Staff at Minnesota State Library Services have been busy this summer, and you can easily subscribe directly to get their updates (see the end of this message) or take a moment to browse through some updates here now! During the academic year, we will share information as it comes out. Oldest to newest posts follow….

TO: Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: June 19, 2014
SUBJECT: Now accepting applications for Libraries and Service Delivery Consultation Group

The 2014 Minnesota Legislature directed the commissioner of the Department of Education to consult with people knowledgeable about state libraries and service delivery on increasing service delivery and collaboration between library governance systems. The consultation will include a review of options for changing current library procedures and governance systems and ensuring equitable and cost-effective access to library services statewide. The charge includes consideration of how to increase access to emerging electronic services. A report is due to the legislature on February 1, 2015.

The group will meet monthly at the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). The first meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 18, 2014, from 1:30–3:30 p.m.  Meetings are tentatively scheduled for:

• September 15
• October 20
• November 17
• December 15
• January 12 (if needed)

Minnesota Session Laws, Chapter 272, Article 7, section 2, specifies broad representation from a number of different interest groups. On behalf of the commissioner, we are now accepting applications from individuals interested in representing the following stakeholders:

• Metropolitan area public libraries, other than regional public library systems
• Greater Minnesota public libraries, other than regional public library systems
• Greater Minnesota public school library media specialists
• Metropolitan area public school library media specialists
• Metropolitan area cities
• Metropolitan area counties

One individual representing each of these stakeholders will be selected from applications received. To apply, please send name, contact information, stakeholder group represented, brief resume and short statement of related experience (no more than one page) by email to: Jennifer.r.nelson@state.mn.us.

Application Deadline: 5 p.m. on Friday July 18, 2014

For more information, contact Jennifer Nelson at 651-582-8791 or jennifer.r.nelson@state.mn.us

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TO: Minnesota Libraries, Teachers, and Early Childhood Educators
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: June 30, 2014
SUBJECT: Early Learning Training Opportunities

Seeking Stories from Youth Services Heroes

You’ll see a lot more of State Library Services staff this summer and fall. We’ll be presenting at conferences, hosting workshops and more. And, we’d like to hear about the initiatives and partnerships you are building to benefit your community. As we reach out more, we will share the stories of Minnesota’s library heroes who work with schools, child care providers, community organizations and beyond to both serve the needs of kids and families and get the word out about early literacy and libraries. Please email Jackie Blagsvedt at jacqueline.blagsvedt@state.mn.us with your story and photos.

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TO: Minnesota Library Staff
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: July 18, 2014
SUBJECT: 2014 Library Construction Grant Applications Available, Call for Reviewers

Library Construction Grant Applications

State Library Services is pleased to announce that 2014 Library Construction Grant program applications are available. The program provides public libraries with funding for renovation, construction, and improvement projects that result in more accessible library facilities. Projects may:

• Remove architectural barriers from a library building or site.
• Remediate conditions hazardous to health or safety.
• Renovate or expand an existing building for use as a library.
• Construct a new library.

The 2014 Minnesota Legislature allocated a total of $2,000,000 to the program, with $570,000 for the city of Jackson, $257,000 for the city of Perham, $50,000 for the city of Bagley, and remaining funds for competitive grant awards.

Application forms and instructions are available at the Department of Education’s Grants Management site. Scroll to Library Construction Grant opportunity. Completed applications are due October 2, 2014.

An informational webinar is scheduled for Friday, August 1 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.  Call 1-888-742-5095 or participate via WebEx. Pre-registration is not required.

Please contact Emily Kissane  or 651-582-8508 for more information, the complete timeline, or to request a reasonable accommodation to attend the online meeting. Note: The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) requires a two-week advance notice in order to provide the requested accommodation and requires a 48-hour notice to cancel a requested accommodation.

Call for Reviewers

State Library Services invites applications from individuals interested in participating on the Library Construction Grant review panel. Reviewers will read and score applications and assess applications for adherence to Library Construction Grant guidelines. The panel will meet in October. Please submit a resume and a brief letter detailing experience with library construction projects and services to library patrons with disabilities by 4:30 p.m. on Friday August 1,  2014 to Emily Kissane.

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TO: Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: August 6, 2014
SUBJECT: Two Mini Grant Opportunities Available

Mini Grant Opportunities for Playful Learning Spaces and Out-of-School Learning Collaborative Programs

State Library Services is pleased to announce a second round of two competitive grant opportunities — Playful Learning in Libraries Mini Grants and Expanded Learning through Libraries Mini Grants. With streamlined applications, mini grants are short term grant awards of up to $10,000 for projects taking place from approximately early-January through September 30, 2015.

Playful Learning in Libraries Mini Grants are offered to bolster the capacity of public libraries to provide welcoming and engaging play-friendly spaces and experiences that engage children ages 0-8 and their parents/caregivers in play and learning. These projects will also ensure that early learners experience a variety of playful activities that support their growth across the six domains of Minnesota’s early childhood indicators of progress. A Playful Learning in Libraries Mini Grant application guidance webinar will be held on August 19, 2014 from 1:30–2:30 p.m. For more information about this opportunity, please contact Jackie Blagsvedt, LSTA Coordinator, at jacqueline.blagsvedt@state.mn.us or 651-582-8805.

Expanded Learning through Libraries Mini Grants are designed to support activity-based partnerships between schools and public libraries.  The overarching goal is to increase organizational capacity to connect students with meaningful out-of-school time opportunities that improve literacy, academic achievement, college readiness and more. An Expanded Learning Mini Grant application guidance webinar will be held on August 19, 2014 from 3:30- 4:30 p.m. For more information about this opportunity, please contact Jennifer Verbrugge, Library Program and Partnership Coordinator, at jennifer.verbrugge@state.mn.us or 651-582-8356.

