Tag Archives: Librarian

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

We've Learned: Staffing News & Updates Around the Region

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Central MN Libraries Exchange

We’ve Learned… is designed to keep our readers informed about news concerning personnel in CMLE libraries/media centers. Please keep us informed of any “happenings” regarding staff members in your area so that we can include them in the next write-up! Happenings can include: changes in staffing, awards, honors… you get the idea!

Job Postings

  • St. Cloud State University is seeking to build a pool of applicants upon which to draw candidates for part-time, temporary, adjunct Librarians and Instructional Technologists. Appointment dates may occur at various times from Spring 2014 through Spring 2016 based on unit needs. Positions that may be available include Reference Librarian, Cataloging Librarian, Collections/E-Resources Librarian, Archives/Digital Projects Librarian, and Instructional Technologist. Position details and application directions are located here.

Announcements

  • Marlene Peterson Media Specialist, John Clark & Richmond Elementary, ROCORI School District.

CMLE would like to recognize the following individuals for their years of service and dedication to Minnesota libraries;

    • Bruce Pomerantz, Library Development Specialist, State Library Services will be retiring in February 2014, after 15 years of service.
    • Dr. Fred E. Hill, Professor Learning Resources Services,  St. Cloud State University will be retiring this month, after 36 years of service.
Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Mindfulness in Librarianship

Image by bibigeek. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by bibigeek. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

In an earlier post, I mentioned a thread of  programming at the fall MLA Conference about mindfulness and reflective thinking, as it relates to librarians.  This idea keeps coming back to me. From a review of the literature, and from conversations with librarians embracing mindfulness, I believe it has value to our practice. Professional and personal growth can increase if we slow down and take the time to understand mindfulness.  A few key things to consider about this concept include: 

  • If we embrace a state of being aware, focused and present in the moment, we can reduce job-related stress and improve the quality of  library services.
  • Multitasking is finally being questioned, and not necessarily valued as it was in the past.
  • “Monkey-mind syndrome” describes a state of being where thoughts continually flit in and out of our minds. This is often caused by too much multitasking or by  continually shifting gears or changing priorities without tools to manage it.
  • In MLA president Kristen Mastel’s article about mindful librarianship (see end of post), she talks about “beginner’s mind” and the challenges of achieving  beginners mind. As you may guess, it is harder to achieve this state when you have been in positions for long periods of time.
  • Mindfulness can be used anywhere or anytime, making it the ultimate mobile device!

As we embark on the 23 Mobile Things program in mid-January, CMLE staff will  inject a mindfulness thread in the program, to help participants manage their focus and enhance their learning outcomes.

Mastel ends her article by saying, “Mindful librarianship—practiced with awareness, intention, and open mind, and a spirit of compassion—could make the difference in the success of our students, our profession, and ourselves. Read the full article: Insights and Practical Tips on Practicing Mindful Librarianship to Manage Stress

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

Feature Book: Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital

This post is a part of an original series created by librarians/media specialists across Central Minnesota featuring books. If you have a book you would like to showcase, send your review to our offices.

Review by Kathy Parker, Director of Libraries, Media, and Archives, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University Libraries

Feature Book: Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink

Image of Kathy Parker provided by CSB/SJU.
Image of Kathy Parker provided by CSB/SJU.

Combining the best of both worlds, Five Days at Memorial has the tense plot line, complex characters, and life-and-death flashpoints of a thriller, but it’s actually a meticulously researched work of remarkable reportage.  Fink investigated events at a New Orleans hospital during and after Hurricane Katrina.  Healthcare workers struggled to keep critically ill patients alive as electricity winked off, generators flooded, HVAC systems failed, sleep was unattainable, looters were roving the streets, and rescue was uncertain.  In the end, some staff faced criminal allegations for injecting patients with drugs that hastened their death.   The author carefully avoids judgment, and instead helps readers understand how professionals trying to do their best in a crisis may arrive at very different decisions about how to respond.

As it happens, I was reading this book while updating and expanding our library’s disaster plan.  It made me realize that much of our plan is focused on keeping collections safe, and that I needed to pay more attention to how to keep people safe as well.  I learned some lessons about communication, coordinated responses, and compassion.  Sheri Fink’s book reinforced my fervent hope that I never have to live through such a horrendous disaster as Katrina; and it has given me the opportunity – the luxury, really —  to think about how I might wish decisions would be made should a disaster happen here.

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

Join the State Library Services Team

Please note the following  job opportunity at State Library Services and feel free to pass this information along as it makes sense. Deadline for applications is December 4, 2013. 

State Library Services Recruiting  Library Program and Partnership Coordinator

State Library Services is now accepting applications to fill a new position, Library Development Specialist – Library Program and Partnership Coordinator. Based in Roseville, this is a great professional employment opportunity for librarians interested in working in a leadership role in the state. Primary position responsibilities include developing and maintaining internal and external partnerships and collaborative activities that improve the capacity of Minnesota’s libraries to provide responsive and high quality services to adult patrons. The position will also administer state Arts and Cultural Heritage allocation for regional public libraries and federal LSTA statewide initiative funds.

We are looking for candidates with a background in library services, program management, budgeting, and grants management who have excellent communication skills. Applications will be accepted on the State Jobs website through December 4, 2013.

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

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

New Version of 23 Things is Coming!

Image by lukew. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by lukew. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

Over five years ago, the seven regional Minnesota multitype  library systems brought you 23 Things on a Stick, a self-paced learning program about Web 2.0 tools. Over 300 people in our Central Minnesota region engaged in the self-paced online learning fun, and we had a large group of people who finished the program too!

When it comes to technology, five years is a long time and there have been a lot of changes. A big change is the shift to mobile devices. We know that PCs are on the decline and mobile devices are skyrocketing. Therefore, we think it only makes sense to continue the learning with a focus on “mobile.” This version of the program  will  also be a self-paced learning program that will identify 23 types of apps for you to explore or take to a whole new level. As we did in the original program, we will be asking participants to blog about their progress through the program. As noted by a participant from the past program, “the blog posts are where the real sharing happens. By reading the blogs of others in the program, I can easily see how others in the field are using the tools in their work setting, and sometimes in their personal lives too. This application piece is what creates the ‘stickiness’ I need to retain new information”

The program will be open to all staff in any Minnesota library – public, academic, school, or special – as well as members of their Governing Boards, their Friends groups, or Advisory Groups. Experienced users as well as novices and everyone in between are invited to join. Although this is a self-paced and self-directed program, CMLE staffers and additional coaches will be monitoring, coaching, and encouraging bloggers from Aitkin, Benton, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright counties in Minnesota.

CMLE may offer some workshops to support this program, but not for every Thing. This is a self-paced program, and participants are encouraged to work together in their libraries or region and share their discoveries and techniques. Sharing can happen in person or through participant blogs. Registration happens as part of Thing 1 (projected for January), so be thinking about which mobile device you might use, and stay tuned for future updates!