Holiday Info for Interlibrary Loan Staff

The University of Minnesota will closed from Dec. 24, 2010 until Jan. 2, 2011. Minitex will be maintaining essential services and have some staff working in the office Dec. 28-30. Outside of those Minitex hours nobody will be monitoring the MnLINK ILL list for reports of problems with the MnLINK Gateway or VDX. Through our public lists we have directed people to contact their ILL dept. should they encounter MnLINK problems. If your ILL dept. is closed during this period you may want to have someone else hold this information.

If there is a system problem you will need to contact OCLC support to report the problem. You can contact OCLC support at the following number.

800-848-5878 ext. 1415

After they connect you to the extension, tell them you are calling on behalf of MnLINK and describe your problem.

Jobs & Small Business Webinar

WebJunction and MELSA kick off free Jobs and Small Business Webinar Series on January 27

Starting in January and extending through May, WebJunction will be hosting a series of webinars produced by MELSA, the Metropolitan Library Service Agency in Minnesota, on topics related to serving the workforce in your community. The first event in this new Jobs and Small Business Webinar Series will focus on Understanding Unemployment Insurance and Its Impact On Your Customers.

This webinar will take place on January 27, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. We will be joined by an Unemployment Insurance Specialist from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, who will explain out how the service works. In addition, Alice Neve, Public Service Manager at St. Paul Public Library, will describe how your library can support UI customers. Using her library as an example, she will describe how to collaborate with local UI offices, analyze challenges and implement solutions throughout your library system. This webinar is free and open to all.

Go here to register. Use the timezone converter to find the time in your local timezone.

Book Fair at Mountain Iron Buhl High School

The public is invited to a Holiday Scholastic Book Fair, sponsored by the
MIB Student Council, Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 13th & 14th from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The Mt. Iron-Buhl Junior/Senior High School Book Fair will be located in the High School Library, door #4. Proceeds support the school libraries! Reading Saves the Day!
For more information, check out the website.

Public Libraries & the Internet

Public Libraries and the Internet State Profiles is a great resource available to library staff for state and national data on library use for employment, e-government, and community access to internet, technology and information in ready to go handout format. Find the data you want and easily turn it into a pdf file.

Minnesota iTunes U

Governor Tim Pawlenty announced today the availability of professional development and classroom resources for teachers on iTunes U, a dedicated area within the iTunes Store .

“After parents, teachers are the most important factor in the success of our children at school,” Governor Pawlenty said. “Through Q Comp, and iTunes U, we are giving teachers more tools and incentives to be even better.”

While the press release did not specify an exact link for Minnesota on iTunes, I did find one available via Twitter. From someone tweeting as the Minnesota Department of Education, the tweet reads :

"Minnesota on iTunes U brings education beyond the classroom & allows students & teachers to learn anywhere, anytime http://ht.ly/3lZc2"

Clicking on the shortened web link given above will load the Minnesota iTunes info on your already installed iTunes application so you can see what is available.

Coming Attraction: Journey Stories

Journey Stories is a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution that opened in May 2009 in Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, North Dakota and Oklahoma. The exhibition explores the mobile nature of Americans -- why we move, how we move, and what that says about us. In tours coordinated by state humanities councils, the exhibition will visit up to 30 states and 180 communities through 2015. From Ellis Island to the Orphan Trains, come learn the stories of our immigrant ancestors.

It's coming to the Minnesota Discovery Center (formerly known as Ironworld) January 29, 2011 in cooperation with the Minnesota Humanities Center.

Update: Minnesota Library Futures Initiative

Wondering what the latest is from the Minnesota Library Futures Initiative? The Minnesota Library Futurists hit the ground running after the successful kickoff event with Michael Rogers and Christine Lind Hage on October 18^th. The 23 participants have been busy getting to know one another, while also developing a plan for focus areas, upcoming meetings, and other logistics.

The Futurists will meet once a month as a large group to discuss, think, and learn about the following focus areas: collaboration, Minnesota in 2025, technology, marketing and promotion, education and information literacy, and organizational structure/physical and virtual spaces. At the end of the series, the group will revisit collaboration and look at Minnesota Libraries in 2025. The timeline will allow for careful examination of all topics, and will be flexible to construct outcomes.

