Virtual project opportunity!

 

Seeking Collection Development experience? Need an online project?

 Anoka County Library could use your help! In 2022, Anoka County Library completed a Diversity Audit of its physical collection. Following the analysis, we received lists of titles that are recommended for public library collections, based on sales into public libraries and diverse categories. Our Collection Development Team would appreciate help in processing through the remaining diversity categories, particularly assistance with Adult Fiction lists in the Asian and Black diversity categories. You receive the list, decide which titles ACL should purchase, and share your recommendations with the Collection Development Librarian. The Collection Development Librarian makes the final decisions and provides feedback to help you in your learning!

 This project can primarily be worked on asynchronously, following an onboarding WebEx session with ACL’s Manager of Library Collections. We estimate each list will take approximately 20 hours of project time. We are happy to work with 1 or 2 students! The goal for submitting your recommendations to the Collection Development Librarian is November 30^th.

 Contact: Sarah Hawkins, Manager of Library Collections   sarah.hawkins@co.anoka.mn.us

Remote project work opportunity with Plum Creek Library System!

 Want to gain library experience? Work remote? Earn some money?

Plum Creek Library System is looking for a student intern to help develop early literacy guides to include in our storytime kits. Each kit contains five books and manipulatives for caregivers to use with children to encourage reading. We would like to include a 1-2 page document that provides activities, songs, and fingerplays that relate to the theme. A $400 stipend will be available for up to four people taking part in this project.

Project will be ongoing until completed. 

Interested? Contact Jennifer.Sippel@minneapolis.edu for more information and to get connected with the Plum Creek Library project coordinators!

Job Opportunity: Library Customer Service Specialist @ Hennepin County Library

Job Title: Library Customer Service Specialist

Description

Come join Hennepin County Library (HCL) in our Library Services Division. We are looking to fill multiple Library Specialist roles across the county.

Specialists are most often the first point of contact in providing a welcoming environment to all library users. They assist patrons with the use of library equipment, help patrons who are applying for and receiving library cards, and handle all borrowed and returned materials. These positions require a large amount of physical activity throughout the entire shift, top notch customer service, and great attention to detail.

Location and Hours:

These position locations and hours vary according to the current needs of the Hennepin County Library system. You can find a list of our libraries here. In addition to working daytime hours, a regular schedule of evening and weekend hours is required. These roles require working face to face with the public on-site.  Full-time part-time vacancies are available and will be filled as needed over the next 3-6 months.

In This Position, You Will:

• Provide strong customer service in person, over the telephone, and online.
• Assist with patrons with checking out and returning materials, accepting payments for fines/fees, issuing new library cards, and resolving patron concerns regarding service and policies.
• Assist patrons with the use of library technology and resources, including library computers, printers, scanners, photocopiers, downloadable materials, and audiovisual equipment.
• Shelve books, DVDs, CDs, magazines, and other materials in their proper location.
• Unpack, sort, and organize library materials from daily deliveries and returns; in some buildings, this requires the use of an automated materials handling machine to move materials with conveyors and other electronic parts.

Need to Have:

• One of the following:
• Eighteen months or more of customer service experience.
• One year or more of customer service experience and completion of the Office Specialist Pathway Training program.
• Six months or more of customer service experience and completion of the Healthcare Clerical Pathway Training program.  
• Note: Education may be substituted for experience on a month for month (3 semester credits = 1 month) basis.
• Ability to:
• Bend to the floor, twist, and reach above one's head to put books on shelves.
• Lift, pack, unpack, and move boxes of library materials, and push book carts requiring up to 20 pounds of push force to move with or without a reasonable accommodation.
• Be available for a combination of daytime, evening, and weekend work shifts.
• Must be sixteen years of age or older.
  

Nice to Have:

• Experience in providing customer service in person, over the telephone and online with individuals from diverse backgrounds including people with limited English skills.
• Ability to use and provide routine troubleshooting for mobile devices, computers, and computer software including Microsoft Office and internet browsers.
• Experience providing customer service in a reception area, retail, or a similar setting that included accepting payments, answering questions, or explaining policies to members of the general public.
• Fluency in one or more languages.

