St. Cloud State University Fall Semester by Courtney Walsh / KMS Public Schools (Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg)
I took the course IM (Information Media) 696 from St. Cloud State University, Portfolio, fall semester. This was an online course in which my final master's portfolio chapters 1-3 were planned, researched, and written. I used refereed articles to research, met with my culminated project committee to discuss changes that were needed, and made necessary [...]
ASCLA Online Course: Library Services for People Living with Alzheimer’s by Erin Conway / Marshall-Lyon County Library
Last month, I completed an online course on library services for people living with memory loss. As of 2019, over 5.8 million people in the United States suffer from Alzheimer’s dementia, with the numbers projected to keep growing. The course covered the importance of serving those who are caregivers for loved ones with memory loss. [...]
Sphero Fundamentals Online Training by Mackenzie Schley / Jackson County Library System
Over the last month, I have worked through the online course created by Sphero to better learn how to utilize the Sphero SPRK+ robots that the library owns. The course taught me the basics of how to create programs using the draw, blocks, and text options. It also helped further explain what the terms on [...]
Scholarship for Fall Semester at Emporia State University by Mariah Ralston Deragon / Pioneerland Library System
This semester I completed courses in Collection Development and Management and Introduction to Web Design for my Master's of Library and Information Science. I enjoyed both classes, and felt especially challenged by the Web Design Class, where I hand coded my own website's HTML and CSS. Collection Development was also challenging, and one of our [...]
Network Security Essentials by Joel Sasse / Plum Creek Library System
I attended the WatchGuard firewall training session “Network Security Essentials” hosted at Verus Corporation in Coon Rapids, November 12th through the 15th. The curriculum for the training session was programming their new series of firewalls. Day one consisted of orientation and setting up a new Firebox firewall, upgrading its software, and backing up its configuration [...]
The Power of Play by Ria Newhouse / Spicer Public Library
I attended the Power of Play workshop, facilitated by the Minnesota Children's Museum. The workshop was 4 hours long and easily could have been longer -- it was packed with information! The presenter covered a lot of ground -- what does play look like, what memories did we have of playing, how (and why) do [...]
The Representation of Indigenous Peoples in Children’s Literature by Jill Deinken / Redwood Falls Public Library
I attended the workshop on November 9 at St Catherine's University. There were 2 large group sessions featuring Dr. Debbie Reese and Dr Dawn Quigley as well as 2 small group break out sessions lead by each of the speakers. They talked about the inappropriate/negative use of Native Americans in children's books as well as [...]
Camp Read a Lot by Amy Anderson / Pioneerland Graceville Library
Camp Read a Lot never fails to bring me excitement. I always enjoy and look forward to what we I learn and take back with me this year. I have implemented in my library several of the things that I have taken back with me from Camp Read a Lot. I enjoyed both speakers this [...]
2019 MLA Conference by Michele A. Leininger / Marshall-Lyon County Library
Thank you so much for providing funding to attend the Minnesota Library Association Conference at the Mystic Lake Casino and Conference Center on September 19 and 20, 2019. Below are the sessions I attended that resonated with me and the work we are currently doing at the Marshall Lyon County Library. The Library as a [...]