Updates from State Library Services

Welcome, Leah!

State Library Services is excited to welcome Leah Larson as our new LSTA Coordinator. Leah most recently worked for the Perpich Center at the Crosswinds Arts & Science School Library, providing resource support for faculty and students, as well as educators around the state through Perpich Outreach. She has an MLIS from the University of St. Catherine, and is a certified Minnesota K-12 media specialist. Leah taught ESL, Special Education, and Language Arts for grades 1-8 at public schools in Minnesota, Texas, and New York, and was a media specialist in Richfield prior to starting at Perpich. She has led numerous professional development workshops and cohorts for teachers and media specialists on equity in education, and literature as a lens for teaching and learning about culture. In addition to her work with LSTA, Leah will bring her school library expertise to a number of different projects. Leah can be contacted at leah.larson@state.mn.us or 651-582-8805.

Updates from Our Partners

Measures that Matter Webinar: Moving Toward More Meaningful Measures

Circulation, visits, program attendance, patron satisfaction…these are some of the many measures commonly collected by public librarians. But how well do we understand what measures tell the most meaningful stories of today’s libraries? During the first webinar in the three-part Measure that Matter series, the landscape of major public library surveys was scanned, and ways to consider how library data could be used more productively in the future were considered. The second webinar explored more deeply the concepts of sampling, data types, and data management. The third webinar will look toward the future, considering what data public librarians should collect to demonstrate their impact. Speakers both within and outside the library field will provide multiple perspectives on meaningful measures. Register today to attend the webinar.

Save the Date: Capturing Imaginations, Building Skills Conference

The Minnesota STEM Network and Ignite Afterschool are teaming up again to offer their second joint conference. The two-day event November 29-30, 2017, at the University of Minnesota Continuing Education Conference Center, will bring people together to ensure every young person in Minnesota has access to high-quality STEM education and an opportunity to build 21st century skills. Join us as we investigate, connect, and advance formal and informal STEM education and workforce development. We will share registration information and the request for session proposals when they are available later this summer.