Category Archives: Communication

Communication

Celebrate African American History Month with Podcasts!

Podcast-iconIt will always help you to be better in your library work when you work to understand other people’s lives and perspectives. During African American history month, it is a good time to reach out to some podcasts that can give you perspectives on different lives of African Americans. Reaching out for ideas, for information, and for new ways of thinking will always help you to provide the best service to your community members!

Do you have some other interesting podcasts to share? Tell us in the comments!

      • Two Dope Queens:  “Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams are funny. They’re black. They’re BFFs. And they host a live comedy show in Brooklyn. Join the 2 Dope Queens, along with their favorite comedians, for stories about sex, romance, race, hair journeys, living in New York, and Billy Joel. Plus a whole bunch of other s**t.”
      • Code Switch: “Ever find yourself in a conversation about race and identity where you just get…stuck? Code Switch can help. We’re all journalists of color, and this isn’t just the work we do. It’s the lives we lead. Sometimes, we’ll make you laugh. Other times, you’ll get uncomfortable. But we’ll always be unflinchingly honest and empathetic. Come mix it up with us.
      • Culture Kings: “Culture Kings is a show for the culture, by the culture and about the culture. Who’s the culture? Well, black people, but also just people. Each week, comedians Jacquis Neal, Edgar Momplaisir and Carl Tart dive into topics ranging from sports and music to what’s the best way to eat a taco? (Head straight up or askew) WE DO IT FOR THE CULTURE!”
      • Ear Hustle: “Ear Hustle brings you stories of life inside prison, shared and produced by those living it. The podcast is a partnership between Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams, currently incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, and Nigel Poor, a Bay Area artist. The team works in San Quentin’s media lab to produce stories that are sometimes difficult, often funny, and always honest, offering a nuanced view of people living within the American prison system.” (This is not strictly an African American focused podcast; but the people curating it, and many of their guests, discuss African American issues.)
      • Lift Every Voice: “Lift Every Voice is dedicated to shining a light on overlooked issues of injustice and inequality and sharing inspiring stories of change. U.S. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey will talk with grassroots activists, stakeholders, and organizers who are overcoming injustices and making positive change in their communities.” (Again, not strictly African American; but Senator Booker is not only African American himself, and is talking to several other people sharing ideas and experiences.)
      • The Nod: “Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings gleefully explore all the beautiful, complicated dimensions of Black life.”
      • Represent (Slate): “Represent is a space for discussion, highlighting movies, TV, and online shows created by and/or about women, people of color, people with disabilities, and those in the LGBTQ community.”
      • Sooo Many White guys: “Phoebe Robinson is tired of being the token black woman in an ocean of white dude comedians. So in this podcast, Phoebe’s calling the shots. She’ll host intimate, funny and super honest conversations with musicians, actors, writers and comedians who are killing it in their fields–AND who aren’t white dudes! Stay tuned for the one token white guy (it’s only fair), cameos by Phoebe’s ball-busting executive producer Ilana Glazer, and a whole lot of hijinks.”
      • Still Processing: “A culture conversation with Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham.”
Communication, General

Learning About Library Associations: Catholic Library Association

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Library science is an enormous field, home to every interest you could imagine! This means that there are many organizations out there for you to join, in order to connect with other people who share your professional interests.

So even if you work alone in your library, there are other people out there doing work similar to yours! Each week we will highlight a different library association for you to learn more about, and depending on your work, potentially join! You can also check out our page dedicated to Library Associations.

This week we will learn about the Catholic Library Association (CLA). This association provides professional development, support, networking, and fellowship.

According to their website, the CLA:

  • Provides leadership for professional development
  • Coordinates the exchange of ideas
  • Offers spiritual support
  • Promotes Catholic and ecumenical literature
  • Fosters community among those who seek, serve, preserve, and share the word in all its forms

CLA has an annual convention which will be held virtually this year on April 18th. They also have regional chapters for members to join.

Definitely visit their website for more information, but check out a few more of the resources CLA has to offer:

You can check out current CLA news, browse Job Postings, apply for a scholarship or grant, or shop resources like The Handbook for Church Librarians.

Learn more about benefits of becoming a member of CLA and sign up on their membership page.

CMLE, Communication

Episode 303: Hiring and Staffing

Now Hiring

Want to listen to an episode?

  • You can download an app, search for “Linking Our Libraries” hit subscribe, and all episodes will appear on your phone – it’s so easy!
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  • Or, you can stream an episode right now on your computer by going to our streaming page, by clicking here.

Whatever tool you use, we hope you enjoy it! Thanks for listening, and sharing ideas on libraries!

Check out our full information page here.

(Note: Lady Grey was in-house while we recorded this episode; so the parts that sound particularly great may have been influenced by her calming presence!)

