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REFERENCE NOTES
May 2013
Informal Professional Development Thriving in the
Suburbs
Sara Swenson, Edina High School
Informal Professional
Development Thriving in
the Suburbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Why It’s Great to Be a
Librarian. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
ARLD Day 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . 3
[Editor’s note: We saw Sara at a recent local conference, where she admitted
to being a Reference Notes reader. We got talking about a professional
development group she’s a part of that seemed like a wonderful model that
others might emulate. She generously agreed to give us the scoop.]
Being a high school media specialist—one person responsible for handling the
information needs of a challenging population the size of a small city--can be
a lonely job, and trying to find colleagues in one’s own district to seek out for
staff development partnerships can often be difficult.
2013 Nonprofit Technology
& Communications
Conference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
To solve that problem,
high school media
specialists in the western
suburbs of Minneapolis
created an informal staff
development group over
20 years ago that is still
going strong. These highly
motivated professionals
gather each month to
talk smart about issues
specific to high school
media specialists, with
topics ranging from the
latest online databases
and ebooks to managing
budgets and tech devices.
Family Play and Learn
Spot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
ELM Spotlight. . . . . . . . . . . . 11
AskMN Webinar Series . . . . 11
The Flipped Classroom
and You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Digital Public Library of
America Launched . . . . . . . 12
May/June Free Learning
Opportunities from
WebJunction . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Last Call for MNLFI
Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Put Me In, Coach!. . . . . . . . . 14
West Metro Media network includes staff from
Edina High School, St. Louis Park High School,
Eden Prairie High School, Hopkins High School,
Minnetonka High School, Chaska High School,
Chanhassen High School, Wayzata High School,
Perpich Center for the Arts High School,
Bloomington Jefferson High School, and Brooklyn
Park High School. Even more schools join the
conversation via email group, as well.
With meeting locations
rotating among the
various high schools, great
ideas come from seeing
firsthand what others are
doing and from tackling
agendas that are based
upon current curricular
needs, best practices in
school media programs,
and the latest “hot
topics” related to overall
librarianship.
The benefits of this
sharing among colleagues
Reference Notes - May 2013
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1
with similar responsibilities have been immeasurable. We have supported each other through thick and thin, shared
budget figures to help one another lobby for additional funding, compared policies and information challenges related
to high school students, and met collectively with vendors to make sure we are all being offered the same fair deals.
Most importantly, we’ve inspired each other to try new things, spreading great ideas and programs from one school to
another. In the best library tradition, borrowing is encouraged!
Our collegial spirit is strong--If there’s one email that is sure to get answered each day, it’s one from a fellow member of
the group asking for quick input to a policy issue or help with a resource question. This support and understanding from
others who do our same job is especially valuable when there’s only one person in our position in our district, and it has
strengthened the media programs in all of our schools as well as the professional skills of each of the media specialists in
our group.
This simple do-it-yourself style of staff development is an approach that can easily be replicated. Simply find some other
people who do what you do—even a half-dozen is a good start. Invite them over. Have treats. Draft a simple agenda that
is meaningful to the work you do and also provides some time for impromptu sharing. If needed, establish some group
norms. Most importantly, make it a place people want to come and a group to which people find value in belonging.
Rarely do I miss our monthly “West Metro Media” meetings, since I always come away with an idea or two for something
new to try. As I believe others in the group would agree, this organic, informal staff development is the best professional
conference I attend!
Why It’s Great to Be a Librarian
Jennifer Hootman
Last month I wrote up a short piece on suggestions for reclaiming
your librarian mojo. Useful, if you feel like you’ve lost it or could use a
freshening up. For me, it was definitely some helpful advice. Well, this
time I’d like to turn my attention to an article that Barbara Fister wrote
for Library Journal back in March, “Ten Easy Pieces on the Profession of
Librarianship.” Let’s put on our positive thinking caps and try this out
David Letterman style –
Top Ten Reasons Why It’s Great to Be a Librarian:
#10
Our curiosities, no matter how random they may or may not be, actually work in our favor on the job.
#9
No matter how small, we typically have a budget, which may be more than what others can say across the globe.
#8
Generally, and perhaps comparatively to other professions, our patrons are patient with shortcomings or mistakes giving
us time to make corrections (though, this one might actually depend on the type of library in which you work) .
#7
No one day or patron is the same. There’s always something new happening or something new to learn.
#6
Our profession is a social one. Yes, many of us may enjoy a Happy Hour now and again, but this is about the many
opportunities we have to stay in communication with one another on an ongoing basis as well as a general attitude of
generosity towards each other. From conversations at professional conferences to informal tweets, these avenues allow
us opportunities to stay in touch, provide assistance, and learn from one another.
