Tag Archives: Minnesota State Library Service

Updates from State Library Services

Here is some valuable information from the State Library Services!

If any of our CMLE members are interested in one of these LSTA grants – let us know! We are ready to help you plan, write it up, and to help you find partners to work with on your project. Grants may be a great way to bring new services and materials to your library patrons – and we are here to support you!

Now Open – Two 2017 LSTA Grant Opportunities

State Library Services is pleased to announce two 2017 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) competitive grant opportunities.

2017 LSTA Competitive Grant

An estimated $520,000 is available to fund grant proposals ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 that help to achieve Minnesota’s LSTA Five-Year Plan (2013-2017). Grant awards will support projects that address LSTA Goal One and one of its four sub-goals. The overarching goal is to expand library services for learning and access to high-quality information resources for all Minnesotans.

2017 Early STEM Literacy in Libraries Mini Grant

An estimated $50,000 is available to fund grant proposals ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to help libraries offer programs and services that address Goal 1.2 in the Minnesota LSTA Five-Year Plan (2013-2017) and the World’s Best Workforce legislation by increasing early STEM literacy capacity and programming in libraries in order to build a stronger future workforce for Minnesota children ages 0-5 years old and their caregivers.

Both grants periods are estimated to start on November 1, 2017 and end September 30, 2018. Please note that this is slightly shorter than a year due to a delay in federal funds.

To learn more about our two current LSTA grant opportunities, please attend an upcoming grant guidance webinar on Tuesday, August 8, 1-2 p.m. There is no need to pre-register; just click on the link to attend. (Call-in toll-free number: 1-888-742-5095, Conference Code: 492 064 9083). Grant applications and instructions are available on the Minnesota Department of Education’s Grants Management site. Visit the LSTA webpage or contact Leah Larson (651-582-8604) for more information.

We are looking for reviewers for both grant opportunities to read and score applications and participate in a half-day review discussion (which may not be needed for the Early STEM Literacy in Libraries Mini Grants). Please contact Leah Larson (651-582-8604) for more information if you are interested.


Library Construction Grant Applications Available

State Library Services is pleased to announce that applications for the 2017 Library Construction Grant program are now available. The program provides public libraries with funding for renovation, construction, and improvement projects that result in more accessible library facilities. Projects may:

  • Remove architectural barriers from a library building or site
  • Remediate conditions hazardous to health or safety
  • Renovate or expand an existing building for use as a library
  • Construct a new library

The 2017 Minnesota Legislature allocated a total of $2,000,000 to the program, and those funds are available for competitive grant awards.

Application forms and instructions are available on the Minnesota Department of Education’s Grants Management site. Scroll to Library Construction Grant opportunity. Completed applications are due Friday, September 29, 2017.

An informational webinar will be scheduled shortly and will be announced via the SLS listserv.

Please contact Emily Kissane (651-582-8508) for more information.


MBTBL Recording Program Releases Second Talking Book

The Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library (MBTBL) is pleased to announce that its second locally recorded digital talking book, The Rockwell Heist (DBC09975) by Bruce Rubenstein, is now available via download or cartridge to eligible MBTBL patrons statewide. Narrated by Donald Scheel at our recording studio in Faribault, the book examines the largest art heist in Minnesota history. The theft and the journey to recover the paintings spanned the world and two decades, and was investigated by Bruce Rubenstein, a freelance reporter covering crime/politics in the Twin Cities area since the 1980s.

For more information about the library or its recording program, please contact Catherine Durivage (507-384-6860) or if you or someone you know is interested in volunteer recording opportunities, contact Etta Thornburg (507-684-6865).


State Library Services and Partners to Present Upcoming ALA Webinar

Staff from State Library Services, Minitex, local school media centers, and more will team up to present about Ebooks Minnesota through a free ALA-sponsored webinar, Community Reading Platform: Transforming Libraries, Impacting the Classroom, on Wednesday, August 2 at 1 p.m. During the webinar we will showcase usage data, discuss trends, and hear stories about how the project is re-envisioning how simple public and school library collaboration can be in a model that works for everyone, including publishers. Register today to attend the ALA webinar.


Key Takeaways from Better Together: Adult Education, Libraries, and Workforce Development

State Library Services was pleased to be part of this year’s Better Together, a partner event with the national Net Inclusion 2017 conference. As with last year’s Better Together gathering, the session brought together colleagues from adult education, libraries, and workforce development to focus on how collaborative digital literacy efforts can increase communities’ capacity to improve adult literacy and workforce outcomes.

