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 Volume 99 ∙ Issue 2 ∙ September 12, 2024
Library Coordinating Council Nominations Sought
Submitted by ND State Librarian Mary Soucie
The North Dakota Library Coordinating Council (NDLCC) has a vacancy for an at-large librarian. The seat must be filled by someone working in a North Dakota library. The person appointed to the seat will serve for the remainder of the term until 06/30/26.
The NDLCC serves as the State Library’s advisory board. The NDLCC assists with the creation and implementation of the Library Vision strategic plan, including the Library Vision grants. The Governor appoints NDLCC members according to Century Code 54-24.4. Typically, the Council meets quarterly with two meetings held in-person and two via videoconference. The in-person meetings also include tours of libraries.
Nominations, including self-nominations, may be sent to the NDSL Administrative email at ndsladmn@nd.gov by September 30. The State Library will compile the list of applicants and forward it to the Governor’s office. Nominees will also need to complete the Governor’s board application, which can be found at https://apps.nd.gov/gov/boards/Application/PersonalInfo.
This is an interesting and exciting opportunity to help shape library services in our state so please consider applying. If you have questions about the NDLCC, please contact State Librarian Mary Soucie at (701)328-4654 or msoucie@nd.gov.
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Hello, School Librarians!
My name is Kathy Cline. I recently transferred from the Academic, Special, and Tribal Library Specialist position to the School Library Specialist position. Before working at the North Dakota State Library (NDSL), I was a classroom teacher and school librarian for over twenty years, most of which were spent as a full-time school librarian in western North Dakota.
A little more about myself: My husband and I live south of Beulah. Both of us have full-time jobs off the ranch, so we are working our way towards slowing life down by getting out of raising cattle. This has been a big change for the two of us, as we both grew up in families that raised cattle. We have four wonderful children and four grandchildren who keep us busy attending their events.
I am thrilled for the opportunity to work alongside school librarians and am eager to learn from and with you. Some of my goals are to…
- Provide relevant professional development opportunities.
- Advocate for school libraries, credentialed school librarians, and Intellectual Freedom.
- Collaborate with school and academic librarians to create a library skills scope and sequence from K-12-higher education.
- Share information, such as booklists, lesson plans, professional reading, and much more.
- Conduct on-site, in-person visits.
As the State Library School Specialist, my primary role is to support libraries, librarians, and their patrons. However, I can only fulfill this role to the best of my ability if I am aware of your needs. I encourage you to share your concerns, frustrations, needs, ideas, requests, etc. with me. I am here to listen and will do what I can to provide the support you need.
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Work It Out @ Your Library
Submitted by Monica Struck
Computational thinking is the process of identifying a clear, step-by-step solution to a complex problem (Team, 2023). It is an important skill that takes time to acquire, so we need to start young! With the help of the Work It Out Wombats, PBS Kids has created a four-part programming series that can be implemented in libraries.
Each part of the series is devoted to one computational thinking skill and is intended to last three weeks. There are both library activities and learning extensions for at home. Week one introduces the concept; week two has story time and activities; week three is a celebration of what was learned and an opportunity to share what participants did at home. Each unit comes with a library guide, videos, and support materials (including a booklist).
There is a free app for the families to extend the learning at home. The app is broken down into the four parts of the series with each part having three activities that reinforce the concept being taught in that unit. There is the option to document your progress, and the app makes it into a video to share with participants at the week three library meeting.
The four units are titled Create, Test, Improve; Step it Out; Find what Matters; and Break it Down. They cover the design process, sequencing, abstraction and representation, and problem decomposition. Even though each part in the series is essentially pre-planned, the idea is that each library can use as much or as little of the materials provided as they want.
If you are interested in more information on the programming series, check out the Overview video or read through the Introduction. There is a separate Overview video for families.
Resources
PBS LearningMedia. (2024, August 6). Work it out @ your library. https://prairiepublic.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/work-it-out-your-library/.
Team, L. (2023, February 13). Computational thinking definition. Learning. https://www.learning.com/blog/defining-computational-thinking/.
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Native American Magazine Has Local Origins
Submitted by Kathy Cline
A group of North Dakota Native American women, led by Joelle Bearstail, work together to create Roots, a magazine for youth. The magazine is a result of an experience Joelle had while in elementary school.
While visiting with Joelle, she explained that her schooling began in a Dickinson elementary school. Not only was Joelle the sole Native American student in her class, but she also couldn’t find reading materials that represented her, or content she could relate to. The experience of not having access to Native American content to read stayed with Joelle even after transferring to a school on the MHA Reservation (J. Bearstail, personal communication, August 6, 2024).