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REFERENCE NOTES
#5
We get to work in a place that serves as a common ground for people, whether it’s on a campus, in a residential
community, in a corporation, or in a government building. We provide services for a wide range of interests which is a
responsibility that can be highly rewarding. (See also: # 7)
#4
Librarians have the opportunity to play a role in someone’s education, whether that is general computer skills or a
student’s dissertation. In one way or another, we’ve all likely been a part of someone’s light bulb moment or are about to
be.
#3
Librarianship is supported by a set of values that matter to society – preserving culture, providing access and education,
defending the freedom of expression and privacy.
#2
Librarianship is one of the helping professions. At its core, even though we may have pursuits of our own, librarians
provide assistance to others in their endeavors. We can play an integral role in positively affecting someone’s life, a
student’s education, a professor’s research, or the R&D department. Whether gratitude is expressed or not, this is a major
reward of librarianship.
And the #1 reason Why It’s Great to Be a Librarian….drum roll….
#1
We get to buy things with other people’s money (and organize and weed)!
(Just kidding. Actually, #2 would be my #1!)
What would be your #1 reason? Write in to [email protected] and let us know. Maybe it’s something not on this list! To
read Fister’s own words on this top ten list check out the article on the Library Journal website.
ARLD Day 2013 – Changing Collections: Advocating for Our Future
There weren’t any tulips this year at the annual ARLD Day Conference, held as always at the MN Landscape Arboretum,
but there was the usual mix of wonderful sessions and networking opportunities. Just a couple of those sessions are
recounted here.
E-books Rights Advocacy
Rita Baladad, Minitex CPERS
This session was a perfect accompaniment to the keynote given by Jenica Rogers of SUNY-Potsdam. That keynote
encouraged libraries to follow Potsdam’s lead in pushing back against unsustainable pricing structures for library content.
Aaron Albertson and Katy Gabrio of Macalester used their session to echo that powerful statement and gave a clarion call
for libraries to take a more active role in managing their changing collections by advocating for what they need.
Aaron began the presentation by explaining why Macalester started down the path of ebooks rights advocacy in 2011:
1. Working in ILL, he saw an increase in requests for ebooks. Macalester could not fill these requests due to licensing
restrictions or difficulty in navigating the numerous platforms. So, the easiest way to deal with this was a blanket policy to
just say NO.
2. Contextual universe: with all the conversations on listservs and blogs about ebook difficulties, it was hard to escape the
conversation.
Reference Notes - May 2013
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3
3. Switching from print reference to digital brought
up questions they hadn’t considered, like circulating
reference ebook titles.
4. Macalester started purchasing kindles and iPads to
loan digital content; this shifted conversation to how to
use these devices and what should be put on them.
5. After conversing with vendors, Macalester was not
satisfied with what was being offered.
6. Macalester switched to another book vendor, Ingram,
with the MyILibrary platform. This presented them
an opportunity to revisit consortial CLIC purchasing.
Ingram thought this could work, until their reps started
negotiating with publishers. Publishers wanted to
add friction to the sale, making consortial purchasing
difficult. Macalester realized that this consortial buying
wasn't going to happen as soon as they wanted.
In 2012, the library held a retreat to examine what to do
with ebooks.
The initial focus was to get all the staff up to speed
on the issues and perhaps report on it. They shifted
their focus from writing a white paper to advocacy and
created a short list of issues that were important to
them:
• Licensing
• Business models
• Technology
These key issues will drive planning and advocacy into
the future. Macalester Library's next step is to spend
time building a constituency by explaining the issues
to faculty, staff, and students. In closing, they cited an
article: “E-books in Academic Libraries: Challenges for
Acquisition and Collection Management,” William H.
Walters, portal: Libraries in the Academy, April 2013.
Google Drive for Librarians
Beth Staats
Karen Dubay and Kent Gerber of Bethel University
presented an interesting session at this year’s ARLD
Day, “Put Yourself in the Driver’s Seat: Google Drive
for Librarians.” Some institutions around the state
have started using Google Drive as an alternative to
the Microsoft Office product suite. It offers a lot of the
same features and functionality. Karen and Kent talked
about using Google Documents, Spreadsheets, Forms,
Presentations, and Drawing. Karen has used Google
Forms as a way to survey students before teaching
4
a class. The end result of a Google Form is a Google
Spreadsheet, which offers a great option for pre and
post assessment. Unlike PowerPoint, the only media
that Google Presentation can embed are YouTube
videos. Up to 50 people can edit a document at the
same time and sharing a document, file, or folder is
limited to 200 people. Karen and Kent have created a
Libguide for Google Drive.
