End of an era …

MHS Library Legacy Partnership Logo

From Maren Levad, Museum Access Specialist at the Minnesota Historical Society and long-time Library Legacy planning partner …

Dear Library Partners,

As we close out our sixth year of partnership together, I wanted to express my deepest thanks for all of the work you have done for the people of Minnesota. When we first met with library leadership in 2009, this partnership was a germ of an idea about providing high-quality, educational programming to library audiences around the state. That idea and this partnership have since taken on many forms, from library kits and musical concerts to audience-centered programs scalable to all library buildings and staff sizes. We’ve enjoyed getting to know each of the regions involved in the partnership, building relationships with librarians and legacy coordinators around the state, and engaging with lifelong learners in your communities.

Since we launched our first programming catalog in 2010, this partnership has generated some very impressive statistics:

  • Developed more than 50 exclusive programs for libraries

  • Delivered 640 individual programs

  • Served more than 22,000 Minnesotans

This partnership has provided traditional lectures for adults as well as hands-on craft programs, involved libraries with teen oral history camps and traveling exhibits. It has sent Minnesota all-stars like Prudence Johnson and Dan Chouinard on the road and been the testing ground for live, interactive virtual programs. The topics covered through this partnership have been diverse, including Steampunk Mysteries, the fur trade, and the history of beer in Minnesota. It has been a dizzying whirlwind for us all, and we are so thankful for your support and partnership.

After six years of Legacy funding, both the Minnesota Historical Society and the Minnesota Regional Library Systems find themselves in very different places from where we started. The library regions have built up the experience, structures, and staffing to select and book programs throughout the state. However, program managers now work with smaller budgets causing regional support for this partnership to dwindle. The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is focusing on the final years of its current strategic plan and its staff have learned much about the resources required to run effective statewide outreach. Many outreach programs that existed six years ago have been set aside in favor of more sustainable initiatives.

Due to all of these factors, MNHS will not continue to fund this partnership in the next fiscal year. However, we know that the relationships that we’ve built over this time will continue. MNHS is committed to serving a diverse, lifelong learning audience, and making its resources more inclusive and accessible than ever. Over the next few years, MNHS will push the boundaries of interactive, live virtual programming for senior audiences and develop online and mobile experiences to engage more diverse urban and rural communities around the state. Above all, our organization will continue to provide unique, audience-centered programs at our sites and with partner communities around the state.

Even though this period of program partnership is ending, we know we will be working with many of you in new and exciting capacities in the future. Thank you for six productive and instructive years.

Signature_MHSMission

 

Teen Lit Con 2016

MELSA Teen Lit Con 2016 Teen Lit Con 2016 –  A day to celebrate teen literature, promote reading and writing, and to create a community of readers by connecting teens and authors.

May 7, 2016

Henry Sibley High School
1897 Delaware Ave, Mendota Heights

Free & Open to the Public – Doors open at 9:30am. First event at 10:00.

Posters featuring book covers or author pictures. Print and post at the library or school!

Use & follow the event hashtag #teenlitcon

This project made possible with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the people of Minnesota for Library Legacy activities.

SELCOtv Features MNBA 2016 Booktalks

SelcoTV Cover PageJust in time for the 2016 Minnesota Book Awards, SELCO staff will “booktalk” each of this year’s 32 finalists for SELCOtv.  A special YouTube playlist aggregates the videos as they are posted.  During the days leading up to the awards ceremony on April 16, 1-2 booktalks from the eight award categories will be posted each day.

Here is a selection of those shared thus far in the individual MNBA genre categories:

10 Pigs Excitement in ECRL

ECRL 10 Pigs 2016-03
Bath time and bubbles were never so much fun!

Ten Pigs In Wyoming!

East Central Regional Library staff declare, “It was one epic, amazing, and fun event for everyone!” as Derek Anderson, author and illustrator,  presented the very first, statewide Once Upon a Reader Trunk Show based on his book, Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure!

The premier event held at the ECRL Branch Library in Wyoming captivated 62 kids this morning. The trunk show rolls on to Pine City this afternoon.

