Tag Archives: Service

Resources

Seeking library people to help students!

The ULS Professional Development Committee is seeking librarians from lower socioeconomic backgrounds that work with students from similar backgrounds, as well as libraries that have programs/services especially for students from low income families.

We are looking for your help in delivering a program that addresses questions such as: How can librarianship encourage students from disadvantaged economic backgrounds to become librarians? How can librarianship help alleviate the financial obstacles to completing a MLS to not only help lower income students but underpaid library staff become librarians? How can librarians from low income backgrounds help and provide services for low income students on campus?

If interested, please e-mail Grace Kaletski (gkaletsk@stetson.edu).

 

Academic, Check this out:, Special, Training

What’s RUSA and how can it help you?

RUSA Logo
helping people is what they do!

CMLE Headquarters wants to give you all the tools that you need to be successful in our ever-changing profession!Having support around our system is helpful, and reaching out to professional organizations across Minnesota and across the country can help you to be stronger, better, and more efficient in your daily work. Working in a library is tough!! We want to help you make it as easy as possible.

This is a webinar from RUSA to help you get acquainted with their work. Tune in live if you can; or you can check out the video replay later. Continue reading What’s RUSA and how can it help you? →

Check this out:, General, Resources, Training

Stress-Busting Therapy Dogs!

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Fancy dog
clearly a hard worker, at being mellow

We have talked about the great work dogs do in libraries to help kids with their reading, and some of you already have these dogs hard at work in your library.

This month, as we look at ways to mange stress in our libraries and workplaces, we wanted to look at dogs again; this time looking at pups who work to help bust stress! An increasingly popular activity in academic libraries, especially as the semester wraps up, therapy dogs provide a tool for libraries to help their communities to be successful in their work.

Continue reading Stress-Busting Therapy Dogs! →

Academic, Check this out:, Public, School Media Specialist, Services, Special

Call for ALA panel participation!

performance-appraisals
Let’s share some ideas!

We want to be sure you have access to all the library news and events out there, so will periodically pass on things that may be relevant to you. This is a call for people who can share their innovative strategies for good library service when resources are tight! The ALA Annual meeting will be in Chicago – hopefully close enough that some people can attend to take part in a HUGE library event!! If there is enough interest, CMLE will rent a van to drive people there, and back at the end of the conference.

This kind of event can be a valuable part of your professional life (and it’s always fun!); so start thinking of some strategies now for your own attendance! Participation in a panel like this one or others we will pass on as they arise, or creating a poster to share, can be a great way to give back to the profession – as well as good justification for attending!

No matter what you do in the library field, there will be something for you at the ALA Annual Conference. With a general attendance of about 25,000 people, there are people there who like what you like and do what you do! There will also be webinars and materials available for people who are #ALALeftBehind; so you do not need to attend physically to get the benefits!

See call for participation below: Continue reading Call for ALA panel participation! →

Check this out:, General, Public, Resources, School Media Specialist, Services, Special

Libraries lending musical instruments

A photo by Roberta Sorge. unsplash.com/photos/PN_c3RKCVlA
Make some music with your library!

The days of libraries only checking out books have long passed. Libraries serve so many vital functions in their communities, and are open to learning from their patrons what types of services and programs would be most valuable. This has led to libraries checking out neck ties to job searchers (check out CMLE’s post on the subject) and now, to the Vancouver Public Library opening their Sun Life Financial Musical Instrument Lending Library.

This article from Public Libraries Online describes some of the instruments available (they are mainly stringed instruments and hand drums) like acoustic guitars, ukuleles, and bongos. The library hopes to gain more instruments to share with the public during their instrument drive.

The way it works is that a person can borrow one instrument at a time for 21 days, and if no one else has made a request for the instrument, they are able to renew their instrument up to two times. However, that opportunity won’t come for awhile – the article shares how only three days after the Vancouver Public Library launched the Instrument Lending Library, every instrument was checked out, with a wait list of up to 70 patrons for some instruments! Hopefully the instrument drive is successful and the library will be able to acquire more instruments to share with the public.

Looking for more libraries that offer musical instruments? Take a look at the Toronto Public Library, Forbes Library in MA, the Free Library of Philadelphia, and the Ann Arbor District Library which loans out a variety of music-related tools.