The last meeting, held on November 19^th, focused on collaboration in libraries. The guest speaker was Chris Olson, MELSA’s Executive Director. Olson shared tips for the collaborative process, and tied them to examples from his own collaborative work. The group would like to thank Olson for his contribution to the day. The remainder of the day was used to develop a plan for going forward. With the help of Facilitator, Donna Rae Scheffert, the Futurists agreed on the aforementioned focus areas, and assigned themselves to work on at least one of the seven focus areas. In addition, several internal workgroups, such as the Communications Committee and the Logistics Committee, have been created.

The group’s next meeting will be on December 10^th at the St. Cloud Public Library. The focus for the day is Envisioning Minnesota in 2025. Prior to the meeting, participants are doing a little homework, and are reading and reflecting upon documents related to Minnesota’s projected demographics, economy, education, and politics.

The Futurists are in the process of developing a Minnesota Library Futures Initiative website and blog to be available to the public shortly after the December 10^th meeting. An announcement will be sent via the listservs when the website and blog are available. The group encourages feedback from the library community and will provide an opportunity for this on the website. In the meantime, questions or requests for a Futurist speaker can be emailed to Jenny Turner at jennifer.turner@mnsu.edu.

The Futurists would like to thank the Steering Committee and the larger library community for their continued support. The Futurists are thankful for the opportunity to take part in this process, and also are cognizant of the responsibility that comes with it. More updates and information will be available soon.

Kate Bessey, Information Specialist

Central MN Libraries Exchange (CMLE)

St. Cloud State University, Miller Center 130-D

720 4th Ave. S.

St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498

Video of the presentation by Michael Rogers is available at the Minnesota Futures wiki.

MORE Webinar Information

Once again, Minitex is offering a four-part series relating to core competencies of Minnesota Opportunities for Reference Excellence (MORE). Sessions will occur over a five-week period from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. on... (Please note there will be no session on Friday, February 4.)

Session 1: January 21, 2011
Session 2: January 28, 2011
Session 3: February 11, 2011
Session 4: February 18, 2011

Registrants must be able to attend all 4 sessions.

This series is interactive and will involve some pre-work and post-work for each session. Participants are required to attend each session to receive a certificate of completion.

The MORE program and these training sessions are geared towards paraprofessionals and/or library staff new to the reference desk. Experienced library staff are welcome to attend. Something new will be learned, and collective knowledge will be shared.

WEEK 1: MORE: The Reference Interview (2 hours)
This webinar will cover what reference is and why it is important. Model reference behaviors (welcoming, paraphrasing, open questions, real information need, follow-up question) and the six pieces of evidence (purpose, deadline, type & amount, who, where, the basic question) will be discussed, examined, and practiced. Legal and ethical issues involving librarianship, along with looking at libraries’ communities, will be examined. Minnesota Volunteer Library Certification competencies for Public Services: Administrative 6 and 7, Direct User Services 3 and 4, Philosophy 2, 7 and 12 will be covered.

WEEK 2: MORE: Evaluating and Examining Electronic Reference Sources (2 hours)
This webinar will cover searching in an electronic environment as well as tips for becoming a better information provider by evaluating and examining electronic reference sources and web sites. Different types of electronic sources will be covered including indexes, directories, full-text resources, the Internet, and virtual reference including e-mail and chat. Minnesota Volunteer Library Certification competencies for Public Services: Administrative 8, Direct User Services 5 will be covered.

WEEK 3: MORE: Evaluating and Examining Print Reference Sources (2 hours)
This webinar will focus on tips and tools for evaluating and examining print reference sources available in your library in order to become a better information provider. It will cover what makes a good print reference source as well as the importance of understanding how these resources are organized. This session covers almanacs, atlases, encyclopedias, ready reference tools, statistical sources, the MN Legislative Manual, and the U.S. Government Manual. Minnesota Volunteer Library Certification competencies for Public Services: Direct User Services 5 will be covered.

WEEK 4: MORE: Readers' Advisory and Library Ethics (2 hours)
This webinar focuses on important aspects of Readers' Advisory Services. It will cover the basics of readers' advisory, including goals and skills of the service, the appeal of books including plot, character, and genre, and performing a readers' advisory interview. It will also cover ongoing places for professional development on the readers' advisory service using print materials, databases, blogs, and other available resources for librarians. It will also touch on ethics and librarianship. Minnesota Volunteer Library Certification competencies for Public Services: Administrative 7, Direct User Services 6 will be covered.