For More Information and to Apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/hennepin/jobs/3742344-0/library-customer-service-specialist

New Fall Course, starting in October!

MN Library Association Opportunities: Student Round Table and Annual Conference

 Student Round Table Call for Nominations

The Student Round Table is looking for new leadership team members for the 2022-23 school year! The Student Round Table is for any student interested in building connections and working with other students in a professional setting before graduating with their library and information science degree. Leadership is open to any students of any library and information science-related programs, as long as the student is a member of the Minnesota Library Association.

For any questions, please contact Megan Demeuse at mrdemeuse786@stkate.edu.

MLA 2022 Conference Update

The Minnesota Library Association (MLA)  is proud to announce the speaker lineup for the 2022 Annual Conference to be held October 27 & 28 in Duluth, MN. The conference theme is “Emerging Opportunities” and is planned to feature keynote speakers and featured speakers that will be well known to Minnesotans and library staff from around the state.

The Thursday lunch keynote is slated to be intellectual freedom champion Reanna Esmail of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Esmail’s talk is to be titled “Intellectual Freedom, Privacy Rights, and the Critical Practice of Librarianship'' and aims to bring nuance to questions related to surveillance capitalism, big data, and censorship, while also exploring ways for library workers to promote privacy rights, digital literacy, and intellectual freedom in their critical praxis. Esmail is a noted national speaker on such topics, a frequent contributor to the Intellectual Freedom Blog, and active with the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom.

Friday’s lunch keynote is to be Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page. Justice Page will engage in an open conversation with MLA President Steve Harsin about his career, challenges we face in the modern environment, his career writing children’s books, and the Page Foundation. As a Minnesota hero, Justice Page has a unique perspective on a wide range of issues of interest to libraries of all types.

Featured speakers are to include Laura Erickson, one of the best known ornithologists in America, who is to participate in a panel to address work done at the College of St. Scholastica on their Catalogue of Birds. Also, State Librarian Tamara Lee and Head of Minitex Maggie Snow will address their accomplishments of the past year, the results of a state-wide survey they conducted, as well as their vision for Minnesota libraries. Representatives from SELCO will address a major region-wide community assessment conducted in the SE region of Minnesota. And Scott Libin, with a 20 year career in journalism as a reporter, anchor and producer, including 8 years at Twin Cities Public Television is to address “What do the Ancient Greeks, Pyramids and Toyota Minivans have to do with good communication?” The session is about what you need to do to develop a speech where your message will be heard.

Numerous other sessions will be presented by library staff from around the state. The two-day conference will be hosted at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center.  Besides the conference sessions, there will be a silent auction fundraiser for the Minnesota Library Foundation, an event at Glensheen Mansion, an annual business meeting, exhibit hall, award ceremonies and other related activities.

The 2022 event marks a return to an in-person conference after two years as a virtual conference during the pandemic. Early bird registration rates are in effect through 11:59pm on August 31, with regular rates thereafter.

Conference registration can be found at the MLA website. https://www.mnlibraryassociation.org/page/2022Conference 

Event Details: Date: Friday, October 7 Time: 8:30am-12:00pm Registration will happen in early September; watch for an update!

CYP Unconference: October 7 Join CYP and fellow Minnesota youth librarians for a morning of learning and growth at this year’s Unconference! The Unconference will uplift LGBTQIA stories and experiences, and we’ll learn more about how to make our colleagues and patrons feel safe and welcomed. We will begin with a presentation by Archie Bongiovanni, a local author whose works include the graphic novel A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns. This will be followed by panel discussions regarding LGBTQIA programming and resources, which will feature local librarians and guest outreach librarian Becky Hass from Annapolis, MD.

LIT virtual event: Public Libraries in Community Publishing

Redesign 2 of Public Libraries in Community Publishing Save the Date by Amanda Mills