Category Archives: General

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

In case you missed it – Nuts & Bolts Supervisor Workshop

photo-1422854068916-cf163783f7ca“This was a great workshop and I hope it is offered again in the future. Although it was only 2 sessions, I really felt the information was good and talking through peoples’ situations helped us process what readiness levels and leadership styles meant and how they worked together.”

CMLE was pleased to offer this two-part series regarding situational leadership and supervisory skills (if you are interested in learning more about using situational leadership, check out this article). We were able to employ the services of consultant Chris Kudrna, who called on his extensive experience to teach and advise our group of library professionals. He covered a lot of information, and we’ve tried to include the main points for your benefit.

Part One of the series focused on the basics of situational leadership, including the steps of leadership, readiness levels, and leadership styles.

Leadership = any attempt to influence

The steps of leadership include identifying the task, identifying the person’s readiness for the task, and using the correct leadership style. We discussed the four levels of readiness, and that it is up to the leader to decide which one is correct.

Then, based on the level of readiness, the leader will select (hopefully!) the correct style of leadership, of which there are also four. However, it’s important to recognize that the follower gets to decide the style that is being used. As a leader, if you are unsure you are leading in the style you intend, it is a good idea to simply ask.

Part Two focused on power, the fact that it is a neutral entity, and that we personally do not get to decide how much power we have. The amount of power one has can fluctuate, even on a daily basis.

Power = influence potential

There are two main categories of power; with several types of power within each category.

Position power comes from your organization (such as your job title). We discussed several types of position power, and how there are effective ways to use each of them. Some types of position power are especially suited for specific professions, like teaching.

Personal power refers to the extent to which followers want to follow you –  it takes into account how much they genuinely like you. We discussed the three types of personal power, and the fact that all of them require time to accumulate.

Something to keep in mind is that in order to be a successful leader, you must have one or more of these power types; the more the better! It is also very important to be able to correctly identify the task and readiness of the people or person you are leading. That ensures you will be able to use the correct leadership style to be successful. As always, clear and efficient communication is a necessity of any effective leader.

“I LOVED getting real, concrete examples of how to phrase things and to handle situations. So many light bulb moments happened when a situation was presented and Chris offered a concrete way of handling it.” 

We want to thank everyone that was able to attend, your experiences contributed to lively discussion and highlighted the need for events like this one!

Image credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/0Sy4gfZ2RXU (Ross Tinney), licensed under CC0 1.0
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

End of session legislative updates

State CapitolThe following legislative updates were written by Elaine Keefe, library lobbyist for the Minnesota Library Association (MLA) and Information Technology Educators of MN (ITEM). CMLE helps pay for lobbyist services in order to serve the best interests of academic, K-12, public, and special libraries in Central MN. (Latest information is at the top of this post)

Received Monday, May 23, 2016 at 3:30 p.m.

The 2016 legislative session has ended with very mixed results.  Last night the Legislature passed the omnibus tax bill and the omnibus supplemental budget bill.  However, as noted in my previous message, the Legislature failed to pass the bonding bill before the midnight deadline for passing bills.

Governor Dayton held a press conference a few minutes ago and indicated he has not yet decided whether to call a special session.  He said that he and legislative leaders need time to get some rest and assess the situation.

Bonding Bill:  The bonding conference committee reached agreement on a $1.135 billion bill on Sunday evening, just a few hours before the midnight deadline for passing bills.  The bill included $2 million for Library Construction Grants and $820,000 for the library at the Minnesota state Career and Technical College in Wadena. It did not include funding for the new East Central Regional Library headquarters/Cambridge Library, the Bagley Library or the Eastside Freedom Library.

The bill passed the House by a vote of 91-39.  It was amended in the Senate to raise the limit on how much the Metropolitan Council could contribute to a rail project (clearly aimed at the Southwest Light Rail Transit line) before passing by a vote of 53-12.  Because the bill had been amended on the Senate floor, it had to go back to the House for a final vote, but before that happened the House adjourned.  It was messy and chaotic and House and Senate leaders are blaming each other for the failure of the bonding bill to make it across the finish line.

Supplemental Budget Bill:  The budget bill spends a total of $182 million.  It includes $35 million for Border to Border Broadband Grants and  $500,000 for grants of up to $50,000 to K-12 schools for broadband Wi-Fi Hotspots.  It does not include an increase in total operating capital and does not provide any funding for after school programs.

Omnibus Tax Bill:  The tax bill increases aid to cities by $20 million per year and increases aid to counties by $10 million per year.

Legacy Bill:  The Legacy bill dealt mainly with appropriations for the Outdoor Heritage Fund, for which appropriations are made annually rather than for the biennium.  However, we were keeping an eye on one piece of language designed to reinforce the idea that Legacy funds are meant to supplement, not supplant, previous funding.  The original language in the House bill was rather awkward, as a couple of you pointed out to me.  The final version included in the bill is much more clear.  It states:

“Any state agency or organization requesting a direct appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund must inform the house of representatives and senate committees having jurisdiction over the arts and cultural heritage fund, at the time the request for funding is made, whether the request is supplanting or is a substitution for any previous funding that was not from a legacy fund and was used for the same purpose.”

Received Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 5:29 p.m.

End of Session Negotiations:  There is still no agreement between legislative leaders and Governor Dayton on targets for the supplemental budget, taxes and transportation.  It remains to be seen whether they will reach an agreement in time to get the bills passed before the end of the session.  Session must end by midnight on Monday, but the Legislature cannot pass bills on the day of adjournment.  This means that bills must be passed by midnight on Sunday night.