To register please go here.

Integrated Library System Landscape

Yesterday, Marshall Breeding spoke to a group of almost 50 public library and school media center staff members (plus several ALS and NCLC staff) about the current landscape in the integrated library system market. Despite the dicey driving conditions, eighteen ALS member libraries were represented at the meeting, as well as five staff from four school districts.


During the morning session, Mr. Breeding used a PowerPoint presentation that he'd preprared. The presentation is available via his website.

Project Information Literacy

Project Information Literacy (PIL) is a national research study based in the University of Washington Information School. In their ongoing research, they have studied how college students conduct research and find information—their needs, strategies, and workarounds. A November 1, 2010 report Truth Be Told: How College Students Evaluate and Use Information in the Digital Age expands to focus on how students find information and their preferred use of information sources for course work and in their daily lives.

The results may be instructive to not only academic librarians, but to all types of librarians and teachers as well.

READ Posters

ALA Graphics - Make your own customized READ poster! from ALA Publishing on Vimeo.

This instructional video demonstrates how to make your own READ posters. There are print instructions available as well. North Country Library Cooperative has available for loan several of the READ CDs. You would need to have your own Photoshop or Photoshop Elements in order to use the READ CDs.

Or you can do make your posters the easy way with the online ALA READ Poster generator.

However you may choose to make your READ poster, if you'd like to share it with others, you may wish to post it to the ALA READ Posters set on Flickr.

Tag! With "steve" and the Minnesota Digital Library

The Minnesota Digital Library has added a tool to allow tagging to many objects in its Minnesota Reflections online collection

This feature, called “steve” (purposely spelled with a lower-case “s”), allows the public to contribute tags to Minnesota Reflections. Tags, or short descriptions of objects within the Reflections collections, are displayed in "tag clouds” that you will see when viewing specific objects on the website. Clicking a tag in any of these "clouds" will retrieve all other items within Minnesota Reflections tagged with the same term.

Creating tags is easy and fun. First, choose an object in a Minnesota Reflections collection to view. Next, click the “Log On” link that appears under the “Tags” icon. This link will take you to the “steve” website, which will ask you to create an account with a password. (The website will send specific information to your e-mail account; read this e-mail and follow its instructions to complete registration. The “steve” website will give you a temporary password that you will have to change.) You are now prepared to create tags within the Minnesota Reflections environment. Return to your object of interest and log on to “steve.” You will now see a box into which you can type your tags to help document our collections!

Tags may be related to anything, from the very personal and specific (names, dates, makes, models, materials) to the very general (composition, emotion, size, shape).

The MDL encourages users of Minnesota Reflections to register and contribute tags they feel may be useful to themselves and to others in searching the Reflections collections.

If you are interested in learning more about “steve,” the MDL plans to host an online “steve” training session in the near future. More information about this online training will be distributed on the MDL listserv, so watch for updates. In the meantime, visit the “steve” website.

The tagging tool used in Minnesota Reflections is a part of the “Steve in Action” research project to explore tagging within a wide range of collections.

Register now for ASCLA Virtual Convergence webinars | American Libraries Magazine

Register now for ASCLA Virtual Convergence webinars | American Libraries Magazine

Scheduled webinar sessions include:

• “Grant Writing 101”
• “Presenting Topics to People who are Autistic, Deaf, Disabled, and Non-Disabled”
• “Teaching Ophelia: Assisting At-Risk Teenagers”
• “Why Reinvent the Wheel? Tools for Serving the Fast-growing Teen Population”
• “Knowledge Management: Process and Tools for Convergence”
• “Using Learning Objects to Enhance Distance Reference Services”
• “The Disability Experience in a Post- 2.0 World: Implications for Libraries”
• “Contract Librarianship: Concepts and Strategies”
• “Accessibility 101: Assure That Your Library Is Welcoming & Usable for Persons With Disabilities”
• “A Copyright Policy Update on Access to Information for Persons with Print Disabilities”
• “Public Computer Conundrums: Policy and Program Choices That Improve Patron Outcomes”
• “How to Build a Bridge: Connecting Different Types of Libraries”
• “Starting a New Library for At-risk Young Adults in a Digitally Divided Community”
• “Libraries and Information Access for Differently-able Patrons: What We Can Do to Ensure Equality”
• “Extending Our Reach: Using Extension Programs to Promote Statewide Resources”
• “Attracting Latinos to the Library: It’s All About Relationships”
• “Conducting Successful Virtual Meetings”
• “Careers in Federal Libraries”
• “How to Find a Federal Job”
• “Managing Library Adult and Family Literacy Programs”
• “Resume Writing and Interviewing Techniques”
• “Saks Fifth Avenue Service on a Dollar General Budget”

