Promote digital inclusion “in the urban core of Minneapolis and St. Paul” as a Broadband Access Team Leader. Ken Nelson, supervisor of the Digital Divide Initiative (DDI), just reported the position is still open for applications, and additional related position postings will follow. (Nice to hear in tough economic times!)

While the job title refers to broadband access, and includes tech support for public computer labs, the work of the teams will include training the public in basic digital literacy skills – so that they can take advantage of all that broadband has to offer. (Side note: The DDI estimates that on the north side of Minneapolis, for example, just 26% have computers in the home, and just 18% have Internet access in the home. They expect their efforts to expand access and training to the underserved, complementing the services local libraries and tech centers are providing now.) 

Many staff of libraries and other community technology centers would be excellent candidates for this position. Notice that skills are required for working with technology, training, coworkers, and the public.

Full Position posting: https://employment.umn.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=85288

Excerpt: “The University of Minnesota invites applications for four available positions as Broadband Team Leaders to work on a three-year federal grant program. The Broadband Access Project (BAP) is supported by a $2.9 million grant to the University of Minnesota as part of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act/Stimulus Bill from the Department of Commerce and a $750,000 match from the University. BAP will enhance broadband access, awareness, and use in ten existing public computer centers and one new center located in the urban core of Minneapolis and St. Paul. ”

BTW—DDI Supervisor, Ken Nelson, used to work for IBM and later managed the Patchwork Digital Divide initiative, providing computers to low-income residents of the north side of Minneapolis, before joining the University of Minnesota. Good energy, good friend of libraries and other tech centers, has made a difference in the community.

Those assisting the public with census questions will find this new tool useful. There is a new map of Minnesota Question Assistance Centers (QAC) and Be Counted (BC) sites for Census2010.

Tips from Barbara Ronningen, Minnesota State Demography Center (which just released the map today):
–Click on the teardrops to get information for the site.
–To find a specific place or location, you can use the browser search function – in Firefox, it’s ctrl/F.
–The map will be linked on their site soon: www.mn2010census.org
–Direct Link: http://www.mn2010census.org/centers/
–For updates on Minnesota census activities, follow Census2010MN on twitter.

Sarah Quimby, Minnesota Historical Society, shared this invitation today:

For those not following the MHS’s Twitter feed:
“FREE: To honor Ben Franklin’s founding of a lending library, Librarians get free admission to MN History Center during March.”

More about the Ben Franklin Exhibit can be found at:
http://benfranklinexhibit.org/

In answer to a few questions about the free admission for librarians to the MHS’s Ben Franklin exhibit:

Family members accompanying librarians and library staff are also included under the umbrella of “librarian,” and all you have to do is mention it at the ticket desk on the first floor of the History Center. Please, do feel free to mention this to anyone who might be interested.

I ran upstairs to get the answers from our Visitor Services staff, but you can also call the MHS information line at 651-259-3000 for more information.

Thanks,
Sarah Quimby
Library Processing Manager
Minnesota Historical Society

Time is short, and the demands for performance in changing times are high. To save you time in identifying current opportunities, we are centralizing events in one location. For a quick overview of continuing education opportunities, visit the Minnesota Library Community Calendar of Events regularly. It’s readily available from the WebJunction Minnesota home page everyday – scroll down and click to view more events.

*If you can’t travel, skim the calendar for webinar opportunities (black text). Free and low-cost local and national webinars are included. Archived versions are generally available for later viewing if the event date and time are not convenient.

*Need to be with your peers? Scan the calendar for the blue or brown listings – face-to-face events or conferences.

*Wondering what holidays might interfere with your own program planning? Events in red are holidays.

Calendar Color Key (3-1-2010)

All feedback welcomed! And, if you have an event to add to the calendar, send me the details – maryann.vancura at state.mn.us!

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*Details on Color Coding:
1. When a webcast includes the option of a shared viewing in a central location followed by a live discussion, the text may appear in black or in blue, depending on primary event type code used.
2. Because of the time commitment involved for a conference, live and online conferences are color coded separately from other live and online events.
3. Online conferences are increasing in number. Pink highlighting flags those conferences that you may attend online – without travel!

