Join us at the SELCO office to see the work library staff from all over the region have completed as part of SELCO´s Special Consultants project. Wondering how to start fundraising? How to start a teen program? Our consultants assisted our library staff in doing just hose things. If you find a project you´d like to implement at your own location, you can also set that up at the fair.

The Council of Regional Public Library System Administrators will be bringing Ann Goering to the Traverse de Sioux Library System Office in Mankato for a workshop called Personnel Management in the Public Library. Topics include hiring, orientation and training, relevant statutes for employers, dealing with difficult employees, and employee rights. The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is free to all members of the Minnesota Regional Public Library Systems. Lunch is on your own.

SELCO will be providing vans for carpooling. If you would like to ride to Mankato with SELCO staff, please reserve your spot through this site by Tuesday, September 8. The vans will be leaving SELCO at 6:30 a.m. Please keep in mind this is just for booking a spot in one of the SELCO vans—you will need to register for the workshop separately.

How to register for the workshop:
Please register for the Mankato session by emailing Dayle Zelenka at dzelen@tds.lib.mn.us. Include your name, library, and email address, and please indicate if you require special accommodations. The deadline for registration is Thursday, September 10.

Looking for new ways to solve organizational problems and to make effective decisions? SELCO will be hosting Solve That Problem!, a workshop focusing on Continuous Improvement, on Tuesday, September 29 at the SELCO Headquarters, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

This workshop will feature Michon D. Rogers, an independent consultant working primarily with non-profit organizations. She will present an interactive session focusing on basic tools and techniques for defining and resolving organizational issues. Participants will also have an opportunity to practice several problem-solving and decision-making tools, methods, and techniques. Utilizing these tools and techniques, your library team will improve workplace processes and improve services to your customers.

The afternoon session will feature Rogers and Rochester Public Library Director Audrey Betcher focusing on how Continuous Improvement was introduced at the Rochester Public Library and the three continuous improvement projects the library has taken on since receiving training.

A Question & Answer session will be held at the end of the workshop for those attendees who would like advice or encouragement for future implementation.

Minnesota is now a WebJunction partner!
As WebJunction continues to grow, so does the need to tailor resources to meet the specific needs of local library organizations and staff. In June 2004, WebJunction announced a new relationship with regionally-based Community Partners to create locally relevant content and services for the libraries they serve, while continuing to provide the resources currently available on WebJunction today to a global audience.

The program is based on a cooperative model that encourages contribution not only from Community Partners, but from their individual members as well. This program will help WebJunction partners and their members save time and resources while facilitating knowledge and resource sharing across all of WebJunction.

This program provides each partner with tools to create locally relevant content, discussions, and training programs. For WebJunction members across all communities, the program provides an expanded pool of shared resources, many of which will be relevant beyond their local contexts. An additional benefit of the program is that library staff in Community Partner states have access to WebJunction online courses at no charge to them, while other WebJunction members pay fees for some courses.

Come and find out what WebJunction has to offer!

SELCO invites you to a community conversation about the new Arts and Cultural Heritage Library Legacy funding. These conversations will be held in all 11 counties in the SELCO region. Our purpose will be to gather information about what types of community partnerships are taking place and to generate new ideas about initiating partnerships with local organizations and community members.

"Library Legacy Programs and Arts Partnerships" will be held in 12 locations in MN October 26-November 19, 2009. The workshop will be held from 9:30-12:30 at each of the 12 locations. This workshop should be a high priority for anyone planning on using Legacy funding for programs and partnerships with the Arts community.

Presenter Leah Hughes, Children and Youth Program Director for the Minnetonka Center for the Arts, will cover how library programming focusing on the major arts areas affects the learning process and provides positive Legacy outcomes.

This workshop will show libraries how to partner with the Arts community to reach people who are not otherwise being reached by library programming, reach people with different learning styles, connect people to themselves and others, transform learning environments, provide opportunities for inter-generational programming, provide new challenges, and connect learning experiences to the world of work in the arts.

Locations:
Monday, October 26--Arrowhead Library System, Mt. Iron.
Tuesday, October 27--Detroit Lakes Community & Cultural Center.
Wednesday, October 28--Bemidji Public Library.
Monday, November 2--Willmar Health and Human Services Building.
Tuesday, November 3--Slayton Regional Development Center.
Wednesday, November 4--Traverse des Sioux Office.
Monday, November 9--St. Cloud Public Library.
Tuesday, November 10--Maplewood Public Library.
Thursday, November 12--SELCO, Rochester.
Friday, November 13--Ridgedale Library, Minnetonka.
Wednesday, November 18--Giese Memorial Library, Wyoming.
Thursday, November 19--Bigwood Event Center, Fergus Falls.


To register for the SELCO session, please email Mollie Pherson at mpherson@selco.info. Questions? Contact Mollie Pherson at mpherson@selco.info

SELCO will host Camp Read-A-Lot, a fun-filled summer literature experience, on August 13, 2009, 8:30-4 p.m.! Teachers, elementary school library media specialists, and public library staff are invited to read exciting titles for children grades 2-5 from June-August. Read on a boat, on the beach or even in a tent! Then come to camp in August to share ideas with colleagues and listen to engaging speakers while enjoying a gorgeous summer day!

Get ready for some summer fun with Cooperative SRP Coordinator Kathleen James and the 2009 Be Creative @ Your Library kick-off tour. We’ll share programming ideas, check out recommended books and get an up-close look at crafts from the resource guide. Lots of prizes and more for attendees!

This class is for interlibrary loan and public services staff in SELCO ILS Online Libraries. Attendees will learn how to use the MnLINK Gateway to search for items not available in SELCO´s Horizon catalog and request them using the "Get It" button. Attendees will also learn SELCO´s procedures for handling requests including tracking, renewing, and cancelling them.

SELCO is bringing to the region the popular Webinars offered by Minitex. From the Minitex site: Minitex has recently announced our joint participation in licensing new databases and database packages recommended by the Minitex Electronic Information Resources (MEIR) Task Force as a result of the Request for Proposal (RFP) that was issued in 2008-2009. Join Minitex Reference Services staff as they introduce you to the thirty-one new resources added to ELM on July 1, 2009. Yes, we said thirty-one new resources that include health, science, and education information, additional resources for kids and teens, and reference materials including Britannica!