Thanks and Farewell from Local Arrangements

The Local Arrangements Co-Chairs, Phil Dudas and Jennifer Dietrich would like to thank everyone for reading these past couple of months.  We'd also like to thank our subcommittee for contributing to this blog and to Dinner with Colleagues:  Lyndi Finifrock, Beth Gallinger, Rebecca Ganzel, Katie Polley, Sarah Weeks, Sara Ring, Amy Boese, Marcus Lowry, and Mary Wagner.  Hope you enjoyed the conference and enjoyed St. Paul!  For those of you who live in the Twin Cities, don't forget to check out the St. Paul Art Crawl which starts next weekend.  It is the 20th anniversary this year, over 300 lofts and studios in Lowertown and throughout St. Paul:

http://www.stpaulartcrawl.org/

The Finish Line

The Twin Cities Marathon is set for this Sunday, October 7th. Over 28,000 runners will take part this weekend's array of events and distances, a few librarians among them! One of the top 10 marathons in the nation, this destination event is not to be missed, and during one of our most beautiful times of the year.

It's Friday afternoon, and the conference has officially come to a close. What a fantastic week! So many networking opportunities, new resources discovered, apps added, and friends made (some for the first time in person after meeting through sites like Twitter and blogging!)

We came, we learned, we crafted, we logged on, and we are ready to return to our workplaces full of creative new ideas and pertinent information for each of our informational specialties.

This conference would not be possible without the support of our members, sponsors, speakers, volunteers, attendees and the organizational prowess of our leaders, Carla Urban, 2012 MLA President, Kathleen James, Conference Planning Committee Chair, and Robin Ewing, Program Committee Chair.

Conference After Hours: Park Square Theatre

Playing tonight and tomorrow night at the Park Square Theatre is Red, a play about Russian-American painter Mark Rothko.

Synopsis

Winner of the 2010 Tony Award for Best Play, Red took Broadway by storm with its provocative and searing portrait of an artist's ambition and vulnerability. Having just landed the biggest commission in modern art history, abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko works feverishly in his studio with his brash, young assistant, Ken. As Rothko nears completion of what he hopes will be his crowning achievement, he faces the possibility that it could also become his undoing.

Rush tickets are only $22, cash only. Available 10 minutes before performance; subject to availability.

Showtime is 7:30pm, more information here.  This intimate, 15 row theatre is a only short walk from RiverCentre and nearby hotels.

Rise and Shine for Day 2!

Just getting home from Killer Cocktails?  Well you had better get some beauty sleep because MLA is back at it bright and early with these two events starting at 7am Thursday morning:

Appy Hour/Continental Breakfast

Droid, iPhone, iPad… Whatever device you use, there’s an app for that on the Thursday, October 4 breakfast menu.  Grab something to eat and get a quick glance at the slide show, talk apps at the breakfast table, and consult with one of our app ambassadors for an opportunity to test recommended apps for yourself. The app ambassadors have selected a wide variety of apps for all devices to ensure that there’s something for everyone.

 
Past Presidents' Breakfast
For those esteemed few of you lucky enough to call yourself an MLA Past President, the Past Presidents' breakfast will be held at the Downtowner Woodfire Grill just a short walk from RiverCentre.



Road construction updates R us!

Construction worries? We've got your back!

A road sign this summer in Eagan.

You know the jokes about the two Minnesota seasons, winter and road-repair?  Well, we're at the furious tail end of road-repair season right now, and it ain't pretty.  Downtown Saint Paul has the added glory of putting the final touches on a new light-rail line that's scheduled to open in 2014.  Plus you might well be driving to our fair city along a highway, or over a bridge, that's being, er, enhanced.

Here are some places to go for up-to-date information on construction:

• For light-rail construction detours, go to Metro Transit or the Metropolitan Council
• For citywide road closures, go to the City of St. Paul (where you can also sign up for e-mail updates)
• For construction updates in and around St. Paul, go to Ramsey County
• For statewide highway construction projects (including a searchable list by highway number), go to the Minnesota Dept. of Transportation
• For regular informative tweets on highway congestion, follow @mndotnews on Twitter

And wherever you go, take a map and a large dose of Zen.  You'll get there, eventually!

Tomorrow is the last day to RSVP for Dinner with Colleagues!

 

Forepaugh's

A great way to network, enjoy conversations outside library walls, and eat some delish local food!

