At CMLE HQ we are always happy to talk with our members about anything library related! Tomorrow is Wednesday August 16th and we will be having Office Hours from 11am – 1pm.
If you are working on a project, doing some planning, or have any library questions or issues, feel free to stop by and chat with Mary and Angie. We will have a canine guest in the office too, should you have need of a therapy dog! 🙂
Location:
CMLE Headquarters
570 1st Street SE
St. Cloud, MN 56307
You know how much we like to hang out with our members (and other library friends!); and we miss you when things are slower in the summertime!
After our recent poll to see what things people might want to do to gather and chat libraries (and other fun stuff!) this summer, we are setting up a few events. Our top vote-getters in different categories were for dinner and tea time, and to have meals/chatting instead of discussions or postcard parties. Our top locations people want to go were St Cloud and Cambridge. So we are starting with these, but can expand these if people want to have more opportunities to get together and chat about library stuff!
There were also a number of votes from people who just wanted an opportunity to drop into CMLE’s Headquarters (570 1st Street SE, St Cloud, MN 56304). So we are setting up HQ Office Hours! Of course, members are always welcome to drop in to chat about things or to come by and ask focused questions about projects, planning, and any other library topic at any time. (We love guests!) This will just provide a definite time where we will be in the office, and ready to chat with you!
Starting Wednesday, July 12, and every other Wednesday after that (we define this as: all Wednesdays with an even numbered date), we will be in the office from 11:00 to 1:00, and ready to chat about writing policies, working through materials selections, negotiating with vendors, planning your website or social media, going to conferences as a presenter or an attendee, zines/manga/pop culture coolness, or anything else you want to discuss! Would you like to just come say hi for a minute, and put a face to our names? Do it! You can test out the bike desks, see the plants and ever-changing seasonal decorations, and check in on Orville The Official Office Bear! No need to call ahead, just drop in and we will be happy to see you.
And of course, if you want to casually chat at other times, just check in and we will set up a time. We are not formal here – we just want to hang out and talk about libraries!
We are looking forward to seeing you this summer, and hearing all about your adventures!
When you visit the Paynesville public library, you immediately know this is a library where you will feel at home, where they are interested in your library experience, and where they have taken care to be sure you find what you want.
You can see that right away in this library, as you head right for this very welcoming desk! Great material, lots of colors, fun displays – it’s all right here! You come in here, and you know you are going to enjoy yourself, and find people who will help you get everything you need.
I love this display! Not only are the materials easy to see and easy to find, but look at that art on the wall! This kind of detail can really help attract your patrons to material around your library.
On a nearby wall is this creative and obvious statement that good times are to be found right here! Again, drawing this kind of attention to the great things a library has to offer means patrons can easily find things they want.
Helping patrons to feel comfortable in any library should be a priority for staff. In this library, you can see that a relatively small space is arranged to make it feel open; and this comfy couch would inspire people to plop down and enjoy reading a book, or a magazine, or the newspaper. Thinking about these kinds of uses for your space can be a great way to either drive patrons away from a dark, overcrowded library, or inspire them to come inside and enjoy all your great stuff!
I love to see bookshelves, and these shelves, with such a nice mix of titles faced out to draw the eye, neat rows, and those cool book kits, just makes you want to grab a whole bunch of books and go read them on the couch! (I’m sure that can’t just be me – look at those great materials!)
Involving members of the community in the work you do is a great way to inspire them to keep coming back to your library. And this community -created art is such a great demonstration! Each flower here was painted by a different person; so kids can bring their parents inside and show them the specific artistic masterpiece they created! Adding in art is always good, and there are several other paintings around this library. Adding in these bright colors makes any building feel more cheerful and welcoming!
While I can’t guarantee that everyone will be fortunate enough to get a personalized tour of this library – you just might! The staff are all enthusiastic about their work and their library, and you can see that not only in their excitement over their materials, but in this nice Juvenile Fiction collection!
And what is this space? It is inside the neatest library playhouse I’ve seen!! Built by library staff and family, this fantastic house is in the Children’s section of the library. You can go thru the door, if you are appropriately sized, and then test out the furniture inside. There are even all these great murals around the inside of the house – it’s fantastic!
I’ve said this many times, but every library I’ve ever visited had some interesting and cool things – and you can really see it here!
If we have not visited your library yet, we miss you!! Let us know when we can come visit!
I saw this blog entry referenced on the ITEM listserve, and read through it all – it was written by CMLE’s own Lisa Newhouse in Monticello! This is a great (GREAT!) example of strategies all library people can use to promote your library services to your community members! Read this excerpt below, and then click on the link to go read the rest of it at her site!!
By Lisa Newhouse, @LisaNewhouse4
“
Library Snapshot Day provides a way for libraries of all types across a state, region, system or community to show what happens in a single day in their libraries. How many books are checked out? How many people receive help finding a job? Doing their taxes? Doing their homework? This initiative provides an easy means to collect statistics, photos and stories that will enable library advocates to prove the value of their libraries to decision-makers and increase public awareness.”
On this day, we want all our libraries (and anyone else – we love all libraries!) to take a few photos during the day, to show the work you do. It does not need to be anything especially exciting, or fancy-looking; just show the work that library people are doing.
Continue reading Reminder: CMLE Library Snapshot Day Will Be April 27