Grant opportunity documents, including timelines, are available on MDE’s grants management site.

To request a reasonable accommodation, please contact Jackie Blagsvedt, LSTA Coordinator at jacqueline.blagsvedt@state.mn.us or 651-582-8805. Note: The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) requires advance notice in order to provide the requested accommodation and requires a 48-hour notice to cancel a requested accommodation.

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TO: Minnesota Library Staff
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: August 19, 2014
SUBJECT: State Library Services at the State Fair; Affordable Care Act; Grant Reviewers needed; Additional Expanded Learning Webinar

State Fair Information; Affordable Care Act; Grant Reviewers Needed; Additional Expanded Learning Mini Grant Webinar

State Library Services at the State Fair

Join State Library Services for a photo opportunity at the State Fair on August 22, 24, 27 or 31. We’ll be at the fair with a new, life-size Blue Ribbon Reader cutout that lets readers highlight their favorite book(s) and take a picture. Special guest Governor Mark Dayton is tentatively scheduled to read to children at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 27. State Library Services will also have three new bookmarks available for fairgoers. One promotes early literacy practices, a second gives parents tips for keeping reading fun, and the third reminds students that a library card is an important back-to-school supply. Look for us at the Minnesota Department of Education booth in the Education Building. You can also order bookmarks for your library. Please contact Jackie Blagsvedt at 651-582-8805 or jacqueline.blagsvedt@state.mn.us for more information or to place an order.

Affordable Care Act

Visit MNsure’s Youtube page to view a recently recorded webinar for the library community that gives information on the upcoming open enrollment, and answers questions you might get from patrons. The session includes a brief overview of the Affordable Care Act and highlights assistance available from navigators, brokers and other sources. State Library Services will work with MNsure to develop additional webinars that will give you updated information to better serve your patrons. Factsheets in multiple languages are also available from MNsure’s website. Please contact Emily Kissane at 651-582-8508 or emily.kissane@state.mn.us for more information.

Grant Reviewers Needed

We are looking for people interested in reviewing LSTA Competitive and Library Construction grant applications. As a reviewer, you will read and score four to six grant applications, and attend a half-day meeting with other reviewers to discuss applications and, as necessary, revise scores. Some experience with grants or grant-funded projects is helpful; experience with library construction projects or services to individuals with disabilities is preferred for Library Construction grant reviewers.  Please contact Jennifer Nelson at 651-582-8791 or jennifer.r.nelson@state.mn.us if you would like to talk over expectations, experience or timing, or to submit your name.

Additional Expanded Learning Mini Grant Webinar

If you missed this week’s Expanded Learning Mini Grant webinar, please accept our apologies for the confusion about how to log in. We’ve scheduled a make-up webinar for Thursday August 21, 2014 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pre-registration is not required. You can also phone in by calling 1-888-742-5095 and using Conference Code 132 628 9594. Again, our apologies if you tried to attend yesterday but were unsuccessful. Please contact Jackie Blagsvedt at 652-582-8805 or jacqueline.blagsvedt@state.mn.us with any questions.

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TO: Minnesota Library Staff
FROM: State Library Services
DATE:  August 27, 2014
SUBJECT: Explore eBooks MN Summit Follow Up, Libraries and Service Delivery Consultant Group

Explore eBooks MN Summit Follow Up, Libraries and Service Delivery Consultant Group

Explore eBooks MN Summit Follow Up

More than 100 staff from Minnesota’s school, academic, public and special libraries attended the Explore eBooks MN Summit on August 13. Keynote speaker Deb Hoadley provided lessons learned from the Massachusetts ebook pilot project, including experiences with vendors and funding models. Consensus workshops led by Technology of Participation facilitators gave attendees an opportunity to identify priority areas for future efforts. These included training, development of a statewide plan, funding and more.

Kim Armstrong and Mark Sandler offered their experiences working with as part of an academic library consortium. Mark offered a vision of a future where libraries are a suite of consulting services, and challenged libraries to identify user goals and define services on this basis.  You can listen to the recording of keynote talks, view slide presentation and consensus workshop results at Explore eBooks MN.

We gathered a great deal of information and are already looking ahead to next steps. Follow up sessions will be offered at the Minnesota Library Association and ITEM conferences in October. Special thanks to Patricia Post, Jake Grussing, Valerie Horton, Jennifer Verbrugge, Matt Rosendal, Karen Qualey, Chris Olson, Jennifer Hootman and Todd Digby for their work to bring this series of events to Minnesota libraries.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Grants to States program, administered by the Minnesota Department of Education, State Library Services. Additional sponsors include the University of Minnesota, Minitex, the Council of Regional Public Library Administrators, PALS, CliC, MEMO/ITEM, the Minnesota Library Association and the Multicounty Multitype Library Systems.

For further information, please contact Jennifer Nelson at Jennifer.r.nelson@state.mn.us or 651-582-8791.

Libraries and Service Delivery Consultant Group

Information about the Libraries and Service Delivery Consultant group is now available on the Minnesota Department of Education website. Posted information includes the group’s members, meeting schedule and its charge, as well as presentations that were delivered at the first meeting. All meetings are open to the public; the next meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 15 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Minnesota Department of Education.

For further information, please contact Jennifer Nelson at Jennifer.r.nelson@state.mn.us or 651-582-8791.