Knowledge is Power: An
Information Literacy Class on
Human Rights
Carla Pfahl
Martha Hardy, librarian, and Michal Moskow, faculty,
with Metro State University gave a presentation about
the information literacy class they are collaborating on
this spring term. They decided to offer an information
literacy class based on the subject of Human Rights. As
they mentioned, this gave students a way to engage
in the research process because of the interesting
subject matter. The main focus of the course was
geared towards the final project which was to interview
immigrants living in Minnesota, develop theses based
on the themes from the interviews, and write literature
reviews, create annotated bibliographies and search
descriptions, and present findings in class presentations.
Representatives from the Advocates for Human Rights
spoke to the class about the One Voice Minnesota
Monitoring Project which is a project designed to
eliminate anti-immigrant bias in Minnesota communities.
The Advocates gave the students a template for
interviewing immigrants to collect their stories. The
transcriptions of the interviews will be collected by
the Advocates and used to monitor the human rights
of immigrants in Minnesota. Because the students
were so engaged with the subject matter, Martha and
Michal noted they were able to better develop resource
evaluation skills which led to critical thinking. This was
the first time either of them have taught an information
literacy course in such a manner and both thought the
experience was a success and would like to offer it
again.
REFERENCE NOTES
2013 Nonprofit Technology & Communications Conference
The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) and
MAP for Nonprofits organized this large conference
in Minneapolis, which was held on April 10th. Several
Minitex staff members attended to learn how those in
nonprofit settings outside of libraries use technology to
more effectively communicate. Read on to hear what we
learned.
Keynote: Technology, Trust & Transparency
Matt Lee
Nancy Lyons and Meghan Wilker, founders of the Geek Girls Guide, set the stage for the day by discussing how
technology and social media have changed the way we work.
Their keynote focused on one difficult question: Why is social media for organizations so hard? Part of the answer
they gave is that organizations often ask technology to solve problems it is not designed to address. Collaboration, for
example, is not a software problem. Neither is communication. Those tasks, which are not tidy achievements, are often
viewed through an organizational lens that is more comfortable with tidy outcomes.
Today’s work culture is largely a remnant of the era of industrialization, where a workplace’s structure, roles, and tasks
are highly controlled from on-high. Pointing to the ClueTrain Manifesto, Lyons and Wilker note that hyperlinks (as a
stand-in for the Web and social media) subvert this traditional hierarchy. And they note that social media blurs the line
between personal and professional lives.
So what does this mean for social media in the nonprofit world? It means that nonprofit organizations must rely on
their employees’ personal networks. (And, I guess, that employees must be willing to use them.) Individuals feel most
connected to organizations at the intersection of personal and professional. It’s the people within an organization that
do the collaborating and the communicating. Social media facilitates it, but personal networks power it.
An organization may not be able to control social messaging as effectively in the 21st Century as it could control
advertising in the 20th, but that shift also brings the opportunity to empower employees to build personal social
connections that further the organization’s mission.
Social Media Like the Big Dogs
Sara Ring, Minitex/DCME
I attended the Nonprofit Technology & Communications Conference on April 10 in downtown Minneapolis. There were
few library staff attending, but what I found was that the communication and technology issues of interest to nonprofit
organizations are very similar to what we discuss in libraries. This year’s conference had a number of sessions focused
on social media and using video to tell your story. If you participate in social media at your library, I encourage you to
read on. The following summary focuses on doing social media at your organization “like the big dogs” (the large forprofit companies). It turns out we can learn a lot from how they do social media, and much of what they do is scalable
to libraries and nonprofit organizations.
Jamie Millard and Chris Oien, two people well versed in social media at their organizations, presented “Social Media Like
the Big Dogs.” They began by talking briefly about what organizations are already doing on social media. Best practice
includes: listening and engaging, following lists (on Twitter) and using saved keywords to stay abreast of developments
in topics of interest, tracking clicks and traffic from social media to your organization, prompting discussions, and
Reference Notes - May 2013
http://minitex.umn.edu/communications/refnotes/
5
posting photos instead of links (photos take up more real estate on the Facebook Page and are more attractive). You
might be following all of these best practices on Facebook and Twitter, but there is more you could be doing! As stated
on one of the presenter slides, “There are things that large companies do that no one talks about for nonprofits.” This
includes activities such as:
•
•
•
•
advertising
real-time analytics
creative campaigns
influencer lists
Advertising
Within Facebook and Twitter, there are a few options for advertising (Note: these options are changing all the time).
