Category Archives: General

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Disaster Planning for Libraries

Disasters happen. Great River’s recent fire (St. Cloud) and flood (Belgrade) are scary reminders that all kinds of disasters can happen in libraries, and planning ahead for them can help make them less terrible.

Have you looked at your library’s disaster plan lately? Does your library even have a disaster plan? You can not assume your parent organization (school, college, city, corporation, or whoever) will include you, or that they will understand enough about what you are doing to include meaningful information. When disasters strike your library, you want to be ready with procedures that will quickly help you to cope.

Tsunami sign
This is one disaster we can avoid in Minnesota!

Think realistically about the kinds of disasters that might strike your library. In Minnesota, we do not need to worry about hurricanes; but tornadoes, power outages, and fires are all pretty likely. I have seen library policies dealing with bears in the parking lot and rattlesnakes in the stacks; if these are likely to occur in your library – set up a plan! Are you ready in case your library’s website falls victim to a ransomware demand for Bitcoin? (see Radiolab podcast: Darkrode) It is starting to be an issue for hospitals – libraries could be vulnerable without protection and backup. (Wired: Hospitals as targets).

As with so many things, we can just follow the procedures other libraries have created. If you look at your disaster plan (or the blank space where a plan should be), and see that it could use some updating, you have a few basic options:

  • call other libraries in your area to see what they are doing (we are great resources for each other!),
  • check in with your system to see what suggestions they have (see: this entry!),
  • look online at other libraries and their plans,
  • browse through plans for other types of organizations,
  • talk to your parent organization about their suggestions for updates, and ideas on how you will fit into their plans.

Here are a few resources you might look to as you prepare your own disaster planning:

This is definitely something we can work on together as a system. If you want some organized training, or a writing session where we all work together, or just someone to be a sounding board as you start your disaster plan work – let us know!

 

General

Listening to Librarians! Podcasts that Pop

 

Podcast
http://tinyurl.com/zed5k23

Podcasts can be a great way to find out new information, and to pass time as you walk the dog or do dishes or other activities that leave your mind restless. This is an increasingly popular way of sharing information by individuals and organizations, on every topic out there. So of course, librarians are there! If cool things are happening with information – you can always find a librarian in the middle of it.

 

If you have not explored this yet, there are podcasts on every possible subject. Some are great, some are…less great; but it’s always interesting to hear what people have to say about a topic they are excited about sharing. (I am currently working my way through two different Mr. Robot podcasts, after I watch the episode on TV each week!) You can get a variety of free apps for your phone, if you do not already have one. Stitcher, Pocket Casts, Overcast, or Podcast Republic are popular and easy to use; and there are dozens of other choices. Find an app you like, then you just start searching around for different ones that sound interesting to you. They may come out daily, Monday through Friday, weekly, or irregularly; but your app will let you know when each new one arrives, and you can set it to automatically download the episodes if you want to do that.

Librarians podcast about the profession – and there is always a lot to share! Here are podcasts from librarians about the profession, service, and their experiences.

  • Professional Book Nerds: “We’re not just book nerds: we’re professional book nerds and the staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and audiobooks available through public libraries and schools.”
  • The Worst Bestsellers : “Worst Bestsellers is a podcast where Kait, Renata, and a guest talk about popular books of questionable quality. It’s kind of like How Did This Get Made? or Mystery Science Theater 3000, but for books…We’re reading these books because we’re curious about what’s popular, and also, reading these books gives us a better idea of what’s popular and how to give good readers advisory. We make jokes about the books we read, but our intent is never to make fun of readers.”
  • S.S. Librarianship : “We’re Alli & Sam. We met in a pub the night before our first day of library school, and since then we’ve been through a lot together – classes, jobs, weddings, D&D campaigns – always finding ourselves engrossed in wide-ranging conversations about television, film, books, technology, and what it means to be a young, nerdy, lady librarian in the 21st century. This podcast is our invitation to you to join our conversation. We hope you’ll join us by sending in a question, comment, or topic for us to discuss on the show!”
  • Circulating Ideas: “For more than five years, I have facilitated conversations about the great work that librarians are doing to keep libraries vibrant and relevant in the 21st century, talking to over 100 librarians and library supporters!” (You can support his Patreon here.)
  • Secret Stacks: “Secret Stacks is YOUR comics in libraries podcast! Secret Stacks invites you to join a conversation between Kristin LaLonde and Thomas Maluck, two librarians who will share comics and graphic novel news, readers advisory, guest interviews, and tales from the front lines of conventions and library services. Each podcast episode is scheduled to record on the last Sunday of each month.”
  • Beyond the Stacks: “A podcast exploring interesting and unexpected career paths for librarians and information professionals.”
  • T is for Training: “A podcast about but not obsessed with training in libraries”

  • Lost in the Stacks: “The one and only Research Library Rock’n’Roll show! Ameet and Charlie from the Georgia Tech Library pick a theme and free-associate an hour of music, interviews, and library talk every Friday for lunch. You’ll hear indie rock, pop rock, alt rock, New Wave, and the occasional oddity in between interviews with students, faculty, and librarians.”