Welcome to another episode of Linking Our Libraries! This week our Guest Host is Carla Lydon, director of the East Central Library System here in Minnesota.

If you like libraries, archives, or history centers; or if you work in a nonprofit; or if you just want to learn more about management and leadership, you are in the right place!

We are the Central Minnesota Libraries Exchange, and our job is to help libraries! We are a multitype library system, with member libraries of all sorts: public, schools, academics, special libraries, archives, and history centers. Yes – we are pretty lucky!

This season we are looking at a variety of topics related to management and leadership. Our focus is on libraries, but our topics are relevant to all types of nonprofits working to improve their leadership skills.

Do you want to talk with us about a topic? Want us to set up some training for you? Check out our website under “Can We Help You?” and let’s talk!

First we are going to look at a somewhat idealized hiring process. Every library varies in how they are able to hire: some have no input and a new person is just plopped into the library, some have complete freedom to structure their hiring as they want. Hopefully, the steps we look at today will happen, at some level!

One of the most important things a manager can do for an organization is to hire well. You need good staff to have a well-functioning organization, and a bad hire – one that brings in an unskilled, unmotivated person, or person who spends time complaining, giving bad customer service, or just doing poor work – can throw the whole place into chaos. The cost of a bad hire can be very high, and this problem can be very difficult to fix. A good hire will do good work, and add to the positive organizational environment you want to build!

Hiring and staffing are extremely important challenges any library needs to face; and making good decisions, bringing in good people, and getting them deployed to best serve the mission of the library are crucial! It is tough to do, but if you have questions you can always check in with us here at cmle.org!

Tune in next Thursday for our next episode of Linking Our Libraries, where we keep going with our discussion of management and leadership topics.

Do you need more books in your life? Sure you do! Subscribe to our Books and Beverages book group podcast. Each week we look at a different genre, chat with our guests about their book suggestions, and sip our beverages. It is always good to find a new book!

 

Academic, Communication

It’s Library Legislative Day! We’re Ready!!

Holiday Cookie Tray

If you didn’t already know that we are really excited about libraries, and love to talk about them, then: Hello! Welcome to your very first day with CMLE!! We’re into libraries here, and we hope you are too!

The Minnesota Library Association (MLA) organizes Library Legislative Day each year. This year, it is Tuesday, March 6.

Check out this MLA/ITEM Legislative Legwork Committee site – new this year with a TON of great info!! If you have ever wanted to know even the smallest detail of what it’s like to go to Legislative Day (spoiler: it’s fun!), it is here!

If you would like to attend Legislative Day, CMLE members can apply for scholarships to cover the costs of finding a sub, traveling, or other costs associated with your attendance.  We will give you a scholarship for this event, even if you have already received one this year or are planning to attend something else. Legislative Day is important to libraries, and we want to support you in attending!

BUT!!!!  AND!!!!

What if you can’t make it to this very good event? No worries – the MLA/ITEM site has you covered there too!

There is a bunch of information about being part of Virtual Library Legislative Day activities! You can participate all week long, from your desk, at night after the kids go to sleep, in the morning while you wait for coffee to brew – whenever is best for you!

CMLE knows we have members who are not able to attend, but want to advocate for their libraries and for their library systems. We will host an in-person event at our Headquarters on Tuesday, March 6. From 9:00 to 3:00 that day we will be in our Headquarters (570 1st Street SE – next door to Target), advocating for libraries. Join us!!

  • We will provide postcards, a computer, a phone, pens – all the tools for communication.
  • We will have information on the 2018 MLA/ITEM Legislative Platform and the 2018 Key Messages.
  • We will have email and physical addresses of legislators.
  • We may possibly also have Lady Grey in house, to provide support and encouragement. (She’s a big library supporter!)

What will happen?

  • Send an email to your legislator. Get a cookie.
  • Call to support one of the bills. Get a cookie.
  • Tweet to legislators. Get a cookie.
  • Write out a postcard to a stakeholder for us to mail. Get a cookie.

You are seeing how this works, right?? We are unashamedly buying your library advocacy efforts in the hopes that you will get some experience in quickly sharing the message of “Yay Libraries!” with stakeholders – and that  you feel comfortable doing so!! Advocacy is just telling people about libraries; and really – that’s always fun!

(Note: there will be other rewards for people who are not currently eating cookies, and want to support libraries. We support your healthy choices!)

People like libraries. They (generally) want to help us! It’s just our job to tell them what we need.

REGISTER TODAY!!!!

Be sure that MLA and ITEM know you are on the job and ready to advocate! Whether you go to the in-person event (it’s really fun!!!!!), or attend the CMLE Virtual Event, or participate virtually on your own – numbers matter. Let everyone know that you are ready to support libraries in Minnesota!!