Facebook Sponsored Stories
Sponsored stories are based on user stories. For example, have you ever seen a story
appear in your news feed that states your friend likes a particular product or page?
Chances are that the company paid to have that sponsored story sent through your news
feed.
• If you want more Facebook fans or to reach more people, this approach can help achieve that goal.
Facebook Page Post Ads
These are created using a feature called Ad Manager within Facebook. You can pay to choose your target audience,
and your message will show up in news feeds of your target audience.
• This option will not result in an increase in Facebook fans on your page. But, one advantage is that you can
choose your target audience for this option (e.g., Minnesota Librarians).
Facebook Promoted Posts
These are relatively easy to do and they are also created in Ad Manager within Facebook. A promoted post is similar
to writing a post as you normally would on your Page. The extra step to promote the post is to click on “promote,” and
then you would choose how much money you wish to spend on the promoted post.
• A promoted post will be pushed out to your current fans and friends of fans. This is a good approach if you want
more engagement.
Facebook Marketplace Ads
These are the ads that currently show up on the right side of the page within Facebook. You can create them using Ad
Manager. The ads are delivered based on a user’s Internet browsing behavior. Soon you will start to see them delivered
via your news feed.
• These types of ads get the most clicks.
Twitter: Promoted Tweets
There are fewer options for Twitter advertising. With promoted tweets, you can
choose where you want your ad delivered (from a search query or news feed). There
is also something called promoted hashtags, but this is a really expensive option. For
example, Coca Cola and Pepsi are always buying each other’s hashtags.
After explaining the advertising options, each presenter gave some specific examples
of Facebook and Twitter advertising done by nonprofits. For example, The Young Nonprofit Professionals Network
(YNPN) wanted to place an ad in Facebook to recruit new members. They used an image and the tagline “we’re rolling
out the welcome mat for you.” They paid $20.00 to reach 3,800 + people. That same month, they had two times the
usual membership sign-up rate.
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REFERENCE NOTES
The Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCN) wanted to promote their social media workshops on Twitter. They ran
an ad for 2,500 impressions and ended up spending around $25.00 (they only paid when a person clicked, retweeted,
favorited, or replied to the tweet). They targeted people in the metro area and MCN followers.
Real-Time Analytics
For Amazon, real-time analytics means on-the-fly results to what you might like as a user (The “if you liked this,
try this” functionality). For nonprofits, it could be simply keeping on top of which content on your Facebook Page
or Twitter account gets a lot of attention and adjusting your strategy when needed. For example, Paper Darts (a
literary magazine) posted a picture of a redesigned book cover for Fahrenheit 451, and they received about 50 likes
immediately, which is quite a high number for them. The staff discussed what attracted their followers to this particular
post and decided to try to post more similar content, as well as push out the news to their other communication outlets
(e.g., e-newsletter).
• Real-time analytics can be helpful if you are running some type of campaign. What works from one post to
another? Was that message a success? Ask yourself these questions throughout the campaign.
Creative Campaigns
Do you recall the Old Spice phenomenon?
Near the end of the Old Spice campaign, Twitter followers could pose questions to the actor from the commercials, and
he would respond to them via Youtube. Their Twitter following increased by 2,700%! Sales of Old Spice went up 100%.
Creative campaigns for nonprofits were discussed. For example, Caring Bridge did a creative campaign called “Share
Your Heart.” They asked people to share their stories about how Caring Bridge has impacted their lives, and offered a
contest and a reward (iPad). The point of the campaign was to build more followers so that when they did eventually
do their fundraising campaign, they would have a broader audience.
• Tip: Make sure your creative campaign has a creative hook, social activation, and goals. If you are static in
Facebook fans, a creative campaign could be the way to change that.
Influencers
Know who your “influencers” are. If you are an environmental organization, for example, know who the big social media
environmentalists are, and tap into their networks. There are paid and nonpaid influencers. An example of a paid
influencer is someone who is paid to blog or write about a specific thing (product, event, etc). The speaker focused on
unpaid influencers.
The first step is to make an influencer list. Who are our partner organizations? Volunteers? Your power user followers?
Know their Twitter handles and their email addresses. The organization MAP for Nonprofits created an email list of
“friends,” and they send a note when they want them to promote something.
Try using a tool found on the Friend or Follow website (there is a free month trial). You can sort by who among your
followers have lots of followers: friendorfollow.com.
What is missing from the article is all the helpful example screen shots the presenters used. Visit this website to view
their slides.
