Tag Archives: history

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Famous library felines

You’ve probably seen the famous cats Baker and Taylor on the brand’s merchandise. But do you know anything about their backstory?

The new book The True Tails of Baker and Taylor chronicles the memories of the two beloved cats, and details their personality and behavior. The two cats were brought into the library world with a purpose – protect the Douglas County Library in Minden, NV from a rodent invasion triggered by a recent remodel. They became community favorites, but their popularity skyrocketed when the supplier company Baker & Taylor named the cats as the brand’s official mascots. They even ended up with a fan club!

The book also investigates the positive influence of animals on humans, especially in an office environment. Animals are a good reminder in this time of constant technology to take a step back and live in the moment.

Read the full article here.

Can’t get enough animal love? We’ve got you covered! Check out CMLE’s previous posts about other library cats, books for cats, cats that think they are librarians, and pets that won’t let you read.

Image credit: http://www.btol.com/index.cfm
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

New primary source sets

Were you scrambling for primary sources for history day projects or other curriculum needs this year? Scramble no more…next year could be different!

Minitex has announced a new resource for Minnesota Reflections users (MN Reflections is a digital collection of more than 257,000 images, maps, and documents). These primary source sets will be an online resource for students and teachers. Each focus on a historical topic and highlight the related resources available in MN Reflections. Some of the topics include American Indian boarding schools in MN, iron mining, and Fort Snelling.

These sets are intended to help develop critical thinking skills and allow students to be introduced to using and learning from primary source materials. Read the whole article here.

Image Credit: http://discussions.mnhs.org/collections/

 

 

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

New Monthly Research Center Workshops: Stearns History Museum

Information provided by the Stearns History Museum

Research Center Workshops

Have you ever wondered what resources are available in the Research Center and Archives of the Stearns History Museum? Come and find out! The Stearns History Museum is offering workshops, on the third Wednesday of every month, to highlight the many resources available and show you how easy they are to access.

This month, on December 18th, at 9:30 a.m., our archivists will teach an Introduction to the Research Center and Archives.  Whether you are a seasoned research veteran interested in genealogy, or you are researching town histories or the history of a local business, or just a beginner, this class is for you!

Please RSVP to (320) 253-8424 or email swarmka@stearns-museum.org.

Image retrieved online from the Stearns History Museum 12/10/13.
Image retrieved online from the Stearns History Museum 12/10/13.

Founded in 1936, the Stearns History Museum has focused on preserving and interpreting the history of the region for 77 years. The mission of the museum is to engage people in the exploration of the County’s diverse heritage by providing connections to the past, perspectives on the present, and inspiration for the future. The Stearns History Museum is nationally accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

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

Social Media: History Lesson

Image by Jason A. Howie. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by Jason A. Howie. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

Do you consider yourself to be a history buff? Would SixDegrees, Friendster and MySpace come to mind when you think about social media? In Trivial Pursuit, the 20th Anniversary Edition, it would probably fall under the category for  “Innovations.”

Take a moment and breeze through Matt Smith’s quick history lesson about start-ups that built the foundation to what we refer to today as “social media.” In his article, October 2013, Smith gives a nod to early innovations such as the BBS (Bulletin Board System) and IRC (Internet Relay Chat.)  These technologies predated the World Wide Web in the mid-90’s; opening a market for other platforms which ultimately bolstering sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest.  Smith predicts, “While Facebook is king, there’s still room for niche alternatives, particularly those that emphasis images or video rather than an infinitely updating news feed.” Click here to read the full article, Social Media: Did it really start with Facebook? [Geek History Lesson], MakeUseof.

Tip: CMLE often highlights ways teacher librarians can incorporate forms of social media into classroom and instructional processes. Here are two additional free resources for you to consider;

  1. Facebook Guide for Educators: A tool for teaching and learning, made available online by The Education Foundation 2013. Click here to download the pdf.
  2. 15 Cool Ways Libraries Can Use Vine to Create Social Videos by OEDb (July 2013.)
Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Minnesota Remembers…

Image by Joe Shlabotnik. Retrieved from FlickR. Used under Creative Common's licensing.
Image by Joe Shlabotnik. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

This post is for our readers born and raised in the land of 10,000 (+) lakes and others that have merely migrated here from somewhere warmer. This week we look back at highlights from Minnesota’s eclectic and somewhat eccentric past.

Click here, just for fun, to see a list of the top 21 Things Minnesotans Are Too Nice To Brag About compiled by Buzzfeed.