Category Archives: General

General, School Media Specialist

Back-to-school programming from across the country

NCPD packs school supplies
Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/m9zdxj9, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Can you believe it’s that time again? School is back! With all the planning and preparation that goes into a school year, you may be looking for some additional inspiration for activities.

This article from the School Library Journal features 26 ideas from innovative library folk all over the country, preparing to start the school year off right. The topics featured are Reading, Tech, Passive and Participatory Programming, ELL Environments, and Research Support. See below for a few of the ideas featured in the article:

  • In order to get his students engaged in election season, media specialist Travis Jonker in Michigan will have his students read a children’s book and then vote to elect their favorite character.
  • School Librarian IdaMae Craddock in Virginia wants to take her Makerspace activities to the next step, by allowing her students to figure out ways to create and experiment without use of the kits’ instructions.
  •  To help teens cope with stress and learn different ways to relax, Texas librarian Maggie Knapp will feature activities that are not technology based, like coloring books and puzzles.
  • The reading buddies program started by librarian Alla Umanskaya in New York gives ELL students an opportunity to develop their English skills while keeping their native language abilities. Middle school and elementary students read together in both English and their families’ native languages.
  • A new program that Oregon School Corps librarian Jacqui Partch helped introduce is aimed at helping middle and high school educators teach their students about digital citizenship, cyberbullying, and password safety.

Even if you don’t incorporate any of the ideas from the article, it’s fun to hear about what is happening in school libraries and media centers around the country!

 

General

Hello, CMLE Libraries!

Mary Jordan
Mary Wilkins Jordan

Hello! I am Mary Wilkins Jordan, the new Executive Director of CMLE. This is a quick introduction of myself to you, so I can get started in the work of supporting you guys in your library work! Over the next few months, I hope to meet most of you in person or online; and I want to hear your ideas about support we can provide here at CMLE for you. My plan is to continue and build the tradition of service already existing here, and I will be reaching out to you to find out what you need from your system – but do not be shy about contacting me. My job is to support you, and I am excited to get started!

 

Some of my earliest memories are of being in libraries, and checking out armloads of books. (This is probably a common theme for all of us!) I have worked in all kinds of libraries, and I have spent the last several years working with libraries around the country to help them with a variety of different kinds of administrative issues. The areas I have worked in with libraries most frequently are library leadership, assessment and evaluation (outcomes!), planning (strategic, project, tactical), community engagement, stress in library work, and human resources issues. I have taught classes and seminars, presented at conferences, and written everything from guest blog posts to scholarly articles on library topics. My work has always been focused on getting down to the practical issue of helping librarians figure out how to make what they do easier, or faster, or whatever else is needed to serve their communities more effectively. If it involves libraries and doing great things – I am interested!

One of the things I like the most about the library profession is that we are constantly changing, so there is a need to constantly be learning new things. While we may not be able to know what our libraries will look like in the future, that flexibility and focus on providing the best service possible will always be the right answer. Continuing education programs will always be important for success in library work; and I will help to bring those to you. Grants are wonderful ways to get the resources to do new and interesting things in your library, and I want to help you to grab these. The applications and processes can be scary, so we will work together to give you the best chance.

Advocacy for libraries and library staff is my first priority. We all need to be more vocal about the immense value libraries provide to their communities – and fortunately it is really easy to do that, as we are great! We will be talking about this frequently, and I will ask you for your stories to share, and encourage you to share them yourselves with your funders, your stakeholders, your community members, and anyone else you can. Libraries enrich the lives of the people we serve, and we improve our communities; we need to be sure they know about it!

