Tag Archives: ARSL

Outreach, Public

Participants for IMLS funded project, “Future Ready with the Library” announced

From the American Library Association:

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), in partnership with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL), has announced the 24 participants of its IMLS grant funded project, Future Ready with the Library. The 24 participants make up the second cohort of the project.

The participants are:

  • Bartz, Vicky. Ortonville (Minnesota) Public Library
  • Bauer, Mary. Cedaredge (Colorado) Public Library
  • Bundy, Amanda. Kaibab Paiute Tribal Library; Fredonia, AZ
  • Burley, Linda. Burley (Idaho) Public Library
  • Chalman, Kate. Charles Ralph Holland Public Library; Gainsboro, TN
  • Crawford, Claire. Geneseo (Illinois) Public Library
  • Deck, Todd. Tahama County Library; Red Bluff, CA
  • DeHoff, Lois. John R Wooden Middle School; Martinsville, ID
  • Dickerson, Heather. Lewis and Clark Library; Lincoln, MT
  • Durbin, Cynthia. Cascade (Idaho) Public Library
  • Fee, Jay. Keene (New Hampshire) Public Library
  • Gillum, Holly. Ashley Public Library; Hamburg, AR
  • Heideman, Ann. Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Library; Mount Pleasant, MI
  • Hollingsworth, Erin. Tuzzy Consortium Library; Barrow, AK
  • Hutchinson, Bailee. Bolivar- Hardeman County Library; Bolivar, TN
  • Kesseler, Nisa. Petosky (Michigan) District Library
  • Kunnerup, Carol. Mott (North Dakota) Public Library
  • Lancaster, Abby. Lincoln County Library System; Afton, WY
  • Mayfield, Pattie. Bertha Voyer Library; Honey Grove, TX
  • McCann, Robin. Perry Middle School; Perry, OH
  • Shimek, Allison. Fayette Public Library; LaGrange, TX
  • Simpson, Sherry. Dover (Arkansas) Public Library
  • Walker, Keri. St. James Parish Library; Vacherie, LA
  • Wickham, Meredith. J Elliot McMullin Public Library; Newton, MS

“I’m excited to see how the library staff in Cohort 2 partner with community organizations to transform library services for and with middle school students in their small, rural, and tribal communities,” said YALSA President Sandra Hughes-Hassell. “Enabling teens to not only explore their passions, but to develop career and college ready skills, is critical to teens’ personal growth, academic success, and career development – a key component of YALSA’s vision for 21st century public library services.” Continue reading Participants for IMLS funded project, “Future Ready with the Library” announced →

Communication, Conference

ARSL Conference News: Lodging and Keynote Speakers

The 2017 conference for the Association for Rural and Small Libraries takes place from Sept. 6th – 9th and will be in St. George, Utah this year. Since many of CMLE’s member libraries are small or in rural locations, we thought this conference might be of interest to you! And don’t forget, we have scholarships available to help you attend these sorts of professional opportunities!

Registration for the conference isn’t open until April 3rd, but you are encouraged to make hotel reservations now!

The keynote speakers for the event are bestselling authors Richard Paul Evans and Brandon Mull.

Find more information about the conference on their website.

Guest Blogger, Public

ARSL Annual Conference: A CMLE Scholarship

Reflection on 2016 ASRL Conference
Kirsten Vaughan
Chisago Lakes Area Librarian
East Central Regional Library

This fall I attended the annual conference for the America Rural and Small Library in October. It was a fantastic conference, and I recommend it to any small library that struggles with “doing it all” with limited staff and time.

A session that stands out to me is the first I attended, which was “Top Tips for Patron Technology Training,” which was led by Crystal Schimpf and Cindy Fisher. I chose this particular workshop because I struggle with finding a balance with my patrons. At times I cannot keep up with the technology my patrons want help with, other times I am too familiar with the technology which results in my explaining the tech quickly.

Here are the three tips Crystal and Cindy provided that I found the most helpful:

1) Self-Identify as a Technology Trainer—this means you should be intentional about seeking out opportunities to interact with technology on a regular basis. This way you add to your knowledge base just a little at a time rather than all at once.

2) Take Slow Deep Breaths– when a patron asks you an overwhelming tech question, or you don’t have the time to assist the person step-by-step. Slow breathing will help you stay calm and keep your explanation of the tech at a reasonable speed.

3) Focus on Quality, not Quantity- When it comes to one-on-One training it is OK to find the “teachable moment” which is the one thing the patron needs and concentrate on that. Sure the patron will not have all the information, but they will have gained one piece of information they did not have before whereas if you provide the patron will all the information, they may retain none of that training.