Batgirl
Librarians have always been cool and cutting edge!

Librarians also podcast designed for their patrons, as another service provided to their communities. Look and listen to these, and see if they stimulate any ideas for your own library!

  • Ann Arbor District Library: Browsing through their list, there are podcasts about local Ann Arbor history and service, as well as author interviews, and general information.
  • The New York Public Library Podcast: “A beacon of books, ideas, and education in a city described as the cultural capital of the world, the Library hosts more than 55,000 programs annually. Listen to some of the most engaging and memorable recent programs, discover new ideas, and celebrate the best of today’s culture.”

Note from Mary: this took forever to create, because I kept stopping to add them to my own podcast app! There are dozens of other interesting librarian podcasts out there; if you have one not mentioned here, add it in the comments.

Would you like to set up a podcast in your library? That sounds like a great idea! This would be a very interesting topic in our Continuing Education series of programs if there is interest. Check in with me if you want us to set this up!

Does your library podcast? We want to hear about it! Send me an email, and I would love to come talk to you about how you got it started, what your programming lineup is, and about your plans for the future.

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Angie's recap of EdCamp MidMN 2016

empty swingsWritten Thursday, June 9, 2016
By Angie Gentile-Jordan, CMLE Office Administrator

This summer I got to be a part of EdCamp for the first time, and I’m still in awe of the positive energy from the event. Seriously, even just re-reading the notes from the sessions that I missed was fun! I’m so impressed with the amount of knowledge and enthusiasm from our local educators.

This event is what is referred to as an “unconference.” That means the agenda for the day is drawn up in real time by the people participating. A simple explanation is that one attendee names a topic they would like to learn more about, and the audience is asked if there is anyone in attendance that could teach on that topic. See here for more explanation. It was a new concept for me, but makes total sense. In the fast-paced world of K-12 education a schedule made ahead of time might not be relevant by the time the event rolls around.  You can check out the schedule from EdCamp MidMN 2016 here.

I had such a hard time choosing which sessions to go to! I was curious about all of them. But I narrowed it down to these four: Digital Organization, Digital Citizenship, Tech Integrationist Discussion, and Culture of Reading.

Digital Organization: I learned about the challenge of using technology in the most efficient way in regards to keeping students organized. Educators shared about their experiences using different platforms like Schoology, Skyward, Planbook, and even just regular paper planners. The age of the student plays a huge factor in deciding which platform to use. Parental involvement also makes a difference with how likely a student is to actually use their planning tools. There was also a discussion on how “in your face” these reminders and planners should be, and when students need to take responsibility for remembering their obligations.

Digital Citizenship: This conversation began with several attendees voicing their frustrations with using the Common Sense Media site to teach kids how to be smart online. There is also the challenge to find time within the school day to talk about digital citizenship. There was agreement that it needs to be an ongoing conversation, beginning right away in kindergarten, and that each age group needs to have it’s own tailored content. Since many schools have gone 1:1 with their devices, that presents another challenge of how to handle a situation in which a device is used inappropriately. Many in the discussion shared that taking the device away isn’t the best answer, since the student does need that device to complete schoolwork. Some suggestions were to close the App store, turn the device in at the end of the day, or just plain old detention. There was also a conversation about trying to teach students how to use social media in an appropriate way – the example was given from an instructor that created Facebook and Twitter accounts from the point of view of characters in a book that they were reading. The students then were able to use those accounts from the perspective of the characters, which gave them experience in how to create and react to content on social media and online.

Tech Integrationist Discussion: This session was a chance for tech integrationists to share the responsibilities they are tasked with at their schools, and also the challenges that go along with the position. Two challenges that were common were differentiating themselves from the IT or tech department, and getting teachers to allow them into their classrooms to help with incorporating technology into their lesson plans. Some solutions presented were sending out a Google Form to teachers asking about what they would like to learn, and then setting up an appointment, and following up afterwards. Another strategy that worked well for one attendee was trying to get “in” with at least one teacher per grade level, because people are more likely to listen to their peers.

