Professional Development

I have been asked by Jonya Pacey @ SELCO to take part in a state-wide professional development library for librarians (others involved in this project are Pauline Siem, Jess Laares, and Brenda Carriere). There was a MN State Library that was shut down a couple governors ago, but the Friends of the Library has leftover funds of $30,000. Some of the library districts around the state (there are a total of 12) have these kinds of collections already started and funded as well. SELCO, for example, dedicates $500/year to this kind of collection. We hope to get both the district and the Friends funds as sources of funding for this project.

Things are still in their baby planning stages, but we are going to be putting together a proposal to create this new collection to present to a CRPSLA subcommittee to get this funding. Things we have to take a look at are where this collection will be housed (either at a central location or distributed around the state at the library district offices), how items in the collections will be shelved (either with existing collections located at the district offices or separately) and if we will be able to use the $500/year some districts are already putting aside to add to this collection. Of course, this is by NO means a complete list!!

I am really looking forward to the challenges ahead in working on this proposal.

Monday Musings

You know, when it rains, it really does pour.

I have decided to write an article on blogger readership with a good friend on mine Joyna Pacey. It will be a study that looks at people who read blogs & why they do. We hope to present it at this year's MLA convention and also get our final findings published. It should be very interesting and a good way to get my name out there in the MN library community.

Jonya just emailed me today with another project she is working on that has to do with an area I really don't have much background in - Collection Development. The project has something to do with the state library closing. I don't know details yet, but it sounds very interesting. More to come when I learn more myself!