Bonding Bill:  Today the House bonding bill failed on the House floor.  A 3/5 supermajority is required to pass a bonding bill, which means 81 votes are required to pass the House.  The bill only received 69 votes.  All but two DFLers voted against the bill, while all but 5 Republicans voted for the bill.  DFLers complained that the bill was too small and that projects in DFL districts had been passed over in favor of projects in Republican districts.

However, a conference committee has been appointed for HF 748, a bill from last year that will be used as a vehicle for a bonding bill.  This is a highly unusual twist in the legislative process.

The Senate conferees are Senator LeRoy Stumpf (DFL – Plummer), Senator Katie Sieben (DFL – Cottage Grove), Senator Jeff Hayden (DFL – Minneapolis), Senator David Tomassoni (DFL – Chisholm) and Senator Carla Nelson (R – Rochester).

The House conferees are Rep. Paul Torkelson (R – Hanska), Rep. Tony Albright (R – Prior Lake), Rep. Chris Swedzinski (R – Ghent), Rep. Bob Vogel (R- Elko New Market) and Rep. Alice Hausman (DFL – St. Paul).

According to a press release issued by the Senate DFL Caucus this afternoon, the conference committee will consider portions of the House, Senate and Governor’s bonding proposals.  No meetings have been scheduled for the conference committee as of this writing.

Elaine Keefe
Capitol Hill Associates
525 Park Street, Suite 255
St. Paul, MN 55103
(cell) 612-590-1244
elaine@capitolhillassoc.com

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/oddkzbj, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
General, Public, School Media Specialist

Children's Choice Book Awards

kid's booksThe announcement of the winners of the ninth annual Children’s Choice Book Awards was given during Children’s Book Week on May 6. Kids and teen readers vote from across the country and determine the winners.

The 2016 Children’s Choice Book Awards winners are:

KINDERGARTEN TO SECOND GRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR
The Little Shop of Monsters by R.L. Stine, illustrated by Marc Brown (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Hachette Book Group)

THIRD GRADE TO FOURTH GRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR
I’m Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton (Viking Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group)

FIFTH GRADE TO SIXTH GRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR
Hilo Book 1: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth by Judd Winick (Random House Books for Young Readers)

TEEN BOOK OF THE YEAR
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)

CHILDREN’S CHOICE DEBUT AUTHOR
Alex Gino for George (Scholastic Press)

TEEN CHOICE DEBUT AUTHOR
Kelly Loy Gilbert for Conviction (Disney-Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group)

CHILDREN’S CHOICE ILLUSTRATOR
Kate Beaton for The Princess and the Pony (Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic)

Follow these links for more information on Children’s Choice Book Awards, Children’s Book Week, Every Child a Reader, and the Children’s Book Council.

Image credit: https://unsplash.com/(Annie Spratt), licensed under CC0 1.0

 

General

Best antivirus tools of 2016

passwordUnfortunately antivirus tools have become a necessity when buying a new computer or upgrading your existing one. But with the deluge of choices, how do you decide which one is right for you? PCMag to the rescue with their list of 42 of the best antivirus utilities. The list ranks them using common features and even links to more detailed PCMag reviews when you’re ready to narrow your search. With prices, features, and testing results the deluge of choices just got a little more manageable!

Read the whole article now.

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/ozh4sn8, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Recap of Minitex ILL Conference

trendsThis year was the 25th anniversary of this annual conference, and a festive atmosphere was definitely in the air. Just when I thought I may need to fetch more caffeine, Lee Rainie took the stage for the opening keynote, which worked better than caffeine! He was brisk and energetic, yet thoughtful about the future of libraries. He admitted libraries (and much of society) is going through a disheartening, disruptive time, and that no one has the playbook yet . He also said we need leaders, that there are declining levels of trust in much of society. Not so much for librarians, who are regarded as friends in most networks, which makes me proud to be a librarian. Some key points I noted:

According to Rainie, there are six big puzzles for us to solve:

  1. What’s the future of personal enrichment, entertainment and knowledge?
  2. What are the future pathways to knowledge?
  3. What’s the future of public technology and community anchor institutions?
  4. What’s the future of learning spaces?
  5. What is the future of attention?
  6. Where do you fit in ALA’s Confronting the Future report? (30 pgs.) According to this report…”In order for libraries to be successful, they must make strategic choices in four distinct dimensions, each consisting of a continuum of choices that lies between two extremes. Collectively, the choices a library makes along each of the four dimensions create a vision that it believes will enable it to best serve its patrons” (see pg. 21 to see the four dimensions)

The program moved on to Katie Birch from OCLC as she dipped her toe into the past and the future of ILL. Interesting factoid: Year to date, When Breath Becomes Air is the most requested OCLC interlibrary loan title!

Participants were able to choose from three breakout session; I chose the Ignite sessions and was not disappointed! I learned lots.

Valerie Horton wrapped up the day with her thought provoking talk, Skating on the Bleeding Edge. She described innovation as the process of discovery. She also encouraged us to accept failure, that it is indeed the norm of experimentation. According to current business literature, employers are looking for people who can say, “I failed and I learned!” She concluded with a few additional facts: The next trend is “messy”, and we have to accept that we don’t know the right answers. Accept messy structures, partnering can be messy and frustrating. And, if you are burnt out and exhausted, you cannot reflect, think well, or innovate!

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/lfpv7xn, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0