Tag Archives: state librarian

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

MN State Library Updates

state_mnTO: Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: November 20, 2014
SUBJECT: Web Page Updates, 90-Second Newbery and MNsure

State Library Services Web Page Updated
The State Library Services web page is a one-stop resource for many of State Library Services’ programs and activities. There, you’ll find resources for promoting the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival, an online form to request our Early Literacy and Keep Reading Fun bookmarks, and a link to more information about the statewide initiative to explore the future of e-books. You can also easily access information about library construction grants, LSTA grant opportunities, and statewide public library statistics.

Calling All Kid Filmmakers!
The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival is an annual video contest in which kid filmmakers make movies that creatively tell the entire stories of Newbery-winning books in ninety seconds or less. With the deadline to submit films set for December 20, 2014 (deadline extended to 1-16-2015 as of 12-11-2014), there’s only one month left to create. Please promote the opportunity to local kids and families through your library or school. Visit the State Library Services web page to download the logo, a sample press release, a flyer, a video invite from 90-Second Newbery founder James Kennedy, and more.

Mark your calendar for the first-ever Minnesota screening of the best 90-Second Newbery entries on Saturday, February 28, 2015, from 3:00-4:30 pm at Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central. Co-hosts of the event will be James Kennedy, founder and curator of the 90-Second Newbery, and Kelly Barnhill, Minneapolis author of The Witch’s Boy. For more details, please contact Jennifer Verbrugge, Library Program and Partnership Coordinator, at jennifer.verbrugge@state.mn.us or 651-582-8356.

MNsure Webinar for Libraries Available for Viewing
MNsure’s webinar on open enrollment is available for viewing on MNsure’s YouTube channel.  The session reviewed MNsure’s marketing, outreach, and operations for the current open enrollment period that runs through February 15, 2015. For more information or to request the webinar slides, please contact Emily Kissane at emily.kissane@state.mn.us or 651-582-8508.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Updates & Reminders from State Library Services

MDE logo retrieved online 12/17/13..

TO: Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: October 20, 2014
SUBJECT: MBTBL job opening, GCFLearnFree.org, LSTA Mini Grants due, MLA thanks and 90-Second Newbery

Position Opening at the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library
The Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library (MBTBL) is seeking qualified candidates for a full-time library technician. Located in Faribault, the MBTBL provides library services to individuals with a visual, physical or reading disability that prevents them from reading standard print materials. The vacancy announcement and application form may be found online at the My State Job Search website. The closing date for the position is October 23, 2014. For more information please contact Catherine Durivage at 507-384-6860 or catherine.durivage@state.mn.us.

Free 21st Century Skills Training Website: GCFLearnFree.org
Over the past decade, the Goodwill Community Foundation’s GCFLearnFree.org program has helped millions around the world learn the essential skills they need to live and work in the 21st century. From using Microsoft Office and email to reading, math, and more, the website offers more than 90 free, self-paced tutorials, including more than 1,000 lessons.

Please join us for an informational webinar on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 from 11 a.m. to noon. Get a virtual tour of the site and learn how other libraries have successfully used GCFLearnFree.org with their patrons. Preregistration is not required. View the webinar. If requested, enter your name and email address, then click “Join.”

For more information, please contact Jennifer Verbrugge at 651-582-8356 or jennifer.verbrugge@state.mn.us.

LSTA Mini Grant applications due November 5
State Library Services is pleased to offer two competitive mini grant opportunities — Playful Learning in Libraries and Expanded Learning through Libraries. With streamlined applications, mini grants are short term grant awards of up to $10,000 for projects taking place from approximately early January through September 30, 2015. Applications for both mini grant opportunities are due on November 5.

Playful Learning in Libraries mini grants are offered to bolster the capacity of public libraries to provide welcoming and engaging play-friendly spaces and experiences that engage children ages 0-8 and their parents/caregivers in play and learning. These projects will also ensure that early learners experience a variety of playful activities that support their growth across the six domains of Minnesota’s early childhood indicators of progress. For inspiration, see what was done at the Park Grove Library in Cottage Grove with a Playful Learning in Libraries mini grant. For more information about this opportunity, contact Jackie Blagsvedt at jacqueline.blagsvedt@state.mn.us or 651-582-8805.

Expanded Learning through Libraries mini grants are designed to support activity-based partnerships between schools and public libraries. The overarching goal is to increase organizational capacity to connect students with meaningful out-of-school time opportunities that improve literacy, academic achievement, college readiness and more. For more information about this opportunity, contact Jennifer Verbrugge at jennifer.verbrugge@state.mn.us or 651-582-8356.

