with colleagues; and attending a state association conference lets you put faces to the names of people you may be emailing with, talking with on listserves- or maybe did not even know yet!
This year the Minnesota Library Association’s Annual Conference was in Duluth, September 29-30. From everything I saw, did, and enjoyed there, I can say that a good time was had by all! And it was definitely a learning experience, with so many great sessions and presentations, and many opportunities to connect with people from across the state.
Do you want more information about it, or to see some of the events? MLA has you covered!
It all looks fun, doesn’t it?? Sign up for next year’s conference, which will be held in Rochester! Apply to CMLE for some money to offset your registration. If there is enough interest, we can rent a van and drive a group over one day! (Trust me: it’s ALWAYS fun to travel with library people!)
There were so many different sessions, looking at so many different types of libraries and library issues, it was impossible to see it all. No matter what you like to talk about and learn about in libraries: it was here! There were exhibitors, from assorted library vendors; all ready to chat with everyone about products and strategies to make libraries better. There was a poster session, with a variety of ARLD (Academic and Research Division of MLA) people presenting current research, professional activities, and things interesting to the members.
CMLE was represented in a great session on advocacy. “Library Legislative Process 101” was presented by Barbara Misselt, Director, East Central Regional Library and Jami Trenam, Associate Director of Collection Development, Great River Regional Library. “Library advocacy is for everyone, not just library directors and administrators. Join both seasoned and not-so-experienced library advocates at this roundtable to explore and share how we can advocate for library services for Minnesota citizens at the legislature.” This is such an important topic for all library people to explore, it was great to see it at MLA!
That evening, there was a social and networking event at the Glensheen Mansion! “The Minnesota Multicounty Multitype Library Systems and the Kathryn A. Martin Library, University of Minnesota Duluth invite you to the Glensheen Mansion for fun, food, and networking. There will be guided tours of the mansion and grounds – including a rare peek into the family library at Glensheen led by Director Dan Hartman – chili buffet and a cash bar.” This was a very fun event, with a lot of opportunities to talk about history and libraries, to chat with people from all over the state, and enjoy learning the history of the house, the inhabitants, and all the household items.
Crabby Ol’ Bills: it’s a landmark, not JUST a good place to have doughnuts! (Though, it’s also that!)
What else happened? So many things! For more information look over the schedule and get some ideas about things you might want to learn about, or people who you might connect with from around the state. You can see all kinds of topics and learn about people who are doing things that you are interested in trying. Don’t hesitate to send an email to people who are involved in things you would like to know more about (politely, of course!). Conferences, and the after-conference discussions, are a great way to learn about different ideas to try out for yourself!
“Work simply. Live fully.” This week CMLE focuses on the following work productivity tip from Work Simply, Carson Tate’s popular book. At CMLE, we’ve boiled down Tate’s wealth of knowledge from Work Simply to a few key points; please see the book for more detail and resources. At the bottom, see links to earlier tips in the series! Let’s all be our best selves….
This week’s activity: Consolidate your to-do lists into one Master Task List
To get all your to-dos in one place, first you need to perform a “brain dump,” in which you think about everything you need to get done, both at work and in your personal life. In Work Simply, Carson Tate describes this process as “Turning your brain upside down and emptying its contents.” Then, if you have noticed that your list contains more projects than simple tasks, work to create attainable next steps that aren’t so overwhelming. Finally, keep this list in one place for easy and constant reference.
Recently, you discovered your Productivity Style with a simple assessment.
Find your Productivity Style for some personalized tools to manage your Master List:
Prioritizer: Try using ruled or lined paper. Some apps that may be useful to you include iDoneThis, which sends out e-mail reminders asking what tasks you have completed.
Planner: You may like using calendars, or Outlook’s task manager. Also try out Wunderlist, an app that allows you to keep all your to-dos in one place, and includes due dates and reminders.
Arranger: Try using Stickies, or the app Carrot, which takes a to-do list to the next level – earn points for completing tasks and get praised (or scolded!) for how many tasks you complete.
Visualizer: Whiteboards or unlined notebooks may work well for you, or try Personal Brain, a mind-mapping tool that works on both PCs and Macs, which links ideas, documents, and sites based on the way you think.
This week I visited the College of St. Benedict’s Clemens Library. Thanks to Director Kathleen Parker for inviting me over and touring me around the library so I could see all their wonderful things, and meet some of the library staff!
It’s Sarah! And a book!
Everyone take a moment to wave at Sarah Gewirtz, as she shows us the latest book group reading for the library: “What if I Say the Wrong Thing? 26 Habits for Culturally Effective People” by Vernā Myers. I had not seen this book before this visit; but I think it will be added to the CMLE Librarian Professionals reading group in an upcoming month, as everyone works to reach out to community members. Sarah has also facilitated some Information Literacy work across CMLE academic and high school libraries; and we definitely want to repeat that program! We all have more things in common than might be immediately apparent; and Info Literacy is a core need for all libraries in serving their communities. Continue reading Visiting CMLE Libraries! College of St. Benedict→
Partnering with libraries for visioning, advocating, and educating
Looking for more fun holidays or days to celebrate? Check out our Notable Dates Page!