You see a lot of funny things when you go online. Today is 2/23/2010, yet the article below is from the 3/1/2010 issue of Woman’s Day, posted online 2/1/2010. (Serials staff won’t find this amazing. They’re used to dealing with details that don’t fully align in the world of print + online + online updates.  But I digress…..)

Stories are so powerful that Woman’s Day and the American Library Association offer an annual essay contest on the value of public libraries. The four essays by this year’s winners are now available. See what you think, and consider collecting stories about the value of your library from your library’s end users. Everyone, especially funders and decision-makers, loves a good story.

And, thanks to Jim Weikum, Arrowhead Library System for sharing this year’s article!

Take a look at this article about the digital divide and the role of public libraries in meeting public need, written by Ramsey County Library Director Susan Nemitz.

http://www.twincities.com/opinion/ci_14420880

Thank you, Susan, for putting the experience of so many into words.

I was in a public meeting the other day, and the folks from one non-profit were lamenting the limited computer/Internet time available in libraries for their homeless clients. They wished for expanded hours of service and more than 30-60 minutes of Internet access for the public.  Later, an unemployed woman, without a computer or the internet at home, told me that she traveled from one library system to another each day, so that she could have more than an hour for her job search efforts. Public libraries across the state, and across the country, are indeed on the front lines of the digital divide.

(Note: If this link doesn’t take you to the article, try obtaining it via the ELM databases (elm4you.org),  available at no charge to Minnesota residents.)

The Minnesota Library Foundation is currently seeking a chair/chairs for this year’s Silent Auction at the MLA conference. The Silent Auction chair(s) is responsible for the planning, organizing, and (ultimately) implementation of the auction. Interested? Questions? Contact Belinda Lawrence at belawrence@stkate.edu or 651-690-6648.

If you are interested in promoting ELM, the Electronic Library for Minnesota, take a look at the article in today’s Alexandria Echo Press (MN), Learn about one of the state’s best kept secrets.

It’s a great example of  local promotion of the ELM databases to the public, written by Betty Ann Hegland, Reference Librarian, Douglas County Library.

Many thanks to Sara Galligan, Ramsey County Law Library, for preparing this entry:

Do patrons appear in your library as a first step in their search for legal help?  If so, self help resources are available on court and legal aid websites.  Public librarians can help promote self help legal information, including online materials for low literacy and non-English speaking users. The organizations creating these resources know that self help resources CAN assist litigants who are unrepresented in court.  The Ramsey County Law Library has created “Self-Help Legal Resources—A Guide for Minnesota Public Librarians” to assist librarians in answering legal reference questions.  The 3-page guide provides current legal resources and referrals to attorneys.

Do you feel challenged by zealous patrons who try to badger librarians for legal advice?  Learn how to avoid the unauthorized practice of law by reading the chapter, “Legal Reference vs. Legal Advice”, from SCALL’s Locating the Law: A Handbook for Non-Law Librarians, 5th Ed. (2009).

Librarians can also refer patrons to attorneys.  Referring patrons to attorneys for help is a good option for those who want to pay, but low and no-cost attorney resources are also available.  Public defender and legal aid attorneys are available when parties meet certain low income requirements.  In addition, free and low cost services are available through self help clinics, courts and legal services organizations.

Any thoughts or concerns about your legal information seekers?  Feel free to contact the Ramsey County Law Library, the Minnesota State Law Library, or any of the metro area county law libraries to discuss legal reference.    Collaboration between public libraries and law libraries helps promote access to new legal resources that are specifically created for the general public. 

Sara Galligan

Ramsey County Law Library Director

Sara.galligan@co.ramsey.mn.us

651-266-8391

Marilyn Cathcart and the MLIS program at St. Kate’s are looking for your input if you supervise graduates of St. Kate’s.

The MLIS Program at St. Catherine University is in candidacy for accreditation by the American Library Association. As part of the accreditation process and, most importantly, as a way to remain informed by library practitioners, the Program is asking for your help in assessing recent library school graduates. If you supervise any library school graduate who has received the degree within the past five years, please take a few moments to respond to the Program¹s short survey. The survey will be active until December 4.

We really appreciate knowing about your experiences and are grateful for the many ways you support the St. Catherine MLIS Program.

The 5-7 minute survey asks you to provide your view of the skills needed by new professional librarians. Results will not be linked to individuals or organizations.