Snapshot from MILE 2011: Emerging Leaders in Changing Times

By Will Richter, MLIS – Grand Rapids Area Library

Organized by the Minnesota Library Association, the MILE 2011 retreat was a special opportunity to join other library professionals from around the state to develop and refine leadership skills necessary in the libraries of tomorrow. A cohort of 25 participants met over the course of four days for guided sessions on topics including goal setting, leadership styles, library advocacy, and career development. Guest panelists included MLA president Robin Ewing and library and non-profit movers and shakers from around Minnesota.

For my part, I found the session on StrengthsFinder 2.0 presented by Bethel University Instructor Nikki Daniels especially helpful. It was exciting to learn how individuals various strengths interact – and how an understanding of this interaction can lead to positive collaborations and a healthy work environment. Another important aspect of the MILE experience is the opportunity to make connections with people from the broader library community. With only one other Arrowhead librarian (Susan Schumacher – Duluth) in the 25 member cohort I had the opportunity to meet many new people. I look forward to working with them as we plan the next MILE institute.

I highly recommend MILE as the best professional development opportunity I have participated in. The sessions were interesting and meaningful to my work as a reference librarian in the public library setting. Also, I look forward to the opportunity to work with a mentor whom I have been paired with by MILE 2011 staff. I am excited about the potential of this ongoing aspect of the Institute and hope my professional growth continues beyond the time constraints of the retreat.

For more information about MILE 2011 e-mail me at: wrichter@arrowhead.lib.mn.us

A special thank you to the North Country Library Cooperative Board for sponsoring my participation at the Minnesota Library Association Institute for Leadership Excellence (MILE 2011).

** Note: Will received a scholarship from North Country Library Cooperative which paid for his registration fee for MILE 2011. Scholarship applications may be obtained by request from NCLC at these contact points for continuing education events or conferences as long as allocated funds are available.

MOOC, Anyone?

I received the following message in my Facebook messages and thought perhaps that it might be of interest to others in the library community:

The Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois Springfield welcomes you to a Massive Open Online Class (MOOC) on “Online Learning Today...and Tomorrow.” It will begin June 27, 2011 and run for eight weeks. It is totally open, free, and collaborative. It can be totally asynchronous, or those attending can join in weekly panel discussions with experts in various aspects of the topic. This is an active and growing resource and networking center on the topic of "Online Learning Today, and Tomorrow." You will have the opportunity to meet many people around the world who share your interest in this topic.


You are invited to register at https://sites.google.com/site/edumooc/home with only your name and email address so you can be given access to all materials, panels and discussions. You can begin building your own personal learning network on the topic. We will use this information to register you in a Google Group (edumooc) which will allow you to enter into discussions and - if you so designate - to receive a listserv of postings. We will not use this information for advertising or promotion of any kind.

What is a MOOC? Watch this video by Dave Cormier.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW3gMGqcZQc&feature=youtu.be

Now that we have a common understanding, here is
How the eduMOOC is Organized
Eight topics have been chosen - one for each week. You will see the schedule for those topics below. A Web page is linked below and in the left navigation column for each topic - those pages include details about the topic for each week, including links to about 20 timely resources including articles, Websites, Twitter hashtags, blogs, wikis and more that are relevant to the topic of the week. On Thursday of each of the weeks a live one hour Webinar panel discussion will be held with experts on the topic of the week. The session URL will be available to all who register, and Webinar panel sessions will be open to the first one hundred participants who may ask questions; the session will be recorded and be made available online for those who wish to view later.


Google Group
Those registering for the course - see the short form in the right column above - will be enrolled in Google Group "Edumooc" where threaded discussions will be held. This is where networking will begin among those attending the MOOC. If you choose, you will be able to receive updates via email through the group settings.


Twitter
We will use the #edumooc hashtag for tweets regarding the MOOC. You will see those displayed in the gadget on this page. We encourage tweeting and Twitter discussions.


Contribute Resources to This Site
You are encouraged to browse those sites and to add sites in Diigo. We will transfer the new Diigo sites to the appropriate list on a daily basis. Please use the "edumooc" tag if you would like your selected sites to be transferred to the topic Webpage.