Registration is available online. When registering for a single webinar from the series, ASCLA and Federal and Armed Forces Libraries Round Table (FAFLRT) members pay $40, ALA members pay $50, non-members pay $65 and student and retired members of ALA pay $45. Those registering for two or more sessions will receive a reduced rate on each session.

Share Your ELM Stories!

Share Your ELM Stories!

Bill DeJohn, Minitex Director

Our ELM Story feedback form is ready for input from you and your users! Please share with us how you have been using ELM resources over the last few years in your classes, for your homework, at your workplace, for your personal interests, or in other ways you have found ELM resources to be useful. We want to make legislators and administrators aware of how ELM resources, which are funded by the Minnesota Legislature, are being used and how important they are to libraries, schools and Minnesotans throughout the state.

Given the budget reductions in local libraries and schools, ELM resources are in many cases the only trusted, authoritative electronic resources available. We have added several electronic resources to ELM making it an even more powerful tool for users of all ages and with varied interests. There is something for everyone. New resources include the Encyclopaedia Britannica and several science and health databases.

Your stories are important because we will share them with legislators and other stakeholders. The more specific and descriptive they are, the more compelling they are, especially when teachers, students, the general public, and library staff provide very specific 'stories' of how you used ELM resources to teach, do homework, research topics, answer questions, gather information to help solve local community problems, and/or provide information.

Thanks for your support and assistance and be sure to let us hear from you.

We've made it easy for you to submit your ELM stories. Just click the widget in the upper right column of this blog. It will take you directly to the submission form. We encourage you to take a minute and do it now to assure that these valuable online resources can remain available.

HP Class Action Settlement Info

If you or your library has purchased or been gifted with a Hewlett Packard inkjet printer, you may wish to check whether the recent class action suits would make you eligible for an e-settlement.

Information( including a long list of affected printers) with important dates is available at HP Inkjet printer Settlement.

School Libraries & Selection of a new ILS

The COMPASS User's group meeting scheduled for Wednesday, December 1 is going to be replaced with an all-day (9:30 A.M. to 3:00 P.M) meeting and presentation with Marshall Breeding, a nationally known expert on library technology issues. The morning will be devoted to a presentation about the current state of library technology. The afternoon will be devoted to a discussion about the priorities for the next "integrated library system" (ILS) that will eventually replace the current Horizon system at Arrowhead Library System.

Since there are many school libraries using the current Horizon system, it is important that the school librarians using it hear the Marshall Breeding presentation and provide input into the selection process for the next generation automated system.

No school libraries have yet signed up for the presentation. It is important to let your voices be heard.

If what is holding you back from registering is the inability to pay for a sub so you can attend, please don't let that be a hindrance. North Country Library Cooperative has scholarship funds available that you can apply for to allow payment for a sub so you can attend this very important meeting.

A soup and sandwich lunch will be available for seven dollars. You need to register with Jim Weikum (jweikum@arrowhead.lib.mn.us) if you plan to attend and indicate whether you are interested in the catered lunch.

Alternatively, if there is some other reason keeping you from attending, please let us know what that reason might be.

You may call the NCLC office (1-800-950-4401 or 741-1907) to obtain the scholarship form which needs to be filled out and submitted to North Country Library Cooperative if you wish to obtain reimbursement for a substitute to allow you to attend the December 1 meeting.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call. There needs to be a school voice in the selection process.

Webinar: E-Government@Your Library

Thursday, December 9, 2010 1:30 pm
Central Standard Time

Program:
American Libraries Webinars

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

As government agencies continue to digitize forms and services, libraries are often the only organizations that can help citizens interact with these agencies and access E-Government resources.

