October 28, 2009
Have you read the article in School Library Journal entitled, “Things That Keep Us Up At Night”. Find it at http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6699357.html . It was written by Joyce Valenza and Doug Johnson…two big names, and fairly interesting, if somewhat frenetic professionals.
Regardless of your library type, I suspect we all lose a little sleep over these same things. Are we changing with the times as much as we should be? Hmmmmm….
October 7, 2009
Check out our full calendar of free readings and discussions for all ages this fall. Discover the debut of an exciting new mystery series; immerse yourself in a groundbreaking Hmong family memoir; ruminate over a manifesto on eating meat responsibly; witness the coming of age of two Midwestern teens in New York; dive into a poetry collection questioning personal and national identities; and be charmed by a picture book about nighttime things.
September 3, 2009
Looking for quick help in collection development?
The Young Adult Library Services Association of the American Library Association (ALA) has created The Ultimate Teen Bookshelf. Developed in conjunction with the United We Serve initiative, the Ultimate Teen Bookshelf list, comprising 50 books, five magazines and five audio books, can be found at www.ala.org/teenbookshelf.
The full YALSA news release is at http://tiny.cc/tdUs6 or http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/june2009/bookshelf_yalsa.cfm
August 26, 2009
As the American Library Association (ALA) has emphasized since first enactment of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), concern for children’s safety is our first priority in providing materials to young patrons. On August 26, 2009, the CPSC’s final rule on children’s products containing lead was released. In the rule, CPSC confirmed that libraries have no independent obligation to test library books for lead under the law. CPSC also announced its intention to release a Statement of Policy specifically providing guidance for libraries with regard to the treatment of older children’s books that could potentially contain lead. According to our conversations with CPSC officials, that Statement of Policy should be released within the next several weeks.
While we await the Statement of Policy, ALA recommends that libraries take the following actions. If a library is aware that any children’s book does indeed contain lead above the legal limits or otherwise presents a danger to children, it should remove it from public access, for instance by moving it to the non-circulating collection. We would also ask that if libraries do learn of any books containing lead to please let the ALA – Washington Office know so that we might share that information with other libraries. When the Statement of Policy is released, we will promptly notify our members.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jessica McGilvray, Assistant Director of the ALA Office of Government Relations at jmcgilvray@alwash.org or 1-800-941-8478.
Jessica McGilvray,Assistant Director
American Library Association
Washington Office – Office of Government Relations
1615 New Hampshire Ave., N.W., 1st Floor
Washington, D.C. 20009-2520
phone: 202-628-8410
fax: 202-628-8419
July 23, 2009
Here is the eagerly anticipated ELM-access information for the new content that begins Wednesday, July 1, 2009.
31 new databases in all!
ELM Set-up Instructions
Instructions on how to set up access to the new ELM resources are available at http://www.minitex.umn.edu/elm/access.aspx.
Questions? go to http://www.elm4you.org/contact/.
March 12, 2009
March 8-14 is the American Library Association’s Teen Tech Week, sponsored by YALSA. This is a perfect time to display & promote the audiobooks that have been named as Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults. Or ALSC’s Notable Children’s Recordings, as that list includes titles recommended for listeners age 14 and under. And of course, this year’s Odyssey Award winner The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and honor titles Curse of the Blue Tattoo, Elijah of Buxton, and Nation are sure-fire hits with teens. Tomorrow night is parent-teacher conference night in my school – a perfect opportunity to host a “How to Download” hands-on demo in my school library, showing parents how their public library card is the key to 24/7 educational & recreational materials available through the public libary web site. What a bonus that this is also “Read an Ebook Week“ – we’ll be downloading those as well!
September 26, 2008
PBS has unveiled a new online community for preK-12 educators that aims to support the advancement of digital media content in education. “PBS Teachers Connect” provides Web 2.0 tools and opportunities for teachers, school library media specialists, technology coordinators, early childhood educators, and other education professionals to share ideas, collaborate, and support the effective use of technology to enhance learning. The new online community is built around PBS Teachers, the web portal to the wide-ranging multimedia instructional resources and professional development services that PBS offers preK-12 educators. At no cost, educators can search more than 3,000 standards-based classroom activities, lesson plans, interactive resources, and other materials on the PBS Teachers web site, then easily bookmark, annotate, share, and manage their tagged content within the PBS Teachers Connect community. The site also enables educators to form shared-interest groups online. The community features a personalized home page for each user, enhanced user profiles, a searchable database of resources and community members, bookmarking tools, and discussion threads. Additional components, such as private messaging, community feeds, friend feeds, online events, and a digital media gallery, will be available this fall, PBS said.