Reference Notes - May 2013
http://minitex.umn.edu/communications/refnotes/
7
The Social Media “Underdogs” – LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram
Carol Nelson, Resource Sharing
Did you realize that there are whole groups of people who are not using Facebook or Twitter to get their social media
fix? At the 2013 Nonprofit Communications and Technology Conference, I learned about some of the “niche” social
networking sites that you may want to consider using to get your message out to a demographic you may not be
reaching on your current sites.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the 2nd most popular social network after Facebook. Almost 30% of adults use LinkedIn, and membership on
the site continues to grow. It may be an untapped resource for your library since it is free to create a “Company Page.”
More companies and nonprofit organizations are beginning to use LinkedIn, which also offers a paid version that will give
you advanced features.
For more information about using LinkedIn for a nonprofit organization, see:
• http://nonprofit.linkedin.com/
Pinterest
Many of the most rapidly growing social networks are tailor-made for visual story-telling. If you can use images and
very little text to engage your followers, consider using Pinterest. Women tend to make most of the decisions about
household purchases, so if that is a group you want to attract, Pinterest is your tool. 87% of the site’s users are women
between the ages of 25 to 50 years old. If you have someone who has an eye for visual content at your library, this could
be a big win for your organization.
Third party tools that you may want to use with Pinterest:
• Pinalerts http://pinalerts.com/index/login. Alerts you to who and when your pins are “repinned.”
• Pingraphy http://www.pingraphy.com/. Allows you to schedule pins.
Tumblr.
Tumbler is a blogging platform for the under-25 crowd. There are over 100 million blogs on Tumblr, which contain
original content, images, videos, gifs, and more. On Tumblr you have “followers” and use hashtags in the same way
you do on Twitter. Features include customizable designs, and the ability to post from a phone, tablet, or computer.
Tumblr offers effortless post scheduling, so it is easy to post during “primetime” for most users online (between 6 PM
and 10 PM.) If you want to use this tool, be mindful of the fact that Tumblr users prefer shorter posts, animation, gifs, and
photos. Several libraries in our region are already using Tumblr. You can follow St. Paul Public Library, Hennepin County
Library, and many others for some examples of how they are telling their stories succinctly using this tool.
Third party tools that you may want to use with Tumblr:
• Missing E ( http://missing-e.com/ ) A browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari with helpful shortcuts.
• Tumblr Savior (Add-on App) Helps you block posts you don’t want to see on Tumblr.
• Friend or Follow ( http://friendorfollow.com/ ) Who “unfollowed” you? Find out who is not “following” you back.
Works on Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter.
Instagram
Do you have some great pictures to share? Instagram is the perfect way to do that. Over half of Instagram’s 100 million
users are under the age of 25. Those users post forty million photos to the site every day. Instagram requires the use of
a smartphone or tablet to post photos, but you can load photos that were taken with your digital camera too.
Third party tools that you may want to use with Instagram:
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REFERENCE NOTES
• Hashgram ( http://hashgr.am/ )
Sponsored ads to help attract followers.
• Instafollow (add-on, app)
This will help you discover who is following, and “unfollowing” you.
• Statigram (http://statigr.am/ )
Metrics and other tools to help you optimize Instagram.
With any social media tool, creativity in posting will attract friends and followers and will help to get your message out
there. Regardless of which social media tool you use, always keep these best practices in mind:
• Don’t spam your followers.
• Lighten up!
• Engage with your “friends” or followers by always acknowledging when they comment and post on your profile site.
• Don’t exclusively promote your own organization. Give another organization or one of your followers who is doing
something interesting some positive feedback on your site.
Choosing the Right “Underdog” Social Media Tool for your Library
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Tumblr.
Instagram
Adults (30% of
U.S. adults use
LinkedIn
Ages 25-50,
mostly women
Ages 16-25
Ages 18-34
What will you be
able to share with
this tool?
Set up a
“company” page
Photos, tips,
inspiration
Links, quotes,
photos, gifs,
videos
Photos
How would you
interact with fans?
Use to recruit
employees,
volunteers,
promote your
institution
Likes, shares,
comments
Likes, shares,
blogging
Likes, comments,
photo sharing
What demographic are you
most likely to
reach?
Reference Notes - May 2013
http://minitex.umn.edu/communications/refnotes/
9
Visual Storytelling
Matt Lee
According to Tina Homstad
and Elissa Schloesser, visual
storytelling can help nonprofits
to build awareness, to educate, and to advocate. But what is visual storytelling? It’s the process of creating a product
that uses pictures, symbols, colors, and words to communicate ideas.