Check out more ECRL & Ten Pigs pix

Johnson Group Selected

MN Library Legacy Logo Small

CRPLSA is pleased to announce Johnson Group has been selected to design a Library Legacy report.  The final product will be a visually compelling document that highlights the wide variety of programs and activities made possible with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the people of Minnesota for Library Legacy activities.

Johnson Group has a 25-year repertoire which includes full-service design, branding, and advertising.  The response to CRPLSA’s Request for Proposal identified an approach that will share CRPLSA’s Library Legacy story with key stakeholders and convey the scope and effectiveness of regional library efforts. After an initial discussion, a project timeline was established that will deliver a final product to CRPLSA by November 2016 – just in time for the 2017 legislative session.

28th Annual MNBA Finalists Announced

The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is pleased to announce the finalists in all eight categories for the 28th Annual Minnesota Book Awards. Chosen on Saturday, January 30, by 24 judges from around the state – writers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and others from the literary community.

MNBAAward winners will be announced at the 28th Annual Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony on Saturday, April 16, at St. Paul’s historic Union Depot, 214 Fourth Street East. The Preface reception begins at 7 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 8 p.m. Tickets are $50 and available by visiting www.thefriends.org or calling 651-222-3242. The official hashtag for social media is #MNBA16. All are encouraged to use it when posting comments, status updates or tweeting about any of the authors or their books.

Story Stroll Order Deadline

Ten Pigs round imageSunday, January 31 will be the last day to place orders for Once Upon a Reader storytime kits, story strolls, and play kits – for those libraries that want materials included in the first round of fulfillment and delivery. All orders received between January 6 and January 31 will be processed during the month of February (and in hand before the commencement of Derek Anderson’s first trunk shows). All orders received between Monday, February 1 and Thursday, March 31  will be fulfilled during the month of April. Regions and libraries may hold off and place orders after the January mark, if that works best for regional planning.

Each region participating in Once Upon a Reader will be receiving one free, complete set of Once Upon a Reader materials (a storytime kit, story stroll, and play kit). These will be delivered to regional library offices via Minitex along with kits ordered in round one.

For more information email David Katz, Once Upon A Reader Coordinator or contact your regional library.

MALF Support for Once Upon a Reader

Last year, the Minnesota Association of Library Friends (MALF) partnered with CRPLSA as OUR Logo - Colorthe regions rolled out the first ever statewide one-book program geared towards young children. MALF is pleased to share news that as this celebration of literature and literacy, dubbed “Once Upon a Reader,” returns for a second year – and so will the MALF partnership!

MALF will offer members a generous cash match to offset up to half of the Once Upon a Reader materials costs! Matches will be capped at three (3) items and/or $300 per Friends group. Available for purchase are a waterproof and reusable Story Stroll, sign-sized book pages that will allow a library to display the Ten Pigs story outside a library or along a path in the park; an Epic Storytime Kit, which includes a copy of Ten Pigs, four other bath time and barnyard tales, and tie-in crafts; and a 15-piece Ten Pigs Play Kit for libraries to circulate among families and care providers.

Participating in Once Upon a Reader through this special offer is simple. Place an order online through the program’s website. At an early convenience, print a copy of the receipt or order confirmation form and mail it to MALF with this completed form. MALF will verify library membership and remit reimbursement for half the OUR expenses within 30 business days.

Note: Eligibility is contingent on 2016 MALF membership. Groups that participated last year are welcome to reapply for the match.

Once Upon a Reader is made possible thanks to funding from Minnesota’s Legacy Amendment Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. This year’s season will be observed from March to October and include a diverse mix of tie-in activities, enabling libraries of all sizes and in all corners of the state to participate in the program.

Digital images from GRRL

The Great River Regional Library (GRRL) recently participated in a joint project with Minnesota Digital Library and the Digital Public Library of America.

