On October 5-6th, from 9-6 pm, you can join hundreds of book lovers. Sift through rows and stacks of materials on the hunt for missing pieces to your personal and/or professional collections.
Tip: If you plan to attend on behalf of your library, consider bringing a helper to watch over your finds. Also, if you intend on making several purchases, bring a cart to do the heavy carrying so you can keep your hands free.
As promised, this week we resume our CMLE communication streams! This means that CMLE staff cull through hundreds of library news items each week and pick the news we hope is most important to you. Hopefully, we offer a “manageable bite” of national, state, and regional library news and resources to academic, public, school and special library staff. Our goal is to provide opportunities to learn something new while also helping everyone feel connected to the larger library world. We share the chosen items through a weekly email message (like the one you are reading) which feeds our blog (www.cmleinfofeed.wordpress.com), Facebook (Central Minnesota Libraries Exchange) and Twitter (@CMLEMN) accounts. We use all of these options so we can connect with you where you are, when you have the time! This way, you have four possible ways of connecting with us for this information! And, by using the comment feature in three of these tools, you can interact with us and other library staff in our region. Sometimes CMLE staff will ask for your preferences for future news or programming, so please help us by using the comment feature. This year we hope to include very short polls too if that is most efficient. Too shy to go public with a comment? Or, are you wondering about how to share staffing changes in your library? Or, do you have a specific service need? Or, do you have a story to share with us to include in the Weekly Review? Email us at cmle@stcloudstate.edu or call us at 320-308-2950.
Patricia Post, Director
Central MN Libraries Exchange (CMLE) A Minnesota Multitype Library System
St. Cloud State University, Miller Center 130-D
720 4th Ave. So.
St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498
Phone: 320-308-4779 Fax: 320-308-5131 E-mail: papost@stcloudstate.edu
Clockman! Photo by Sean MacEntee Retrieved from Flickr used under Creative Commons license
*Information in this post was submitted by Nancy Walton, State Librarian, Minnesota Department of Education (MDE).
The Minnesota Department of Education and St. Olaf College invite educators, out-of-school time professionals, and all other interested community members to the 2013 It’s About Time! Innovative Learning Time Conference. This conference will be held 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, June 21, 2013, at St. Olaf College Buntrock Commons. The conference aims to help communities collaborate to create richer, more effective learning environments both inside the school day and through out-of-school and summer learning opportunities. Keynote presentations will include:
Dr. Rose Chu, Interim Dean, School of Urban Education, Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, on more, deeper learning during the school day;
Bob Seidel, Senior Policy Director of the National Summer Learning Association, on stronger, connected learning during out-of-school time;
Dr. Eric Jolly, President of the Science Museum of Minnesota, on whatever it takes to close learning gaps; and
Father Tim Manatt, S.J., President of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Minneapolis, on innovation in college and career partnerships from high school through college graduation.
Breakout sessions and small group discussions will provide participants the opportunity to focus on their particular interests in greater depth.
This week CMLE interviewed Nancy Lorentz, Media Specialist at Becker High School. We offer this best practice under our Strategic Focus Area of Stretching Dollars!
Becker High School TechSquad Representatives
We have all seen the commercials for the Minnesota based company Best Buy and their trendy and beloved “Geek Squad” on television. These seemingly knowledgeable computer support teams are available on-site and on-line to help answer questions and trouble shoot technology woes.
Nancy Lorenz is overseeing a no cost/low cost technology solution to stretch her library dollars. Her squadron of savvy tech support is being culled from the classroom. In 2011, Becker added 900 iPads to their inventory in preparation of the launch of a 1:1 iPad Initiative. Nancy began searching for assistance from among the high school student body through National Honor Society’s Facebook page and the current Student Teaching Assistants (TAs). The students focused on trouble shooting ways to synch large numbers of iPads, research and learn about educational apps and finally, inventory, label and distribute equipment. Since then, Nancy has developed a course for the “TechSquad” assigning tasks such as creating iPad specific tutorials about set-up, apps, and programs. They have now morphed into providing software updates, troubleshooting air printing issues; and assisting with email, writing work orders, inventorying equipment and performing basic maintenance. Bringing this service front and center, this coming year Nancy will designate a corner in the Media Center as an iPad help desk, staffed in the afternoon by the student TechSquad.
Nancy responds to our questions:
Q: What are the qualifications to become a member of the TechSquad-STAC? We are expanding the TechSquad/TA model into STAC (Student Technology Advisory Committee) which will be grades 6 – 12, beginning this spring headed by Ryan Cox, our district technology coordinator. I chose sophomores and juniors from former and current TechSquad kids.