Visual tales tend to fall into three categories: those that visualize data (using charts and graphs), those that visualize
ideas and concepts (using diagrams), and those that visualize geographic information (using maps). Some are static, like
infographics. Others are dynamic, like videos.
The process for visual storytelling moves from Plan > Design > Refine.
The key tasks during the Plan stage are to define the purpose, audience, and key message of the visual product. Why are
we creating this piece? What does our audience know about it already? What information will best answer the questions
they are likely to have?
Answers to those questions dictate the format and the style of the product, the determination of which is the last step
in the Plan stage. If possible, formats should allow for multiple uses of the same product, in different environments (web
and print, for example). Style should adhere to organizational brand.
The Design stage includes developing an idea, picking a tool to create the visual, and drafting the design.
Homstad and Schloesser shared some design tips:
• Keep it simple visually (charts and graphs should be flat not 3-D, data should be visualized using multiple tones of
the same color rather than multiple colors),
• layer information (use a hierarchical structure similar to what you might use to outline an essay),
• and choose color wisely (start with 2 or 3 colors at the most, employ warm colors like red and yellow to stand out,
use kuler.adobe.com for palette recommendations).
As you move into the Refine stage, you’ll share your design, evaluate it, and revise as needed. Once people in your
intended audience start talking about the content of your visual tale (rather than the design), you know you’ve been
successful.
You’ll find many visual storytelling tools listed and described on Homstad and Schloesser’s session handout.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Family Play and Learn Spot
Jennifer Hootman
Each morning I faithfully check the RichfieldPatch to keep up on all that’s happening in my urban hometown. Imagine
my delight when I read that Richfield’s Augsburg Park Library is partnering with the Children’s Museum of Minnesota to
implement an early literacy space for children called the “Family Play and Learn Spot.” These spots are a part of a larger
Hennepin County LIbrary system renovation. HCL states that spaces like these are necessary because the library “plays
an important role in the early learning of young children and in ensuring they enter kindergarten ready to learn.” Since
play is vital to a child’s early learning, HCL is “committed to creating spaces in libraries where children and caregivers
can talk, sing, read, write, and play together.” To get a better idea of what these play areas look like, check out Hopkins
Library’s “Main Street Hopkins” and others in the Hennepin County Library system. Perhaps an early literacy play area is
coming to your local HCL soon.
Do you have a cool new space in your library? We love to hear about news from all corners of the Minnesota library
community. Write in and tell us about it at [email protected]!
10
REFERENCE NOTES
ELM Spotlight
AskMN
AskMN Webinar Series
Representin’ ELM for Home
Educators
Carla Pfahl
Beth Staats
Once again it was that time of year to attend the
largest home-schooling conference in the state, and
perhaps the Midwest. The annual MACHE (Minnesota
Association of Christian Home Educators) Conference,
held at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, pulled in
4,407 attendees in just 2 days, and 789 people attended
the pre-conference tracks. This is always such a great
opportunity for us to share information on the great
Minnesota library resources: ELM, MnLINK, AskMN, and
Minnesota Reflections. As in most years, we were able
to have a session workshop, “ELM: Supporting the Home
Educator’s Curriculum,” which brought in a decent-sized
crowd. The exhibit hall was filled with vendors ranging
from Rosetta Stone Ltd. to Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil
Museum to Generations of Virtue. As always, most
attendees were well versed in their public library offerings
and MnLINK but many were unaware of the depth of the
ELM resources.
Harvard Business Review Article
Access
Matt Lee
A note and policy change from EBSCO serves as a
reminder about direct-linking to individual Harvard
Business Review articles in Business Source Premier:
please don’t do it. As of August 2013, EBSCO is removing
permalink functionality from 500 HBR articles. These
articles, which EBSCO and HBR believe have been used
as unlicensed course reserves, can still be read within the
database – just not linked to. These 500 articles are a tiny
fraction of the HBR content in Business Source Premier.
And HBR is an anomaly in terms of this policy; I don’t
believe any other publications place restrictions on direct
linking to articles within ELM databases.
Minitex Reference Outreach & Instruction introduces
a new series of webinars for AskMN participating
libraries. The first webinar, “AskMN Best Practices,”
had two sessions in April with 36 attendees and
featured a presentation by Merrie Davidson,
University of St. Thomas. Merrie talked about
her experiences and her patrons’ experiences
with chat reference and techniques to help with
understanding a patron’s approach to the research
process.
The second webinar is “Reports & Statistics.” Just
in time for fiscal year-end reports, the “Reports &
Statistics” webinar will focus on what statistics are
available, how to access them, and what reports
can be generated from the QuestionPoint database.