Minitex & MnLink Announcement

Bill de John, Minitex Director, has released the following statement regarding Minitex and MnLink with relation to the potential state government shutdown on July 1, 2011.

"The University of Minnesota has announced that it would be able to sustain operations for a period of time that is yet to be determined if a state government shutdown begins on July 1, 2011. Minitex is part of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Libraries and will also sustain operations depending upon the length of the shutdown. We also anticipate that the MnLINK Gateway will continue to be operational. We will continue to provide services and maintain staff during this period, and we are very hopeful that any shutdown will be brief.

However, there may be service interruptions during this period that we can’t predict at this time. We will monitor this situation on a daily and weekly basis. We will try to keep the Minitex Delivery System operational since it delivers needed resources to people and links with many local libraries in the three-state region. We will also plan on continuing to fill requests from the University Libraries and refer requests to other libraries as appropriate. If you have any questions, please let me know. We will continue to communicate with Minitex participating library staff through these communication channels and other means as appropriate during the coming weeks."

Announcing Minnesota Library Association 2011 Annual Conference: “Libraries: Superior Value for Life”

Minnesota Library Association announces:

2011 Annual Conference: “Libraries: Superior Value for Life”

The 2011 Annual Conference of the Minnesota Library Association will be held October 12-14, 2011, in Duluth, Minnesota. This three-day conference features an exceptional lineup of presentations and professional development opportunities. This year’s keynote presenters include:

• William Kent Krueger, Minnesota mystery writer
• Dr. Scott Nicholson, gaming researcher
• Anita Silvey, author of Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children’s Book

In addition to these engaging keynote speakers, this year the conference will have featured speakers during some of the breakout sessions. Speakers confirmed so far include:

• Jenna Blum, leading the One Book, One Conference discussion of her novel The Stormchasers
• Rebecca Shlafer, sharing how libraries can support children of incarcerated parents
• Anita Silvey, delivering the Sharon Lerner Lecture

The conference also offers more than 50 sessions across eight simultaneous tracks (Administration & Leadership; Authors, Literature, and Programming; Children & Young Adults; Collection Management & Technical Services; Digital Information & Technologies; Support Staff Interests; Public Services; Library Trustees & Friends), as well as a silent auction fundraiser, countless networking opportunities, and an exhibit hall with more than 40 vendors showcasing library products and services.

Information about the conference is being published regularly at www.mnlibraryassociation.org/mlaconference2011. Complete details about sessions, speakers, and registration will be published by early August. Check the site often for new information and announcements.


About MLA: The Minnesota Library Association is an association of library supporters, representing all types of libraries by helping them accomplish together what none can do alone. MLA provides opportunities to meet library peers and associates, and meets the interests of its more than 625 members by facilitating educational opportunities, supporting strong ethical standards, and fostering connections between the library community and various constituencies. In addition to the annual three-day conference, programs are planned and sponsored year-round by MLA divisions, sections, roundtables, and committees. Find out more at www.mnlibraryassociation.org.

WebJunction Minnesota Changes Announced

The WebJunction Minnesota Team wants to let you know in advance that there are some enhancements coming for users of WebJunction (WJ) and WebJunction Minnesota (WJMN). You should have received an email from WebJunction that provides information about these changes, but we want to highlight some of the enhancements you will see in WJMN.

Beginning July 1, 2011:

Courses: WJMN members will be able to enroll in unlimited courses without charge. 300+ courses available anytime, selected for relevance to libraries, Simplified course enrollment process – all course prices set to $0. If you are already enrolled in a course, you will continue to have access to the course for 12 months from the date you enrolled. Courses will continue to be available in our state because Minnesota State Library Services (our state library agency) is a WebJunction partner. Courses will no longer be sold to those who are not affiliated with a WJ partner state library agency. If you are affiliated with WJMN, you’re covered! If you received this message via the WJMN listserv, then you’re already affiliated with WJMN. When you login to WJMN now, courses on our state-branded page, http://mn.webjunction.org/catalog, are available at no charge. That will continue. The Course tab will remain, but the course listing will be invisible to members until that member is logged in to WJMN. There is a general catalog with courses available for a fee to anyone. That page will be removed by July 1.