E-Gov: Make It Work @ your library will help participants:

• Develop and market e-government partnerships

• Address key challenges to meeting patron e-gov demands

• Use e-gov data to make the case for your library

Panelists include
• (moderator) Judy Hoffman, Project Manager, American Library Association, Office for Research and Statistics
• Nancy Fredericks, e-government librarian, Pasco County Public Library (Florida)
• John Bertot, Director, Center for Library & Information Innovation, University of Maryland
• Bill Sudduth, Head, Government Information and Microforms, Newspapers and Maps, University of South Carolina; contributor to Managing Electronic Government Information in Libraries: Issues and Practices (ALA Editions)

Go here to register.

National STEM Video Game Challenge

Those who attended the August workshop on Scratch and are using it with students may be interested in this information:

AASL has collaborated with the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and E-Line Media to hold the first annual National STEM Video Game Challenge. Now open for applications, this competition aims to motivate children's interests in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

As a school librarian, you can become a key resource for kids interested in making video games.

A Youth Prize Design Challenge engages middle school students (grades 5 through 8) in STEM learning, 21^st Century Literacy Skills and Systems Thinking by challenging them to design original video games. Special consideration will be given to submissions from students in underserved communities.

Students have 3 ways to make a submission:

1. Create a written game design document.

2. Make a playable game using the free version of Gamestar Mechanic, Scratch, or Gamemaker 8

3. Make a playable game using any gamemaking or programming platform

The deadline for submissions is January 5, 2011.

Prizes for students include a laptop computer, a subscription to Gamestar Mechanic and a subscription to BrainPOP. The school of the student's choice will receive $2,000 ($3,000 if the school is a recipient of Title 1 funding from the U.S. Department of Education).

To learn more, visit www.stemchallenge.org.

Gale Free Resource - Zoom Gulf Oil Crisis

Gale-Cengage offers free access to this learning tool.

Zoom: Gulf Oil Crisis is an interactive learning tool that allows students to explore in-depth the economic, political and environmental impacts of the Gulf coast oil spill.

With its relevant, media-rich content, including many Web-like features such as videos, graphs, periodicals, primary sources, statistics, podcasts, interactive maps and more, Zoom: Gulf Oil Crisis supports the differentiated learning classroom by providing multi-path tools for those who learn and engage best through a combination of visual and audio resources.

Laura Bush Foundation Grants

From the Laura Bush Foundation website:

In order to promote a love of reading, the goal of the Laura Bush Foundation (LBF) is to provide books to the school libraries and students that most need them. Consequently, funds are available only for library books and magazine/serial copies and subscriptions. The Laura Bush Foundation is unable to honor requests for staffing, shelving, furniture, equipment, software, videos, classroom book sets or any kind of book guides, tests or exams.

The Foundation makes grants of up to $6,000 to update, extend, and diversify the book collections of the libraries that receive them. All LBF grants are made to individual schools rather than to school districts, county systems, private organizations, foundations, or other entities. Only one application per school is allowed per year.

Only schools where a minimum of 50% of the student body qualify for the Free or Reduced Lunch (FRL) program are eligible to apply. Because research demonstrates a clear relationship between family income and a student’s access to books, the LBF gives selection preference to schools in which 90% or more of the students receive free or reduced lunches and are likely to have the fewest books at home.

All applications must be made on-line through this website. We cannot accept applications that are faxed, e-mailed, or mailed in print form. Free on-line access is available at most public libraries in the United States and its territories. The LBF will notify you that your application has been received through an e-mail message sent to the address you provide in the application itself. Please be sure that you completely fill out the application. We are unable to accept applications that are incomplete and must eliminate them from consideration.

Deadline for receipt of application:
December 31, 2010

We anticipate that recipients will be identified and awards will be made before the middle of May, 2011.

Minnesota Digital Library Update

Since late September, the Minnesota Digital Library has uploaded seven more Phase Six collections to Minnesota Reflections.

