Tag Archives: Library

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

Halloween How-To

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

Here’s the Trick:

In the spirit of Halloween,in our  Just for Fun this week, CMLE shines a light on the time honored tradition of pumpkin carving  which originated in the mid-1800’s. Learn more about this tradition at Hungry History, The Halloween Pumpkin: An American History (October 2013.) Then click on the following links to inspire your next carved creation;

For an Added Treat:

In 1983, Michael Jackson released his iconic Thriller video.  Just for fun, in the spirit of Halloween, CMLE also links you to an interesting remake by Braulio Cesar Linares called Library Thriller (8:39) featuring a young man struggling to follow library rules.

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

Free MN Book Award Materials

MNBookAwards
Image Retrieved online from Minnesota Book Awards site 10/28/13.

MEMO and The Friends of The Saint Paul Public Library are providing free Minnesota Book Award materials for all MEMO members. Posters and bookmarks can be ordered online. Click here to request your materials.

Tip: Pass these on to your teachers and students; especially if they have incorporated a MN Book Award winner in their curriculum. For an additional cost, Honored Book Seals are also available.

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

Teaching Vocabulary Effectively

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

Danielle Hartman, Literacy and technology integration specialist, provides tips and tricks to teach PreK-8 students vocabulary.  Hartman emphasizes the importance of creating a fun and engaging environment for students. She stresses that the key is variety and outlines the following four activities for you to try in your lesson plan this month;

  1. Nuance Activity
  2. Vocabulary Word Panels
  3. Inductive Sort
  4. Power Words

Additional details about each activity can be found in the full article, 4 Activities to Effectively Teach Vocabulary posted by Edudemic (August 2013.)

If you would like suggestions for apps, Edudemic published an article on 3 Vocabulary Apps for SAT Takers and Lifelong Learners (February 2013.)

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

Library Test Kitchen

Image by the State Library of Victoria Collection. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Common's licensing.
Image by the State Library of Victoria Collection. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Common’s licensing.

Three years ago Jeffrey Schnapp, a faculty member at Harvard, began a library test kitchen engaging students in the School of Design to, “create a hybrid [library] space where analog and digital coexist.”  Striving to identify new ways to interact with books and the “material soul”  to blend into one library voice through design for both print and digital materials.

The “test kitchen” was set-up in the location of a former bookstore. Student projects were displayed using pop-up galleries in satellite locations, sharing with the campus community their projects, findings and design suggestions. Click here to read the full article published by Boston Globe, The Library Test Kitchen at Harvard written by Anne Gray Fischer (July 2013.)

Note: The Director of CMLE, Patricia Post, often writes under a subcategory called “Food for Thought” where she identifies articles that pertain to  all librarians and library types. This week she highlights a lecture on libraries by Neil Gaiman. Consider these posts throughout the year to help feed the soul of your library.

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

Save the Date: LibTech Conference

LibTech image retrieved online.
LibTech image retrieved online.

Macalester College is hosting the 7th Annual Library Technology Conference on March 19-20th, in St. Paul, MN. This year will focus on changing technology in libraries and how they are affecting patron interactions and resources management. Additional information and conference registration can be found at http://libtechconf.org/