The ARSL Conference was held in St. George, Utah this year. St. George is a beautiful place to go. Our Keynote speakers were Jill Nystull who wrote "One Good Life" and Richard Paul Evans who became famous with his book "The Christmas Box". I also learned his daughter, Jenna Evans Welch, has written one YA [...]
2 day retreat at Lake Shetek WORKING TOGETHER Library and Media Center Directors' Retreat October 20 - 21, 2017 Shetek Lutheran Ministries Retreat Center 14 Keeley Island Drive Slayton, MN 56172 Friday 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. Pioneerland Library System -Plum Creek Library System - SAMMIE Friday only: (breakfast [...]
I had the pleasure of attending the fourth annual Koha-US conference in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho August 9th through August 12. The conference was split into two days of presentations and two days of hackfest. Day one kicked off with a meet and greet followed by a keynote address given by Chris Cormack from New Zealand [...]
Help New School Library Staff! School districts save money by hiring staff without library backgrounds to run the media centers. Even first year teacher lirarians feel lost at times. Experienced staff from any type of library could be a valuable resource for someone with questions. You could be a mentor. Interested? These exercises may help you decide: [...]
Radically trusting as first time attendee, I blindly volunteered as a grades 9-12 Camp Counselor. Two thoughtful soft-spoken MN authors - Alison McGhee & Pete Hautman - shared personal writing histories and taught a writers’ workshop. Rapid-fire book discussions provided deeper understanding via diverse perspectives of teachers, media specialists and public librarians. Participants offered additional [...]
SAMMIE Grant application available August 28, 2017
This year was my second time attending Camp Read, but my first year attending both days. Last year I went to the picturebook day, so it was fun to talk about literature for older readers this year—especially YA. It’s a great opportunity to have thoughtful discussions with teachers and other librarians about a diverse array [...]
It was another wonderful Camp Read-A-Lot! I enjoyed the books that I read and was introduced to newer books that some of my patrons would enjoy. I feel that Camp Read A Lot is a great opportunity to learn more about books and visit with like minded individuals. Author Alison Mcghee was the speaker for [...]
I had the opportunity to serve as a counselor at Camp Read this year. As an attendee in past years, I learned about new authors and titles, but as a counselor, I learned even more. It was very interesting to facilitate the discussions and hear the different perspectives on four specific books. The books I [...]
Another great event sponsored by SAMMIE, PCLS and Pioneerland! I attended the second day, and found the speaker, Pete Hautman, very engaging and informative. He has a keen understanding of the needs of the YA audience and the challenges of writing YA literature. The conference area was comfortable and food was good. I also found [...]