This week's agenda

Here are the updates from last week's meeting which continue to be items for this week's meeting. LMK if you have questions, or add your comments below. I hope to see you tomorrow!

Items in progress

• New! Natalie Eierman will be the editor for a "weekly news update" on our blog. You'll be updated when she has access and is ready to go. (Also, I've been maintaining an email list of people who are interested in info-only and will continue to solicit for that.)
• New! Arts and crafts this summer: On a day when it's nice outside, we'd like to go and spraypaint some t-shirts for ourselves. We can make buttons, too! All the cool kids wear their ALA gear.
• Speakers: Joan found out that Deb Torres would love for us to schedule a Monday night gathering, but the plans for fall won't be made until later in the summer. We're seeking ideas for St. Kate's alumni for the panel (preferring at least some who have traditional library jobs).
• Speakers, part 2: We are still pending re: informal author meetings. Erin will ask a local YA writer she knows, and Sara will ask Patrick Jones (one fall, one spring).
• Archives tour: Megan found out we can go to the "caves" at the U of M pretty much any time this summer, so she is going to check on some dates and report back so we can set one.
• MN Center for Book Arts: Helena is finding out whether their student rate ($30) applies to us (vs. $80 for adults, yikes!). Might want to see if we can get a group discount to make some books?
• Book drive: Fall semester for Christmas. Erin had a good organization in mind, and we're waiting for more info on that. We decided that if we partner with a bookstore, it would be a local, independent one (such as the Wild Rumpus). The PLG's book drive right now seems to be really successful, so hopefully that's a sign for us!

Items resolved

• End of year happy hour: Confirmed for Sunday, May 15 at 5:30-7:30pm (or thereabouts) in the wine bar room at Sweeney's (http://www.sweeneyssaloon.com/). It's now an event on Facebook, so invite your classmates! It's also on the MLIS official blog with flyers, etc. coming soon.
• SGO funding: Helena updated us that the SGO does not have additional funding for student groups. But, we should all plan to make use of the $200 per year (per semester?) we can each get for conference reimbursements.

Tabled for now but still on the horizon...

• Additional funding may be available from St. Kate's as a chartered student club. Helena is in touch with Bridgette Marty, a staff person who is in charge of such things, and will update us when there's more to know.
• MLA conference October 12-14, 2011 in Duluth ($200 student funds!)
• Winter 2012 events (speaker, field trip, advocacy, elections)

Legislative Update

From Elaine Keefe, lobbyist for MLA and MEMO:

Tomorrow legislators return from their Passover/Easter break.  The May 23 adjournment deadline is just 4 weeks from today, and much work is left to be done.  Hearing schedules are jam packed this week because the first deadline for policy bills to pass out of committee is this Friday, April 29. 

Legacy:  The House Legacy Funding Division will meet on both Tuesday and Wednesday this week to consider amendments to the Arts and Cultural Heritage article of the omnibus Legacy bill.  A final vote on the bill will be held on Wednesday.

The Senate Environment Committee will hear SF 1040, our bill requesting $5 million per year over the next two years from the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund for regional public libraries, on Tuesday afternoon.  There are 34 bills on the agenda, so our testimony will necessarily be brief.

Maintenance of Effort (MOE):  On Wednesday the House Governmental Operations Committee will hear two mandate relief bills authored by Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R - Mazeppa).  Both HF 7 and HF 519 repeal library MOE and the minmum level of local support as well as many other requirements on local governments, including pay equity.   HF 519 also repeals the requirement that law library fees paid by plaintiffs and defendents be used to support the county law library.  I plan to testify against both bills. 

Governor's Workforce Development Council (GWDC):  HF 844, our bill requiring the Governor to appoint a public library advisor to the GWDC, will be heard in the House Jobs and Economic Development Finance Committee on Thursday, April 28.  Kit Hadley of the St. Paul Public Library will testify. 

Agenda for this week and notes from last week

We meet this Wednesday, 4/20, in the library because our usual room is unavailable. We'll meet in the lobby and find ourselves a study room. Here are the agenda items--please add any thoughts or additional items in the comments section.

1. Update on event planning for the spring and summer--going through the items listed in the notes from last time to see what progress folks have made.
2. Conversation about maintaining our online presence: I would like to propose that this could be more of a group effort and would like to hear your thoughts on that.

Notes from the 4/13 meeting. Please add comments if I missed something important:

• End of year happy hour: tentative for Sunday, 5/15 at 5pm (i.e., when class ends that day). Sara is checking the availability of Sweeney's in St. Paul (they have a small, free private room as well as a patio).
• SGO funding: Helena has an email in to the group and will let us know when she has more info.
• Speakers: The recent Monday night panel of nontraditional library jobs was a huge hit, so we would like to plan a panel of St. Kate's grads but including traditional jobs. Step one is to find out possible Monday nights in the fall (Joan? I think was looking into this).
• Speakers, part 2: We would like to have a couple of informal author meetings. Erin will ask a local YA writer she knows, and Sara will ask Patrick Jones (one fall, one spring).
• Field trips: Megan will find out about visiting the archive caves at the U of M (a possible break from the summer heat). Helena (was there someone else, too?) will find out about the MN Center for Book Arts offerings.
• Book drive: Christmastime suggested. Erin had a good organization in mind and was going to check on that. SLA is interested in partnering with us, and Helena is checking with someone she knows in community relations at Barnes & Noble for ideas.
• Summer meetings: on Thursdays at 5pm (Sara to secure locations).