Dinner with Colleagues is where you can attend a theme-based dinner with other conference attendees at 6:30pm on Thursday, October 4. You will pay for your own dinner, and prices range anywhere from $10-$50/person depending upon which dinner you choose.

The dinner themes include: Downton Abbey, Foodies, Hunger Games, Linked Data, MILE & Friends, MN Library Futurists, MonstrosiTEEN, and Trivia Night.

Register here:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/409084DA9A92BA20-minnesota

For the Kid in All of Us : Minnesota Children's Museum

For more than 30 years, the Minnesota Children's Museum has been welcoming kids of all ages, and their caregivers, into their world of creative play and interactive learning environments.

For a nominal fee, this is the ultimate place to take your child of almost any age to wear them out and have them learn all at the same time! Learning and having fun are the key elements at this hands on museum where kids explore their world by climbing, touching, splashing, pulling and pressing exhibits and displays.

In relation to local library systems, the St Paul Public Libraries offer a 'Passport to Play' program, which is a well established collaboration between SPPL and MCM.

Even if you only have an hour or two to spare, this is a worth while stop to get ideas towards engaging play areas for children's libraries and learning centers.

Conference After Hours: Killer Cocktails

Has there ever been a more perfect location for Killer Cocktails than the James J. Hill Reference Library?  Aside from having it on the set of the 1985 film adaptation of "Clue" I think not!  Meet 20+ mystery writers in a historic setting, network with colleagues, win prizes, pick up a swag bag, and get some old time-y photos taken in our photobooth.  Oh yes, and there will be cocktails! (cash bar) and pizza courtesy of Zamboni's.  Killer Cocktails is a mysteriously good time brought to you by the Reader’s Advisory Round Table (RART), Twin Cities Sisters in Crime, and Zamboni’s Pizza. 

Wednesday night following the All Conference Welcome, 6:30-9:00pm
Please wear your conference badge.

St. Paul Farmer's Market

Credit: the651.com

The downtown St. Paul Farmer's Market, located at Wall and 5th Street, is bustling with activity every Saturday and Sunday from April to November. The crowds are on the hunt for fresh fruits and vegetables, locally grown meats and eggs, beautiful flower arrangements, and specialty items such as raw honey and barbeque sauce. The Farmer's Market is as old as the city itself- in 1952 the first public market known as Markethouse was constructed at Wabasha and 7th, not far from the present location.

If you're still in town on Saturday morning, visit the Farmer's Market before you leave! You'll find autumn's bounty awaiting you- pumpkins, root vegetables, cabbages, apples, and more.

Getting Around: Transit Options

Your ticket to freedom in St. Paul:  a bus-train pass

"Is the bus safe?" my co-worker, Sam the security guard, asked me the other day.  He had just learned that I take the bus to my university library, an eight-mile commute, on a regular basis.  "I mean, for a single lady?"

Now, I'll grant you that our university is in a slightly dicey neighborhood, but I honestly had no idea how to answer his question.  Is it safe to take the bus?  In my universe, that's a question on a par with, Is it safe to walk down the sidewalk?

The Metro Transit store, Minneapolis

So I told him the truth:  "Yes."  I've been taking public transit in the Twin Cities for over half my life, and the worst thing that has ever happened to me here is when, eight years ago, a saggy-pants youth decided he wanted my half of the seat as well as his, effectively pinning me into a corner for the 10 minutes it took me to screw up my courage and move to a new place.  (I was worried about hurting his feelings.  Minnesotans are like that.)

Sure, the Number 21 bus, which runs from downtown St. Paul all the way to Uptown Minneapolis, is a window into a number of different lifestyle choices, and I sometimes hear language that I devoutly hope my daughter doesn't use — yeah, right.  But I love the bus.  Heck, I love all the transit options the Twin Cities have to offer.  Maybe it's because I grew up in a small town that didn't even have a taxi service, but nothing says Big City to me like hopping on a bus, or waiting on a commuter-train platform, or zipping my bike down the Midtown Greenway.

Downtown St. Paul, where the MLA conference is this year, is small enough that an able-bodied person can get around just by walking.  It helps to have a good map; if you'd like a self-guided walking tour, check out the St. Paul Smart Trips Web site.  You can also download a downtown map from our host venue, the St. Paul RiverCentre — click on the "Skyway and Walking Map" link.