MDL sought content on the history of libraries in Minnesota and GRRL provided exterior and interior images of the St. Cloud Public Library’s original Carnegie building, built in 1902 and torn down in 1981,  images of St. Cloud’s second library building, in use from 1979 to 2009, its BookmoGRRL Bookmobile MDLbile, the Little Falls Public Library, and the Royalton Community Library.

Two of the GRRL images were selection for DPLA’s online exhibition, “A History of US Public Libraries,” in the Carnegie libraries section.

View GRRL’s digital library history

Once Upon a Reader – 2016 Launch!

As we kick off the New Year, CRPLSA is pleased to commence season two of Once Upon a OUR Logo - ColorReader. Aimed at pre-K children and their families, this statewide one-book program  promotes Minnesota children’s literature and encourages families to Talk, Sing, Read, Write and Play together – five practices critical to early literacy skills development.

A panel of youth services librarians from across the state selected Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure, by Minnesota author/illustrator Derek Anderson, as the focus of this year’s program. “Anderson combines humor with simple, straightforward rhymes to successfully convey basic counting concepts,” praises School Library Journal. “Because of its big, vivid illustrations and rhythmic, sprightly rhymes, [Ten Pigs] is ideal for sharing with a group as a read-aloud.”

CRPLSA launched Once Upon a Reader’s inaugural season in 2014, with funding from Minnesota’s Legacy Amendment Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. This year’s season will be observed from March to October and include a diverse mix of tie-in activities, enabling libraries of all sizes and in all corners of the state to participate in the program.

Beginning this spring, Derek Anderson will travel across the state entertaining and educating kids in each participating regional library system with his “Ten Pigs Trunk Show.” During this portable one-man show, the author will read the book aloud, lead a reenactment, sketch, sing, and more. Visit onceuponareader.org, or click HERE, to see when Derek will be in a community near you.

Additional Once Upon a Reader activity materials are offered through the program’s website. Available for purchase are a waterproof and reusable Story Stroll, sign-sized book pages that allow you to display the Ten Pigs story outside a library or along a path; an Epic Storytime Kit, which includes your own copy of Ten Pigs, four other bath time and barnyard tales, and tie-in crafts; and a 15-piece Ten Pigs Play Kit for libraries to circulate among families and care providers.

Free and downloadable resources include a Ten Pigs scavenger hunt, matching game, drawing activity, bubble adventure, and more!

As Once Upon a Reader ramps up in earnest, library staff are encouraged to join with peers across the state in OUR Resource Share, a Facebook group devoted to the sharing of Once Upon a Reader photos and stories, programming ideas, and resource suggestions. In addition to keeping the conversation going, this Facebook resource allows members to share and download documents where helpful.

ECRL Art in Digital Library

The Minnesota Digital Library is thrilled to announce East Central Regional Library’s (ECRL) Kids Design Glass  is a recent addition to Minnesota Reflections. This Library Legacy project is now fully documented in Minnesota Reflections with scans of the oriECRL glass in MDLginal 14 drawings, the artist statements, photographs of the sculpture, and a short video of each sculpture rotating on a turntable.

Kids Design Glass was funded by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Fund and began with a summer reading program art contest. The contest was open to kids ages 5 to 10. One drawing was chosen from each of  ECRL’s  14 branches. The winning drawings were transformed into three-dimensional blown-glass sculptures by Anthony Michaud-Scorza of Cambridge, Minnesota.

View the digital ECRL collection

Book Bike wins Innovation Award

BookBike logoRochester Public Library’s BookBike is being recognized as one of Minnesota’s most innovative local government projects.

Each year, the Humphrey School of Public Affairs recognizes cities, counties and schools for redesigning how they do business through new initiatives and projects. The BookBike was the overall winner in the City Category, earning the library a $5,000 grant.

The BookBike, a little library on wheels, was pulled by library staff on bicycles to locations within a one-mile radius of the downtown library April through September. The BookBike offered library books for check-out, library cards, program information, assistance with digital materials, bike trail maps and fun incentives to visitors. “The BookBike program saw great success this summer,” says Head of Youth Services and BookBike Project Director, Heather Acerro. “We reached over 5,500 community members and visited over 100 sites.”

