Tag Archives: MDE

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

MN State Library Updates & Reminders – Part 2

state_mnTO: Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: November 4, 2014
SUBJECT: MNsure, Out-of-School Time Meals, 90-Second Newbery, MBTBL Advisory Committee Vacancies

MNsure and Open Enrollment: What You Need to Know

MNsure is hosting a second webinar designed specifically for the library community on Thursday, November 13, from 11:00 a.m. to noon.

Participants will get a preview of MNsure’s marketing, outreach, and operations for the upcoming open enrollment period that runs from November 15, 2014 through February 15, 2015. You’ll also have a chance to ask questions.

Preregistration is not required. To view the webinar, please follow this link. Depending on browser settings, you may have to click “join as a participant.” Participants will be able to join the meeting about 10 minutes before it is scheduled to begin. To hear the webinar, dial 1-888-742-5095 and enter Conference Code 9879144187 when prompted.

For more information, please contact Emily Kissane at emily.kissane@state.mn.us or 651-582-8508.

Summer and At-Risk Food Programs for Kids

Fewer than 17 percent of Minnesota kids who benefit from the free or reduced-price school lunch program have access to summer and afterschool food programs. Limited access to free food programs, particularly during the summer, leaves many children hungry. Public libraries can help make sure kids have access to nutritious food when school is not in session. Begin planning your summer 2015 participation today, there are many ways your library can get involved:

1. Learn about local free meal resources and direct patrons to them.
Find information about Minnesota meal sites on MDE’s At-Risk Afterschool Meals web page and Summer Food Service Program web page.

2. Provide information at your library for patrons to take home.
Make available take-home information for families in need. Contact Second Harvest Heartland for pads of tear-off sheets to passively promote summer food service.

3. Your library may be eligible to be an at-risk afterschool and/or summer food site or sponsor.
Sites store and distribute food, supervise meal service, provide activities, and keep a daily record of participation. To notify MDE of your desire to participate as a site, fill out an interest survey. Sponsors manage multiple sites, coordinate fund distribution and reporting. Read through this toolkit for more information about how to be a sponsor.

Contact State Library Services, Jen Nelson at jennifer.r.nelson@state.mn.us or Jen Verbrugge at jennifer.verbrugge@state.mn.us, for more information about how your library can work with summer and out-of-school time food programs.

Calling All Kid Filmmakers!
The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival is an annual video contest in which kid filmmakers make movies that creatively tell the entire stories of Newbery-winning books in ninety seconds or less. Making the film is a fun, creative and multi-faceted educational exercise. Kids write, storyboard, produce, act, frame and edit. James Kennedy, the founder and curator of the 90-Second Newbery, made his own 90-second movie about the 90-Second Newbery inviting you to take part.

Public librarians, school librarians, homeschool parents and teachers are encouraged to work with their kids to make movies. The deadline to submit films is December 20, 2014 (deadline extended to 1-16-2015 as of 12-11-2014). Inspiration and more information can be found on the 90-Second Newbery website. Want to make a 90-Second Newbery video, but are daunted by the project? Download this handy guide of tips, tricks, and strategies. At least ten Minnesota-made video submissions are currently in the works. You can start working with your kids today.

Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the first-ever Minnesota screening of the year’s best entries on Saturday, February 28, 2015, from 3:00-4:30 pm at Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central. Co-hosts of the event will be James Kennedy and Kelly Barnhill, Minneapolis author of The Witch’s Boy. For more details, please contact Jennifer Verbrugge at jennifer.verbrugge@state.mn.us or 651-582-8356.

Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library Advisory Committee Vacancies
The Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library (MBTBL) is currently accepting applications for positions on its advisory committee. The committee advises the staff of the MBTBL on long-range plans and library services, and is comprised of people who use the MBTBL. Application forms are available online and must be submitted by November 25, 2014, to be assured of full consideration. Visit the Secretary of State website for complete descriptions.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

MN State Library Updates & Reminders

MDE logo retrieved online 12/17/13..
MDE logo retrieved online 12/17/13..

TO: Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: October 28, 2014
SUBJECT: GCFLearnFree.org Webinar, Libraries and Service Delivery Consultant Group

Webinar: Get to Know GCFLearnFree.org

State Library Services is building a new relationship with Goodwill Community Foundation. Over the past decade, the foundation’s GCFLearnFree.org program has helped millions around the world learn the essential skills they need to live and work in the 21st century. From using Microsoft Office and email to reading, math, and more, the website offers more than 90 free, self-paced tutorials, including more than 1,000 lessons.

