Category Archives: General

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

We’ve Learned: Staffing News and Updates from Around the Region

We’ve Learned… is designed to keep our readers informed about news concerning personnel in CMLE libraries/media centers. Please keep us informed of any “happenings” regarding staff members in your area so that we can include them in the next write-up! Happenings can include: changes in staffing, awards, honors… you get the idea!

  • Jolene Zachman left her paraprofessional position at the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa High School.
  • Lucy Lloyd is the new paraprofessional at the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa High School. Welcome aboard, Lucy!
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Librarians/Media Specialists and the Common Core

An article from Education Week titled Common Core Thrusts Librarians into Leadership Role is getting a lot of press and discussion lately in libraryland … and beyond. The article highlights the important role media specialists can (and should) play as their schools usher in this new phase in education. Namely, media specialists must be prepared to provide the necessary resources and learning opportunities for implementing the Common Core State Standards in their schools. The argument is that librarians/media specialists are natural “inquiry-based” teachers and practitioners, and are perfectly suited to model this way of thinking to other professionals as well as students. Additionally, the article highlights some of the ways libraries of all types are  impacted by the Common Core State Standards.

What impact do you see the Common Core State Standards having on your school and in your media center programming? Currently, Minnesota has only adopted the Common Core English Language Arts standards as a base, and has not adopted the Mathematics standards in any way. Since Minnesota has not adopted the Common Core Mathematics standards (citing our state’s superior standards and high testing performance for math), how might this separation or distinction from other states impact math education in the state? On the other hand, Minnesota has adopted the English Language Arts standards as a base, so how are you preparing for those standards in your schools? How are you taking part in this conversation, and what role are you playing in your school?

Additional information for those in the know! At this time, the NGA [National Governors Association] Center and CCSSO [Council of Chief State School Officers] will not be developing standards in other subjects and are focusing on implementing the standards in ELA and mathematics. However, other groups are working on standards in the arts, world languages, and science. To find out more, visit the section titled Why are the Common Core State Standards for just English-language arts and math? at www.corestandards.org/frequently-asked-questions.

Visit www.corestandards.org/ to learn more general information about the Common Core. Also, for a refresher on Minnesota’s K-12 Academic Standards checkout http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/EdExc/StanCurri/K-12AcademicStandards/.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Upcoming ELM Workshops from Minitex

Minitex is offering the following EBSCO, Britannica, and Gale/Cengage hosted webinars on resources included in ELM.

EBSCO Webinars

Overview of Medical Resources: 

Monday, October 1, 12:30 – 1:30 PM; Register for “Overview of Medical Resources”

This session will explore the following medical resources on EBSCOhost: Health Source – Consumer Edition, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition and Alt HealthWatch. Learn to use personal folders, and subject and journal alerts to explore the features of EBSCOhost that complement the content of these health-related databases.

Research Tools for Middle and High School:

Friday, October 26, 3:30 – 4:30 PM;  Register for “Research Tools for Middle and High School”

In this session, attendees will learn how to navigate and successfully search databases designed for grades 6-12. We will conduct searches in both Student Research Center and EBSCOhost interfaces and discuss Lexile reading levels and a variety of search methods. Your students are sure to become super researchers in no time at all! Attendees will also tour the EBSCO Support site, which provides additional training tools as well as materials to help promote these valuable online resources.

EBSCOhost Mobile 2.0:

Wednesday, October 31, 12:30 – 1:15 PM; Register for “EBSCOhost Mobile 2.0”

This 45-minute session is intended for librarians and others who would like to learn more about the *NEW* mobile searching experience using EBSCOhost or EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) – no separate profile or app required! We will explore all the features available when using a mobile device to access EBSCOhost or EDS to include searching, limiters, folders, delivery options, authentication, branding/customization, reporting, and statistics.

Research Tools for Grades K-5:

Friday, November 2, 3:30 – 4:30 PM; Register for “Research Tools for Grades K-5”

This session is specifically geared to grades K-5 teachers and librarians. Utilizing EBSCO’s Searchasaurus and Kids Search interfaces, participants will learn how to access grade-appropriate resources and help students get the research material they need! We will also discuss the advantages of using databases for searching instead of free Internet search engines. Finally, attendees will tour the EBSCO Support site, which provides additional training tools as well as materials to help promote these valuable online resources.

Consumer Health Complete: 

Tuesday, December 4, 12:30 – 1:30 PM; Register for “Consumer Health Complete”

This session addresses the vast collection of health-related content available in Consumer Health Complete. We’ll explore the custom interface to access encyclopedias, evidence-based care sheets, images, animation, and more! Attendees will also tour the EBSCO Support site, which provides additional training tools as well as materials to help promote these valuable online resources.

Britannica Webinars

Advanced Britannica Webinar: Workspace and Putting Videos into PowerPoint:

Thursday, October 25, 3:00 – 4:00 PM; Register for “Advanced Britannica Webinar: Workspace and Putting Videos into PowerPoint”

Join us to learn ways to help users use some of the advanced features available on Britannica. Learn how to create a Workspace for research and classroom purposes, put Britannica videos into PowerPoint presentations, and learn about any new features during this live, 1-hour webinar. Britannica Online School Edition is a provided to Minnesota schools funded through Minitex.