According to Jay Kiedrowski, senior fellow at the Humphrey School’s Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center, “These awards are helping to raise the bar for delivering excellent government services, and that’s very exciting.” The awards are organized in partnership with the Bush Foundation and co-sponsored by the League of Minnesota Cities, the Association of Minnesota Counties, MN Association of Townships, and the Minnesota School Board Association. “Every year, we see more and more creative ways that governments are figuring out how to save money but still deliver the same high quality of services,” says Kiedrowski.

Rochester Public Library’s BookBike is the first bicycle-powered library in Minnesota. The BookBike project was funded in part with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, through a Community Collaboration grant from Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO) in late 2014.

Teen Lit Con 2016 Authors Announced!

MELSA Teen Lit Con 2016Teen Lit Con author line-up for May 7, 2016!

Headliners

  • Neal Shusterman, author of 2015 NBA Young People’s Literature Award winner Challenger Deep
  • Jason Reynolds, author of Boy in the Black Suit. All American Boys, co-authored with Brendan Kiely, is on the PW Best YA Books 2015 list.
  • Faith Erin Hicks writes comics & graphic novels. The Adventures of Superhero Girl won an Eisner Award in 2014.
  • Sabaa Tahir is the New York Times bestselling author of the young adult fantasy An Ember in the Ashes. It’s been optioned for a movie.

Featured Local Authors

  • Pete Hautman returns! His most recent book is Eden West. Pete won the Young People’s NBA in 2004 for Godless.
  • John Coy, author of Crackback & Box Out, has a new book Gap Year coming out in 2016.
  • Derek E. Sullivan’s first book is Biggie. He’s from Nebraska.
  • Monica Ropal When You Leave is included in the Publisher’s Lunch BUZZ Books 2015: Young Adult Spring.
  • Dawn Kiehr writes young adult thrillers: The Cutting Room Floor & If You Wrong Us.
  • S.A. Bodeen published two new books in 2015 Lost & The Detour. She has 5 previous novels.

In addition to this great line-up of author presentations, there will be more breakout sessions, fun stuff in the Exhibit Hall, giveaways for teens, and additional literary excitement than ever!

Mark your calendar for May 7, 2016 at Henry Sibley High School.

To stay up-to-date on Teen Lit Con announcements, follow us on Twitter @TeenLitCon and sign up for email notices about transportation awards & other info.

Use & follow our hashtag #teenlitcon.

Club Book successful – again

MELSA Club BookAs MELSA wraps up the 2015 Club Book season, the regional wants to thank all the incredible authors who visited the Metro this fall, as well as the wonderful libraries who hosted events. The guests shared inspiring stories about their work, writing process, and journey to become bestselling and award-winning writers. MELSA hopes everyone enjoyed these Club Book events as much as they did, and encourage readers to take a listen to the more than thirty free podcasts created over the past four seasons.

Speakers include Louise Penny, Elizabeth Berg, Amy Thielen, Dave Zirin, Lev Grossman, J. Courtney Sullivan, Amanda Coplin, Sue Miller, Jon Ronson, Ron Rash, Sara Paretsky, Mitchel Zuckoff, and Nikki Giovanni to name just a few.

MELSA will announce the new season of authors in January, so stay tuned!

LARL hosts popular author tour

LARL Beat Goes On logoMinnesota Book Award author Jack El-Hai toured three of the Lake Agassiz Regional Library (LARL) branches to talk about his book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist: Hermann Goering, Douglas M. Kelley, and a Fatal Meeting of the Minds at the end of WWII. These events had the highest attendance of LARL’s Fall Series and attendees raved about it.

Local author, Eric Bergeson was at the event in Fertile, MN and shared this amazing story of a Minnesota man and this infamous Nazi .  A 90 year old audience member, Art Olson, had been a guard at the prison where Goering had been held.