The “Reports & Statistics” webinars will be held
Thursday, May 16th, and Tuesday, May 21st.
Summer is a great time to catch up on any work
that may have taken a back seat during the busy
school year. It’s also a good time to freshen up on
your chat management and chat reference skills.
Look for upcoming Administrator and Librarian
refresher sessions coming this summer!
To register for the Reports & Statistics webinar,
please visit our Minitex Training & Events webpage.
To watch the recorded Best Practices webinar, visit
our Archived Sessions webpage.
Questions about the new policy are being fielded by
EBSCO at [email protected]. Licensing of HBR
articles for full course use can be obtained (at additional
cost) via Harvard Business Publishing at permissions@
harvardbusiness.org.
Reference Notes - May 2013
http://minitex.umn.edu/communications/refnotes/
11
The Flipped Classroom and You
Matt Lee
On April 12th, MEMO gathered a group of classroom teachers, technology coordinators, and media specialists in
Roseville to discuss the flipped classroom. A keynote and four series of breakout sessions throughout the day helped
these educators share tools, experiences, and ideas related to this newest educational trend. Please find notes below on
some of the topics covered.
Keynote: Kristin Daniels, Stillwater Public Schools
According to Daniels, the shift to a flipped classroom is not the ending point. The flipped classroom is instead a starting
point on the road to flipped learning. Students in a flipped learning environment constantly build their meta-cognition
skills by asking, “What do I do if I don’t understand this?” They proactively engage in their own learning experience.
Teachers guiding students through
this process challenge not only the
status quo, but the very system they
themselves grew up in. The process
brings with it active reflection on the
teaching process.
Stillwater schools have taken five
5th grade math teachers through
a pilot of flipped learning, and in
the process identified what Daniels
called the Flipped Learning Pillars.
They are:
•
•
•
•
Flexible environment: Flexibility in terms of physical space, pedagogy, and assessment.
Learning culture: Everyone is responsible for learning in a flipped environment.
Intentional content: Content that is at-the-ready in response to a specific immediate need.
Professional educator: Where educators collaborate and develop professionally together.
Close readers and conspiracy theorists will appreciate the acronym formed by these pillars, although Daniels insists it
was unintentional.
What is unquestionably intentional about flipped learning is the assessment process. Objectives clearly communicated
at the outset allow students to self-direct toward their best method of achievement. Online quizzes and open feedback
loops help teachers to conduct formative assessments.
Challenges persist, however, especially in a high school environment. Several in the audience wondered how to help high
school students, who are very focused on “doing the system,” to engage creatively in their own learning process. Others
wondered how to assess a process, rather than an end product.
Flipped learning is not without its challenges, but it certainly represents a bold and exciting educational experiment
ongoing in many Minnesota schools.
Creating Flexbooks Based on Minnesota Standards
One important aspect of a flipped learning environment is finding reliable supportive content. Marc Johnson and Jon
Larson of ECMECC, a school district consortium in East Central Minnesota, described their organization’s project to
create open-source middle school math textbooks.
The textbooks were built using the CK-12 Flexbooks program, which is a system that allows educators to assemble their
own textbooks using content from multiple sources, including the CK-12 website as well as locally created content.
Content on the CK-12 website is vetted by educators and made available for universal use and editing via a creative
commons attribute and share-alike license.
12
REFERENCE NOTES
Educators in the ECMECC consortium used the CK-12 middle school math material and customized it to align with
Minnesota math academic standards. Find the results of their work, which includes math and algebra texts for grades 6,
7, and 8, at the ECMECC site.
A persistent questioner (and frantic Reference Notes note-taker) in the audience asked about the use and inclusion of
electronic library materials (“elm,” there’s another “unintentional” acronym for you). Challenges include seamless access
from out-of-school as well as potential licensing issues, but as the open textbook trend continues, you can bet media
folks will be active in including their resources.
MN Digital Library
Digital Public Library of America Launched
Edited from Sara Ring, Minitex DCME
After some two and a half years in the making, the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) was launched on April 18th!
DPLA will deliver millions of materials found in American archives, libraries, museums, and cultural heritage institutions
to students, teachers, scholars, and the public. Represented in this unprecedented national aggregation of digital
content is the rich contribution of the Minnesota Digital Library (MDL) through the organizations participating in
Minnesota Reflections.
As a special part of the DPLA launch, the MDL, under the direction of curator Leah Bowe from the Minnesota Historical
Society, has created a fascinating online exhibit on the topic of Native Americans, entitled History of Survivance: Upper
Midwest 19th Century Native American Narratives. This exhibit tells a story of extraordinary culture disruption, change,
and continuity and the effect that has had on the Native population of Minnesota.