As an adult, Joelle decided it was crucial she create materials that represented Native American students so they could experience picking up reading material that they could see themselves in and relate to (J. Bearstail, personal communication, August 6, 2024). Roots is the reading material that fills this need while educating, showcasing, and engaging Native youth (Imaginative, n.d.). Roots is an engaging and colorful bimonthly magazine that offers a variety of content such as:
- a gallery highlighting youth and art writing creations
- Indigenous history
- STEM activity
- elders corner
- health & wellness
- book review
- student spotlight
This engaging and informational resource is useful for classrooms, libraries, offices, or anywhere! Visit ImagiNative for more information about this great resource.
References
Imaginative. ImagiNative Inc. (n.d.). https://www.imaginativeinc.com/
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BroadbaND 2024 Conference
Submitted by Al Peterson
The North Dakota Information Technology hosted the inaugural North Dakota Broadband Conference on August 29, 2024. BroadbaND 2024 brought together national and state leaders to Bismarck State College to talk about technology and broadband deployment in North Dakota. A wide range of organizations, including tribal governments, state agencies, associations of county and municipal governments, institutions of higher education, agencies responsible for implementing workforce development programs, economic development organizations, community action institutions, labor unions, Internet service providers, and nonprofit organizations met to network and get updated on where our state stands in broadband deployment and what North Dakota has to do to get broadband access and digital equity over the finish line. I had the privilege of being both an attendee and a panelist.
The NTCA Rural Broadband Association defines broadband access as the availability of high-speed, reliable Internet and related equipment including having Internet connections and technology at home or in community institutions. North Dakota currently ranks 4th in the nation in terms of 100/20 upload and rural connectivity. The states above us are Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Also included, but not states are the U.S. Virgin Island and the District of Columbia. When you compare total land mass of North Dakota with the top three states, being 98% connected with broadband service throughout a state our size is impressive (see graphic).
In future articles, I will be discussing how North Dakota libraries will fit into the broader broadband landscape and how we can help close the digital equity gap within our state.
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 Kids’ Books About the States
This Top Picks is shorter with five selections and one fun bonus. The topic is state books for kids! It contains nonfiction book series, with each title covering one collection. If you have a topic for a Tammy’s Top Picks, email me at tlkruger@nd.gov.
1) What’s Great About Montana? by Darice Bailer
Publish Date: 2015
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group
Summary: This title highlights ten things that are great about Montana, including the Crow Fair, the Glacier National Park, the World Museum of Mining, and Montana Parks. An index, glossary, and other suggested resources are present. This is a part of the Our Great States series.
Best For: Third through Sixth Grade
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 NDSD Undefeated Six-Man Football Team, 1957
This photo of the 1957 North Dakota School for the Deaf's undefeated six-man football team is this month's Digital Delight.
Front row (left to right): William Patneaud, Sebastian Bitz, Edwin Skari, Bennie Olson, and Charles Patneaud. Back row (left to right): Robert Anderson, Blaine LeMieux, Dennis Cichos, Paul Halverson (captain), Donald Whetter, Joe Zunich, John Nesvig, and Coach Henry Brenner.
Courtesy of Digital Horizons (North Dakota School for the Deaf Collection, ND State Library)
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What’s New in Niche Academy
Category: Library Staff Training and Development
Sub-category: Reference Interview
New tutorial: Niche Academy Webinar: Library Search Strategies
This tutorial discusses the search strategies beyond traditional reference resources. It blends databases and print resources search strategies to provide the best answers for your patrons.
Category: Library Staff Training and Development
Sub-category: Patron Health and Well Being
New tutorials about patrons in a medical crisis: Helping a Person Having a Seizure, Helping a Person with Low Blood Sugar, and Helping Someone who is Choking
Each of these tutorials include recognizing the signs of these incidents, how to approach someone experiencing symptoms, and what actions are needed to assist a person in a medical crisis, including when to call 911.
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Call for Participation: Libraries Advancing Community Learning to Reduce Substance Use
Do you feel that your library could do more to help people in recovery from substance abuse? Do you believe in the healing power of reading? Is your library an innovator in these domains? If you answered yes to any of these questions, we want to hear from you!
We invite applications from public library workers and administrators who are interested in participating in an IMLS-funded national forum (Grant #RE-256563-OLS-24), Libraries Advancing Community Learning to Reduce Substance Use (LACL), which will be held both online and on-site at the Kansas City Public Library on May 15 and 16, 2025. Experts in the library and substance abuse recovery fields will engage participants to envision and create support for people experiencing alcohol use disorder (AUD) and/or substance use disorder (SUD) through reading, bibliotherapy, and peer-to-peer learning circles.
Apply:
On-site event, Kansas City
Online-only event
Applications for the on-site event are due October 31, 2024.
Notifications of acceptance will be issued by November 30, and selected participants must confirm their participation by December 15.
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Some of these resources and programs are funded under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. |
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