First-time contributor Bethel University added 150 images to Minnesota Reflections’ collections. The images, which range in vintage from 1920s to the 1970s, depict the physical and cultural development of Bethel University. Specific themes represented in the collection include class pictures, faculty and staff, college athletics, campus scenes, and photographs of historic buildings. Follow the link below to view a 1963 aerial photograph of the tract of land in Arden Hills soon to become Bethel’s new campus:

http://reflections.mndigital.org/u?/p15160coll13,8

The Cook County Historical Society, another first-time contributor to Minnesota Reflections, added 165 photographs taken within the era of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Cook County (1933 – 1941). The images reveal much about CCC life, showing camp exteriors and interiors, images of CCC members fighting forest fires, planting trees and carrying out logging activities. These images provide fascinating insight into the personal side as well as environmental impact of CCC activities in Cook County. Follow the link below to view an artistic photograph of a walking bridge in Cascade State Park (near Lutsen) constructed by the Spruce Creek CCC crews:

http://reflections.mndigital.org/u?/p15160coll14,10

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT), another new MDL contributor based in St. Paul, contributed Minnesota Official State Highway Maps from the early 20^th century to the present day to Minnesota Reflections. Follow the link below to see a 1960 highway map:

http://reflections.mndigital.org/u?/mdt,1196

The Fillmore County Historical society expanded its Minnesota Reflections collection with 125 glass plate negatives representing the work of prominent Fillmore County photographer Mathias Bue. The images span the time period from 1912 to 1935, depicting a diverse array of local scenes including agriculture, architecture, bridges, entertainment, natural disasters, parks, recreation, residents, roads, school events and accident scenes. Follow the link below to see a ca. 1925 photograph of the Preston, Minnesota municipal band:

http://reflections.mndigital.org/u?/fch,99

The Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest, based in Minneapolis, contributed five oral history interviews documenting lived experience in St. Paul’s West Side Flats/ Lower West Side Jewish community from ca. 1900 to 1950. The interviews shed light on Jewish community and family life, early 20^th-century gender roles and Jewish-gentile relations. Follow the link below to one of the interviews:

http://reflections.mndigital.org/u?/jhs,658

Minnesota Reflections is currently in the midst of its Phase Seven digitization cycle. Do the exciting new projects spearheaded by Bethel University, Cook County Historical Society, Fillmore County Historical Society, MNDOT, and the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest inspire new projects for your organizations to pursue? Or, are you aware of other historical collections in your region that may be of statewide interest? Do you have any questions about these or any other of Minnesota Reflections’ collections? If so, please contact Minnesota Digital Library Outreach Coordinator Marian Rengel at mrrengel@stcloudstate.edu.

College of DuPage Teleconference Nov.12

The second program in this season's Library Futures: Staying Ahead of the Curve teleconference series, "Redesigning Today's Public Services: Focus on Reference," which airs Friday, November 12, 2010, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Central Time will be hosted in the Arrowhead Library System computer lab. Please register with Linda Wadman or Rebecca Patton if you plan to attend. The University of Minnesota-Duluth also has a viewing site. Or you may wish to contact us for a link to view it at your desktop.

Feel free to bring your lunch.

Gear up for summer reading with YALSA’s December webinar | American Libraries Magazine

Gear up for summer reading with YALSA’s December webinar | American Libraries Magazine

The days are getting shorter, the temperatures are dropping, but you’ve got summer reading on your mind —summer reading programs, that is. Librarians looking for guidance as they begin their annual summer reading program planning process won’t want to miss YALSA’s Dec. 16 webinar, Gear Up for Summer Reading, hosted by Shari Fesko, teen services librarian at the Southfield (Mich.) Public Library and VOYA programming columnist. The webinar will take place at 2 p.m. EST. Registration is now open at www.ala.org/yalsa/webinars.

Participants in the webinar will:

• Find out how they can best structure a successful summer reading program;
• Learn how to use themes and plan programs that range from performing arts to cooking, crafting or competitive events;
• Discover effective strategies for outreach, marketing and promotion.

Webinars cost $39 for individual YALSA members, $49 for all other individuals and $195 for groups (unlimited participants). Registration is open at www.ala.org/yalsa/webinars. Questions can be sent to Eve Gaus, YALSA’s program officer for continuing education, at egaus@ala.org or 1 (800) 545-2433, ext. 5293.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos and audiobooks for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists, or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, or e-mail, yalsa@ala.org.

COSLINE eBook Workshop

How can we keep up with this new technology to help our patrons? The answer is not simple. Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

COSLINE eBook Workshop

View more presentations from Jason Griffey.