Take a look and explore the new DPLA portal!
WebJunction MN
May/June Free Learning Opportunities from WebJunction
Cecelia Boone
Check out WebJunction’s Training page for more information about these sessions, which are free and available to staff
of libraries throughout the Minitex region. Pre-registration is required.
Broadband Adoption Toolkit
Wednesday, May 22, noon Central
Arm Up Your Technology Training
Tuesday, June 4, 1 p.m. Central, 60 min.
Support Patron Learning in Small Space with Small Budgets
Wednesday, June 12, 1 p.m. Central, 60 min.
Archived versions of earlier WebJunction webinars are also available on the webpage.
The WebJunction website also contains a monthly list of other freely available training opportunities that are available to
the library community.
Reference Notes - May 2013
http://minitex.umn.edu/communications/refnotes/
13
Also, remember, WebJunction Minnesota, which provides
access to online, self-paced courses and other features,
is available to all members of the Minnesota library
community.
Put Me In, Coach!
Last call for MNLFI Workshops
Recording an
athlete in action
during game
time or practice
to be critically
analyzed
later for skill
improvement
could be a
cumbersome
and tedious
endeavor.
Now, there’s
an app for that. It’s called Coach’s Eye. So, yes, this
app was developed with athletes in mind. But aren’t
librarians kind of like athletes anyway? Well, no, I guess
we aren’t – at all, really. But when I learned about this
new app from a colleague of mine, we both discussed
how it could be a useful tool for library staff as well.
For instance, one of the features allows you to record
someone in action and then replay it back at a much
slower speed adding your own annotations if you like.
Another feature allows side-by-side comparisons of two
different recordings that could either be played back
simultaneously or separately. So, thinking about the
teaching and presenting we
do, this could be a useful tool
for improving our speaking
and teaching skills. If we
have a trusted colleague who
could record our actions, for
example, while in practice or
working on the job, we would
have the opportunity to see
ourselves from another’s
point of view and consider
ideas for improvement. Or
perhaps a live recording
could be used as a model
to teach others of a best
practice or a fine example to
follow.
Kate Bessey, Rasmussen College/MNLFI Futurist
Book your workshop with the Minnesota Library
Futures Initiative (MNLFI) today! If your organization
is interested in an MNLFI workshop, please fill out the
workshop request form on our website mnlfi2025.org
by June 1. Requests must be received by June 1 to be
considered, though the workshops themselves may be
held throughout the summer of 2013.
Over the past year, members of MNLFI have visited
libraries of all types throughout the state of Minnesota
facilitating workshops exploring the future of libraries.
Workshops can be very broad in scope or can be
customized to help your organization with a specific
need. Visit our Workshops page for more information.
Feedback from workshops has been positive, pointing to
the increased engagement and enthusiasm for the future
of libraries among participants.
Examples of previous workshops:
• Managers from Dakota County Library considered
how future directions will change hiring and training
practices.
• MLIS students at St. Catherine University developed
ideas about the future of the “participatory library” as
part of a Library 2.0 class.
• Staff from Carver County Library explored a variety of
the Scenarios developed by MNLFI in preparation for a
strategic planning discussion.
• Staff from the MnDOT Library considered how they
can foster partnerships to meet the reference needs of
the future.
• See more on the Shared Visions page.
The Minnesota Library Futures Initiative was developed
to spark conversation about the future of libraries in
Minnesota. The MNLFI Steering Committee selected 24
participants from all types of libraries through an open
application process. The MNLFI Futurists gathered to
research and discuss factors likely to impact the future
of libraries and possible ways libraries might respond to
those opportunities and challenges. What we discovered
is that being engaged in the conversation about the
future is more empowering and energizing than reading
about it and everyone has something to contribute.
14
Jennifer Hootman
The app costs $4.99 and is
available for download on the App Store or Google play.
REFERENCE NOTES
The Minitex office
will be closed on
Monday, May 27.
Reference Notes
Minitex
University of Minnesota, 15 Andersen Library
222 21st Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0439
Reference Phone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 612-624-4150, 800-462-5348
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Hootman, Jennifer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .612-624-2924, [email protected]
Lee, Matt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 612-626-9843, [email protected]
Parker, Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 612-624-1024, [email protected]
Pfahl, Carla. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 612-626-6845, [email protected]
Staats, Beth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 612-624-7873, [email protected]
Main Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.minitex.umn.edu
Reference Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]
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