In addition to learning about resources that promote digital literacy and workforce skills, participants had the opportunity to provide input for the next level of the Northstar Digital Literacy Project. Small groups discussed incorporating the standards into career pathways, identifying skills needed to succeed in postsecondary studies, recognizing skills necessary to navigate employment, and defining the gap between the standards and entering IT career pathways. We found some common threads and important takeaways:

  • Some of the more commonly suggested new Northstar modules were cloud computing, digital etiquette, document sharing, and critical thinking about information sources.
  • Seeking employment and being employed each involve large sets of digital literacy skills, and only some of them overlap. In addition to preparing application materials and submitting applications online, people need to navigate payroll systems and manage digital paperwork. Often employer training is delivered online, so employees need to be able to learn in that environment.
  • We have a need for digital literacy efforts that prepare people for college, particularly adults who are returning to education. In addition to the modules suggested above, instruction in online research, discussion board participation, and learning management system basics are important for student success.

Handouts from the May 15 Better Together event are available. Please contact Emily Kissane (651-582-8508) with any questions.


Welcome, Leah!

In the last listserv, we welcomed to State Library Services our new LSTA Coordinator, Leah Larson. She now has a new phone number. You can reach her at 651-582-8604 or leah.larson@state.mn.us.


Good to Know: Urban and Rural Public Libraries Equally Popular

There’s a public library in each of Minnesota’s 87 counties. Libraries are embedded in local communities, and they are viewed as community assets.

Minnesota’s urban and rural public libraries had fairly equal numbers of users and visits in 2016. The difference between urban and rural was how business was spread out among a few vs. many locations. 1.15 million people made 6.77 million visits to 118 rural libraries while 1.2 million people made 5.89 million visits to 23 urban libraries.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designates any individual library “urban” if it’s located in an “Urbanized Cluster” with a population of 25,000 or more as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau. Any library not designated “urban” is “rural.”  Urban libraries in Minnesota include Albert Lea, Anoka County, Austin, Blue Earth County, Buffalo, Cambridge, Carver County, Dakota County, Douglas County, Duluth, Elk River, Faribault, Hennepin County, Moorhead, Northfield, Owatonna, Ramsey County, Rochester, Scott County, St. Cloud, St. Michael, St. Paul, Washington County, and Winona. Rural libraries include all the rest.

Urban vs. rural public library use in Minnesota

Source: Minnesota Public Library Report, 2016

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Updates from MDE

MDE to Present ESSA Plan to Education Policy Committees

Staff from the Minnesota Department of Education Executive Team will present Minnesota’s ESSA plan to the Joint House and Senate Education Policy Committees on Wednesday, July 19, 1-3 p.m., at 5 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Saint Paul. Opportunity for public testimony will be available if time allows. If you would like to testify on the state’s ESSA plan to the joint committee, please contact Andrew Hasek. Stakeholders will be limited to three minutes per organization on their testimony.

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Updates from Our Partners

Future Ready with the Library Now Accepting Participant Applications

YALSA, in partnership with the ARSL, is implementing an innovative project to build the capacity of small, rural and tribal libraries to provide college and career readiness services for and with middle schoolers. YALSA and ARSL will work with library staff to build needed skills while also developing, testing and refining turn-key resources, which other libraries can adapt for their own use. The project is aimed at staff in libraries with a service population of 15,000 or fewer, as well as libraries that are 25 miles or more from an urbanized area. If this sounds like your library, you can apply to be part of this pioneering project.

The application process for cohort 2 is now open, and closes on September 1, 2017. Reserve your seat for an informational webinar for interested potential applicants on July 13, 2017 at 6 p.m.  Those selected to participate in the second cohort of the Future Ready with the Library project will meet face-to-face for a two-day orientation just before the ALA Midwinter meeting in Denver, Colorado. Read through the FAQ for more information about the project.

Order Free Health-Related Training and Educational Materials from the National Library of Medicine

As a public education service, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) provides useful printed and digital consumer information and educational materials for free to libraries in Minnesota. Their “Good Health Information on the World Wide Web” brochure directs users to sites that offer free, reliable and up-to-date health information on a variety of topics. The “Household Products Database Capability Brochure” informs consumers of an online guide providing easy-to-understand information about the potential health effects of ingredients contained in more than 14,000 common household products. A basic online order form makes it easy for you to request these high-quality print resources from NLM to distribute to your library patrons. Contact the National Network of Libraries of Medicine for more information.

New Minnesota Public Library Trustee Handbook available!

The Minnesota State Library Services has distributed copies of the new Public Library Trustee handbook. Check it out, read through it, and be sure you are sharing it with your trustees. All library people work with some sort of board; and though this one is aimed at public libraries, you can still get some good insights from this booklet.