ECRL images in MDL Minnesota Reflections

East Central Regional Library (ECRL) is excited to announce that its first digital collection is live in Minnesota Digital Library’s Minnesota Reflections, courtesy of the Digital Public Library of America’s Public Library Partnerships Project. DPLA has collaborated with MDL in the Public Library Partnerships Project (PLPP), funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

About Minnesota Digital Library…
MDL logo
Minnesota Digital Library (MDL) provides access to unique digital collections shared by cultural heritage organizations from across the state of Minnesota.

Minnesota Reflections is the first online project of MDL. It is a collection of more than 215,000 photographs, postcards, maps, documents, letters, and oral histories depicting the history of Minnesota and includes digital content from more than 157 participating organizations including historical societies, special archives, universities and colleges, and public libraries from across the state who have shared their original materials with the MDL.

MDL MN Reflections logo

ECRL’s contribution to Minnesota Reflections provides insight into the oldest existing regional public library system in Minnesota. The collection includes images used in ECRL’s history book, East Central Regional Library: Fifty Years of Connections, 1959-2009 by Marilyn McGriff, of ECRL. These photographs include library buildings (past and present), retired library services such as the bookmobile, and ECRL staff members over the years.

Coming Soon – LARL Mascot

Lake Agassiz Regional Library (LARL) is excited to announce its design for a new mascot!

LARL mascot 2015During spring and summer 2015, library staff and community members were engaged in this endeavor.  In April,  LARL’s 95 employees voted on a list of five possible mascot characters/animals: Owl, Squirrel, Raccoon, Fox, and Eagle.  From May through July, LARL presented the Drawing Together: A regional community art and storytelling experience in every LARL branch.   Drawing Together featured drawing classes for youth, a chance to vote on which character should represent LARL, as well as suggesting the mascot’s favorite book and telling stories about the mascot.  A Drawing Together form was available on the website and in all 22 LARL locations. Over 200 entries were received from LARL customers of all ages. An owl was ultimately chosen and LARL is still in the process of voting on a name.

LARL worked with Minnesota artist, Janette Louden, to create images of the new mascot for promotional purposes. Minnesota based company, Vee Corporation, was chosen to
create the costume, which should be ready by the end of 2015.

The Art and Life of George Morrison DVDs on their way

George Morrison imageThe final task in CRPLSA’s partnership with The Friends of the St. Paul Public Library and tpt will be the distribution of 84 DVDs to be shared among Minnesota’s public library collections.

The Art and Life of George Morrison: A Beyond the Book cultural documentary was based on the Minnesota Book Award-winning book, Modern Spirit and features the unique story of a great American artist.  From his early life near Grand Portage, training in Minneapolis and Paris in the 1940s and 1950s to his success as an abstract artist, Morrions’ life revolved around his artistic vision, intellectual drive, and creative energy.  As a Native American artist with strong connections to his Ojibwe roots, Morrison brought together his passion for modern art with a deep respect for the natural world – the spirit of the water, land, sky, horizon.  Making he documentary so dramatic is the inclusion of interviews with the artist and footage from his studio filmed in 1991, as well as original music by his son, Briand Morrison.

Check out Art and Life of George Morrison at a library near you.

New LARL Sculpture

LARL sculpture in DL 2015The Detroit Lakes Public Library’s Once Upon A Time sculpture by Becker County resident, Hans Gilsdorf was unveiled on September 10th. Over  100 community members were in attendance for the community art celebration. Gilsdorf will serve as a guest presenter at the Library Club kickoff meeting on October 27, 2015.

The Library has received overwhelmingly positive feedback regarding the sculpture, which was funded in part by the Detroit Lakes Library Fund  and LARL’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Funding for Library Legacy activities. The sculpture is comprised of re-bar and over 24 Tons of concrete with a a special sculpting epoxy that gives it a bronze-like finish. The sculpture depicts a child lying on the ground, reading a book.

Derek Anderson featured OUR author

OUR Logo - ColorCRPLSA is pleased to announce the second season of Once Upon a Reader, a statewide one-book program. The program, which focuses on children aged 0-6, will highlight the importance of reading and sharing books with children. The program is funded through the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage for Library Legacy activities.

