Tag Archives: Staffing

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Where Have the Media Specialists Gone in 2014?

This is the fourth year that CMLE has been pulling the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) data and studying the slow decline of school library media specialists in our CMLE twelve-county region. Sharing the data is our attempt to engage people in helping  think of solutions to this issue. If there is inadequate media specialist staffing in high schools, are students going to be prepared with the skills they need to be successful in college? Will middle schoolers be prepared to do high school work, and when students have no library program at school, are they simply going to the public library for assistance? Are the public libraries funded or staffed to absorb this work on a large scale? Everyone is stretched for resources, so it is critical that  K-12, public, and academic libraries all step up to do their part. Without further ado, here is data for Aitkin, Benton, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright counties. In a nutshell, the grim news is…..

  • 79 individual schools (41%) in Central MN have no licensed media specialist. This compares with 53 individual schools in 2013, and 48 in 2012.
  • 52% of the schools without a media specialist are middle, secondary, or high schools. A whopping 69% of secondary schools are functioning without licensed staff!
  • 38 elementary schools have no media specialist (compared to 28 in 2013), yet as far as I know, we are still focused statewide on demonstrating reading proficiency by 3rd grade!
  • 16 out of 52 districts (31%) have no media specialist in any school in the district. This compares to 14 in 2013, and 9 in 2012!
  • Is there any good news? Yes. The great news is that 36% of CMLE schools have a full time media specialist. Let’s applaud those school administrators for understanding the value of maintaining a professionally staffed media center.

According to public 2013-2014 MDE data, here are the CMLE school districts with no licensed media specialists in any school: Annandale, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Bertha Hewitt, Browerville, Eagle Valley, East Central, Foley, Kimball, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Maple Lake, McGregor, Onamia, Royalton, Staples-Motley, Swanville, and Willow River. Are parents in these districts aware of this issue?

CMLE will use this data in its advocacy work, in targeting its programming, and in working statewide to bring attention to this growing problem. How can we change this trend?  All Minnesota students deserve a high quality, K-12 academic experience that prepares them for the next step in their life. We need students to be able to proficiently use  the research process and to think critically about competing sources of information. These are key lifelong skills needed by all high-functioning members of society.

If you have comments, solutions, or ideas, please email me at papost@stcloudstate.edu

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

We've Learned: Library Staffing Updates

LightbulbWe’ve Learned….is designed to keep our readers informed about news concerning personnel in Central MN libraries/media centers. With 12 counties to monitor, we need your help! Please contact CMLE at any time you are aware of  staffing changes, job postings, awards, honors, accomplishments….you get the idea!

Changes in Library Staff

  • Mary O Dea is the new Emerging Technologies librarian in the SCSU Library
  • Karen Pundsack is the new Interim Executive Director of Great River Regional Library
  • Julianne Ninteman is the new Media Specialist at Talahi Elementary in St. Cloud.
  • Sara Martini, previously the  media specialist at Talahi Elementary is now at Westwood Elementary in St. Cloud.
  • Diane Crossley, Media Specialist, has moved from Lincoln to Clearview Elementary, Clear Lake
  • Jennifer Dahlstrom-Lage is the new Media Specialist at Lincoln Elementary, St. Cloud.
  • Gwen Toppe, is now the Media Specialist at Big Lake Middle and High School.
  • Krista Mohs is the new librarian at All Saints Academy in St. Joseph

Retirements

  • Sharon Lilke, Media Specialist, has retired from Big Lake Middle School
  • Jan Hasbrouck, Media Specialist, has retired from Westwood Elementary School

Others? What/who have we missed?

 

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/nwbfuhq, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

We've Learned: Retirements and Job Openings

We’ve Learned… is designed to keep our readers informed about news concerning personnel in Central MN libraries/media centers. Please keep CMLE informed of any “happenings” of staff members in your area so that we can include them in the next write-up! Happenings can include: staffing changes, job postings, awards, honors, accomplishments… you get the idea!

Retirements or Staffing Changes in Libraries/School Media Centers

  1. Fred Hill, Reference Librarian, Professor, SCSU Library
  2. Karen Thoms, Professor,  Informedia Services, SCSU Library

Can you help us fill in the blanks? We want all of your staffing changes big or small.  Schools literally “fall off our radar” if someone retires, their email is shut down, and we are unaware that we need to make contact with the new recruit in the Fall! Even if a new hire is unknown, our staff will give proper accolades to the retiree, and make contact with the new recruit to ensure each organization has access to needed services.  Please send staffing changes to cmle@stcloudstate.edu

 

Job Openings

  1. Full-time media specialist: Parker Elementary School, Elk River School District, needs a full-time elementary school teaching/media generalist. For the qualifications, description of the position, and online application process, go to http://tinyurl.com/lwhqklp

Please let us know if you are aware of other library/school media job opportunities in Aitkin, Benton, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright counties in Minnesota (the CMLE service area) Send information to cmle@stcloudstate.edu. Thank you!

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

We've Learned: Staffing News and Updates from Around the Region

We’ve Learned… is designed to keep our readers informed about news concerning personnel in CMLE libraries/media centers. Please keep us informed of any “happenings” regarding staff members in your area so that we can include them in the next write-up! Happenings can include: changes in staffing, awards, honors… you get the idea!

Honorable Staff Mentions

  • Joe Franklin, promoted to Access Services Manager, St. Cloud State University
  • CBS honors Jenny Hill, St. Michael Elementary, as an Excellent Educator

Job Postings

  • Elk River Schools has an opening for a district-wide Site Computer Technician . Deadline for applications is November 17th.
Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

We’ve Learned: Staffing News and Updates from Around the Region

Central MN Libraries Exchange
Central MN Libraries Exchange

We’ve Learned… is designed to keep our readers informed about news concerning personnel in CMLE libraries/media centers. Please keep us informed of any “happenings” regarding staff members in your area so that we can include them in the next write-up! Happenings can include: changes in staffing, awards, honors… you get the idea!

CMLE announces the following staffing changes in the region;

  • Annie Allen, Media Specialist, Elk River Area School District
  • Eric Hall, Library Technician-Circulation, St. Cloud State University, Learning Resources Services
  • Kelly K. Kraemer, Business Information & Outreach Librarian, College of St. Benedict’s
  • Laurie Conzemius, Media & Technology Integration, Park Rapids Area Schools
  • Laurie Muellenbach, Media Assistant, Pine Meadows Elementary, Sartell
  • Mary Ramacher, Library Technician-ILL, St. Cloud State University, Learning Resources Services
  • Rachel Dale, Media/Library Supervisor, Maple Lake High School
  • Roxanne Backowski, Library Technician-Circulation, St. Cloud State University, Learning Resources Services

Job announcements:

  • District Technician, Princeton Public Schools (ISD #477) Link
  • Technology Coordinator, Mora Public Schools (ISD# 332) Link