Each month we’ll bring you a compiled list of fun national holidays, birthdays of authors, and publication dates of favorite books. You can use these for your own personal use or for some library inspiration! Share what inspired you in the comments.
November is National Novel Writing Month! Other things to celebrate in November. . .
Hello, fellow book-loving library people!
Have you been taking part in CMLE’s Goodreads book group? For the month of October we read and discussed two books.In our CMLE Librarian Professionals group, we learned about getting organized and happy with The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Our other group, CMLE Librarians Enjoying Books, had fun reading about a Minnesotan librarian and her helpful, conveniently magical, cats in Curiosity Thrilled the Cat by Sofie Kelly.
But November is quickly approaching! We are excited to announce our book choices for next month:
CMLE Librarian Professionals will be reading Good to Great – Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Other’s Don’t by Jim Collins. Goodreads summarizes the premise of the book as: “But what about the company that is not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness?” We will discuss the ideas presented in the book and learn more about achieving success. You can read the author’s top 10 tips to improve your company in this article from Inc.com.
CMLE Librarians Enjoying Books will read Dewey: The Small-Town Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron. Dewey was abandoned in a library in Spencer, Iowa and eventually became the library’s cat. We are excited to read about his journey!
Watch this video featuring Dewey and friends:
Like last month, we’ll have limited copies available of each book to borrow, so let us know if you want to be put on the borrowing list.
We are looking forward to another month of reading!
“Work simply. Live fully.” This week CMLE focuses on the following work productivity tip from Work Simply, Carson Tate’s popular book. At CMLE, we’ve boiled down Tate’s wealth of knowledge from Work Simply to a few key points; please see the book for more detail and resources. At the bottom, see links to earlier tips in the series! Let’s all be our best selves….
This week’s activity: Take ownership of your work space.
In her book Work Simply, Carson Tate makes the case that “An investment in rethinking and reshaping your work environment can pay huge dividends in increased productivity and happiness.” Ultimately, your work space should reflect who you are, the type of work that you do, and help you achieve your highest level of efficiency.
Recently, you discovered your Productivity Style with a simple assessment.
Find your Productivity Style for some personalized strategies on making the most of your workspace:
Prioritizer: Try to avoid distractions by using the same color pens, folders, and sticky notes. Minimize clutter in your space by using filing cabinets and shelves.
Planner: Give a label maker a try – use it on file folders, containers, and shelves. Be willing to invest in the exact type of organizational supplies you need, like a specially sized folder for receipts or a certain kind of drawer divider.
Arranger: Use office tools that are visually and physically appealing – you may be energized by using a color scheme. Since you thrive on collaboration, try tools like Skype and GoToMeeting.
Visualizer: Try using unlined paper, notebooks, and large whiteboards with lots of colorful markers and pens. The phrase “out of sight, out of mind” rings true for you, so keep supplies handy in clear containers.
Previous tips in this series
We want to be sure you have access to all the library news and events out there, so will periodically pass on things that may be relevant to you. This is a call for people who can share their innovative strategies for good library service when resources are tight! The ALA Annual meeting will be in Chicago – hopefully close enough that some people can attend to take part in a HUGE library event!! If there is enough interest, CMLE will rent a van to drive people there, and back at the end of the conference.
This kind of event can be a valuable part of your professional life (and it’s always fun!); so start thinking of some strategies now for your own attendance! Participation in a panel like this one or others we will pass on as they arise, or creating a poster to share, can be a great way to give back to the profession – as well as good justification for attending!
No matter what you do in the library field, there will be something for you at the ALA Annual Conference. With a general attendance of about 25,000 people, there are people there who like what you like and do what you do! There will also be webinars and materials available for people who are #ALALeftBehind; so you do not need to attend physically to get the benefits!
See call for participation below: Continue reading Call for ALA panel participation!
Do you know good things about tech services and collection management?? Here is an opportunity to share that experience! See the call below for more information.
Remember members: you can always check with us at CMLE Headquarters to help you work on an application, or to put together your materials. We are here to help support you!
The ALCTS Exchange is now accepting proposals for its 2017 virtual forum
As a fully online interactive forum, the ALCTS Exchange will give participants the opportunity to share the latest research, trends, and developments in technical services and collection management in an innovative, creatively engaging, virtual environment. The ALCTS Exchange Working Group welcomes proposals for the May 2017 forum that highlight the innovation happening in the profession as well as reflect on the progress made in past decades.
Continue reading Call for ALCTS virtual conference proposals!