Continue reading New Minnesota Public Library Trustee Handbook available!

Updates from State Library Services

Join Our Team
Do you have experience working with grants and with school libraries? Are you interested in helping libraries develop programs and services that support K-12 learners? If so, we may have just the job for you. State Library Services is hiring a Library Development and Services Specialist (LSTA Coordinator) who will manage our federal Library Services and Technology Act grant activities and lead activities that address the needs of school-age children and youth. Read more about the job at the State of Minnesota careers site (search Job ID 12160), and submit your application online by March 28. Please contact Jen Nelson (651-582-8791) with questions.

Library Service and Technology Act Funds
State Library Services typically announces a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) competitive grant round soon after we receive our annual Grants to States allotment from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). As you may be aware, the federal government, including IMLS, is operating under a Continuing Resolution for federal fiscal year 2017. We have received an LSTA Grants to States award for federal fiscal year 2017 that is based on the funds IMLS has available under the Continuing Resolution. The amount is less than usually received and IMLS has indicated that we will be notified after April 28, 2017 if any supplemental funds are available. Because the amount we received is reduced, we are postponing opening a competitive grant round until notification of a supplemental award is received. Please note that no current (state fiscal year 2017) grants or grant-funded projects are impacted. Please contact Jen Nelson (651-582-8791) with questions.

Meet Up with Other Librarians
The Libraries Serving Youth Meetup is an annual opportunity for school librarians and public librarians to meet, network and share ideas. This year, attendees will have a chance to connect, and develop creative ideas with colleagues around the topic of makerspaces.

School and public librarians are invited to join us at SPNN in Saint Paul (550 Vandalia Street, Suite 170) for the Meetup on Saturday, April 22, 2017, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., followed by an optional stop-motion animation workshop, 2-4 p.m. Register today for the Libraries Serving Youth Meetup. Attendees should plan to bring a bag lunch. You can also register for just the stop-motion animation workshop. Please contact Jen Verbrugge (651-582-8356) with questions.

Add Ebooks Minnesota Records to Your Catalog
Libraries now have an additional way to give their patrons access to Ebooks Minnesota: Minitex has MARC records available for the collection! Please let Minitex know how you’d like the content by completing this brief survey. They’ll provide you with information about accessing the records in a way that best suits your needs. For more information about the MARC records, please contact Minitex. For more information about Ebooks Minnesota, please contact Emily Kissane (651-582-8508).

Updates from MDE

Take Part in Regional Lexile Workshops for Librarians and Other Educators
In partnership with MetaMetrics (developers of the Lexile Framework), MDE is offering free professional Lexile workshops for librarians and other educators across the state. View the Lexile workshop flier with dates, locations, and other information, and then register for the Lexile workshop nearest you today.

A deeper understanding of Lexile measures can help you work more effectively with teachers and parents who are seeking materials based on Lexile levels. The workshops cover a number of topics including an overview of free Lexile resources and tools. CEUs will be available at the workshops.

Please contact Margarita Alvarez, Test Development supervisor, Statewide Testing, Minnesota Department of Education if you have questions about the workshops.

Updates from Our Partners

Check Out the New Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub
The Minnesota Historical Society recently released a new Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub as a Beta site. The new Hub brings together the Minnesota digital newspapers from the original Hub, the Historical Minneapolis Tribune newspapers, and new sets of digitized Minnesota newspaper titles—all in a new platform.

During the new Hub’s initial Beta period, the original Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub and the Historical Minneapolis Tribune websites will continue to be available. The Digital Newspapers at MNHS landing page explains the transition and provides the link for the new Hub.

Please contact the Minnesota Historical Society webmaster with your feedback about using the new Hub and/or connecting to the new Hub, original Hub, or the Historical Minneapolis Tribune. The webmaster will forward any communications on to the MNHS digital newspaper team.

Addressing Families Affected by Incarceration
With support from MDE through an LSTA grant, Hennepin County Library is offering a series of programs about families and incarceration.

Hennepin County Library invites educators and community members to a unique forum addressing the issue of families and incarceration. At the Brookdale Library (6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy, Brooklyn Center) on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, at 4:30 p.m., author Nora Raleigh Baskin will briefly talk about her book, Ruby on the Outside, a compassionate story about a young girl and her incarcerated mother. After Baskin’s presentation, a panel of local experts on the issue will share their experience and help participants develop strategies that can be applied in the classroom to help families affected by incarceration. Register today for the Educator Forum on Families Affected by Incarceration.