Culture of Reading: This was by far the biggest session of the four that I attended. People were packed in the room, and some even had to stand in the doorway! It was so exciting to see people dedicated to encouraging kids to read! People shared some ways that had worked in their classrooms to help kids love to read: incorporate choice and have students select which books they actually want to read, make summer checkout available for reading over break, and featuring Book Talks so students share what they like to read with each other. Another option that sounded like fun was a “Book Tasting” where a teacher had selected books to be appetizers, main course, and then dessert, where kids were able to get five minutes to sample at each station. There was also discussion of the best ways to ensure comprehension and that the students are being challenged in their reading choices.

7407206_origThank you to all the educators that made EdCamp MidMN 2016 successful! You were all so welcoming, and I appreciated the chance to find out what content CMLE needs to feature in order to be a support to area educators.

Image credit: https://unsplash.com/(Aaron Burden), licensed under CC0 1.0

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Library Service in 3D: Let's Give A Kid A Hand!

You have probably seen the stories around the news: excited kid gets a 3D printed hand at the local library. In case you have not – or just want to see a great story about about public library service, check out this video from ABC News.

A few more details and photos from this success story are available here.

This is just another example of the state of library service: we are all using technology more often to connect our services to our patron’s needs. It may not look like a library from 50 years ago, or even 10 years ago, but we serve the needs of our patrons with all the tools at our disposal. And sometimes the results are fantastic!

Is someone in your library interested in learning more about 3D printed limbs?

Star_Wars_Bionic_hand
Cool kid with a Star Wars arm!
  • Disney is working with the organization Open Bionics to print Disney-themed arms! “Now kids can get excited about their prosthetics. They won’t have to do boring physical therapy, they’ll train to become heroes. They’re not just getting medical devices, they’re getting bionic hands inspired by their favorite characters.”
  • The organization e-NABLE is working to bring 3D printed hands and arms for people all around the world. Their site is filled with reference material, information, and stories to share. “The e-NABLE Community is made up of  teachers, students, engineers, scientists, medical professionals, tinkerers, designers, parents, children, scout troops, artists, philanthropists, dreamers, coders, makers and every day people who just want to make a difference and help to ‘Give The World A Helping Hand.'”

What other kinds of great things could your library do with a 3D printer? The possibilities are amazing! There are many websites filled with information about using your printer, and designs to follow. Thingiverse is one of the most popular, with all kinds of people sharing designs and learning from each other. “The Thingiverse community has uploaded over 606,640 3D models, and that number is growing every day. Check out all the incredible objects people have created, and get inspired to make your own!”

  • Maybe your cat needs armor? It’s here!
  • If the cat gets armor, your guinea pig needs some too, just to be fair.
  • A frog dissection kit? Comes with lesson plans!
  • You probably need a Pokeball with a button-release lid, when you can use a break from your Pokemon Go app.
  • A very cool T-Rex skull would brighten up any library!
  • Maybe a wall mounted hairdryer holder could help your morning routine, and keep your time management skills sharp?
  • Did you lose the buttons to your Toyota Yaris key fob? No worries – just print new ones!

We want to hear from our libraries about your use of 3D printers! Great successes? Share them! The time you printed a 3D pile of sludge – that was supposed to be a Legend of Zelda shield  key chain?  We want to hear that too!

Are you considering 3D printers for your library? This would be a great topic for us to discuss in a group, so we can share experiences and make plans for the future. Email us if you are interested in some training sessions, or group discussions!

Libraries are all about service; this is one tool we might use to provide outstanding service to our communities!

General, Public, School Media Specialist

Pokeman Go and Libraries

Gameplay_of_Pokemon_Go
By Sadie Hernandez [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The odds are pretty good that this past summer you witnessed (or participated in!) the craze of Pokemon Go. The free app took off with incredible popularity, and had people of all ages wandering their communities in search of Pokemon. (Personally, I’ve never played, but while visiting a friend, I heard all about Pokestops, the frustration of running out of Pokeballs, and the excitement of catching a water Pokemon). Luckily, while people were out and about in search of Pokemon, their quest often brought them to their local library!

In this blog post from ALSC, librarian Sarah Bean Thompson does a great job of explaining the logical partnership of libraries with Pokemon Go. The author shares how libraries can use the popularity of the game to get more people to come to the library, especially since so many libraries are already Pokestops. Her library offered a “life size game day” and featured activities like decorating Pokeballs and having players share on wall displays what Pokemons they have caught at the library. Library staff also used that time to promote their summer reading program.

Thompson has written another article that mentions several other libraries that have incorporated programs like “Pokemon Go Safaris” and activities like Pokemon trail walks, all taking place under adult supervision. Within this same article, she describes an additional advantage of the collaboration between Pokemon Go and libraries, which is the opportunity it offers to  families to learn about digital citizenship and online safety.