The book selected for the 2016-2017 Once Upon a Reader program is Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure. The book is written and illustrated by Minnesota resident, Derek Anderson. The program will feature original music by local singer/songwriter, Tom Lieberman.

Once Upon a Reader press release

Cow’s Finale: A year of MOO! comes to a close

Dear Once Upon a Reader fans,

All good things must come to an end, and that includes Cow’s MOO! Trunk Show in Minnesota. This past week Mike and I and Cow gave our last OUR shows in some beautiful north central towns. What a grand time of the year to be up north.

On Monday, September 28, we headed to the tiny library in Pine River where we presented to 13 attendees and the library cat, Browser. We then headed to Brainerd for an evening show where 100 folks turned up to see Cow (and to try their hands at the mechanical milkingcow on the library’s front lawn). Among the attendees were another Dairy Princess and two boys from dairy farms who came dressed in cow costumes.

On Tuesday morning we performed in one of our most unique venues, a church in Wadena. 25 attendees showed up for our show (and free books and milk). We had to restrain Cow from giving a sermon on the importance of pasteurization. In the evening we gave a presentation for 11 attendees at the Frank White Education Center in Park Rapids.

Mike, Cow & David with Paul & Babe the Blue Ox in Brainerd
Mike, Cow & David with Paul & Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji

Cow was beginning to worry that she was losing her popularity, but we ended our tour on Wednesday with two full houses. Wednesday morning we performed for 170 attendees atthe Bemidji Library. Colleen the librarian had done an amazing job preparing for our visit, with “Cow Chow” snacks for the kids and bottles of “Thirsty Cow” water, not to mention clothespin cows to take home. It was a wonderful way to start our last day. Cow’s swan song was in the small library in Walker, but we filled the venue with 60 attendees. Carrie had lots of prizes to give away, and all the families enjoyed pizza after.

Wow. What a year this has been! We can’t thank you enough for giving us this opportunity. Over the past year we have met some magnificent librarians, seen some fascinating libraries, met lots of friendly families, and created enough memories to fill a silo. To sum it all up, there’s only one thing we can say:

Moo!

Ever your Bovine Buddies,
David LaRochelle, Author
Mike Wohnoutka, Illustrator
and of course, Cow, the star!

PS  – Click here for the 150 travelogue pictures from around Minnesota with Cow, Mike and David

Cow’s continuing MOO-velous Adventures

Ann Hutton with Cow in Winona
It’s hard to tell who was more excited to meet the other, Ann Hutton or Cow. Definitely a Mutual Adoration Society.

Hello Once Upon a Reader Fans!

This past week saw Mike and me and Cow edging closer to the end of our incredible tour.

On Tuesday morning, Sept 22, we presented to 120 attendees at the gorgeous Winona Public Library. Cow was thrilled to meet one of her biggest fans, Ann Hutton. And Ann certainly knew how to treat a diva like Cow; ever since, Cow has been asking why WE don’t treat her with such adoration. That afternoon we traveled to the small town of Houston and presented to 120 preschoolers to second graders at the elementary school. It was our last SELCO show, were taken care of at every SELCO venue where we performed. Thank you so much, ladies.

On Thursday we headed north to present to 90 preschoolers who filled our room at the Grand Rapids library. Another gorgeous site, right on the Mississippi River, and Darla and Tracy could not have been more enthusiastic and helpful. We then wound our way to one of the most secluded sites of our tour, South Ridge School outside of Culver. Cow wanted to take part in the volleyball game that was going on next to us, but we convinced her to perform for the 50 attendees that the Head Start folks had brought in that evening. There were lots of crafts to do and every family got to bring home a book, which is always great to see.

Cow in Grand Rapiids 2015-09
In the wonderful play area at the Grand Rapids Rapids Public Library, Cow spells out one of her favorite words.

And now we are packing our bags for the FINAL leg of our tour. What an amazing adventure we’ve had this past year!

Here are a few photos from this past week.

