Tag Archives: 2016

The 2016 State of America's Libraries report

Library of historic photo booksAccording to the introduction of this year’s report….”Libraries today are less about what they have for people and more about what they do for and with people. Library professionals promote opportunities for individuals and progress for communities. Libraries of all kinds add value in five key areas (the E’s of Libraries): education, employment, entrepreneurship, empowerment, and engagement. They are advancing the legacy of reading and developing a digitally inclusive society.” Below are a few links to help you quickly get at the parts of this report that have meaning for you.

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/jvm4ghy, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

 

 

2016 Higher Education Horizon Report

A perennial favorite, the 2016 New Media Consortium (NMC) Horizon report for Higher Education is out! In it, they talk about “six key trends, six significant challenges, and six important developments in educational technology” and “their likely impact on the core missions of universities and colleges.” Interestingly we are seeing many of these trends affecting academic libraries in the CMLE region. A new library at SCTCC and new work on a Learning Commons at CSB/SJU reflect a focus on “redesigning learning spaces” and “rethinking how institutions currently work.” Check out the table of contents below to get a quick snapshot or check out the whole report now.

Key Trends Accelerating Technology Adoption in Higher Education:

  • Advancing Cultures of Innovation
  • Rethinking How Institutions Work
  • Redesigning Learning Spaces
  • Shift to Deeper Learning Approaches
  • Growing Focus on Measuring Learning
  • Increasing Use of Blended Learning Designs
  • Blending Formal and Informal Learning
  • Improving Digital Literacy
  • Competing Models of Education
  • Personalizing Learning
  • Balancing Our Connected and Unconnected Lives
  • Keeping Education Relevant
  • Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
  • Learning Analytics and Adaptive Learning
  • Augmented and Virtual Reality
  • Makerspaces
  • Affective Computing
  • Robotics

Read the whole report now.

2016 Minnesota Book Award winners

The dust has settled, the winners have been announced!

 

Children’s Literature

“Red: A Crayon’s Story” by Michael Hall

What happens when a crayon suffers an identity crisis? Hall’s witty children’s adventure follows the colorful chaos that unfolds when a blue crayon mistakenly ends up in a red wrapper.

Hall is also the author of “My Heart Is Like a Zoo” and “It’s an Orange Aardvark!”

General Nonfiction

“No House to Call My Home: Love, Family and Other Transgressions” by Ryan Berg

In his debut book, Berg writes about his years as a caseworker in New York for homeless LGBTQ teens. He offers a view into the little-discussed lives of teenagers cut off from their homes, trying to find themselves on the streets.

 

Genre Fiction

“The Grave Soul” by Ellen Hart

Hart returns with another tale of restaurateur and private investigator Jane Lawless. Lawless’s newest case is tied up with a haunting nightmare, and deep family secrets that just won’t stay hidden.

 

Memoir & Creative Nonfiction

“Water and What We Know: Following the Roots of a Northern Life” by Karen Babine

Babine’s essays tell the story of the Minnesota landscape through water, from Lake Superior to the soil of an apple orchard.

 

Minnesota

“Minnesota Modern: Architecture and Life at Midcentury” by Larry Millett

Millett traces the roots of the mid-century modern architecture movement and where you can see surviving examples of it in Minnesota. The book includes original photography from Denes Saari and Maria Forrai Saari.

Novel & Short Story

“There’s Something I Want You to Do” by Charles Baxter

In Baxter’s short story collection, ten interconnected stories are tied together by the title phrase, which characters repeat throughout the book. The cast of Minnesota characters confront obsession, fears and the power of small decisions.

 

Poetry

“Beautiful Wall” by Ray Gonzalez

In his fifteenth poetry collection, Gonzalez travels to the Southwest to reflect on the desert landscapes and the border conflicts that have flared anew.

 

Young People’s Literature

“See No Color” by Shannon Gibney

Gibney’s powerful coming-of-age novel follows 16-year-old Alex Kirtridge, an all-star baseball player and a bi-racial adoptee in a white family. When she discovers letters from her biological father that her adopted parents kept secret, she has to come to terms with her identity on and off the baseball diamond.

 

The Minnesota Book Awards is a program of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library.

ALA book award winners

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2016 Caldecott Winner

The American Library Association (ALA), the oldest and largest library association in the world, holds the ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in January (this year in Boston). The conference draws more than 10,000 leaders and staff, educators, writers, publishers, Friends of libraries, trustees, special guests and exhibitors from the library and information industry for some 2,400 meetings, programs, discussion groups, events, in-depth conversations and exhibits.

As many of you know, when over 10,000 librarians get together, there are bound to be book lists, and lots of them. To save you time, we have compiled many of them here from press releases on the ALA site. If we have missed your favorite, check out their site.

2016 Notable Books List: Get the list here

ALA Readers Advisory experts announce years best in genre fiction for adults readers: Get the list here

ALA Compiled List of Youth Media Awards: Each year ALA honors books and media for children and teens. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards, including the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Book Awards, guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Get all of the winners here.

YALSA 2016 Award Winners: The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand and strengthen library services for teens, aged 12-18. Through its member-driven advocacy, research, and professional development initiatives, YALSA builds the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens. Five popular lists are published as a result of this conference!