Additionally, Hennepin County Library is offering a series of programs from March through July on families and incarceration. Visiting authors include Howard Zehr, Maya Schenwar, and Shaka Senghor.

Please download and share the Families and Incarceration flier with more details about the forum and related events. If you have questions, please contact Daniel Marcou (612-543-8852).

Save the Date: Legal Information Training
The metro county law libraries and the State Law Library are hosting an educational program on Friday, April 21, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Shoreview branch of the Ramsey County Library.

Sessions will include:

  • Review of mncourts.gov with special emphasis on help topics, forms and a description of statewide self-help services
  • Overview of where to find probate and estate planning materials online
  • Program on criminal expungement
  • Session dealing with common landlord tenant issues
  • Exercise on where to find legal forms

All librarians are welcome, and registration information will be available closer to the event. Please contact Liz Reppe (651-297-2089) with questions.

Other News of Note

Leave No Child Hungry This Summer
The USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) helps fill meal gaps during the summer months for kids who rely on free or reduced-price meals during the school year. Second Harvest Heartland supports SFSP by building community awareness to increase participation. Your library can help hungry families find free meals in your community this summer. Second Harvest Heartland has free outreach materials without year-specific information so they can be distributed across multiple summers. You can request outreach materials for your library through the Second Harvest Heartland website.

Take Your Library Outside the Lines
Outside the Lines (OTL) provides a framework for libraries—no matter their size or type—to share their stories, connect with their communities in new and exciting ways, and shift perceptions of libraries everywhere. Celebrate OTL with your community Sept. 10-16, 2017.

Register your library to participate in OTL 2017. (If your organization participated in 2016, you can simply log in, update your existing profile and check the 2017 box to be included in this year’s festivities.) Registration will get you such things as new graphics and shareable content, webinars that focus on specific ways to make OTL work for your library, and updated examples and tips from participating libraries. For more information, visit the OTL website.

Updates from State Library Services

TO: Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: January 23, 2017
SUBJECT: Updates from State Library Services

Updates from State Library Services

Support Kindergarten Readiness Using Minnesota’s Newly Revised ECIPs
The complete revision of Minnesota’s Early Learning Standards: The Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPs)—including parent guides in English, Hmong, Spanish, Somali, Vietnamese and Russian—are now available on the MDE website. The ECIPs provide benchmarks for parents and care providers so they can know when a child is on track and identify if a child might need additional early learning supports. The language, literacy and communications ECIPs highlight how well the Every Child Ready to Read 2 curriculum supports early literacy learning. The ECIPs can also help you enhance your early learning programing and children’s play environments to support kindergarten readiness across all of the early learning domains, including approaches to learning, math, scientific thinking, the arts, social and emotional awareness, social systems and physical movements. Contact Jackie Blagsvedt (651-582-8805) for more information.

New E-Reader Users Need Your Help
If your patrons need help downloading ebooks to their brand-new e-readers, check out this handy resource featuring step-by-step access advice for major platforms and devices. The website is an ILEAD USA project designed by librarians in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. For more information, please contact Emily Kissane (651-582-8508).

Continue reading Updates from State Library Services

Updates from the State Library Services

state-library-services

Updates from State Library Services

Calling All Kid Filmmakers!
The deadline to submit films for the 2016-2017 90-Second Newbery Film Festival is January 7, 2017. Make sure you complete and send those films in! The third annual Minnesota screening of the best local entries is on Saturday, February 25, 2017, 3-4:30 p.m., at Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central. Mark your calendars and make your free reservation for the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. Co-hosts of the event will be James Kennedy (90-Second Newbery founder and middle grade author of The Order of Odd-Fish) and Kelly Barnhill (Minneapolis author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon). Please download and print a promotional poster to help spread the word about this popular event. For more details, please contact Jen Verbrugge (651-582-8356).

Tax Season Is Rapidly Approaching Order Outreach Materials Today
Your library probably receives at least a few questions about taxes during the tax season. State Library Services is working again with Prepare + Prosper’s statewide outreach campaign, Claim it!, and the Department of Revenue to provide your library with free resources and an informational webinar.

Order outreach materials from Prepare + Prosper for your library to help individuals find out if they qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit and to help them locate a free tax preparation site. Place your 2017 Claim it! order today to receive these free materials in time for tax season.

Prepare + Prosper and the Department of Revenue recently hosted a webinar for libraries with resources and information to help you during the 2017 tax season. Please contact Emily Kissane (651-582-8508) with questions or for the link to the archived recording. Continue reading Updates from the State Library Services