The Hiawatha line: light rail

If you want to go farther afield, like shopping on Grand Avenue (about 3 miles away) or exploring the Mall of America (about 12 miles away), a car is not the only way to go.  Given all St. Paul's winding one-way streets, and various construction projects, it's not even the most convenient option.  Trusty Google Maps has a "transit" icon in its "get directions" mode (also a "walking" one — try it!).  But for up-to-the-minute schedules and other information, the Metro Transit Web site is worth bookmarking on your smartphone.  FYI, you'll take the Number 63 from 6th Street to get to Grand Avenue, and the Number 54, also from 6th Street, to get to the Mall of America.  Cost is $2.25 during rush hour, $1.75 other times; you can also buy a pass.  From the MoA, on that same pass, you can take the glorious Hiawatha light-rail train to downtown Minneapolis.  Be still my small-town heart!

And if you run into a gangsta wannabe with saggy pants, just do what I did the next time he sat by me:  Whip out your knitting.  He'll move over — and, as a bonus, you'll learn all about his grandma's crochet projects.

Rebecca Ganzel

Conference After Hours: Club Book and Stillwater Public Library Present Author Larry Watson

Just in case Dinner with Colleagues isn't your thing, spend Thursday evening with a renowned author instead.  Larry Watson is the author of numerous books, including Montana 1948, Justice and White Crosses. His work has received prizes and awards from Milkweed Press, Friends of American Writers, Mountain and Plains Booksellers Association, New York Public Library, Wisconsin Library Association, Critics’ Choice, and The High Plains Book Award. His latest book, American Boy, won Booklist's Editor's Choice List of 2011 Best Books in both Adult Fiction and Adult Fiction for Young Adults. Watson taught writing and literature at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point for 25 years before joining the faculty at Marquette University in 2003 as a Visiting Professor.

Thursday, October 4, 2012, 7 PM
Stillwater Public Library, 224 Third Street N., Stillwater

Arriving to the conference early?  Club Book also has an event Tuesday night that this blogger and music fan is very much looking forward to!
 

Register Now! Dinner with Colleagues RSVPs!



Trivia Night Dinner Location



Registration is open for Dinner with Colleagues!

A hit at last year’s MLA Annual Conference, Dinner with Colleagues is happening again this year—and registration is now open!

Dinner with Colleagues is where you can attend a theme-based dinner with other conference attendees at 6:30pm on Thursday, October 4. The dinner will be on you, and prices range anywhere from $10-$50/person depending upon which dinner you choose.

The dinner themes include: Downton Abbey, Foodies, Hunger Games, Linked Data, MILE & Friends, MN Library Futurists, MonstrosiTEEN EATS, and Trivia Night.

For a description of the dinners and to register (pre-registration is required), visit: www.signupgenius.com/go/409084DA9A92BA20-minnesota.

A great way to network, enjoy conversations outside library walls, and eat some delish local food!

Any questions, please email Jennifer Dietrich at jdietrich@rclreads.org.

 

MN Wild

The Minnesota Wild is a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota. They are members of the National Hockey League (NHL).

After 7 seasons of not having a NHL franchise in Minnesota, the team was founded in 2000.  The unveiling occurred at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood, MN in 1998. The new name was introduced to everyone with the song "Born to be wild" by Steppenwolf playing over the arena's speaker system. The team plays at the Xcel Energy Center with the colors of Forest Green, Iron Range Red, Harvest gold, Minnesota wheat and white.  Though no Stanley Cups yet, they were in the division championships in the 07-08 season.

Preseason games start in late September and the Minnesota Wild opens its regular season at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13 against the Colorado Avalanche at Xcel Energy Center.

Looking for more info on the Wild?  Visit their homepage or follow them @mnwild.

The Fitz

The Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul's oldest, is home to Minnesota Public Radio's live programming.

Stay a day after the conference and take in A Prairie Home Companion live on October 6th with special guests Kustbandet and Molly Dean.

Kerri Miller's popular Talking Volumes series "will be an epic celebration of writers and their work, ranging from the best of new fiction and explosive best sellers" this season. Plan a trip back to St. Paul to hear one of these celebrated authors!