You’ll hear from us one more time after we return from our final six shows!

David, Mike, but mostly Cow

New Library Legacy Grant Guidelines

MN Library Legacy Logo SmallThe Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (ACHF) created an unprecedented opportunity for libraries to provide educational opportunities in the arts, history, literary arts, and cultural heritage of Minnesota.  The regional library systems receive a biennial ACHF appropriation for Library Legacy activities.

For the first time, all in one place, the regional libraries now have a single source of information ranging from the history of the library appropriation to reporting schedules and clear definitions.  The new ACHF Grant Guidelines for Regional Public Library Systems was prepared by  the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and issued with the FY2016 Official Grant Award Notifications.

New Season

MELSA Club BookClub Book is proud to announce the new lineup for the Fall 2015 Season. Club Book brings best-selling and award-winning national and regional authors to libraries throughout the seven-county Twin Cities region. A program of Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA) and coordinated by Library Strategies, Club Book is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. All events are free and open to the public!

Podcasts of this season’s discussions will be available a few days after each event at www.clubbook.org and on iTunes. Past seasons’ podcasts are available for streaming and download, so check them out!

Cow to the southwest – MN that is

Hello Once Upon a Reader fans,

Mike and I and Cow just returned from two successful days in the Plum Creek region of southwestern Minnesota, visiting Marshall and Windom. Cow attracted an audience of about 80 admirers at each stop. She particularly enjoyed taking advantage of the hotel amenities Cow enjoying the pool 2015-08 which gave her a chance to show off the latest wardrobe fashions created for her by Kim Faurot.

Once again the librarians at each stop made us feel udderly welcome. It’s hard to believe that it has been less than a year ago when Cow made her first appearance. What a full year we have all had!

We hope that you are enjoying these dog days of summer, whether you are traveling on vacation or staying cool at home.

Till September,

Your Bovine Buddies,
David, Mike, and Cow

P.S. Here are a few photos from our recent travels —

Cow in Pioneerland

Cow and McLeod County Dairy Princesses 2015-07
Cow & the McLeod County Dairy Princesses in Glencoe

Hello Once Upon a Reader fans,

Cow took a day off from her summer vacation to visit two libraries in the Pioneerland Library System (PLS) yesterday. Mike and I went along to act as her assistants.

In Glencoe, she presented to a group of 100 kids and adults in the beautifully renovated old high school. She was beside herself with joy when she was made an honorary Dairy Princess, but then again, she also felt is was only a matter of time before her regal nature was recognized. Thanks to Slade for making the trek out to Glencoe to film the show for posterity.

On the western edge of Minnesota in Dawson, Cow gave an evening presentation to a small, but receptive group of 30 in the high school performing arts auditorium. It was wonderful that every family was able to go home with their own free copy of the book.

Cow is already back in vacation mode, at the beach in the new swim attire designed by Kim Faurot. If the paparazzi can get close enough to her, you might be subjected to some lakeside photos of Cow later next month. In the meantime, here are a few photos from yesterday.

David, Mike and of course, Cow

PS – More pictures of Cow

Cow Tours SELCO

A travelogue from Minnesota Author, David LaRochelle as he travels the state with Minnesota Illustrator, Mike Wohnoutka and the Once Upon a Reader star performer – Cow and their adventures in SELCO.

Hello Once Upon a Reader folks!Cow profile pix-crop

June is National Dairy Month so Cow was in high demand for guest appearances, but she took time from her busy schedule to join Mike and me as we visited six more SELCO libraries Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week. Once again the wonderful folks at SELCO (Amy, Amy, Reagan, Cindy and all the great librarians we met) did a fabulous job of welcoming us at each stop.

Monday’s rain didn’t keep the 125 attendees away from joining us at the Rochester Public Library. Despite some bad driving from David (I wish I could blame it on Cow), we made it to our second stop just in the nick of time, which was one of our most unusual venues to date: the weight room at the Rochester Family YMCA. 80 day camp kids and their counselors, spanning a very wide age-range, joined us in this unique location. Cow being the star that she is took it all in stride.

