Check out our newer article on this topic, featuring a large number of book display ideas!
Looking for something unique and creative to add pizzazz to your library this winter? These book display ideas are sure to capture everyone’s attention and get them talking. Your creative juices will flow as you check out all of these book display links to Pinterest, Library Girl, EBSCO, Flickr, and Google.
TO: Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: February 4, 2016
SUBJECT: Updates from State Library ServicesWe’re Hiring! Position Open at the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library State Library Services is excited to announce that the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library is now hiring an Audio Visual Education Specialist. Based in Faribault, this new position will run the library’s volunteer-driven recording program, creating digital audio recordings for library patrons. Applications will be accepted through February 16. To access the job posting and apply online, visit Minnesota’s Online Job Application website and search for job opening ID #2799. For more information, please contact Catherine Durivage(507-384-6860).Learn How Your Library Can Feed Hungry Kids Fewer than 15 percent of Minnesota kids who benefit from the free or reduced-price school lunch program have access to summer and afterschool food programs. Limited access to free food programs, particularly during the summer, leaves many children hungry. Public libraries can help make sure kids have access to nutritious food when school is not in session. Begin planning your summer 2016 participation by attending an informational webinar on February 24, 2016 at 11 a.m. Jenny Butcher, USDA Summer Food Service Program Coordinator at MDE, will share how you can get involved. There is no need to pre-register. Please join the WebEx meeting online (meeting number 594 625 833) or call in at 1-888-742-5095 (conference code 874 403 3672). Please contact Jen Verbrugge(651-582-8356) with questions or to request a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event. Note: MDE requires a two-week advance notice in order to provide the requested accommodation and requires a 48-hour notice in order to cancel a requested accommodation.Introducing Ebooks Minnesota! Dozens of librarians contributed valuable input throughout the 2014 Explore eBooks MN project. Taking to heart the primary interests identified by participants in the ebook summit, State Library Services and Minitex partnered to build a statewide ebook collection that complements the resources already available through most Minnesota libraries. Ebooks Minnesota is now available for you to explore at www.ebooksmn.org.With a focus on providing access to quality books from Minnesota’s many independent publishers, Ebooks Minnesota’s opening day collection includes about 3,000 titles from publishers such as ABDO, Lerner Publishing Group, Cherry Lake Publishing, University of Minnesota Press, Milkweed Press, and Coffeehouse Press. These independent presses publish ebooks on a wide variety of topics from sharks to ethnic cooking and in an assortment of genres from graphic novels to literary fiction. There is no limit to the number of titles that can be checked out at any time and readers can keep titles as long as they wish. Access the collection online or download an app for your device via the App Store, Google Play, or Kindle Fire HD. Ebooks Minnesota was made possible in part by funding from the Minnesota Department of Education through a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Please contact Jen Nelson(651-582-8791) with questions or for more information.
In response to the expressed need for more ebook device training, two Minnesota librarians—Stephanie Langer (Kitchigami Regional Library System) and Emily Kissane (MDE, State Library Services)—joined colleagues from North and South Dakota for ILEAD North Dakota. The program, a continuing education program designed to cultivate technology and leadership skills, was part of ILEAD USA (Innovative Librarians Explore, Apply and Discover), an initiative funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Stephanie and Emily worked with their team to develop a website that consolidates help and information about popular ebook platforms. Go to the eContent website. The site will continue to grow with new eContent initiatives in the three states, and with contributions from you. To submit content or for more information about ILEAD North Dakota, please contact Emily Kissane(651-582-8508).
Supporting Creative Solutions to Service Gaps In an effort to extend library services to address unique needs, State Library Services is providing Library Services and Technology Act grants to the Rochester Public Library and Leech Lake Tribal College Library. The grants are aligned with interests in innovative library services in transit locations and in serving underserved youth.
Extending Library Services through a Pilot Project In a partnership with the Rochester International Airport and the Friends of the Rochester Public Library, the Rochester Public Library will install an ebook kiosk and mini library at the airport in a project called “Books on the Fly.” The intent of Books on the Fly is to extend the library’s service capacity by reaching visitors to the area and residents at the regional transportation hub. In addition to providing temporary cards to visitors for the use of library-purchased econtent, the library plans to integrate access to the newly emerging statewide ebook collection, Ebooks Minnesota. The ebook kiosk will be paired with a Friends-supplied mini library that uses a ‘free library’ model to provide reading materials.
Serving Underserved Youth As a way to help at-risk students build digital literacy skills and explore college opportunities, the Leech Lake Tribal College Library will offer a series of Traveling iPad Workshops for Middle School Students, on the Leech Lake Reservation. At half-day workshops held at community centers on the reservation during summer 2016, students will explore and create digital art using 2-D and 3-D art concepts, music composition, as well as cartoon and stop-motion animation. At the end of the summer, the tribal college will host a project exhibition open to participants, friends, family and community members.
