Minnesota Library Legislative Day 2015Early Registration is Open!
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Tag Archives: MLA
MILE 2015 applications due
The Institute for Leadership Excellence (MILE), a subunit of MLA, is looking for applications for its 2015 leadership conference and program.
MILE helps you discover the leader within yourself and learn to lead effectively today—even if your current position is not one of leadership. During the four-day conference, selected participants spend their days in an intimate conference setting with 24 other emerging library leaders from across the state. – MLA MILE website.
With a December 1st deadline, apply now to develop your leadership skills and network in the library community.
Want to be a library leader mentor? You can apply too. Applications for mentors are due January 15, 2015.
A CMLE scholarship of up to $200 can be used for MILE. The application process is easy, so go for it!
MLA Conference Recap
As the legion of librarians descended on Mankato, MN for the 2014 MLA conference, there was excitement in the air. Several commented on how they couldn’t quite believe that they had physically disengaged from their workplace, but having done so, felt excited about two days of learning.
The event began with keynote speakers Tiffany Eatman Allen and Susanne Markgren. They focused on simple and painless steps to add professional development into (and change up) library careers. They engaged the audience in live polling, and offered a rich resource list too.
- Their presentation includes ten professional development action steps along with the results of the live polls.
- While the presentation is good, they also shared a wonderful pdf authored by Educause titled, Creating a Professional Development Plan, which is enormously helpful in many ways. It includes skills and values assessment check lists, which can help you focus on the type of job you may thrive in! It also includes helpful exercises in forming an action plan for further developing yourself.
- Got a question you want to ask about your library career? Tiffany and Susanne are part of the Library Career People team, so use their web form to get their advice!
- Follow them on Twitter: @LibCareerPeople
Other Helpful Conference Links and Takeaways:
- Breakout Session on Diversity in Books produced a content site. Need more? Try the We Need Diverse Books website!
- Presenter Handouts: http://www.mnlibraryassociation.org/?PresenterHandouts
- Evaluation: http://www.mnlibraryassociation.org/surveys/?id=2014_ConfEval
- Twitter: Follow the #mnlib14 conversation at http://bit.ly/ZI1yT6
Session participants were asked to sum up the 23 Mobile Things program in one word or phrase.
- “Refreshing, invigorating!”
- “Much better than a poke in the eye” (spoken by a possible luddite!)
- “23 Mobile Things keep you 23 steps ahead of your patrons.” That’s the idea folks….
https://twitter.com/valeriehorton/status/519959132242472960
Are you sad that you were unable to register for, or finish the 23 Mobile Things program last year? No worries, due to popular demand, we will be doing a second round of the program beginning in mid-January 2015. Now is a great time to get a strategy for securing a mobile device so you can easily do the program. Put that smart phone or tablet on your Christmas list soon!
Why Go to a Library Conference?
The Information and Technology Educators of MN (ITEM, previously MEMO) conference is thundering down the calendar toward us beginning the first week in October. Then, during the second week in October, the Minnesota Library Association (MLA) Conference crops up! Are you registered?
Ideally, you are able to attend a library conference of some form at least once a year. If you have a job that counts on you staying up-to-date, a conference is a great way to sharpen your skill set. I understand that professional development dollars are tight, but think beyond the dollars for a moment. Faced with incredibly big jobs, high work expectations beyond what we thought possible, and a world of fast-paced change, why go to a MN library conference?
Here are my Top 10 Reasons to Register for the ITEM or MLA Fall Conferences Now….
- You have an excuse to buy a cool outfit, a new pair of shoes, or gasp…a new bag (even though you have hundreds)
- Informal conversations: Whether it be at a lunch table, in the commons area between sessions, or over cocktails at happy hour, a conference is an excellent place to figure out what your peers are worried about, working on, and thinking about. Be brave, strike up a conversation! You can save yourself a ton of time and work by talking to others who will share.
- Bags: While in the exhibit area, you have the opportunity to collect yet more bags for your collection of hundreds; some that include cat portraits!
- Free books: many companies are handing out free advanced copies of books!
- Do you hate talking on the phone with sales people, but need some new products, pricing, or information? Bribe a colleague to go with you (for the free candy) to the exhibit areas, and plan ahead of time how you will exit any sales talk that has gone far enough. Tag teams rule!
- Authors: Library conferences always include author talks, and we do love anything an author has to say!
- Eyeglasses: Have I mentioned that librarians also love to show off their hip eyewear, and why is it that most of us are almost blind?
- Keynotes: Conference planners think long and hard to bring in big names and popular folk that have appeal, and it is rare to be thoroughly disappointed, very rare!
- Breakout sessions: There are usually so many to pick from, that you often have a hard time. Me, I intentionally look for the rooms bursting at the seams with people. I want to know what everyone is so geeked up about! If it is something I know very little about, I really should be there! Am hoping for a session on Cosplay.
- The evening social event: You will have a blast and get to know the playful side of people. In the past, the multitype library systems (CMLE is one of them) offered a trivia event, this year at both conferences we are hosting a gaming night, literary games no less, with prizes and bragging rights too! Did I mention free food? Can it get better? Geeks rule….
What have I missed? Add it in the comments! Ready to register now?
Go to our handy events table, and click on the appropriate event link to register! Easy…
No Money? A CMLE scholarship of up to $200 is yours to use for registration, hotel, mileage, meals, or to subsidize the cost of your employer hiring a substitute worker so you can be away. If you approach your boss to say you have found a way to contribute $200, they will know you are invested and have taken initiative. The application process is easy, CMLE would love to exhaust its scholarship budget this year on these two conferences alone, so go for it!
Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/o4jqtd7, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Mindfulness in Librarianship
In an earlier post, I mentioned a thread of programming at the fall MLA Conference about mindfulness and reflective thinking, as it relates to librarians. This idea keeps coming back to me. From a review of the literature, and from conversations with librarians embracing mindfulness, I believe it has value to our practice. Professional and personal growth can increase if we slow down and take the time to understand mindfulness. A few key things to consider about this concept include:
- If we embrace a state of being aware, focused and present in the moment, we can reduce job-related stress and improve the quality of library services.
- Multitasking is finally being questioned, and not necessarily valued as it was in the past.
- “Monkey-mind syndrome” describes a state of being where thoughts continually flit in and out of our minds. This is often caused by too much multitasking or by continually shifting gears or changing priorities without tools to manage it.
- In MLA president Kristen Mastel’s article about mindful librarianship (see end of post), she talks about “beginner’s mind” and the challenges of achieving beginners mind. As you may guess, it is harder to achieve this state when you have been in positions for long periods of time.
- Mindfulness can be used anywhere or anytime, making it the ultimate mobile device!
As we embark on the 23 Mobile Things program in mid-January, CMLE staff will inject a mindfulness thread in the program, to help participants manage their focus and enhance their learning outcomes.
Mastel ends her article by saying, “Mindful librarianship—practiced with awareness, intention, and open mind, and a spirit of compassion—could make the difference in the success of our students, our profession, and ourselves. Read the full article: Insights and Practical Tips on Practicing Mindful Librarianship to Manage Stress