Category Archives: Communication

Communication, Podcast

Episode 301: Let’s Get Started! Management Theories for Us All

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Introduction

Welcome back to Season Three of Linking Our Libraries! This season we are spending time looking at different tools you can use to be a better manager and leader in your library, archive, history center, or other nonprofit. Over the next 15 episodes, we will cover some groupings of topics: Foundational Ideas, Human Resources, Looking Ahead, and Other People. You do not need to become an expert in any of these skills; but understanding all of them will make you a better leader in your organization.

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 multi-type 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 website under “Can We Help You?” and let’s talk!

 

The Basics

This week we begin with Foundational Ideas.

As a manager, figuring out all the different stuff you need to do can be overwhelming. But everything is easier when you have a roadmap to follow; and fortunately, management is filled with them!

In this episode, we will spend some time looking at some management theories. This will give you some understanding of ideas worked out by people who have spent their careers thinking about the best way to do management well. You may choose to incorporate some of these ideas, or not, as you begin to build your own personal management style. It is always valuable to know what people have done on the past, to help you feel confident in your job.

 

Advocacy, Communication

Library Legislative Day!

Advocacy Logo

You know that we are big fans of library advocacy work! We love to talk about libraries, and all the neat things libraries do every day. Advocacy is just telling that stuff to our stakeholders and funders, to be sure they know all the important details about our work.

Libraries stand alone in the service we provide. We give books to people. We give them research articles. We give them access to computers and other technology. We give them our expertise in working with information. We give them programs. We give them training. We get them ready for college. We teach them how to do research. We train them to know the real meaning of “fake news.”

The value of libraries can be calculated qualitatively: the quality of the materials and services we provide is phenomenal. The “how does this feel?” test will generally blow the positive end off the charts: libraries “feel” great, most people like us, and even just hearing about the assorted stuff we do is enough to impress most people.

But our quantitative value is also pretty darn impressive! There have been a bunch of studies calculating the ROI (Return On Investment) of libraries. These are most frequently done on public libraries, but my moderately-expert opinion on this is that the general results would likely carry over to all types of libraries. These public library studies show that for every $1 invested in public libraries, value returned varies from a “mere” $2.97 in Suffolk County, New York, to $10.18 in Florida public libraries.

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

Want more info about this? 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!

 

Communication

Updates from State Library Services

2017 Minnesota Public Library Annual Report Opens Soon

By law, Minnesota’s public libraries submit annual statistics to the Minnesota Department of Education. The data is also submitted to the Institute of Museums and Library Services for the Public Libraries in the United States Survey. The 2017 online survey opens February 1.

Statistics include input and output measures related to facilities, services, programs, collections, staffing, hours of operation, and income and expenditures. Survey results contribute to a national file of public library data that is available to the library research community, local, state, and federal policy makers, and the public. All twelve regional library systems and 141 public libraries complete the survey.

We greatly appreciate the time and expertise library directors and filers contribute to the success of the report. Please contact Joe Manion (651-582-8640) with questions.

webinar

Webinar: Building Library – Adult Education – Workforce Partnerships

Do you want to boost your library‘s digital literacy efforts? Or maybe you want insight into how participating in digital literacy programming can translate into better job and educational opportunities for your patrons? Partnerships with adult education and workforce colleagues could be the answer.

Please join us for a webinar with tips for getting the conversation started. The webinar will be Tuesday, February 6, 11 a.m.-noon. Shortly before 11 a.m., access the Building Partnerships webinar; the call-in number is 1-888-742-5095, conference code 492 064 9083.

This session will build on two years of Better Together gatherings of library, adult education, and workforce development staff that focused on how collaborative digital literacy efforts can increase communities’ capacity to improve adult literacy and workforce outcomes for Minnesotans. Susan Wetenkamp-Brandt (Minnesota Literacy Council) and Emily Kissane (State Library Services) will be the presenters.

Please contact Emily Kissane (651-582-8508) if you have questions or to request a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event. Note: MDE requires a two-week advance notice in order to provide the requested accommodation and requires a 48-hour notice in order to cancel a requested accommodation.

Library Construction Grant Applications Available

The Library Construction Grant program is accepting applications for 2017 round two competitive grants. The program provides public libraries with funding for renovation, construction, and improvement projects that result in more accessible library facilities. Projects may:

  • Remove architectural barriers from a library building or site.
  • Remediate conditions hazardous to health or safety.
  • Renovate or expand an existing building for use as a library.
  • Construct a new library.

The 2017 Minnesota Legislature allocated a total of $2,000,000 to the program. Approximately $838,000 of the state allocation is available to award as grants.

Application forms and instructions are available on the Minnesota Department of Education’s Grants Management site. Scroll to Library Construction Grant opportunity. Completed applications are due via email by Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 3:30 p.m.

Please join us for a webinar about the 2017 round two grants. The webinar will be Wednesday, February 7, 11 a.m.-noon. Shortly before 11 a.m., access the Library Construction Grant webinar; the call-in number is 1-888-742-5095, conference code 492 064 9083. After an overview of the application and grant processes, you’ll have a chance to ask questions. Please contact Emily Kissane (651-582-8508) for more information.

90-Second Newbery

90-Second Newbery Film Festival Screening in February

You’re invited to the fourth annual Minnesota screening of the year’s best student-made 90-Second Newbery Film Festival entries on Saturday, February 10, 2018, 3-4:30 p.m., at Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central. The event is co-hosted by 90-Second Newbery founder James Kennedy and Minnesota author Pete Hautman. On-site book sales will be provided by Addendum Books.

Although you don’t have to register to attend, please RSVP to let us know you’re coming. You can also help us promote the event by downloading and sharing the screening poster.

