Learning to Use New Technologies

Staff at the Arrowhead Library System, Mountain Iron, MN, learned how to set up a wii and Rock Bank, download music to an iPod, navigate with a GPS, and take digital pictures using equipment purchased with LSTA funds. Staff in other areas of MN will be attending this workshop in October 2008 to learn about new gadgets to show patrons how to use various technology gadgets.

Nancy Pearl will be back in MN in Septermber

Everybody is loving the Nancy Pearl Readers' Advisory Workshops. We have had record-breaking attandance at every location.

Nancy will be in Wyoming, Mountain Iron, and Detroit Lakes in September. Register for the staff workshop at http://www.arrowhead.lib.mn.us/certification/formra.htm

The workshops are funded by a Library Services and Technology Act Grant (LSTA) administered through the State of Minnesota. The Arrowhead Library System in Minnesota is the organizer and the fiscal agent for the workshops.

Readers' Advisory

Nancy Pearl, author of Book Lust, presented a workshop yesterday to 145 public, school, academic, and special librarians at the College of St. Catherine. Attendees learned their are many doorways into reading, and different people enter through different doorways.

The workshops continue in SELCO today, Mankato tomorrow, Redwood Falls, and St. Cloud later in the week.

Today is a busy day with a radio program in the morning and a staff workshop in the morning. A program for the public in the afternoon, and a repeat staff workshop in the afternoon. Staff will also participate in a collection development session and an ILL and MnLiNK session.

Nancy Pearl will be in Wyoming, Mt. Iron, and Detroit Lakes in September 2008 for staff workshops.

CE Summit at State Library

On May 31, 2007, CE Providers attended a Summit with Nancy Bolt and Jody Howard, who hared their finding on the MN Voluntary Certification Program Evaluation.

The concensus:

• One Statewide Calendar of CE Events needs to be developed.
• There needs to be a Committee, such as CLIME.
• There needs to be paid staff on the State level to work with CE.
• The MN Voluntary Certification Program should move forward with revisions.
• Funding provided at the State level, the local level, by providers.

As a result of yesterday's Summit and the comments I heard from some attendees and the Evaluators, I have posted the Workshop Chart that shows which of the Statewide (Round Robin) Workshops meet which competencies.

If a MN Voluntary Certifiication Participant attends the Statewide Workshops, the staff member has the competencies and contact hours for the program.

Tech Expectations with Marshall Breeding

There was lots of excellent information at the Tech Expectations workshops April 30 - May 4, 2007. Mary Beth Sancomb-Moran blogged throughout the day at SELCO. See her posting on the SELCO blog.

If you attended the workshop, email your assessment to marshall.breeding@vanderbilt.edu

Marshall Breeding's Web Site

Check out Marshall Breeding's Web site, Library Teechnology Guides, at www.librarytechnology.org. There's lots of good stuff.

Marshall Breeding will be in Minnesota April 30 through May 4, 2007. See the MN Voluntary Certification Web site Program Calendar for more information.

Rural Library Sustainability Workshops Approved

The Rural Library Sustainability Workshops, funded by the Gates Foundation and organized and presented by Mary Ann Van Cura, State Library Services, have been approved for 6 contact hours for Philosophy 2 and 11 and Public Services A2, A3, A8 Competencies. The workshops are being held in many locations in MN during February through May, 2007.

An Evaluation of Minnesota Voluntary Certification

The full report An Evaluation of the Minnesota Voluntary Certification Program by Nancy Bolt and Jody K. Howard is available on the MDE Website.

In my opinion, this report is fair and well-done. The results are not a surprise.

The report contains 4 items of misleading information:
1. It takes 4 years to complete the program, not 3 years.
2. If someone wishes to extend their time for completeing certification, they email the Chair of the Oversight Committee who takes their request to the Oversight Committe for approval, not just that the participant makes a phone call.
3. More online courses are available than the Consultants realized. Some of the approved courses sponsored by MINITEX, the College of DuPage, and SirsiDynix are archived, and can be taken online.
4. There 3 options for the Final Project, not 2 options.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the online survery, the focus groups, and the interviews.