Category Archives: Special

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

32 of the world's most gorgeous libraries

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Another beautiful library, the Vancouver Public Library

In case you are looking for some travel inspiration, or just want to feast your eyes on some beautiful architecture, check out this article from the BookBub blog that highlights 32 of the world’s most beautiful libraries. The list is diverse with the libraries that are included, with designs that range from Baroque to extremely modern. It’s interesting to see the various influences that have impacted the libraries’ designs – many are theological, some have been influenced by nature, or the history of their location. In the article, each photo features a short description that discusses the uniqueness of each library. Here are some samples:

  • The very first library profiled is the Abbey Library of St. Gall in Switzerland. It’s a World Heritage site and also contains the earliest known architectural plan, written on parchment!
  • The impressive Kansas City Central Library in Missouri is number thirteen on the list. It’s easy to tell the function of the building from the outside, since one of the walls features huge paintings of the spines of 22 different books! Each book is twenty-five feet high and nine feet wide.
  • Take a look at the Tianyi Pavilion Library in China at number twenty-seven on the list. It’s the oldest private library in Asia! The tranquility of the location is very obvious. The library is next to a lake and surrounded by gardens.

It’s so hard to choose a favorite, but I think the libraries in Austria are especially breathtaking. Which one(s) would you like to visit in person?

 

 


	

	
	




	
	

				

			Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special
		

			
CMLE Featured Service: Scholarships!

		

			 		

	


		

		
273/365: 09/30/2013. Money, Money, Money!
Apply for a CMLE Scholarship


 


Did you know that CMLE offers scholarships? Since our main priority is helping libraries be successful, we know that sometimes additional money is required to make that happen! We want to help you get the professional development you need in order to bring some new ideas or skills to your library or media center.


CMLE offers scholarships of up to $200 per fiscal year per individual for staff affiliated with any type of library in Aitkin, Benton, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright counties in Central Minnesota. The scholarships can be used to attend workshops, conferences, library meetings or task forces, and other library-related activities to promote engagement and/or professional development. We encourage you to use the scholarships even if it can’t cover all of the costs. And, if you use our scholarship to help with costs, tell your administrator that you have used our program!


Keep in mind that two great library and technology conferences are quickly approaching: the annual MLA conference from September 29 – 30th in Duluth and the ITEM conference from October 13 – 15th in Brooklyn Park!


Whether it’s a conference, workshop, a way to learn new skills or teach others, being able to interact with your peers can be a great way to increase your energy and excitement about the library world. CMLE wants to help our members and their libraries or media centers continue to learn and grow. For full details, see our Scholarships Page for our easy (really, we promise!) application.


Need ideas for professional development? See our Continuing Education Page or visit the MN Library Continuing Education Calendar.

	

	
	




	
	

				

			Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special
		

			
Notable Date to Celebrate: September 25th is Shel Silverstein's birthday

		

			 		

	


		

		
You probably already know that at CMLE, we offer a service called “Notable Dates for your Noggin” which feature special holidays and birthdays of authors, as well as publications of well-known books. In an effort to help you get more from this service, we’ve decided to select one “Notable Date” each month to feature. We will include a few fun programming and activity ideas too, all for you to use!


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September 25th is Shel Silverstein’s birthday. Silverstein is well known for his children’s literature, poetry, and music. You can listen to him read his poem Backward Bill here, and even subscribe to the Shel Silverstein YouTube channel for more content.



If you are looking for some biographical information on Silverstein, check out this article from LibraryPoint.org which talks about his life and also gives some fast facts about the writer, including that he won a Grammy award in 1969 for A Boy Named Sue performed by Johnny Cash.


Love The Giving Tree? Celebrate by making some Giving Tree apple cupcakes!


Make math more fun with these poetry inspired activities.


Get creative and pick your favorite Shel Silverstein poem to draw some accompanying illustrations! 


Want more Shel Silverstein activities or information? Check out this website for wallpapers, e-cards, and lesson plans.


 


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Looking for more fun holidays or days to celebrate? Check out our Notable Dates Page!

	

	
	




	
	

				

			Academic, General, Public, Resources, School Media Specialist, Special
		

			
Making Monday awesome – CMLE Weekly Review now being released on Mondays

		

			 		

	


		

		
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Start your week with CMLE!


As part of some changes we are making at CMLE to better serve our members (that’s you!) we will now be sending out our Weekly Review newsletter each week on Monday, instead of Thursday. The Weekly Review will contain information and links to content from our blog that was published Monday – Friday the week previously.


So, starting next Monday, September 19th, check your inbox for your copy of CMLE’s Weekly Review! Make your Monday a little more enjoyable by catching up on library news, resources and technology you can use, and all the other great content that comes in the Weekly Review.


Would you like to start receiving the Weekly Review? Email us and we will add you to our contact list!

	

	
	




	
	

				

			Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special
		

			
Performing marshmallows: the keys to a great team

		

			 		

	


		

		
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Together We Achieve More!


Teamwork! It is always a complicated topic in libraries, and yet so very important for us to function together.


Maybe part of the problem with this is that few people are ever taught HOW to be part of a team. Assuming that one person will lead it all, and everyone else can hang back and criticize, is terrible teamwork. (Project Runway is starting their newest season, and you can watch it for some great examples of people who have no idea how to work together – despite that their professional lives literally depend on it!) (And, there is sewing. It’s not all management lessons!)


Many people have studied teamwork, in an effort to figure out how we can be better at it, and get better results. In 1965 Bruce Tuckman developed a model of team development that has provided a good road map for teams to follow as they develop. He suggested a few defined stages:


    

  • Forming: the initial coming together, good behavior by everyone, not yet really together
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  • Storming: conflicts arise as the group gets organized, with different ideas and strategies bumping against each other; this does not mean things are going badly – it is part of the growth!
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  • Norming: moving past the conflicts and everyone is feeling like a team – ready to wear matching shirts or other signs of team harmony
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  • Performing: getting down to the action, with everyone ready to move the team forward toward the goal
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  • Adjourning: this stage was added in 1997, working with Mary Ann Jensen; this describes that when the team purpose has ended, there is a sadness everyone feels that needs to be acknowledged.
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Even just knowing that there are stages and paths to better team action can be helpful to people who may feel doubtful about participating. I have spoken with many library managers and directors who are not happy with the way their staff works in teams; more experience in how a good team can work would be helpful to everyone!


So, what does this have to do with marshmallows? Tom Wujec is here to explain! Watch his TED Talk and see how he gets teams to collaborate, and how they can get started on big projects.


Have you done a marshmallow test? Try it out before you read all about it – you don’t want to spoil your experience! If you have a team project coming up, or want to help your staff teams start off with a fun experience (that’s one of those “cheery-fake” activities that annoys people), try a marshmallow problem to get everyone working together.


Think about the teams in your library. You may work with a team of people who do what you do (preservation, kid books, cataloging, and more), and you also work with a larger team of people who all are interested in the work of your library (Board members, teachers, students, and more). Getting everyone to work together and master the performing stage is a challenge; but working with some structures that help to guide people into more effective teamwork can help make it a better experience for everyone involved!


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


    

  • Adjourning
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