The week before Election Day, partake in the Final Senate Debate, as well as two debates on the constitutional amendment proposals facing Minnesotans. Tuesday, Oct. 30th at 7:00 p.m. – Voter ID Amendment Debate, hosted by Tom Crann. Thursday, Nov. 1st at 7:00 p.m. – Marriage Amendment Debate, hosted by Kerri Miller. Sunday, Nov. 4th at 7:00 p.m. – Final Senate Debate with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (DFL) and State Rep. Kurt Bills (R), hosted by Cathy Wurzer.

Visit their website for information on these events and more!

St. Paul Classic

This last weekend was a great one for a bike ride.  The 18^th annual St Paul Classic was held in Saint Paul on September 9, 2012.  The Saint Paul Classic Bike Tour is an annual cycling event and fundraiser for the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota. Cyclists enjoyed 15 to 40 miles of traffic-free routes featuring great rest stops, ride support, delicious food and beverages, live music, and much more!

The Classic has beautiful views, great live music and refreshments. For the ride in 2012, the Lilydale area is under construction, so the ride will featured a new ten-mile "BIG RIVER LOOP.” The ride starts and ends at the University of St. Thomas. The ride is a great way to see parks and parkways of the city. Riders went over the Wabasha Bridge, through the Latino District del Sol and biked along a levee overlooking the Mighty Mississippi. Want to do the full route on your own? You can see the full route on the course information page, you’ll just have watch out for traffic!

Missed out on the St. Paul Classic but still want to bike?  Check out the Mankato River Ramble on October 7^th.

Visit St. Paul on Pinterest

Thanks to LeAnn Suchy for passing along this comprehensive Pinterest guide to St. Paul.  And speaking of Pinterest, don't forget to check out "Getting Their Pinterest: Using Pinterest to Market Your Library" at the conference on Wednesday at 4pm.

Como Park Zoo and Conservatory

Lilies in bloom at Como Park

The Como Park Zoo and Conservatory is a great place to visit any time of year! Where else can you get a glimpse of a polar bear after seeing an orchid in full bloom, then go for a ride at Como Town or stroll around picturesque Como Park? 

In the Conservatory's Sunken Garden, the Fall Flower begins October 6th, featuring chrysanthemums in shades of purple, pink and yellow. The annual kid-friendly ZooBoo takes over Como Zoo the two weekends before Halloween (Oct 20, 21, 26, 27, & 28). 

Winter hours (October-March) are 10am-4pm. Admission is free but a $2/person donation is encouraged.

Historic Fort Snelling

Fort Snelling State Park is a historic, beautiful exploratorium located in the heart of the Twin Cities, just off of Highway 5 and Post Road. The colors along the mighty Mississippi River are ever changing from late September into mid-October, and provide for a stunning backdrop for walkers, hikers, bicyclists and paddlers.

With history dating back to the 1600s, there's a never ending supply of information to read and learn about the people who called this land home where the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers meet. By the 1820s, historic Fort Snelling was built on the bluff above the two historic rivers to control the exploration, trade, and settlement on these waterways.

Despite this park being mere miles from the international airport, there's a plethora of wildlife that call Fort Snelling home, including bald eagles, deer, fox, woodchucks, wood ducks, and painted turtles.

Getting outside is a fabulous breath of fresh air, not only for the body but also for the mind and soul. A short drive from downtown St Paul, a visit to Fort Snelling's day-use only facilities can be a welcome respite from a full day of learning inside an energetic convention center.

For more information, visit http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/fort_snelling/index.html

Minnesota RollerGirls

Minnesota RollerGirls (MNRG) is an all-women amateur flat-track roller derby league based in Saint Paul. Founded in August 2004, it is the first flat-track roller derby league in the state's history and since 2005, the league has played and practiced at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul. The Minnesota RollerGirls are made up of four “home teams” comprised of up to twenty active skaters each. These are the Atomic Bombshells, Dagger Dolls, Garda Belts, and Rockits. Home season play means that each of these teams plays against each other in two matchups per night. The Minnesota RollerGirls also has an all-star interleague team composed of skaters from the four home teams. This team competes against other WFTDA and non-WFTDA leagues across the United States

What is Roller Derby?

Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups ("jams") in which both teams designate a scoring player (the "jammer") who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team. The teams attempt to assist their own jammer while hindering the opposing jammer — in effect, playing both offense and defense simultaneously.  Modern roller derby is an international sport dominated by all-female amateur teams.

If you are staying in St. Paul the weekend after the conference and would like to see a bout, you are in luck.  Saturday, October 6, there is ahome bout at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium.