More Things on a Stick Reminder!

No doubt you have either seen the press release, gotten an email, or read about our new installment of the 23 Things program, dubbed, More Things On a Stick. Registration closes in a mere 12 days (February 20th) so don’t delay. We would love to see all CMLE members registered for the program, so get on the stick!

 

MN Library Legislative Day

Minnesota Library Day at the Legislature

 

March 25, 2009!

 

Save the date, spread the word.  Tell your friends, Board members, and supporters.  Registration and other information on the day will be forthcoming. Watch the CMLE Exchanger Newsletter for details as they become available.

 

Libraries gear up for National Gaming Day @ your library

Hundreds of libraries across the country will join ALA for the first-ever National Gaming Day @ your library November 15. Public, school, and academic libraries will participate in two national events. The first is an attempt to establish a record for the most number of people playing the board game Pictureka! on the same day at the library. Gamers will also participate in a national library video game tournament via the Web. Watch a video interview (6:06) with ALA Literacy Officer Dale Lipschultz about this exciting initiative.

 

Laura Bush Grants

Grants Enhance K-12 School Libraries

Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries
The goal of the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries is to provide print books to the school libraries and students that most need them. Grants of up to $6,000 are made to update, extend, and diversify the book collections of school libraries throughout the United States. Preference is given to elementary, middle, or high schools in which 90% or more of the school population receives free or reduced lunch. Funds are available only for library books and magazine/serial copies, and subscriptions; requests for staffing, shelving, furniture, equipment, software, videos, classroom book sets, or exams are not eligible. All grants are made to individual schools rather than to school districts, foundations, or other entities. The application deadline is December 31, 2008. Online application information is available on the website listed above.

 

PBS Launches New Online Community for Educators

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.

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect

 

MN Book Award Nominations are Open!

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

 

Save the Date! Be sure to mark your calendar for the 21st Annual Minnesota Book Awards gala. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel – Saint Paul Riverfront. Last year’s event was a sellout, so make your reservation early. Information available in early 2009. Multiply Your Gift to the Book Awards With Help From a Challenge Grant Even a small gift can provide meaningful help, particularly when matched by the Katherine B. Andersen Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation. Attention Writers! Visit the Loft Literary Center to find out about the 2008 Loft Inroads Program that offers writers the opportunity to engage in nine weeks of craft seminars, individual conferences and public readings, all with an established local mentor sharing the participant’s ethnic heritage: http://tinyurl.com/4krqm6 2008 Winning Titles Posters and Bookmarks Now Available Get yours at your local library today! If you would like a quantity for your bookstore, library or school, contact mnbookawards@thefriends.org. 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.

 

Judges Needed for MN Book Awards

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 21^st 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

mnbookawards@thefriends.org

www.thefriends.org

 

 

Picturing America Grants

Schools and public libraries are invited to apply online for the second round of Picturing America, which will ship in March 2009. Picturing America is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) designed to bring masterpieces of American art into classrooms and libraries nationwide.

Online applications will be accepted through  October 31, 2008. The images in the Picturing America collection will remain the same; eligible institutions which applied during the first round will receive their Picturing America awards in fall 2008 and will not be eligible for a second award, In May 2008, 26,300 schools and public libraries were selected to received the first round of the award. ,

http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/educators.php?subPage=edu_apply

 

Best Buy Grant Program

Welcome back to school! I hope you have a great year. Enclosed is the website for the Best Buy Teacher Grant Program, which focuses on use of technology with instruction. Please check it out. Applications are due between July and October 2008.

 

http://www.bestbuyinc.com/community_relations/teach_awards.htm

 

 

 

New WebJunction!

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:

• Connect with friends, peers and colleagues from across the library community using powerful new social tools such as friends, public profiles, groups, discussions, tagging and recommendations;
• Create their own content, conversations and spontaneous communities with fast, fun and easy-to-use tools;
• Learn the skills they need to thrive in their careers with new and more flexible online courses covering general business, technical and library skills, complimented by powerful social and learning management tools that add depth to the experience.

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.