Q: Do you limit the number of students?
The high school has ten members on STAC – one junior, three sophomores and six freshmen. I chose more of the younger students because they are more excited and have more time than the older students. We used the school’s History Day projects to identify freshmen that showed the greatest interest in technology.
Q: How is their time compensated?
We plan to allow the STAC students to keep their iPads through the summer so that they can come up with new and awesome ways to use it for education. When they come in during the summer to help with iPads we will pay them with pizza and flavored water.
Q: Do students receive on the job training? I do my best to train my TechSquad and TAs to behave professionally when working in the media center. It is important that they never make another student feel stupid for asking for help. I have a Moodle site for my TechSquad that I plan to turn into an actual course when I have time. I’m not sure that all of the current freshmen STAC members will work in the media center as TechSquad or TAs, as some may not have time in their schedules. I’m hoping that when it all shakes out, those students who we choose for STAC will take the TechSquad independent study class at least once per year. Regardless, we will meet with them once per month after school, and they will come in to help when needed in the summer.
Q: What was/were the motivating factor(s) that contributed to the school’s/district’s decision to solicit help with technology from students? Our district had actually cut four of my ten extra days the summer we received the iPads and did the same for our tech assistants and media assistants. We had no other choice but to have students help – we are still fighting to get enough tech hours to handle the extra work the 1:1 brings. I only see the TechSquad class growing.
Q: How has the program helped your library specifically? I think having student workers in the library has made it more welcoming – kids think it’s cool to work in the library, and I am getting plenty of great students who want to belong to the TechSquad or work as TAs.
Q: Final thoughts!
I’m hoping that, moving forward, these students will be trained to provide tech assistance to teachers as well as other students. I have had TechSquad students go into classrooms and demonstrate iMovie for specific projects – I would like that aspect of the program to grow.
Becker High School Tech Squad Representatives
Technology is similar to sports in that it reaches across disciplines. Think of how this can continue to enhance your relationships with teachers across subject areas.
Tip: Identify possible programs for you to engage students in your media center. Seek out distinctive ways to spotlight technologically savvy students in your schools (name tags, locker signs, personalized attire, dedicated section in the school yearbook, etc.) to ignite participation from the student body.
Fun Fact: Did you know that Geek Squad employees are referred to as “agents” and assigned titles similar to those used by intelligence agencies, i.e. Counter Intelligence Agent (CIA). Their uniforms are also indicative of investigative professionals (white sleeve shirt, logo pin, black shoes, etc.)
**This legislative update was originally written by Elaine Keefe, lobbyist for MLA/MEMO, slight modifications by Patricia Post** (Received on Thursday, May 16, 2013 11:08 AM)
The House conferees for the Legacy bill were appointed on Thursday , May 16th.
Legacy Funding Background: The House Legacy bill passed on the floor on Friday (10th). The Senate Legacy bill was unveiled in the Senate Legacy Subcommittee on Thursday (9th). It includes $300,000 per year for the Minnesota Digital Library (the amount requested) and $1 million per year for regional public libraries. This is a huge reduction from the $3 million per year currently allocated to regional public libraries. Senator Dick Cohen, chair of both the Senate Finance Committee and the Legacy Subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee, has historically opposed Legacy funding for libraries. His position has been that only those who advocated for the constitutional amendment should share in the funds generated. Other recipients can be viewed as interlopers, including libraries. Senator Cohen’s goal has been that 50% of the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund is to be allocated to the State Arts Board. Currently about 43% is allocated to the State Arts Board. The Senate bill includes a provision requiring that in the future 50% of the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund shall be allocated to the State Arts Board. The initial version of the Senate Legacy bill distributed the funds to regional public libraries under the RLBSS formula, as has been done the past two biennia. I subsequently spoke with Senator Cohen and he agreed to amend the bill to change the formula in accordance with the MLA/MEMO platform and to require that the funds be distributed in 10 equal payments. That amendment was adopted on Friday (10th) and the bill was passed out of the subcommittee.
Please contact the Conferees and urge them to support the House position on Legacy funding for regional public libraries.
The House maintains the current funding level of $3 million per year, whereas the Senate reduces it to $1 million per year.
Capitol Hill Associates
525 Park Street, Suite 310
St. Paul, MN 55103
office 651-293-0229
fax 651-293-1709
cell 612-590-1244 elaine@capitolhillassoc.com
Partnering with libraries for visioning, advocating, and educating