Grant opportunity documents, including timelines, are available on MDE’s grants management site.

Great to See You at the MLA Conference!
State Library Services staff members Jen Nelson, Jackie Blagsvedt and Jen Verbrugge enjoyed connecting with you at the MLA Conference. Thanks to all who attended the programs we presented and chatted with us about your libraries. Please continue the conversation — feel free to contact any State Library Services staff member by email or phone. We love to hear from you!

Calling All Kid Filmmakers!
The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival is an annual video contest in which kid filmmakers make movies that creatively tell the entire stories of Newbery-winning books in ninety seconds or less. Making the film is a fun, creative and multi-faceted educational exercise. Kids write, storyboard, produce, act, frame and edit. James Kennedy, the founder and curator of the 90-Second Newbery, made his own 90-second movie about the 90-Second Newbery inviting you to take part.

Public librarians, school librarians, homeschool parents and teachers are encouraged to work with their kids to make movies. The deadline to submit films is December 20, 2014 (deadline extended to 1-16-2015 as of 12-11-2014). Inspiration and more information can be found on the 90-Second Newbery website. Want to make a 90-Second Newbery video, but are daunted by the project? Download this handy guide of tips, tricks, and strategies.

Mark your calendar for the first-ever Minnesota screening of the best local entries on Saturday, February 28, 2015, from 3:00-4:30 pm at Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central. Co-hosts of the event will be James Kennedy and Kelly Barnhill, Minneapolis author of The Witch’s Boy. For more details, please contact Jennifer Verbrugge at jennifer.verbrugge@state.mn.us or 651-582-8356.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

State Library Services Updates

MDE logo retrieved online 12/17/13..
MDE logo retrieved online 12/17/13..

TO: Minnesota Libraries
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: March 31, 2014
SUBJECT: State Library Services Update

New State Library Program Specialist, Edge Initiative

New Staff at State Library Services

I’m delighted to announce that Emily Kissane has accepted the position of State Library Program Specialist at State Library Services beginning April 16, 2014. Emily has a wealth of experience that will make a decided contribution to State Library Services. After a six-year stint as a reference and information technology librarian at Gustavus Adolphus College, she moved into the area of educational policy.

In addition to other roles, she served as a policy analyst at the Minnesota Office of Higher Education from 1999-2009, administering statewide technology and library programs, including Minitex, MnLINK and the Learning Network of Minnesota. She developed a depth of knowledge about the needs of greater Minnesota through an assignment as the interim executive director of Minnesota Rural Partners and as a policy analyst for rural school districts.

More recently, her work has focused on higher education policy with an emphasis on research, writing and communications. In addition to an MLS from the University of Iowa, Emily earned an MA in Public Policy from the Humphrey Institute where her thesis dealt with market structure and state funding of K-12 education in Minnesota.

In her role at State Library Services, Emily will administer regional public and multicounty multitype library aid programs, the Public Library Accessibility and Improvement Grant program and will serve as e-rate coordinator for public libraries.

The Edge Initiative

The Edge is a new initiative that offers public libraries an opportunity to assess public access technology services and the tools to make improvements to better serve communities. Read more about The Edge. The initiative launched in January with a randomly selected group of libraries from each state; randomly selected Minnesota libraries were notified of their selection in mid-January. In addition to the randomly selected libraries, State Library Services can offer free access to an additional 15 libraries in 2014, with assessment activities taking place between May and  August. Please let me know if you would like to be considered for participation and I will send you more detailed information.

For more information about State Library Services or this information, contact Jennifer Nelson at 651-582-8791 or jennifer.r.nelson@state.mn.us.

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

Upcoming Library Trainings & Grants

MDELogoTO: Minnesota Library Staff
FROM: State Library Services
DATE: January 30, 2014
SUBJECT: Proquest Training, Public Library Annual Report Training, Department of Commerce Programs, Legal Information Training, Library Services and Technology Act and 21st Century Grants

Upcoming Library Training and Grant Opportunities

Proquest Digital Historical Minneapolis Tribune (1867-1922) Webinars

The Historical Minneapolis Tribune is a great resource for local history, genealogy and History Day research. Bi-monthly webinars will help you increase your skills and knowledge. One-hour sessions are currently scheduled through March 2014.  February and March sessions will be held:

  • Wednesday, February 5, 2014, 2–3 p.m.
  • Tuesday,  March 4, 2014, 12 noon–1 p.m.
  • Tuesday, March 11, 2014, 5–6 p.m.