Webinars: WJMN members will receive advance registration notices for WJ webinars and attendance certificates that may qualify for continuing education credit. All members of the WJ communitywill continue to enjoy the free online webinar programming that WJ offers each month. WebJunction is adjusting its business model to provide enhanced benefits to states that participate in the WebJunction Community Partner program. Because Minnesota State Library Services and Minitex collaborate to provide WebJunction Minnesota, our library community will benefit from these changes. WJ and WJMN still work to “be the place where the library profession gathers to build the knowledge, skills, and support we need to power relevant, vibrant libraries.” Watch for details to come!

Mary Ann Van Cura, State Library Services
Cecelia Boone, Minitex

Affiliation with WebJunction Minnesota is free and available to members of the Minnesota library community. Tell your colleagues!

Visit WebJunction Minnesota.
Contact Us: mnwebjunction@gmail.com!
Follow Us: twitter.com/webjunctionmn

Education and Technology Conference - College of St. Scholastica

DULUTH, MN – June 3, 2011 – On June 28, 2011, The School of Education at The College of St. Scholastica will host the 21st Century Teaching and Learning Conference at St. Scholastica. The audience will include K-12 and higher education teachers, administrators, and education support staff who desire to be innovators in education and technology.

“The conference aim is to identify best practices for the 21st century learner. We know the landscape of our K-12 education is changing and as educators we need to adapt, adjust and respond to these changes,” says Dr. Amy Bergstrom, Director of St. Scholastica’s Master of Education Program.

Marc Prensky, an internationally acclaimed author in the critical areas of education and learning, will deliver the keynote address. He will present “Teaching Digital Natives: Partnering for Real Learning.” Leading educator advocate, Nathan Eklund and award-winning children’s author, Margi Preus will also be presenting.

Topics covered through presentations and breakout sessions will include research-based current strategies to engage 21st century learners, including using SMART boards in the classroom, flip cameras for classroom use, and differentiation through Universal Design for Learning. Presentations and breakout sessions will meet MDE re-licensure strands.

St. Scholastica’s Master of Education program, a 100 percent online degree program for practicing teachers and other education professionals is sponsoring the 21st Century Teaching and Learning Conference. “Our program prepares our graduates to be leaders in their profession through addressing critical issues in today's schools and teaching new strategies on how to use data and research to impact their classrooms. It allows current teachers and education professionals to continue practicing while at the same time advancing their own education,” says Bergstrom.

The conference fee is $75 per person and $300 for a group of five. There are discounts for current students, alumni, and teachers in their first three years of teaching. The deadline for registration is June 17. For more information visit http://go.css.edu/MedConf.

National Academies Press Reports Now Downloadable Free

The National Academies—National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council—are committed to distributing their reports to as wide an audience as possible. Since 1994 they have offered “Read for Free” options for almost all their titles. In addition, they have been offering free downloads of most of their titles to everyone and of all titles to readers in the developing world. They are now going one step further. Effective June 2nd, 2011 PDFs of reports that are currently for sale on the National Academies Press (NAP) Website and PDFs associated with future reports* will be offered free of charge to all Web visitors.

A New Digital Literacy Resource

In partnership with nine federal agencies, the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), created www.DigitalLiteracy.gov to provide librarians, teachers, workforce trainers, and others a central location to share digital literacy content and best practices. These trusted groups can, in turn, better reach out to their communities in providing them the skills today’s employers need. NTIA is also partnering with the American Library Association and the Institute of Museum and Library Services to promote the use of the portal by the nation’s more than 16,600 public libraries where, in 2009, over 30 million job-seekers used computers to search and apply for jobs. In launching www.DigitalLiteracy.gov, NTIA is building on knowledge gained from managing its broadband grants program in order to provide digital literacy resources to all Americans.

ALA's Executive Director Emily Sheketoff writes: "This new portal is an important first step in collecting and sharing class materials, research, and online learning tools. We look forward to greatly expanding the content available as librarians, educators and other practitioners engage with the website."