Please join us for an informational webinar on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 from 11 a.m. to noon. Get a virtual tour of the site and learn how other libraries have successfully used GCFLearnFree.org with their patrons. Preregistration is not required. To view the webinar, please follow this link. If requested, enter your name and email address, then click “Join.”

For more information, please contact Jennifer Verbrugge at 651-582-8356 or jennifer.verbrugge@state.mn.us.

Libraries and Service Delivery Consultant Group 

The Libraries and Service Delivery Consultant Group met at the Minnesota Department of Education on October 20. The PowerPoint presentation from the meeting may be found on the MDE website.

The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 17, 2014 from 1:00–3:00 p.m. at the Minnesota Department of Education, 1500 Highway 36 West, Roseville in Conference Center A, Room 13. Please note the time change. For more information about the Libraries and Service Delivery Consultant Group, please contact Jennifer Nelson at jennifer.r.nelson@state.mn.us or 651-582-8791.

General, Public, School Media Specialist

Mini Grant Opportunities

MDE logo retrieved online 12/17/13..
MDE logo retrieved online 12/17/13..

TO: Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: March 18, 2014
SUBJECT: Two New Mini Grant Opportunities Available

Mini Grant Opportunities for Early Learning Spaces and School Age Programs

State Library Services is pleased to announce two new competitive grant opportunities — Play and Learn Space Mini Grants and Expanded Learning Mini Grants. With streamlined applications, mini grants are short term grant awards of up to $5000 for projects taking place from approximately mid-May 2014 through September 30, 2014.

Play and Learn Space Mini Grants are offered to bolster the capacity of public libraries to create or enhance spaces that engage children ages 0-8 and their parents/caregivers in play and learning. A Play and Learn Space Mini Grant Application Guidance webinar will be held on March 25, 2014 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Expanded Learning Mini Grants are designed to support activity-based partnerships between schools and public libraries. The overarching goal is to connect students with meaningful out of school and summertime opportunities that improve literacy, academic achievement, college readiness and more. An Expanded Learning Mini Grant Application Guidance webinar will be held on March 25, 2014 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Grant opportunity documents, including timelines, are available at MDE’s grants management site.

For more information about these opportunities, please contact Jackie Blagsvedt, LSTA Coordinator at Jacqueline.blagsvedt@state.mn.us or 651-582-8805 or to request a reasonable accommodation. Note: The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) requires a two-week advance notice in order to provide the requested accommodation and requires a 48-hour notice to cancel a requested accommodation.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Message from Asst. Commissioner McHenry (MDE)

McHenryTO: Minnesota Library Staff
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: March 7, 2014
SUBJECT: MDE Legislative Update

The following message from MDE Assistant Commissioner Kevin McHenry was shared with the Minnesota Library Association through its Legislative Chair this morning. It describes the Minnesota Department of Education’s technical and policy initiatives for the 2014 legislative session. It is being distributed here to reach members of the library community who may not be affiliated with the Minnesota Library Association.

“We submitted a technical proposal to amend Minnesota Statutes, section 134.355 Subd. 8, Regional Library Telecommunications Aid, to allow exceptions to the 20-hour per week eligibility requirement. Permitting exceptions for one-time, limited duration situations such as a building closure as a result of natural disaster, or to allow for adjustments to open hours in response to seasonal usage patterns fits with the intent of the legislation while allowing maximum eligibility.

A second technical proposal was submitted to clarify the formula for establishing the state-certified level of library support (maintenance of effort) for counties and cities that provide operating dollars for library services. Currently Minnesota Statutes, section 134.34 does not contain a cross reference to the statutory change made in 2011 through Minnesota Statutes, section 275.761. This creates a significant amount of confusion when communicating with stakeholders about the statutory requirements. Currently, someone reading the statutes has no way of knowing that the provisions of 134.34 have been superseded. While I understand that the library community is interested in pursuing a return to the prior formula, there is a need to ensure that statutes accurately reflect the current requirements.

Finally, we submitted a policy proposal to establish a task force on libraries and service delivery. MDE has had some great success in advancing and promoting issues using task forces. I want to make sure that we are highlighting the work of libraries, particularly in light of recent news articles questioning relevancy. With emerging issues that need to be addressed, such as e-books, a task force can be a catalyst for promoting ideas to work with multiple levels of governance and a positive step forward. There is great energy and enthusiasm within libraries and I would like to see that communicated to a wide audience.

I encourage you to contact me directly if you’d like to discuss any of these proposals. I appreciate any feedback you have to offer. Kevin McHenry, Assistant Commissioner, 651-582-8250 or kevin.mchenry@state.mn.us.”