Minnesota Academic Standards Resources in Britannica:

Wednesday, October 3, 10:00 – 11:00 AM; Register for “Minnesota Academic Standards Resources in Britannica” (October 3)

Friday, November 16, 11:00 – 12:00 PM; Register for “Minnesota Academic Standards Resources in Britannica” (November 16)

Teachers and Library Media Specialists are invited to register for this online webinar about accessing free Minnesota Academic Standards resources from Britannica Online School Edition. We will explore articles, videos, interactive learning materials, and more! Britannica Online School Edition is provided to Minnesota schools funded through Minitex.

Teaching Literacy Skills in the Content Areas with Britannica:

Tuesday, October 9, 2:00 – 3:00 PM; Register for “Teaching Literacy Skills in the Content Areas with Britannica” (October 9)

Wednesday, October 31, 11:00 – 12:00 PM; Register for “Teaching Literacy Skills in the Content Areas with Britannica” (October 31)

Looking for new ways to use promote content literacy in Social Studies and Science? Britannica Online has many resources to help both Science and Social Studies teachers to focus on literacy within those content areas. During this 60-minute webinar, you will learn about some literacy strategies that you can use in the classroom right away! Britannica Online School Edition is provided to Minnesota schools funded through Minitex.

Gale/Cengage Webinars:

Gale’s FREE Access My Library App for Mobile Devices:

Wednesday, October 10, 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Monday, November 12, 4:00 – 5:00 PM; Register for “Gale’s FREE Access My Library App for Mobile Devices”

Gale’s FREE Access My Library App for Mobile Devices provides 24/7, on-the-go access to renowned Gale resources whenever and wherever they’re needed. Attend this session to learn more about how it works, how to add your institution to the app, and how to order free promotional items to market the app and support your library.

Student Resources in Context:

Monday, October 15, 3:30 – 4:30 PM

Friday, October 26, 12:00 – 1:00 PM; Register for “Student Resources in Context”

Student Resources in Context reaches out to today’s learners with a Web-like user experience, which intuitively conveys needed information on all core subjects from Science to Literature to History. From the eye-catching, media-rich homepage to the fast navigation options, Student Resources in Context helps students develop both research and critical-thinking skills while covering the spectrum of student-focused subject matter. Attend this session to learn more about the authoritative content available in Student Resources in Context and get tips on how to best work with the portal pages. Additionally, we’ll review how you can find content appropriate to your student’s reading level.

InfoTrac Student and Junior Editions:

Monday, October 22, 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Monday, November 4, 4:00 – 5:00 PM; Register for “InfoTrac Student and Junior Editions”

InfoTrac Junior and Student Editions provide the in-depth, up-to-date information that students need to conduct research across the full range of academic and general interest topics. These periodical solutions operate on the PowerSearch platform, which enables users to cross-search content found in a single collection and with other collections. During this session we will give you information on how to navigate through PowerSearch and the general content available in these periodical databases.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Connect, Converse, Engage!

We want to hear from you! And, we want to make it easier for you to engage with one another as well! We all have something to offer, and although many of our CMLE members come from different library types, we all really do have a lot in common! Let’s learn from each other. Let’s talk. Let’s get this 12-county region of library staff communicating, sharing, and learning from one another!

“How?” you ask?

Well, as you may have noticed, here at CMLE, we have been hard at work rethinking and retooling to better facilitate conversation and sharing across the region. We have a new Facebook page which we’ve connected with our Twitter account and blog, and we’re sending out the “CMLE Weekly Review” via email to all our members.

Our new Facebook page is located at http://www.facebook.com/CentralMinnesotaLibrariesExchange We hope you’ll “like” CMLE on the Facebook page itself — or, on the upper right side of this page, you’ll notice that you can click the “Like” button for the CMLE Facebook account. We will use the Facebook page to connect with those that have “liked” us in an informal yet useful way. We also hope that you will use the comment area on the CMLE Facebook page to talk with other library personnel!

The CMLE Twitter account handle is @CMLEMN! Here, you’ll see updates, reminders, useful links, etc… from CMLE on a regular basis. “Follow” us on Twitter and we’ll be sure to “follow” you right back! That’s the name of the game, and we know you’re sharing useful stuff on Twitter, too! Like Facebook, this is an informal space that we’re hoping to keep fresh, light, energizing, and most of all — helpful!

Additionally, don’t forget you can comment on our blog posts as well in the “Leave a Reply” box!

We know your time is valuable, and hope that these new social media options will make it easier for you to connect with CMLE and other libraries around the region. Please remember that Patricia and Kate are always interested in hearing directly from you, too! Send an email, give us a ring, talk with us face-to-face at an event or conference… whatever is comfortable for you! Hope to hear from you soon!

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

Youth Should Read More Non-Fiction

6 Comments

Read this blog post as a reminder of the value and charm of getting kids hooked on nonfiction as well as fiction. As more schools move into 1:1 computing and away from print textbooks, it is inevitable that the role of non-fiction becomes more important. Read the post from the SmartBlog on Education, then weigh in here in Leave a Reply  field below. Question: What percentage of your collection is nonfiction?