Information Literacy With Scratch and SMILE

The following report on a workshop held in our region was submitted by a recipient of CMLE scholarship program and is reposted from the CMLE blog by permission:

Submitted By: Betsy Miller

For generations our family has loved visiting the North Shore. When I received an email announcing that MINITEX was sponsoring a free workshop in Grand Marais this past August, I decided to attend. The combination of Lake Superior, learning something new and FREE was definitely a winner.

The workshop was Information Literacy Programming with SCRATCH and SMILE presented by Jennifer Nelson of the Hennepin County Library and Keith Braafladt of the Science Museum of Minnesota at the Cook County High School Media Center. They gave us a great deal of information as we experienced a hands-on workshop of practical Web sites I will continue to use.

SCRATCH is new to me but has been around for awhile both in time and geographically as it is used all over the world. It is a programming language used to create interactive stories, games and animations. The home page is found at http://scratch.mit.edu/ giving over a million projects that others have created. This is also the page where the free download is available for you to begin your own Scratch projects. There are several online tutorials giving you step by step directions to get started or to challenge you once you get going. As a teacher I find Scratch Ed to be very helpful, http://scratched.media.mit.edu/, giving resources and ideas for using Scratch in the classroom.

SMILE (Science and Math Informal Learning Educators) was also part of the workshop. This is a great online clearinghouse for math and science activities. The site, http://howtosmile.org/, partners with the Lawrence Hall of Science, Exploratorium, New York Hall of Science, Science Museum of Minnesota, and the Children’s Museum of Houston to bring activities of all kinds to kids of all ages.

HCC Library Art Exhibit : Art Among the Stacks

Jan Carey, Librarian/Information Media Specialist at the Hibbing Community College Library (1515 East 25th Street, Hibbing, MN 55746) has issued a cordial invitation to all to attend the HCC Library Art Exhibit: Opening & Dedication, Wednesday, Oct.27th, from 1pm-3pm.

Unfortunately, the newspaper did not release publicity for the HCC Library event. But you need to know you're cordially invited to this very special "Art Among the Stacks" exhibit.

In addition to the weaving exhibit & wall sculpture dedication, internationally acclaimed Scandinavian cookbook author, Bea Ojakangas, will be present for a book signing. Her latest books will also be for sale.

Bea will be accompanied by her husband, Richard Ojakangas, well-known author of Minnesota geology. He will bring his recent book.

Refreshments and food will be provided by the Ladies of Kaleva-Virginia, MN...Finnish ethnic food at its finest.

This exhibit opening has something for everyone....food, art, history, science, culture. HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE!!!

Internet Librarian 2010 Opening Keynote

The opening keynote by Patricia Martin at today's Internet Librarian Conference was quite interesting despite some microphone problems. Well worth a listen.

ARSL Conference Summary

Diane Adams, International Falls Public Library Director and NCLC scholarship recipient for attendance at the Association of Rural and Small Libraries Conference shares her report of the 2010 conference with us:

ARSL Conference Summary

The conference began on Wednesday evening with a mixer. It was a chance to talk with librarians across the country and enjoy time together sharing. Thursday morning we heart Dr. Loriene Roy share about her growing up years in Carlton, Minnesota and the impact small libraries had on her life. She talked about the books she still remembers reading growing up. Thursday I attended workshops on PR, trustee training and gaming in libraries. The best was the gaming workshop although the PR workshop did have a good handout with a guide to doing PR and fund raising. The gaming workshop focused on doing it on the cheap, with used and donated equipment.

I was surprised at the scarcity of vendors. There were probably only 15-20 vendors including American Library Association, Colorado Library Association and WebJunction. But it was fun to see the latest and greatest in bookmobile options. The late afternoon provided an opportunity for moderated discussions and I attended one on tourist town libraries. It was a valuable chance to share ideas, brainstorm together and just hear what others are doing to accommodate and discourage tourists/short-term employees from walking off with material. Thursday evening included a chance for groups to go out to dinner with someone from the area and talk. Again the sharing of what worked, what we struggled with and more was valuable.

