Category Archives: Special

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Legislative Update

The following information is provided by Elaine Keefe, our MLA/MEMO legislative lobbyist….

politicsGovernor’s Budget:  Governor Dayton released his budget proposal on Tuesday.  There were no changes in library-specific appropriations.  However, the Governor did recommend some increases in broader appropriations that may ultimately have an impact on libraries. They are:

1) An increase of $80 million per year in aid to cities and an increase of $40 million per year in aid to counties.  This could impact public library funding at the local level.

2) An increase of $80 million over the biennium for the University of Minnesota and $80 million over the biennium for the University of Minnesota.  This could impact academic libraries in those two systems.

3) An increase of $118 million over the biennium in the general education formula for K-12 schools and an increase of $125 million over the biennium for special education (thereby freeing up general education dollars that are currently used by school districts to pay for special education).  This could impact the funding available to school library media centers.

Testimony:  On Thursday the Senate E-12 Education Budget Division held a hearing where education organizations were invited to present their platforms.  I presented the portions of the MLA/MEMO Platform that are under the jurisdiction of that committee.

State of the State:  Governor Dayton will deliver his State of the State Address before a joint session of the Legislature on February 6 at 7pm.

Committee Deadlines:  Legislative leaders have announced that committee deadlines are as follows:

The first committee deadline is Friday March 15.  To meet this deadline, a bill must have passed through all of the policy committees it needs to go to and have been referred to a finance committee or to the floor in either the House or the Senate.

The second committee deadline is Friday, March 22.  To meet this deadline, a bill must meet the standard for the first committee deadline in both the House and the Senate.

The third committee deadline is April 19.  This is the deadline for omnibus budget bills to be passed out committee.

Elaine Keefe
Capitol Hill Associates
525 Park Street, Suite 310
St. Paul, MN 55103
office 651-293-0229
fax 651-293-1709
cell 612-590-1244
elaine@capitolhillassoc.com

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

Recommended Ed Tech Tool: Capzles

capzlesAccording to the eLearning Site, Capzles can be used to gather various media such as videos, images and documents. it makes teaching in a modern classroom a lot easier. It is also good for online projects. This tool is free and available for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad too. According to user reviews on the site, it is incredibly intuitive, simple to understand, and easy to navigate. Give it a whirl and report back in the comments area please! Tip: Do a Google search on Capzles and get You Tube videos, PDF tutorials and of course, an iTunes Preview too!

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Try Out Our Beta Learning Landing!

CMLE-Central_Minnesota_Libraries_Exchange_Here in CMLE we have been experimenting a bit with LibGuides, a subject guide sort of tool that is not new to many of you. The basic idea is to create “one stop shop areas” on specific topics. It is always difficult to know which topics to develop, so we just made a guess and got started!  We try to include a definition and an embedded video into our guides to assist librarians/paras/media specialists in easily getting basic information on a topic. The guides will usually also point you to gurus or experts on the topics so you are well armed in doing deeper research or connecting to the big names in the field!

We know that right now, there is more information available online than ever before, sometimes too much information! Many of you quietly share that you feel overwhelmed by it at times. It is not our intention to add to the problem. We think there may be value in pulling information together in an easy to use format, but yes, others have done the same! And we acknowledge that we are a small organization, two people to be exact! But we also know that we provide services to gifted information professionals in 319 library settings, professionals who see fantastically rich sites each day, and some of you could even  be subject experts (even if you are too humble to admit it). So, we are just getting started, are in Beta, but please take a look at our Learning Landing, a place to land to quickly get up to speed on various topics,  or use the Learning Landing as your jumping off point to other blogs or sites completely devoted to the topic. And yes, when you become a subject expert on any topic, please consider paying it forward to your colleagues by working with us on a guide to capture your expertise!

The guides will always be a work in progress, probably never perfect,  and we welcome your advice, input, or interest in working with us to embellish existing guides or in creating new guides. Send me any and all input at papost@stcloudstate.edu and thanks! Now, take a deep breath, bend your knees, and jump to the Learning Landing!

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

Welcome to New Board Members and Officers

January 22nd, marked the first CMLE Governing Board meeting for some new people, in addition to two new individuals rising into our officer ranks. Here is a snapshot of  our current Board. New Board members appear in blue. Heartfelt thanks to all who serve on our Board to help us fulfill our strategic focus areas, and meet our Mission: CMLE serves as the Central MN library hub, a clearinghouse of talent, materials, and expertise for all types of libraries. CMLE leads, supports, encourages, engages, and connects library personnel with the resources they need.