For more information, please contact Jen Verbrugge (651-582-8356).

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Updates from Our Partners

Think Small ParentPowered Texts

Think Small Offers New Texting Service for Parents of Young Children

Think Small recently launched a texting initiative called ParentPowered Texts, with the goal of improving literacy and pre-reading skills for children aged birth-5. Through the program, parents receive three customized text messages each week, encouraging them to read to their children, promoting work on letter recognition, and sharing other family-centered tips. Texts are available in English, Spanish, and Somali.

Think Small ParentPowered Texts provide continuous support to parents throughout the year and cover multiple areas of a child’s development—social-emotional, health, literacy, and math skills. All messages are based on the child’s birthdate, which guarantees developmentally appropriate content and advice.

Think Small can supply your library with bookmarks and other materials to promote this new service. Contact Diana Neidecker, Think Small Community Engagement Coordinator, for more information.

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About Us

State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), partners with libraries to achieve equity and excellence in our collective work for Minnesotans. Division staff are consultants who help libraries plan, develop and implement high-quality services that address community needs. State Library Services administers federal grant, state aid, and state grant programs that benefit all types of libraries.

CMLE, Communication

Office Hours Tuesday, 1-30

We wanted to make sure members were aware that during the last week of January, we will be holding Office Hours on Tuesday, January 30th. CMLE staff (including Office Dog Lady Grey) will be available between 11am and 1pm, to answer library questions, help brainstorm project ideas, or just chat about anything library-related that may be on your mind!

If you miss Lady Grey in January, don’t worry! We will be holding Office Hours again in February, this time on Tuesdays from 11am-1pm. Those dates are February 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th. Office Hours take place at our headquarters location in the cmERDC building at 570 1st St. SE in St. Cloud, MN 56304.

We hope to see you soon, either at Office Hours, or maybe during a visit to your library! If you need to set up a time to get together, please email us at admin@cmle.org.

Advocacy, Communication

A Year in Library Memes (And Why We Need More)

Memes. We all look at them, and on hard days in library land, it’s nice to have some good ones we can giggle over, or make us sigh in sympathy.

Check out this article, reviewing some of the library memes that came up each month of 2017. It may have been a dumpster fire of a year for a lot of people – but memes could be a unifying force for library people everywhere!

By

“Looking back, 2017 was a turbulent year in libraryland. Let’s take a peek at the library memes that emerged.

First: What is a Meme?

The term “meme” rose to prominence in the 1990s, accompanying the rise of the internet and personal computer. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “meme” is a noun that means an idea, behavior, style or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture.

It can also mean an amusing or interesting item such as a captioned picture or video that is spread widely on the internet. “Memes are often harmless images with funny text over it,” says to Michael Levenson, a Boston Globe reporter.

Richard Dawkins, a British scientist, first used the term “meme” in 1976 book The Selfish Gene to mean “a unit of cultural transmission”. When he created the word, he sought a monosyllable that sounded a bit like “gene”. “Mim” was a root meaning mime or mimic, and “-eme” a distinctive unit of language or structure.

January: “Hey, this is library” #thisislibrary

This is Library! Meme

Is the library an appropriate place for loud protest?

You are missing out if you haven’t followed the meme and video trail for the guy who interrupted an anti-Trump protest that took place in a library at the University of Washington in January.

With the library’s reputation for being a place of quiet study and contemplation, and its role in promoting civic discourse and freedom of speech… there’s no easy answer. This student staged a protest of his own, and the internet community responded.

Have you been in a library when a protest occurred in the space? How did people react? Does anyone enforce the expectation of quietness? Or is the “sshhsshh”ing librarian gone forever?

Regardless, you should know – the year of memes kicked off in a library.

February: “Libraries are for everyone” @Hafuboti #librariesR4Every1 #librariesresist

Libraries Are For Everyone

Blogger Harfuboti, in a February 2, 2017 post called “LIBRARIES ARE FOR EVERYONE,” gained traction with a grassroots messaging campaign for libraries. The content exploded in library-related social media circles.

The images – which we’re calling memes due to the design style of the content and the enthusiastic way it spread in the culture – were intended for wide distribution. The creator explicitly stated a Creative Commons Attribute/Share Alike license for the work, and encouraged people to download, share, modify and have fun with the work. It was quickly reprinted for buttons, T-shirts, and coloring pages. The memes were made available in seventy-eight different languages.

This content spread along with tags such as #librariesresist which rose to popularity after the January 20th inauguration of President Donald Trump. The controversial executive order – Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States – or the “travel ban” had taken center stage in mainstream American media at the end of January.

The American Library Association responded on January 30, 2017 with a statement saying that the ALA opposes new administration policies that contradict core values of professional librarians. The messaging of Harfuboti’s images enforced the position of the library professional community toward inclusivity, and Twitter indicates that circulation of the meme picked up speed throughout February and March.

March: Beauty and the Beast Hits Theaters (March 17, 2017) #beautyandthebeast #library

beauty-and-the-beast-library-meme

With the March 17, 2017 release date for the new adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, memes circulated widely in library-loving communities. Anyone who admired the library in the original Disney animated film was left to wonder: how would the library be represented in the live action film?

The film starred Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the beast. The movie grossed $1.264 billion in the box office. As of December 2017, that makes it part of the top ten highest grossing films of all time according to Box Office Mojo.

Meanwhile in Saskatchewan … on Wednesday March 22, budget cuts were announced including a $4.8 million overall cut to rural and urban library systems. #SaveSKLibraries began the next day with a Facebook group that attracted 500 members in the first 8 hours, according to Headtale, a librarian blogger involved with the advocacy work. Which leads us to …”

Okay – check out the entire article here to get all 12 months!