Tuesday was a beautiful day for a drive to the small town of Dodge Center where 50 kids packed the cozy meeting room in the library. It was then on to Spring Valley where Jenny Simon and her crew had the entire library decked out for our visit, with cow balloons, milk cans, window paintings, the Moo! Story Walk, dozens of cow books, and after our show, milk and cookies and a LIVE COW. 200 kids and their caregivers joined us under the storybook tree in the children’s area for our show.

Wednesday morning we had an audience of 150 at the Austin Public Library. We bypassed the Spam Museum (we were afraid it might hit a little too close to home for Cow), and headed to Albert Lea for a performance to 100 in the afternoon. Both libraries had beautiful lake views and the librarians in both stops were well prepared for our visit.

Thanks to all the librarians and the wonderful women at SELCO who made these visits so successful. We are glad that we get to work with you again in September.

Cow is out touring on her own at the moment, but I thought I’d pass along some of the photos from her appearances this past week.

Your bovine buddies,

David, Mike, and Cow

More photos of Cow’s travels throughout Minnesota

Wyoming Moo-ooo Walk

ECRL Moo storywalk 2015-06Special events abound for Once Upon a Reader
a statewide one-book program designed for Pre-K children to promote early literacy skills.  Even walking and reading at the same time in the East Central Regional Library (ECRL) !

Once Upon a Reader encourages young children and their parents or caregivers to read together.  The featured title for the inaugural two year event is MOO! by Minnesota author David LaRochelle and Minnesota illustrator, Mike Wohnoutka.  The program is being promoted in public libraries throughout the state.

 

A CRPLSA sponsored Library Legacy activity with funds from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

ALS Sculpture installed in Grand Marais

ALS Grand Marais sculpture installation 2015-06
Installation in progress

The Grand Marais Public Library, an Arrowhead Library System (ALS) member, hosted a sculpture dedication on Friday, June 5 to celebrate the installation of a new work of public art.  The local artist and sculptor Tom Christiansen,was on hand at the dedication as were other local and regional dignitaries.

The sculpture is constructed of spun aluminum. Arranged around the top of the 17-foot tower are a number of large puzzle pieces in bright red, blue or yellow primary colors.  It is easily visible to residents and visitors  traveling along Minnesota’s north shore as the new art piece is located on the the lawn between the library and Highway 61.

Christiansen was selected from a group of fourteen submissions to the initial request for proposal from the library board. There were four finalists, the other three being Nancy Seaton and Sharon Frykman both of Grand Marais and Ann Klefstad of Duluth.

This new addition to the public art presence in Grand Marais was paid for by the Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment through Library Legacy funds made available to the Arrowhead Library System.

More of Cow’s Adventures

Cow and David with library fans 2015-05Hello Team MOO!

Cow (and Mike and David) have had a very successful month of May, mooing from the top to bottom of Minnesota. 

On May 8 Cow traveled far north, to visit 140 K, 1st, and 2nd graders at the Warren elementary school in the morning, and then performed for 70 folks at the Thief River Falls Public Library in the afternoon. A few days later she made a southern tour of the state, visiting over 200 kids at the Owatonna Public Library in the morning of May 11, and over 200 kids at the stunning Buckham Memorial Library in Faribault in the afternoon. The next day she was eager to visit with 120 day care kids at the Plainview Public Library and then had one of her largest crowds to date, over 250 kindergarteners at the Red Wing Public Library in the afternoon. Her final show of the month was on “da range,” visiting 170 attendees in Mountain Iron.

Once again librarians were incredible, providing lots of activities and handouts for kids to enjoy, and making our job very easy.

All this traveling can be exhausting, even for a seasoned veteran like Cow. She’s now on hiatus for over a month, at a location she’d rather not disclosed for fear of being mobbed by her adoring fans, but she’ll be ready to resume her road tour at the end of June (which she is quick to point out is National Dairy Month).

Here’s her latest photo gallery and pictures from her earlier travels

From Cow’s crew,
David and Mike
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