by Ann Kaste
Quick Summary
ITEM/MLA, Minitex, and the Minnesota Libraries Learning Network are seeking up to two individuals to develop a professional learning course that provides guidance on key aspects of school library collection development, book challenges, and literacy instruction in Minnesota.
This course will be designed to support school librarians, school library staff, and interested educators in understanding Minnesota-specific laws, policies, and best practices.
The ideal candidate will have expertise in online instructional design, knowledge of Minnesota’s education statutes and literacy initiatives (including the READ Act), and expertise in school library media work.
Working course title: "Minnesota School Library Essentials"
The focus of this course is to discuss collection development, anticipating and managing challenges to library materials, and the library’s role in literacy development in light of PELSB’s definition of a school library media specialist, the statutory definition of a school library, Minnesota school library aid, rights to materials protected, and the READ act.
The course will be self-paced and asynchronous, meaning the course developer will not interact with course participants. Content will be broken up into three or four modules that take approximately one hour each to complete.
Registrants who complete all modules will gain a "Minnesota School Library Essentials" credential from the Minnesota Libraries Learning Network, and will receive corresponding CEUS (number TBD) for time spent in the course.
Learning outcomes
Course participants will:
- Learn about Minnesota laws, definitions, and funding relevant to school library work
- Learn about collection development and managing policies and procedures around collection questions in Minnesota
- Identify ways to advocate for the role of the school library in supporting student literacy in Minnesota alongside the READ act
The LSTA grant will pay $45/hour up to 120 hours for course development and can be divided between two individuals. The course will be offered via the Minnesota Libraries Learning Network catalog on the Canvas platform.
It will be free for participants to enroll in the course. Familiarity with Canvas is not required. Online training supports on how to use Canvas are available. To apply, please fill out the application by March 5, 2025. If you hope to build the course with a specific partner, please submit one form for both applicants describing how you plan to work together. Applications will be reviewed and applicants will be notified by mid-March.
Questions about the application and content needs can be directed to president@mnitem.org.
Questions about grant details can be directed to Ann Kaste (kaste@umn.edu) or Beth Staats (fried004@umn.edu) at Minitex.
