Since 1933, the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library (MBTBL) at the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has provided free library service to people who have a visual, physical or reading disability and are unable to read or use regular printed material. MBTBL serves residents throughout Minnesota, in partnership with the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS).

MBTBL provides audio, hard copy braille, digital braille and large print books—as well as descriptive DVDs—sent free through the US Mail. Equipment, such as digital talking book players and refreshable digital braille displays, is also available for loan.

Downloadable digital braille and audiobooks and magazines are available online or through Android/iOS apps on a smartphone, tablet or other devices.

Public libraries can apply for an institutions account to demonstrate the equipment for patrons.

More information is available on the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library or the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled websites, by calling 1-800-722-0550, or emailing mn.btbl@state.mn.us.

To receive informational sheets or rack cards to help connect others with the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library, or to request a training or demonstration, please contact Susan Lubbers at susan.lubbers@state.mn.us.

State Library Services has an opening for the State School Librarian. The person in this position will provide technical assistance to licensed staff working in school libraries across Minnesota, as well as advice and guidance to district and charter schools and MDE staff on school library management.

Apply for the State School Librarian position. The application closes on March 14, 2025.

The Office of American Indian Education (OAIE) at MDE has created an American Indian Literature Resources document to be used as a starting point for educators to incorporate American Indian literature, with a focus on Anishinaabe and Dakota, into their classes, or for librarians to include in collection development.

The document includes instructional materials and read aloud videos of books by Minnesotan authors. A list of book vendors is also included for help in sourcing these titles.

In celebration of the United States' 250th anniversary, the Smithsonian Institution's Democracy in Dialogue Virtual Exchange (DiDVE) Program is a storytelling program for teens at your library to connect and share stories from their communities with a virtually-paired teen library group across America.

Cohort 3 (June–August 2025) follows a condensed summer model with an emphasis on participation from cultural organizations including museums and public libraries. 

Librarians and library staff will guide their teen group as they uncover and share the stories of their local community. The Smithsonian Institution will guide library staff through a series of knowledge-based curriculum to assist you with your teens on storytelling endeavors.

The application period for Cohort 3 is February 10–April 11, 2025.

Apply here: Democracy in Dialogue Virtual Exchange Program Application.

Problem Solvers: Early Math Curriculum & Songs is a free, downloadable early childhood and preschool STEM curriculum for children aged 30-48 months from Zero to Three. It includes 44 play-based activities, specially composed songs that support each activity, book suggestions and extension activities, and family resources. A teacher's guide is included.

As the frequency of severe weather events increases around our world, those of us who work with younger children have seen a lack of resources to help share this topic with them.

With funding through the Learning Ecosystems Northeast project, The Maine State Library has partnered with The Healing Library to create a brand-new toolkit for younger children and their caregivers to talk about severe weather events: the Severe Weather & Climate Engagement Toolkit.

The toolkit includes before, during and after sections. While this kit cannot make all the worries and experiences of severe storms go away, it can help families down a path to healing by:

• Offering books to share and empathize
• Guiding discussions to ensure everyone feels heard and understood
• Providing activities of emotional exploration for families
• Suggesting acts of kindness to take away powerless feelings
• Sharing community helpers so families know where to reach out for continued help

You can download the free toolkit, and the kits to circulate can be created at your library or purchased from The Healing Library.

Unite for Literacy is a website that offers free digital picture books for students from different cultures, backgrounds and languages. These books are available on the Unite for Literacy bookshelf, which makes the digital book available on any device–computer, tablet or smartphone.

Each book offers narration in multiple languages. Readers can select their preferred language(s) for each page, which is ideal for multilingual learners. Some books include American Sign Language videos. Filtering by language on the bookshelf displays all available books in that language.