New CMLE Board Officers (annual appointments)

President: Gerry Ruda

Vice President: Dr. Lin Holder

Secretary: Joanne Kudrna

Treasurer: Kathy Parker

Librarian Seats on the CMLE Board

 Academic: Kathy Parker, Director of Libraries & Media, College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University

Public: Barbara Misselt, Director of East Central Regional Library System (ECRL)

School: Maria Burnham, Sauk Rapids-Rice High School

Special: Susan Schleper, St. Cloud Hospital – Health Service Library

Citizen Appointments

 GRRL Appointees                   ECRL Appointees

Seal Dwyer                                 Charlotte Kramersmeier

Lin Holder                                  Audrey Misiura

Joanne Kudrna

John Meyerhofer

Gerald Ruda

Ex-Officio (Non-Voting Seat) Interim Dean Keith Ewing, Miller Center Library (SCSU)

Board Alternates (to back up primary board members when needed) 

Academic:       Vi Bergquist, Library & Information Services Director, St. Cloud Technical & Community College

Public:             Kirsty Smith, Director of Great River Regional Library system (GRRL)

School:            Kari Erickson, Milaca High School

Special:           Teri Hams, MN Correctional Facility – St. Cloud

ECRL:            Tom Sauer & Commissioner Genny Reynolds, Citizen Appointees

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

Free WebJunction Webinars

WebJunction-logoDid you know that the WebJunction website contains a monthly list of  freely available training opportunities that are available to the library community? WebJunction Minnesota,  provides access to online, self-paced courses and other features, and  is available to all members of the Minnesota library community.

Your professional development has never been so convenient, easy, and affordable! It can feel overwhelming, but just pick one and give it a whirl!

Titles of Free January Programs

The list below will give you an idea of the rich offerings available to you. Interested in getting more detail or attending one of these events?

Go to http://www.webjunction.org/find-training/free-events.html and scroll down to get details on any of the webinars below. If the date has already passed, no worries, you can attend the archived content. I tried the second offering on Burnout, and all it required was a short download of Blackboard Collaborate! Pretty painless…..

  • Trustee Training Course: Planning, Policy Making, and Evaluation
  • Burnout: Avoiding the Flames
  • Better than Bullet Points
  • Keeping Your Library Safe: Black Belt Librarians
  • An Introduction to Facilitating Groups
  • Data Privacy Month: Are You Smarter Than Your Phone?
  • Louder, Faster, Funnier: Humor & Learning
  • Culture: Communications, Collaboration, and Creating Core Values
  • Strengthen the Influence of Your Leadership: Prepare for Success
  • Landing Your Ideal Library Job
  • Transforming Communities Through Apps: Part II
  • To Evaluation and Beyond: The Evolving Role of the Embedded Librarian
  • Database of the Month: Tools you can Use
  • Broadband Basics for Public Libraries
  • New Resources for the Common Core
  • The Impact of an Ice Cream Sundae
  • Real Influence: Persuade Without Pushing and Gain Without Giving In
  • Strengthen the Influence of Your Leadership: Leverage Your Knowledge of Communication Styles to Positively Influence Work and Personal Relationships
  • QR Codes: Bridging the print-to-digital divide
  • Basics of Information Literacy Assessment
  • Rockin’ the Virtual Classroom
  • Show Me the Money: Fundraising That Taps into The 90% of All Wealth That Is Not Cash
  • Reenergize Your Best Employees Before They Leave You
  • Creating a Culture of Innovation in your Library and Community
  • Listening Skills For Leaders: How To Conduct A One On One Conversation To Motivate Others
  • Strengthen the Influence of Your Leadership: Build Rapport and Motivate with The Language of Influence
  • Introduction to Fundraising Planning
  • Managing Team Conflict Effectively
  • Developing an Epic Facebook Strategy for Your Nonprofit
  • Strengthen the Influence of Your Leadership: So, What Do You Do? Talk Up Your Value in 30 to 60 Seconds
  • Your Board and Fundraising

See the WebJunction Minnesota website for more general information and an events calendar.