ARLD Day reminder: Digital libraries are "everywhere libraries"

If you have $30 to spare for the student registration, the MN Library Association's ARLD Day, "The Everywhere Library," looks like a great networking opportunity on Friday, April 29. Registration includes lunch! It's all about digital libraries and includes a "technology petting zoo."

I would go, but unfortunately I have my own work event that day...

Storyelling Festival on Monday, 4/18/11

At our last meeting, we decided to have a strong presence at the upcoming Storytelling Festival both to show support for our fellow students and potentially drum up some more business for ourselves. Please come--three of our own will be performing! (It's required for our storytelling class, but that doesn't mean we won't rock it.)

Storytelling Festival
Featuring ALA faculty advisor Sarah Park, ALA student members Sara Z and Deni Buendorf, and the rest of our fabulous LIS storytelling class
Monday, April 18, 2011
6:30-8:00pm with snacks!
Recital Hall, Music Building @ St. Kate's

Agenda for 4/13--Please contribute

After the meeting last week, it was brought to my attention (happily) that sharing the agenda and giving you guys the opportunity to add/comment can really help make this more productive. So, here are my thoughts for tomorrow--please add/revise in the comments. Sorry for the brief timeline--one week between meetings is taking me by surprise in its shortness!

1. Update from Helena: Facebook and SGO (if info)
2. Spring/Summer: set date and location for happy hour and/or potluck (I suggest the back room at Sweeney's, but that's up for discussion)
3. Possible summer field trip?
4. Fall: begin to set dates for speaker and field trip. Who do we want to invite? Who will spearhead the reservation and invitation effort? We could commandeer a Monday night but would need to coordinate with the main office.

Notes from 4/6 meeting

Here's what we decided at the meeting on 4/6:

• Come to the Storytelling Festival on Monday, April 18, where we will show support for our student storytellers (including yours truly and ALA student member Deni Buendorf) and collect names/promote our group. Complete info to follow.
• We will continue to meet weekly until the end of the semester (which means we're meeting tomorrow--post forthcoming).
• We will continue to meet on a different schedule TBD during summer term.
• Helena is checking with the SGO on possible funding sources.
• The general outline of activities for the next year is below, and it's important that we now nail down some dates and deets.

Spring/Summer 2011

• End of the year Happy Hour
• Storytelling Festival on Monday, 4/18
• This wasn't discussed, but I'm going to suggest we could do at least a library tour or visit the MN Center for Book Arts in the summer

Fall 2011

• August 27th is Fall Orientation--take out the "new kids" afterwards
• Group attendance at MLA conference in Duluth, Oct 12-14, 2011
• Speaker--possibly professional storyteller
• Field trip--caves at UMN? (where they store old archives)
• Book drive for xmas

Winter 2011

• MLA Library Advocacy Day at the Legislature in early March--schedule a training in Feb
• Some other field trip
• Another speaker (author? possibly do a "beer & books" where we read a book and meet with the author informally?)

Facebook--click like!

We're on Facebook! I wish I could link it here, but we can't make our own link until we have 25 "likes." We're currently at 23! Please search for "St. Kate's ALA Student Chapter" in Facebook and like us. The link will be posted permanently here when we're able to make it.

(In case you're curious, this is because Helena set us up as an organization and not a group, so that people will be able to see our page even if they're not FB members. This decision was ratified at our last meeting.)

"Let Your State Officials Know How Important Libraries Are to You!"

A message from the ALA:

April 10–16 is “National Library Week.” This year’s theme is “Create your own story @ your library.” It’s a perfect opportunity for you to let your legislators know how important libraries are to you, telling your story about how important your library is to you, and the difference your library makes in your community. Libraries need your voice!

Libraries continue to be busier than ever helping families survive during these tough economic times, yet public libraries, school libraries, and academic libraries are facing closures and elimination of librarians and library workers—the people who help those with a job application, teach 21st-century skills, and nurture the love of reading in kids that will serve them the rest of their lives.

State governments provide much needed funding for libraries to provide public access to the Internet to everyone, critical databases for individuals and small businesses, and homework help.

Please send an e-mail to your governor and your representatives today, and pass this message on to your friends and colleagues.

Thank you for advocating for libraries and library staff.

Sincerely,
Michael Dowling
Director, Chapter Relations Office
American Library Association

Reminder: Meeting on Wednesday 4/6

Just a reminder we are meeting this week, on Wednesday, 4/6/11, at 5pm in CDC 362. We will discuss:

• Scheduling activities for the upcoming year, using this list of ideas we came up with last month.
• Assigning folks to plan/lead activities that interest them.
• Scheduling meetings for the rest of the semester and summer.

Please attend if you can!