Category Archives: General

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Quick overview of the Needs Assessment survey

results
Information is great!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our needs assessment survey! The winners of the $25 Amazon gift cards have been notified.

As with all surveys, we wanted to learn more about the needs of our community. In our case, our community is our member libraries; and our need is figuring out what you guys need so we can better serve you. In any organization with a new director, it is valuable to spend this time asking around about things people want so we can keep building on successful partnerships from the past, as well as helping with the new needs a rapidly-changing profession like ours creates. Combining the information we learned here with the information learned in visiting our member libraries gives us a better picture of the things we can do to help support our libraries!

This will be a quick overview of the highlights of the results from the information received. We will be working on this for a while, and using this information to build services and materials we can offer to you. In any sort of partnership, things will keep changing and the work we do today will change too. We will be sending out another needs assessment survey in about a year and a half, to see where we are then, and what other kinds of things we can be doing.

The results here are not necessarily representative of all members, but they are giving us a basis to start thinking about things. People who are really interested in statistical testing and analysis should contact me, because I love to talk about that stuff! But this is designed as an overview, a place to start, and to have other information filled in from visits, discussions, and other sources around the system. So it may not be perfect, but every plan needs a starting point!

Continue reading Quick overview of the Needs Assessment survey →

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Tiny homes of famous authors

reading-chair
Write and read in a cozy place!

Tiny Homes is a trend that’s gaining popularity, but it seems that famous authors have been on top of this idea for years!

This article from Book Riot explores the cozy living and writing spaces of a few famous authors. I love Philip Pullman’s magical-looking retreat!

I did a little more looking around online, and writers in tiny homes is actually a pretty popular phenomenon! Here’s an article from Tiny House for Us with a few more homes profiled, and another from Apartment Therapy. (Sorry for some duplicates!)

If you are a writer, or reader (of course you are!) do you have a favorite small space that you like to inhabit while enjoying books? Personally, I usually just like to be outside! Preferably by a campfire or in a boat! 🙂

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

State Library Services update

state-library-services

CMLE libraries – we are working to bring you information from libraries across the state and the country. Here is the latest newsletter from the State Library Services department, to get you caught up on some important issues happening across the state!

Bringing Early STEM to Libraries
The Science Museum of Minnesota is offering early STEM training to library and early education staff through a series of workshops across the state this October and November. Over 180 library and early childhood professionals have attended or are registered to attend the workshops. There is still room to register for the Nov. 10 workshop in Waseca.

To support library efforts after the training, the museum is developing early STEM activity plans, kits and prompts as well as educational messaging to help library staff and volunteers facilitate early STEM experiences for children and their caring adults. We look forward to sharing more information and new resources after the training sessions have wrapped up. Contact Jackie Blagsvedt (651-582-8805) with questions.

Evaluating Our LSTA Five-Year Plan 
We are working with the Management Analysis and Development (MAD) consulting group to assess our progress toward meeting the goals of the current LSTA Five-Year Plan. On November 1, we launched a survey to aggregate input from the library community that will inform the required evaluation of our 2013-2017 plan. Your input truly is helpful as we determine how well we have achieved the goals of the plan. You should have received an email from Karen Gaides with an invitation to complete the survey. If you did not receive an email invitation, please contact Karen Gaides (651-259-3822) to request the link. Continue reading State Library Services update →

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

Library Vending machines

books-1614215_1280
More access to library materials!

Libraries are places of information and technology, so it makes sense to use technology to connect patrons with information! That’s exactly what library vending machines aim to do. The idea may sound a little silly, but the machines may be an answer to some libraries that lack the necessary staff numbers to distribute books and laptops.

Across the country, communities are giving this a try! Read about how Ohio’s Worthington Community Center has a vending machine where library patrons can check out books, music, and movies. The library wanted to be able to bring their materials out into the community to better serve patrons.

Closer to home, we have a few locations that feature library vending! Check out these lockers at the Hugo Library Express. And the Anoka County Library on the Go has a vending machine! Watch their video below:

For more information, you can visit this site about laptop vending, or this one about book vending. And this site gets more in-depth about the value of library material lockers!

Do any of our CMLE member libraries have machines similar to these? Send us a picture, we would love to see them!

 

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

You too can give an elevator speech! (Advocacy Series #3)

advocacy
Get ready to talk!

You have probably heard of elevator speeches, but may be fuzzy on the concept. It started as a business idea: you meet the Head Honcho in an elevator, and have about 60 seconds to wow her with your big idea. This is your shot, you don’t want to throw it away!

This has kind of expanded to encompass all kinds of advocacy speech, but the basic idea remains the same.

  • Quick
  • Concise
  • Articulate

You probably already do this on a daily basis – talking about the things your library has, does, and provides. An elevator speech is just a way to formalize it, and to help you give the best presentation of your ideas.

When do you want to use this kind of presentation? Usually, when you need to make your point quickly, and move on. If you just have a minute or two with someone, and you need to get out your message – it’s elevator speech time!

Everyone knows how easy it is to have something important to share – and spend time talking around the topic, or stammering with the flow of words inside your head happening faster than you can speak them. What is the cure for this?? Just as if you wanted to go to Carnegie Hall: Practice, practice, practice! Continue reading You too can give an elevator speech! (Advocacy Series #3) →