September 26, 2008
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Save the Date! Multiply Your Gift to the Book Awards With Help From a Challenge Grant Attention Writers! 2008 Winning Titles Posters and Bookmarks Now Available
The Minnesota Book Awards is a Capital City project, led by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, in consortium with the Saint Paul Public Library and the Office of the Mayor of Saint Paul. Outreach partners and supporting organizations include: the Metropolitan Library Service Agency; Minnesota Department of Education—State Library Services; Minnesota Library Association; and Library Networks for Literature—a project of the Public Programs Office of the American Library Association. |
Book Nominations Open
Nominations for the 21st annual Minnesota Book Awards are open now through Friday, December 12, 2008. The eight categories in which books may be entered are Children’s Literature, General Nonfiction, Genre Fiction, Memoir & Creative Nonfiction, Minnesota, Novel & Short Story, Poetry, and Young People’s Literature. Anyone may nominate an eligible book by completing the nomination form and submitting five non-returnable copies of the book, plus the $40 nomination fee, to The Friends’ office. Nomination forms and the eligibility and entry guidelines are available online at www.thefriends.org or by calling 651/366-6497. Meet the 2008 Winners! The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library presents a two-part conversation series with 2008 Book Awards winners and moderator Mary Ann Grossmann, Pioneer Press books editor. Both events take place in the Magazine Room of Saint Paul Central Library, 90 West Fourth Street. The first program takes place this Sunday, September 28 at 2 p.m. You’ll enjoy time with Children’s Literature winner Lynne Jonell (Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat), Readers’ Choice honoree Jill Kalz (Farmer Cap) and Young Adult Literature winner Will Weaver (Defect). Be sure to return the following Sunday, October 5 at 2 p.m. for these featured authors: General Nonfiction winner Charles Baxter (The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot), Memoir & Creative Nonfiction winner Patricia Hampl (The Florist’s Daughter), Minnesota winner Doug Hoverson (Land of Amber Waters: The History of Brewing in Minnesota), Poetry winner Deborah Keenan (Willow Room, Green Door) and Novel & Short Story winner Wang Ping (The Last Communist Virgin). For more information, visit us online at www.thefriends.org. Apply to be a Judge
Applications for preliminary and final round judges are being accepted for the eight book categories. Volunteer judge applications and eligibility requirements are available online at www.thefriends.org or by calling 651/336-6497. Qualified individuals new to the book judging process as well as experienced judges are encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is Friday, October 10, 2008.
Book Artist Award Nominations Nominations are also open for the 2009 Minnesota Book Artist Award. This annual award, sponsored by the Minnesota Book Awards and Minnesota Center for Book Arts, recognizes a book artist or long-standing book artist collaborative group for excellence of artistic work, as well as significant contributions to Minnesota’s book artist community. Details about this award and nomination materials are available at www.thefriends.org or by calling 651/366-6497. Nominations remain open until Friday, November 7, 2008. |
September 26, 2008
Dear Library Network Contacts,
Book Awards judge applications are now being accepted for both the preliminary and final round. Can you please help by forwarding this information to all the library contacts in your network? Thank you for your assistance, and here are the details:
Nominations for the 21st Annual Minnesota Book Awards opened earlier this month, and I’m delighted to announce that we are now accepting applications from people interested in participating in the Book Awards by serving on a preliminary or final round judging panel.
Applications are invited from individuals qualified and interested in judging one of the following eight award categories: Children’s Literature, General Nonfiction, Genre Fiction, Memoir & Creative Nonfiction, Minnesota, Novel & Short Story, Poetry, and Young Adult Literature.
The volunteer judge position descriptions and application form are available at www.thefriends.org/mba_judges.html. Qualified applicants need not have previous judging experience to apply. Applications are being accepted through Wednesday, October 15, 2008.
Preliminary round judge applicants should be comfortable reviewing and evaluating a large volume of books within a relatively short period of time, and need to be available to attend the judging panel session the afternoon of Saturday, January 31, 2009. Final round judge applicants need to be available for the panel session on Saturday, March 7, 2009.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions related to the Book Awards, and be sure to visit www.thefriends.org for ongoing updates. Thank you for your support of Minnesota authors and books.
Warmly,
Ann
Ann Nelson
MN Book Awards Coordinator
The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library
325 Cedar Street, Suite 555
Saint Paul, MN 55101-1055
Direct: (651)366-6497
Main: (651) 222-3242
Fax: (651) 222-1988
August 14, 2008
WebJunction, the online learning community for librarians and library staff, has launched a new social and learning experience in close collaboration with partners in 15 state libraries. The new site builds on the deep repository of helpful content, relevant courses and active discussions that have been the hallmark of WebJunction since 2003.
The new capabilities make it easier for librarians and staff to:
Originally launched in 2003 with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, OCLC and partners from across the library community, WebJunction has grown to over 30,000 registered members, delivered thousands of courses and become a vibrant partner and community.
