23 Mobile Things to Debut January 15

Brought to you by the Minnesota Multitype Library Systems Remember 23 Things On a Stick? 23 Mobile Things is the new, updated learning opportunity for library staff and others who want to increase and share their knowledge of mobile devices and the powerful apps that make finding, managing, and manipulating information a snap. With the world at our fingertips, it can be a challenge to find apps that work efficiently and effectively. 23 Mobile Things will help participants explore the potential of mobile devices for their professional and personal growth. 23 Mobile Things will run from January 15 through June 15, 2014. It is developed and sponsored by the seven Minnesota Multicounty Multitype Library Systems (Multitypes). 23 Mobile Things follows a self-paced learning model. Participants must set up and register a blog in Thing 1. After that, the Things can be done in any order, but participants blog about each Thing as it is completed. The blogging allows the moderators to follow the learning progress and to award badges upon completion of each group of 5 Things. Participation requires the use of a mobile device that allows participants to download apps (smartphone or tablet with iOS7 or Android operating systems). This program is for academic, public, special librarians, and school media specialists, as well as members of their Governing Boards, their Friends groups, or Advisory Groups. Participants who wish to receive the completion incentive must register their blogs by February 15 and complete all 23 Mobile Things (and blog about each one) by June 15, 2014. For those interested in a preview of the types of apps in the program, Minitex hosted a webinar on December 5^th, “Apps in a Flash: 23 Mobile Things Preview.”  LeAnn Suchy from Metronet discussed a variety of apps and gave a brief overview of the 23 Mobile Things program. Participants are encouraged to work together with others in their libraries or regions and to share their insights and discoveries either through the participant blogs or in person. Each Thing can take as little as one hour or as much time as you’d like to give it. The directors and staff of the seven Minnesota Multicounty Multitype Library Systems are the core of the 23 Mobile Things team, with additional coaches in some regions. This group has worked together to create content and instructions for the Things, and will track progress shown in participants’ blogs. This team will also provide helpful hints, encouraging words, and will post comments on participant blogs from time to time, in addition to answering questions received through email. The Multitypes respond to the needs of librarians by providing them with library support services and also believe that knowledgeable library staff are better able to meet the needs of their library users. The Multitypes connect library staff in all types of libraries to professional and staff development opportunities. Contact: Ann Walker Smalley, Metronet ann@metronet.lib.mn.us 651.646.0475