Preregistration is not required. Login instructions and the full list of webinars are available on Proquest’s Training website. For more information, or to request a reasonable accommodation to participate in these events, contact Jennifer Verbrugge at 651-582-8356 or jennifer.verbrugge@state.mn.us.

Public Library Annual Report Training

Data collection for the 2013 Public Library Statistical Survey will get underway on February 3, 2014. The collection period will close on Tuesday, April 1, 2014. State Library Services and Counting Opinions are offering a webinar to provide an introduction to the process and offer instruction in data entry.  While this session is likely of most interest to individuals who have never used LibPAS, it may also serve as a good refresher. The training webinar  will be held on Thursday, February 6, 2014, 1–2 p.m., and pre-registration is not required.

Counting Opinions will also offer a special training session on using LibPAS to create reports.  Reports can document your libraries’ annual activity in any area reported on, as well as identify trends over time. The session is scheduled for Friday, February 7, 2014, 11 a.m. –12 noon. Pre-registration is not required. Please enter the webinar by typing in your name. E-mail Jennifer Nelson jennifer.r.nelson@state.mn.us to let her know if you or other staff at your library are interested but unable to attend, as other sessions may be scheduled.

Contact Mary Ann Van Cura maryann.vancura@state.mn.us to request a reasonable accomodation to participate. Note: The Minnesota Department of Education requires advance notice to provide the requested accomodation and a 48-hour notice to cancel requested accomodation.

Legal Information Training at Your Public Library

Do you dread getting asked legal questions? The State Law Library can help! State Law Librarian Liz Reppe can visit your library and talk to the librarians or the public about finding legal information. Classes can be tailored to a particular area of law, and Liz can provide recommendations related to your library’s collection. In the alternative, she can present a class on how to find people using free Web resources. The State Law Library serves the whole state.  Legal reference questions from librarians or patrons can be directed to the library via e-mail (askalibrarian@courts.state.mn.us) or by phone at 651-297-7651. To set up a library visit, contact Liz Reppe at 651-297-2089 or liz.reppe@courts.state.mn.us.

Department of Commerce Programming Opportunities

Bring the expertise of the Minnesota Department of Commerce to programming in your library. Commerce Department outreach staff will speak for free on topics ranging from avoiding scams and frauds to saving money through energy conservation. Sessions are available for all ages, preschoolers to seniors. Work with Commerce Department staff to customize presentations based on the specific interests and needs of your patrons. Sessions last one hour, which includes time for questions. There is no limit to attendance size. All you need to provide is a meeting room and a connection to the internet as well as assistance with publicizing the events. For more information about available programs and scheduling, contact Jennifer Verbrugge at 651-582-8356 or jennifer.verbrugge@state.mn.us.

Library Services and Technology Act Competitive Grant Round

Now’s the time to start thinking about how grant funds can help your library. State Library Services will open a Library Services and Technology Act competitive grant round by Tuesday March 4, 2014. We anticipate that applications will be due April 22, 2014, for projects taking place between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015.

An informational webinar will be held on Friday, March 7, 1–2 p.m.; advance registration is not required. Access the webinar site. Please contact Jackie Blagsvedt at Jacqueline.blagsvedt@state.mn.us or 651-582-8805 for more information or to request a reseasonable accomodation.  Note: The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) requires a two-week advance notice in order to provide the requested accommodation and requires a 48-hour notice to cancel a requested accommodation.

21st Century Community Learning Grant Program

The Minnesota Department of Education is seeking applications from eligible applicants—Minnesota schools, school districts, non-profit agencies, city or county government agencies, faith-based organizations, institutions of higher education and for profit-corporations—who seek funding for establishing, sustaining and/or enhancing community learning centers statewide as part of the 21st Century Community Learning Grant Program. The resources are intended to be used to provide a wide range of high-quality enrichment opportunities that complement the regular academic program of students during times when school is not in session, including before and after school, evenings, school release days and summer.

The department estimates the initial grant period will be from August 1, 2014, until July 31, 2017, with anticipated extensions up to two additional years contingent upon progress and continued funding. Please visit the Grant Opportunity Web page and scroll down to this grant opportunity for the application documents. The application (cover sheet, assurances, narrative, forms and budget documents) must be received (not postmarked by) Monday, March 10, 2014, 4:30 p.m. CST.

For more information or to sign up for this listserve, please contact Jennifer R. Nelson at 651-582-8791 or jennifer.r.nelson@state.mn.us.