Friday's workshops were great as well. I attended a workshop on a Colorado Public Library Advocacy Initiative that would be terrific anywhere and may work on trying to implement it on a small scale. Dom Testa, a Colorado author and radio personality, shared at lunch about his work with encouraging middle schoolers to academic achievement through reading, writing and not dumbing down. I then listened to Pat Wagner talk about "Hometown Ethics" and "Turning Enemies Into Allies" with both focusing on the basic idea of talking the high road and being kind and forgiving no matter which side of an issue you are on.

Saturday morning I attended a great workshop on what's hot in the world of reading for teens and finally a workshop on how to get staff excited and supportive of changes in the library. This workshop was frustrating because one of her main points was to take disciplinary action if they were hijacking the process and didn't really give suggestions about how to get staff on board.

Overall, the conference was wonderful and I am very glad I had the opportunity to go and learn and share what I've done that worked, and learned what other have done that worked for them. I also was reminded that there are many libraries (in fact there are many more small libraries, than large ones) and that working together we can accomplish more than we can imagine.

All About ELM Training

Jennifer Hootman from Minitex Reference, trainer




Twelve people attended the hands on All About ELM training at the Eveleth-Gilbert Junior High School in Gilbert on October 14. After a brief overview of the state funded databases offered, participant did the practice exercises, shared their experiences, and Minitex trainer Jennifer Hootman replicated their process as they talked about it so all could follow along. It seemed to be a very effective way to reinforce the search strategies used so they would be easily remembered.

Even during lunch lots of information sharing went on and all seemed to enjoy the opportunity.




Three drawings for picture books were held during the course of the workshop.
Winners were:

Gigie Harder - V is for Viking

Brenda Salo - North Star Numbers

Sue Solin - I Spy With My Little Eye

Hands On All About ELM Training

Do you get questions from students asking for articles or multimedia content as they work on their research? Do teachers ask you for resources to support the curriculum?

Do you get questions from patrons who are looking for information on a company, consumer product, a recent event, a health issue, or a debate?

Or have you ever wanted to find the latest information on issues and technology related to your work? If so, you won't want to miss this hands-on workshop.

In this workshop we’ll explore the statewide Electronic Library for Minnesota resources and discover how to find content specific to your patrons’ needs, your students’ curriculum, and your own interests. North Country Library Cooperative and Minitex invite you to a hands-on workshop that focuses on activities to give you an opportunity to discover new content and sharpen your skills.

North Country Library has arranged a hands on ELM (Electronic Library for Minnesota) training workshop with Minitex trainer Jennifer Hootman for October 14, 2010. It will be held in the computer lab of the Gilbert campus (Junior High School) of the Eveleth Gilbert School District from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. NCLC will provide beverages, snacks, and a light lunch for those attending this training.

If you're interested in learning about the recent ELM database changes and searching tips to use the ELM databases effectively with your students, you should plan to attend this training session. You must register for the training if you wish to attend by October 7. You may register to attend by e-mailing either Linda Wadman (lwadman@arrowhead.lib.mn.us) or Pam Johnson (pamjohn@arrowhead.lib.mn.us) with your name, address, phone, and e-mail address so that we have contact information for you.

Registration is limited to 32 attendees so be sure to register soon while space is available.

At the NCLC Governing Board meeting on September 21, 2010, the Governing Board authorized NCLC to set aside $3000 for the purpose of paying for substitutes and mileage for school librarians who might be unable to attend without assistance with these expenses. If you would need assistance for mileage or substitute expense to attend, you are required to contact NCLC for a scholarship application so we can track the cost for us since we cannot exceed the $3000 cap. There is a limit for expense payment of three attendees per school district and it is desirable to share rides when possible. To receive this assistance you need to contact NCLC to register no later than October 7, 2010. You may call the NCLC office with any questions at 218-741-1907 or 1-800-950-4401.

Here's a map of the location:


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NCLC Cooperative Connection

Cooperative Connection is the name given to the paper newsletter previously published by North Country Library Cooperative. North Country Library Cooperative is a multitype library system serving seven counties in northeast Minnesota.

For many reasons, the paper newsletter is not regularly published anymore, but we found we still need a way for our libraries to access information that we want to share or that they may find useful. While we investigate other avenues, like an electronic newsletter, we thought perhaps a blog might be a useful way to share things with member libraries. Using a blog linked to our library home page seemed like it might be a viable way to direct our librarians and library staff to information they can use.