On December 10th at 1 pm CT, WebJunction will be offering a free online webinar, The Power of Transformational Stories. It will explore how to identify, frame and share stories to illustrate the value of libraries within our communities.
Click here for additional information and the registration link.
Note: Sometimes it can be uncomfortable talking about our successes without it sounding awkward and self-serving. But like a good story, it must be written if it is ever to be truly appreciated.
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
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.
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 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.
Recently, Minnesota made the news around a consortial lending model for eBooks. Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA) is the state organization created to support cooperation and collaboration among the seven-county Twin Cities area libraries. And, 3M is right in MELSA’s backyard! What is exciting is that a conversation happened between the two, and after a year of working together, 3M has developed CloudLink, a new feature for its eBook lending system for consortia!
Many consortial arrangements involve member libraries contributing eBooks to a common pool that patrons from all libraries can use. In addition to this functionality, CloudLink also enables any patron from any MELSA library to check out eBooks from the private collections of any other MELSA library, provided there are no holds for the title. Unless a publisher has a policy that prohibits consortial lending, the CloudLink system will allow eBooks to be checked out by patrons from any library.
CMLE staff continue to work with others to monitor possibilities for regional or statewide sharing of eBooks. As you can imagine, the needs of academic, public, K-12 and special libraries can be quite different (yet overlapping in some areas). Existing consortial models are often not a “one size fits all” and at this moment in time, I remain skeptical that a statewide model exists to serve all needs with one solution. But that is today, the wild west of eBooks is changing every day! Stay tuned……
Read the full Digital Shift article (Nov.5)
Also, read an infoDOCKET article on this subject (Sept.18)
Frankie Rendon from the University of Illinois, Chicago posted an article with Teach Thought about the unprecedented change that is occurring across all library types in the United States. At the helm is technology and access to both print and “e” resources. The evolution of libraries is seen through the transformation of services and its impact on librarians working to meet the demands of patrons/users. Rendon believes that libraries are vital stating, “Today, librarians are more valuable than ever before due to their vast knowledge, expertise, community relations skills, and passion for imparting knowledge; all social literacies are as important now as ever.” Many librarians accomplish this by offering training, being stewards of resources, community advocates and spokespersons for literacy. Click here to read the full article, The Changing Landscape For Libraries & Librarians In The Digital Age (November 2013.)
Demonstrating competencies is one part of the equation; articulating relevancy is the other. Last week, Dean Vargas from the St. Cloud State University Learning Resources Services Library (Miller Center) invited CMLE staff and area academic librarians to participate in a day-long assessment workshop. Meagan Oakleaf, a national expert on assessment, facilitated each session. It served as a reminder that across library types, departments, and disciplines the importance of understanding the role of the library in the larger construct, in this case of an academic institution. And, faculty and staff are equally tasked with demonstrating the value added to the library by the services they provide. How can libraries/librarians demonstrate impact? Relevancy is the most powerful when impacts can be reasonably qualified or quantified. According to Oakleaf, this is accomplished when the needs and goals of an institution/library intersect the services, resources and expertise offered by the librarians and respective staff. Assessment evaluates these points of intersections and can be an influential tool in the decision making process.
Interesting in initiating or continuing assessment at your library? ProQuest, Springer, Library Journal and ER&L are sponsoring a series of three webcasts that can help-click here to learn more. Also, for additional information, below are a few books and journals (academic focused) that were identified at the workshop you may find helpful;