Tag Archives: Blog

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

Open Source Learning Defined!

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Recently, our friends at MindShift did a great piece on  “open source learning” — a variation on inquiry learning or passion-based learning –  it is about helping students choose their own learning path, an approach that already has some well-known champions among educators.

Read this post about an English teacher who teaches Advanced Placement English and Composition courses, uses blogging, videoconferencing, and collaborative working groups as part of his instruction. KQED.org/Mind/Shift blog (2/14)

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

Educator Finds Twitter Rewarding!

In her blog Canadian teacher, Lisa Noble, lists three very different ways Twitter made a difference in her life.  1) Among her peers she was able to stay connected with the latest labor union news.  2) In her class the students are able to view real-time images and information feeds sent from astronaut Chris Hadfield’s during his amazing space expedition. 3) After hearing about a science project, through her Professional Learning Network (PLN), Lisa tweeted about the need to find a less expensive alternative for materials her family could use to create electrically powered inventions. You may be surprised at how “tweets” rewarded her. Click here to read more.

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Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Ten Things I Didn’t Learn in Library School

From the blog Letters to a Young Librarian, comes a frank and funny blog post Ten Things I Didn’t Learn in Library School, Academic Edition about the top ten things that library school didn’t prepare the author for. This particular blog post is focused on academic libraries, while a similar post by Eric Riley focuses on public library work and “interesting” experiences he wasn’t exactly prepared for. You’ll laugh as they recount stories about dealing with difficult patrons, “janitorial work”, and the balancing act when it comes to working with and supporting faculty.

In particular, I appreciated the statement that, whether we like it or not, “the library (the department) is not always in charge of how the library (the space) is used”. I often struggled with this exact concept at the last library I worked at — the library was a prime spot for many events, with at least 80% of all campus events occurring in the library — even events seemingly unrelated to the library and its mission. Overtime, I had to find ways of managing this and still supporting the students with our resources even when the library (space) was otherwise occupied. Additionally, if the library got to take credit for the event and awesome free food — all the better!

So, take a look at the blog posts! What are some statements you agree with? Are there others that the authors missed? Check it out!!

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Connect, Converse, Engage!

We want to hear from you! And, we want to make it easier for you to engage with one another as well! We all have something to offer, and although many of our CMLE members come from different library types, we all really do have a lot in common! Let’s learn from each other. Let’s talk. Let’s get this 12-county region of library staff communicating, sharing, and learning from one another!

“How?” you ask?

Well, as you may have noticed, here at CMLE, we have been hard at work rethinking and retooling to better facilitate conversation and sharing across the region. We have a new Facebook page which we’ve connected with our Twitter account and blog, and we’re sending out the “CMLE Weekly Review” via email to all our members.

Our new Facebook page is located at http://www.facebook.com/CentralMinnesotaLibrariesExchange We hope you’ll “like” CMLE on the Facebook page itself — or, on the upper right side of this page, you’ll notice that you can click the “Like” button for the CMLE Facebook account. We will use the Facebook page to connect with those that have “liked” us in an informal yet useful way. We also hope that you will use the comment area on the CMLE Facebook page to talk with other library personnel!

The CMLE Twitter account handle is @CMLEMN! Here, you’ll see updates, reminders, useful links, etc… from CMLE on a regular basis. “Follow” us on Twitter and we’ll be sure to “follow” you right back! That’s the name of the game, and we know you’re sharing useful stuff on Twitter, too! Like Facebook, this is an informal space that we’re hoping to keep fresh, light, energizing, and most of all — helpful!

Additionally, don’t forget you can comment on our blog posts as well in the “Leave a Reply” box!

We know your time is valuable, and hope that these new social media options will make it easier for you to connect with CMLE and other libraries around the region. Please remember that Patricia and Kate are always interested in hearing directly from you, too! Send an email, give us a ring, talk with us face-to-face at an event or conference… whatever is comfortable for you! Hope to hear from you soon!

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Salem Press’ List of Best Library Blogs

Salem Press released its list of best library blogs this week. Salem Press stated that they are “are attempting to promote good blogs generally and draw attention to interesting and provocative news and opinion as it appears” and that they will:

1. Reward and celebrate blogs about libraries and library issues

2. Maintain a (reasonably) accurate listing of blogs so librarians can discover the amazing variety here

3.  Develop a site that points out ongoing excellence as it appears.

Listed below are the top 16 blogs according to topical categories. You may access additional recommended blogs with this link http://salempress.com/Store/blogs/blog_home.htm – and be sure to click on the topical categories (at the left: General, Quirky, Academic, Public School, Blog Thoughts) to open a detailed list.
General Library Blogs
First place: Libraries and Transliteracy
Second place: Centered Librarian
Third place: Librarian.net

Quirky Library Blogs
First place: Awful Library Books
Second place: Library History Buff
Third place: Going Green At Your Library
Another Third place: Judge a Book by its Cover

Academic Library Blogs
First place: No Shelf Required
Second place: Resource Shelf
Third place: The Kept-Up Academic Librarian

Public Library Blogs
First place: Agnostic, Maybe
Second place: Blogging for a Good Book
Third place: Library Garden

School Library Blogs
First Place: Bib 2.0
Second Place: Not So Distant Future
Third Place: 100 Scope Notes