Thank you to people who have reached out to welcome me to Minnesota already, and I am looking forward to working with everyone. Look forward to hearing from me pretty frequently, as we work to keep moving forward with our library system success!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

State Library Updates: 8/11/16

MDE logo retrieved online 12/17/13..TO: Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: August 11, 2016
SUBJECT: Updates from State Library Services

LSTA Grant Awards Announcements – Coming Soon!
As a result of our most recent LSTA grant round, we are excited to award eleven grants for innovative projects with diverse beneficiaries. The grant-funded projects are wide-ranging and include the creation of programs and resources to strengthen families affected by incarceration, the expansion of a science fair initiative that connects third- and fourth-graders with area STEM professionals, and the development of creative in- and out-of-school-time digital learning opportunities. The grant awards will be posted on the refreshed MDE website next week. In the meantime, please contactJackie Blagsvedt (651-582-8805) for a complete list or for more information.

Get to Know Valuable Partners in Afterschool and Digital Literacy
In communities across Minnesota, organizations are working to build bridges between in-school learning and afterschool experiences for students of all ages. Key players in this effort are 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC), active partnerships between schools and community organizations that provide students with a broad array of academic supports, enrichment programs and engagement opportunities to help them achieve, connect and thrive. 21CCLCs are prime partners for a library’s afterschool and summer programs.

You’re invited to learn more about 21CCLCs at a special kick-off event at the St. Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN).Register today; space is limited. (The morning session is for 21CCLCs only.)

Tuesday, August 23, 1-3 p.m.
SPNN, 550 Vandalia Street Suite 170, Saint Paul, MN 55114

Connect with interesting colleagues and gain insights into the power of collaboration. Learn about the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival and how empowering kids to create their own films exercises their 21st century skills and creates community connections for your library. Tour the SPNN site and hear how they have worked for years with kids and the Saint Paul community to grow into something much more than a cable access studio. Discover how SPNN can guide you in more effective and efficient use of your library’s makerspace to support youth in their creation of digital media—and how they’re already doing that for the Saint Paul Public Library through their Createch studios. Please contact Jen Verbrugge (651-582-8356) for more information about the event.

NLS Authorized to Provide Braille E-readers
On July 20, 2016, President Obama signed a bill amending the Pratt-Smoot Act of 1931 that authorizes the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) to provide playback equipment in all formats to its users. This change will allow NLS to provide access to braille e-readers, which are devices capable of reading electronic braille. The Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library in Faribault serves about 10,000 people across the state, in collaboration with NLS and the State Services for the Blind, which manages and distributes the federally provided equipment for the NLS program.

For more information about the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library, please contact Catherine Durivage (1-800-722-0550).

Prepare to Celebrate Lights On Afterschool
Launched in October 2000, Lights On Afterschool (LoA) is the only nationwide event celebrating afterschool programs and their important role in the lives of children, families and communities. It’s time to plan your Lights on Afterschool 2016 event for the week of Oct 17- 21! Ignite Afterschool, Minnesota’s statewide network dedicated to advancing high-quality afterschool and summer programs for all youth, is excited to announce the statewide theme: Hats Off to Afterschool!

Check out Minnesota’s online LoA Toolkit and attend the webinar on September 9, 10-11:30 a.m., to learn more about planning your LoA event. Once your plans are made, register your event with the Afterschool Alliance, the national coordinator of LoA. Ignite Afterschool has 500 free light-up hat activity kits available courtesy of the Bakken Museum. You can order up to 30 for your event, while supplies last. Email Matt at Ignite Afterschool to request your kits.

For more information about LoA 2016, check out the Afterschool Alliance’s LoA Event Planning Guide, or visit theAfterschool Alliance website.

Get Ready for the Celestial Event of the Century
In just over a year, on August 21, 2017, the shadow of the moon will sweep across the United States in a spectacle that hasn’t occurred in 99 years. So jump on the eclipse train! Register your library with the National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL) at the Space Science Institute. Once you’re registered, you’ll have access to NCIL resources to help you plan and promote your eclipse event. Share your event’s press release, flyer or website link to receive 50 free eclipse viewing glasses for your patrons, available while supplies last. Visit the NCIL website for more information.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

CMLE has found a new Executive Director!