We’re excited to support these efforts to improve access to high-quality library services that address local needs. Please contact Jen Nelson(651-582-8791) with questions or for more information about the projects.
We have been singing the praises of Jamie Markus, Interim Wyoming State Librarian for quite some time. Why? Jamie bravely compiles and shares online professional development events that you can sit at your desk and attend. And recently, I became aware of a nicely categorized listing of these events on the WebJunction site that makes it even easier for you to pick and choose. No time to attend live? No problem, register anyway and you will likely receive a link of the archived session.
Valerie Horton, Minitex Director invites you to “kick the tires” on eBooks MN and offer constructive feedback before the “go live” date of February 29. Enjoy!
EBOOKS MINNESOTA WILL GO PUBLIC ON LEAP DAY (February 29th)
We are giving library staff a unique chance to preview Ebooks Minnesota (Ebooks MN) before our public launch on Leap Day 2016. The system is now available for you to explore at www.ebooksmn.org.
Ebooks MN is a collection featuring content from Minnesota’s independent publishers. The opening-day collection includes about 2,500 titles, and we plan to add more soon. Ebooks from ABDO, Lerner Publishing Group, and Cherry Lake Publishing make up a significant part of the school-age collection. Ebooks MN also includes scholarly and literary titles from the University of Minnesota Press, Milkweed Editions, Coffee House Press, and Arcadia Publishing/The History Press. These independent presses publish ebooks on a wide variety of topics and genres from sharks to the black death and from graphic novels to literary fiction. Ebooks MN also includes titles about Minnesota, such as Twins Baseball and Legendary Locals of Crookston, that were published outside the state. A selection of popular titles that are in the public domain, such as The Origin of Species and Dracula, rounds out the collection
Minitex will manage access to Ebooks MN using the familiar IP-range method we use for the Electronic Library for Minnesota. No digital rights management (DRM) is required. We have permanent access to these titles, there is no limit to the number that can be checked out at a time, and readers can keep them as long as they wish. As with ELM, there is no additional cost for libraries to use the collection. Be sure to watch and share our introductory video, and download the app from iTunes, Google Play, or for your Kindle Fire.
On February 29, we will add Ebooks MN to www.elm4you.org and www.mnknows.org. Take the leap and add this collection to your website on Leap Day as well. Instructions for linking are included on our project page at www.ebooksmn.org/about. School libraries may wish to link directly to content appropriate for younger readers. Libraries will be able to add the collection to their catalogs through MARC records, which will be available in March. An API for SirsiDynix will also be available soon.
Promotional bookmarks and posters will be available upon request. The Ebooks MN logo is available at www.ebooksmn.org/about for you to download. We encourage you to share your comments and suggestions using the form you’ll also find on the project page.
Ebooks MN is a two-year pilot project of the Minnesota Department of Education, State Library Services and Minitex. The collection was made possible in part by funding from the Minnesota Department of Education through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and by Minitex. The initiative originated from the 2014 Explore eBooks MN Summit and from the contributions of librarians across the state.
We hope you will enjoy leaping into Ebooks MN as we prepare the collection for your patrons!
CMLE is delighted to invite you to our Spring Author Event with mystery author and musician, Erin Hart and her husband, Irish musician and author, Paddy O’Brien. We have a fun, St. Patrick’s Day themed event planned at the North Folk Winery located 5 minutes from Cambridge, MN. Erin & Paddy will be sharing a slide presentation on Irish history, bogs, traditional music and culture, plus, they will talk about their books with a few Irish tunes thrown in. North Folk Winery will have wine-tasting available for a small additional charge and Scout and Morgan Books in Cambridge will have all of Erin and Paddy’s books available to be autographed and purchased. CMLE will also be providing some yummy appetizers. This is a ticketed event so register early because space is limited. Registration deadline is Friday, March 4, 2016.Register now!
A little bit about Erin Hart and Paddy O’Brien: “Erin Hart and Paddy O’Brien are an accomplished creative duo, having received accolades from around the world for their writing and music. Erin’s atmospheric and literary crime novels set in the bogs of Ireland (Haunted Ground, Lake of Sorrows, False Mermaid, and The Book of Killowen), have won critical praise, earned the Friends of American Writers Award, been shortlisted for the mystery world’s prestigious Anthony and Agatha and Minnesota Book Awards, and have been translated into eleven foreign languages. Paddy has won international acclaim for his amazing repertoire and artistry on the two-row button accordion, and in 2013 was named Ireland’s Traditional Composer of the Year at the Gradam Ceoil Irish Music Awards. His memoir about growing up in rural Ireland, The Road from Castlebarnagh, has received glowing reviews in Ireland and around the globe.”
Photo Courtesy of Erin Hart
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Check out our newer article on this topic, featuring a large number of book display ideas!
