Tag Archives: Library Visits

Visits

Member Visit: Chisago Lakes Primary School

How could you NOT want to follow the Cat in the Hat to the library?? And you just know that once you arrive, there is sure to be all kinds of great things to check out! (Spoiler Alert: Yes there are!)

 

It’s always so fun to visit member libraries – and just check out how cute this one is! This elementary school is set up to meet the needs of shorter patrons, who want bright colors and lots of fun things to look at. Mission accomplished!

 

Look there, to the left in this picture. See that lofted area?? I love that! When I was a teeny kid I definitely would have loved to go spend time up there, reading my books and having tons of library fun! (Okay, I’m not currently teeny, but still went up there and enjoyed it!)

Sorry, this is not a great photo of it, but this is what you find when you head up to the reading platform. How fun would this be??? Kids can recline in their camp chairs, and enjoy their crafted “fire” in the center of the circle of chairs. (Okay, at this point I practically had to be dragged away to admire other things, because I really wanted to sit down and read books. You can’t possibly blame me for that!)

Then, underneath that platform is even more cool stuff! Check out these cute little chairs, and all the bright colors. Thinking about setting up places to encourage patrons, of any age, to want to settle in and read, enjoying the library, is a great thing for libraries to try! (Sorry, I didn’t scrunch down to try this area; but it did look great for people shorter and more flexible than me!)

I have never seen this bin before, but I love it! In many libraries there are spaces set aside for patrons to plop down books they have browsed but decided not to take home. It is usually easier to keep the shelves orderly if library staffers re-shelve books; and it is an easy way to see what kinds of things people are actually looking at. This bin is cute and catchy for kid-sized patrons to reach and to use!

Continue reading Member Visit: Chisago Lakes Primary School →

Conference, Visits

Visit to the Andersen Horticultural Library (and ARLD Day 2018!)

Last Friday I had the chance to present at ARLD Day 2018 which took place at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. I really enjoyed meeting lots of academic librarians, chatting about podcasting, and attending sessions.

Great presentation on the MN Reflections Primary Source Sets

It was a fun and informative day that got even better when I discovered there was a library onsite! The Andersen Horticultural Library is actually the largest horticultural research library in the Upper Midwest and provides resources for gardeners, floral designers, landscapers, or anyone interested in Minnesota’s natural history. Browse their digital collections here.

Upon entering the library, you are greeted by a beautiful workspace across from a librarian’s desk, perfect if users need questions answered or help with research! (There were a few people quietly working and I didn’t want to interrupt them, so no picture of this space, sorry!)

Go through another door and you are greeted by gorgeous tables and furniture that provide inviting spaces for researchers and readers! (A fellow conference attendee clued me in that this furniture is pretty famous and a big draw to visitors!)

 

 

 

There was a great section for children’s books, with kid-sized tables and chairs and an inviting selection of books within easy access! And it was awesome to see the library advertising their weekly storytime.

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The library was full of interesting resources for those conducting research, or anyone just interested in plants, gardens, or other outdoor topics. There was a computer to search the collection, a gorgeous book of natural artwork, periodicals, and an entire back room packed with exciting materials!

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After enjoying the library I kept exploring, and found the Conservatory, full of wonderful blooming flowers, and also enjoyed the exhibit Origami in the Garden. Not much was blooming outside yet but I was so encouraged to see the little hints of color coming through the ground!

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ARLD Day 2018 was so much fun, and it was fantastic to visit the Andersen Horticultural Library! If you have a chance to stop by and visit the MN Landscape Arboretum, I definitely encourage you to do so!

Visits

Visit to Macalester College’s Library

CMLE was so happy to present at the 2018 LibTech Conference in March! (We got to talk about our adventures in podcasting!) This conference takes place at Macalester College and of course, we were so excited to check out their library!

As we entered the library, the staff there were so friendly and welcoming and acknowledged that they had been dealing with excited librarians all day. We began to look around and right away noticed some excellent features designed to meet the needs of this academic library’s community.

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Also located on the first floor were several spaces that could be adjusted to meet the needs of students or faculty:

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Of course, we were extra excited to see their newly renovated second floor space! We had heard the library had incorporated some Maker space ideas along with adding collaborative learning spaces and even a meditation chair! And we were not disappointed:

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We appreciated the staff member that spoke to us about all the work that went into renovating the floor. Hearing about all the collections that needed to be relocated, the collaborations with different departments, and even how the ceiling needed to be redone, we were even more impressed with everything!

Once we were able to tear ourselves away from the Idea Lab (it wasn’t easy) we got to admire the rest of the floor.

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And finally, we got to see the meditation chair! Of course the schedule was packed and we didn’t get to experience the chair itself, but the person currently meditating looked extremely cozy and at peace! Meditation has so many health benefits and it’s fantastic to see the library providing these opportunities for self-care.

 

Well, we clearly enjoyed our visit to the DeWitt Wallace Library at Macalester College. This library is reaching out to their students and community in a variety of awesome ways and showing that libraries contain SO MUCH MORE than “just” books!

Have we been to visit your library yet? We would love to come see all the great ways you are connecting with your community! Email us at admin@cmle.org and we’ll setup a time that works for you! 🙂

 

 

School Media Specialist, Visits

Visit to Cathedral High School’s Library!

 

We were definitely excited to visit this high school library, and a big thank you to Media Specialist Julie Notsch for a fantastic tour! Side note: I actually graduated from Cathedral years ago, so I was extra excited to see how things had improved and changed! 

During our visit we definitely got a feel for how well-used the library is.  We had to time our photo-taking in between classes to avoid accidentally including any students!

 

The blue color of the wall doesn’t just look nice, it tells the students that those bookshelves contain the fiction collection.

There were all sorts of different seating options available for solitary or group work: regular tables and chairs, high tables with charging stations, and a great arrangement of chairs near the magazines. Plus, notice the helpful “No Sleeping” sign next to what looks like a very cozy studying spot!

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The student art in this library was really impressive. We love hearing about the collaborations between the library and other departments, plus we noticed several book-related pieces of art were on display!

 

 

 

The layout of the library had definitely changed since I’d attended school here, but the reference desk was easily found and accessible to students who needed assistance!

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We always like to see the creativity that comes from collaboration with other teachers. The Instagram picture is from the CHS summer reading program last year, where students got to post pictures and book reviews to get ice cream treats! What could be better?

We appreciated Julie sharing her experience with ordering and organizing materials, as well as encouraging other teachers to hold their classes in the library. It’s clear that students and faculty alike appreciate the library and the awesome work happening there!

Thanks for an awesome visit! 🙂

 

CMLE, Public, Visits

Visiting the Royalton Public Library

It is always fun to visit libraries, and of course this one was no exception!

This is a very neat location; it is multi-use, headquartering not only the library but also the police station and a local museum. These kinds of buildings are fun to visit, and it’s always interesting to see how the organizations can cooperate together!

This Children’s department has a great design. There are a lot of fun books, lots of colors and shapes to see, and it is a clearly defined area for kids to enjoy while parents and guardians browse nearby in easy sight.

And check out this very cool activity center! Kids can come in the library, and immediately head to a place where a variety of fun things will be available for them to play with in the library. (Okay, yes – I played with a few things too. Look how fun this is!) Continue reading Visiting the Royalton Public Library →