Mary JordanWe are pleased to announce that Dr. Mary Wilkins-Jordan will soon be joining CMLE. She looks forward to working with CMLE members, the other six MN Multitype Library Directors, and the MN library community. She is also thrilled to return to the Midwest.

I want to personally thank the Search Committee for their careful attention to detail and process, and for including me as an ex-officio member of the Committee. Our overall goal from the beginning was focused on our CMLE members. We want to ensure that this change in CMLE leadership doesn’t disrupt the services you have come to rely on! Mary will begin on August 15th. She will work with me for two weeks to transition accounts and get the high points of being a multitype director. My last day at CMLE is August 26th.

Mary’s most recent experience has been as a library and information science professor at Simmons College in Boston. Although Mary has been an academic, her heart is in helping people in the library field. She was most attracted to this job because it will allow her to do just that! Mary also has experience as a public library director and exhibited a great sense of humor, which certainly helps in challenging times. Don’t let that doctorate worry you. Mary is knowledgeable yet grounded, and sincere in identifying herself as a librarian, first and foremost!

As some of our “seasoned” CMLE members have witnessed over the years, our services are dynamic and sometimes change based on member needs. There are always plenty of things that can be done differently and with a new perspective. Take every opportunity you get to weigh in on services that are important to you. I believe CMLE is in capable hands going forward and wish Mary and all of you the very best!

Patricia Post
Outgoing CMLE Executive Director

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

State Library Updates: 6/28/16

MDELogoTO: Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: June 28, 2016
SUBJECT: Updates from State Library Services

Get Supercharged with Storytime Colleagues Nationwide
OCLC recently announced that the Supercharged Storytimes orientation archive is available for free to all public library staff. Now in addition to connecting with fellow Minnesota storytimers, you can learn from and share with storytime presenters across the country.

Public library staff are invited to create a free account and enroll to:
• Learn how to incorporate research-based early literacy concepts into storytimes;
• Recognize the role early literacy plays in early childhood development;
• Gain insight for articulating the relevance of storytimes to parents, caregivers, and other library stakeholders;
• Learn more about the Supercharged Storytimes online orientation pilot, originally offered to more than 500 library staff members in six states (including Minnesota) in 2015; and
• Access archived webinars and resources, and share thoughts with other enrollees in discussion forums.

If you’re simply looking for fresh ways to amp up your storytimes, visit the Supercharged Library, a compilation of resources generated by public library storytime providers from around the country. Contact Jackie Blagsvedt (651-582-8805) for more information about Supercharged Storytimes.

Measuring What Matters
We all have an interest in promoting increased awareness of the value of public libraries in the United States. In order to do this, effective data is indispensable. Concerns about the explosion of surveys in recent years have led directors of state library agencies across the country to think more deeply about what data really is essential to collect. Through a proposed cooperative agreement with IMLS, COSLA (Chief Officers of State Library Agencies) has outlined a process for creating a National Public Library Data and Outcomes Action Plan. Measures that Matter seeks to develop a plan that will allow for the timely collection of reliable, comparable and meaningful data on public libraries while reducing the burden of data collection on local libraries. Read more about the project or contact Jen Nelson (651-582-8791) for more information.

Reintroduce Your Library to Your Community
Outside the Lines is a week-long celebration, September 11-17, 2016, that demonstrates the creativity and innovation happening in today’s libraries. Libraries from 41 states participated in 2015. Whether your library is large or small—school, academic, special or public—you can participate in this international celebration by hosting an event that:
• Gets people thinking and talking about libraries in a different way.
• Showcases your library in the community.
• Represents your local community.
• Highlights how your library is relevant to people’s lives.
• Is active and gets people engaged.
• Is fun!

Learn more about Outside the Lines and how to participate through an informational webinar on Thursday, June 30 from11:00 a.m. to noon. No registration is necessary, but virtual space may be limited. Discover more about Outside the Lines and register as a participating location on the campaign’s website.