We’re Hiring! Position Open at the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library

We’re excited to announce that the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library is now hiring for our Digital Recording Studio Director position. Based in Faribault, this position will run the library’s volunteer-driven recording program, creating digital audio recordings for library patrons. Applications are now being accepted through October 10, 2018. To access the job posting and apply online visit Minnesota's Online Job Application website and search for job opening ID #26846. 

For more information, please contact Catherine Durivage (507-384-6860).  

Minnesota Participating in New YALSA Cohort

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has announced the pilot cohort of its Train the Trainer project. Over its three-year timeline, the project will bring together state library agency youth consultants and frontline library staff from each state for a robust training program that will help them build connected learning, computational thinking, cultural competence, and other skills to better serve and meet the learning needs of youth in their communities. Five state library agencies and front-line staff from local libraries were selected to participate in the pilot year of the project. Minnesota’s delegates, Andrea Egbert from Anoka County Library and Leah Larson from State Library Services, will attend a training in early October 2018 and then design and facilitate training for Minnesota library staff over the next three years. 

The project is a partnership between YALSA and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), and is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. To learn more about the project, please visit the ALA website.

Make a Cool, Creative Film Project with Kids

The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival is an annual national video contest in which kid filmmakers make movies that creatively tell the entire stories of Newbery-winning books in 90 seconds or less. Making a film is a fun, creative and multi-faceted educational exercise that builds students’ 21st century skills. Entries for the 2018-19 season are due January 11, 2019, so your team should get started right away. Complete rules and details about the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival can be found on the film festival website. 

In the meantime, mark your calendars for the Minnesota screening of the 2018-19 season’s best films. 90-Second Newbery founder and curator James Kennedy co-hosts the fun alongside a special literary guest on Saturday, February 23, 2019, at Hennepin County Library–Minneapolis Central. For more information about the 90-Second Newbery, please contact Leah Larson (651-582-8604).

Work Confidently with Homeless Patrons

The Minnesota Department of Education is committed to supporting the state’s Heading Home Together plan, and library staff training is one of our goals. All library administrators, staff, board members, and volunteers now have free year-long access to “Practical Tips for Homeless Patrons,” an online, self-paced tutorial presented by Ryan Dowd, the author of “The Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness.” Through the course, participants will gain insights into the mind of a person experiencing homelessness—how they communicate, likely experiences that color their worldview, and possible triggers to behavior escalation. Through an empathy lens, library staff and volunteers will also gain tips and tricks for welcoming, serving, and supporting homeless patrons. 

To take the training, follow the enrollment steps on the Niche Academy website. Contact Jen Verbrugge (651-582-8356) if you have access issues or other questions. 

Access African American Historical Materials

Umbra Search African American History makes African American history more broadly accessible through a freely available search tool that brings together nearly a million digitized materials from over 1,000 libraries and archives across the country. The scope of Umbra Search seeks to bring together the historical artifacts and documents that represent the full depth and breadth of the African American experience—its people, places, ideas, events, movements, and inspirations. The collection holds content from every part of the country, and features videos, music, oral histories, photographs, maps, handwritten letters, and much more. Umbra Search is developed by the Givens Collection of African American Literature at the University of Minnesota Libraries' Archives and Special Collections, with Penumbra Theatre Company. 

Learn About Updated Sales Tax Facts for Libraries

The Minnesota Department of Revenue has published a new fact sheet clarifying the application of the sales tax to libraries. The fact sheet (Minnesota Sales Tax Fact Sheet No. 139, 09/01/2018) is available on the Department of Revenue website.