[Mdl] MDLC Request: Volunteer at State Fair booth

[Marian Rengel]

Good afternoon all of you who subscribe to the Minnesota Digital Library
listserv

The MINITEX office staff has invited the Minnesota Digital Library to join
them in presenting their exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair this year.

The State Fair runs from August 25 through September 5.

We are looking for volunteers to help us staff the booth. Some of you
expressed an interest in doing so at our June 6 annual meeting, so we¹re
taking you up on the offer.

Below is information on
­ the exhibit and what MINITEX is planning.
­ the volunteer time needs at the fair and in training before the fair.
­ Lots of other information you may need to make a decision.

If you can volunteer and are interested, please contact Christine Kline
directly, but copy me on your message to her.

Deadline to volunteer: July 22

If you want or need more information before making up your mind, feel free
to contact me or Christine.


 
Highlights 
State Fair Dates: August 25 - September 5
Length of shift for volunteers: 4-6 hours. Planners prefer 6 hours, but will
accept help from people who can work as little as 4 hours. Shifts are
typically from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Additional time needed: Each volunteer will need to participate in training
sometime during the two weeks before the fair starts. I don't know if this
will be one or several set times for everyone to attend or if there would be
an opportunity for individual or small group training.



FROM MINITEX:
 
Some things to know about this year¹s State Fair exhibit:
 
* Theme  for this year¹s exhibit:  Cool  Tools @ Your Library
 
* We¹re excited about  expanding the focus of this year¹s exhibit beyond ELM
to include participation  by the following partners:
 
o       MnLINK
o       Minnesota Digital Library Coalition (Minnesota Reflections)
o       University of Minnesota Libraries (Assignment Calculator and
QuickStudy)
 
·        We¹re planning a more interactive experience for this year¹s
fairgoers. The exhibit will have six computers set up in three distinct
areas of the exhibit to allow for a hands-on, though guided, experience.
We¹ll have sample searches for fairgoers to try and sample searches for our
staff/volunteers to use in demonstrating the tools for those fairgoers less
than eager to fly solo.
 
·          This year¹s exhibit space will be larger than last year¹s to
accommodate our partners and offer more space for fairgoers to have hands-on
experience with the library tools. We¹ll ramp up staffing to address the
larger exhibit space and the addition of more library tools to demonstrate.
 
* The  Fair runs from August 25 - September 5.
* Exhibit  staffing time is from 9 am - 9 pm every day.
* One  person from each shift will be responsible for setting up or closing
down the  exhibit (these activities are minimal).
* Standard  shifts are 6 hours each,
* Each  shift will be staffed with at least 3 staff/volunteers.
* There will be a  training session for all staff/volunteers.  With the
addition of our  exhibit partners, staff/volunteers will need to be
acquainted with more than  just ELM. We¹ll make sure that everyone receives
the training they¹ll need to  feel comfortable talking about these great
library tools, including cheat  sheets, sample searches, and other support
materials. 
 
* MINITEX  will arrange for day passes and State Fair t-shirts to be worn by
staff/volunteers while staffing the exhibit.
* One  more important note: The Wonders of Technology building is one of
only a few  air conditioned buildings on the fairgrounds.
 
Here¹s where I need your help. Please let me  Christine Kline
(kline119 at umn.edu) know the following by July 22:
 
* Names  of volunteer
* How  many shifts you would like to take
* Preferred  dates you would like to work
 
* Any times you  definitely cannot work
 
This year¹s State Fair should be a great time. Just think of it‹the
people-watching, the traditional fair food (anything and everything you
could want ³on a stick²), and a great opportunity to spread the word about
ELM, MnLINK, UM Libraries, and Minnesota Digital Library Coalition.
 
Please let me know if you have any questions. And thanks so much for your
help!  
 
Chris
 
 
Christine Kline
Electronic Resources Librarian
MINITEX Library Information Network
University of Minnesota
15 Andersen Library
222 21st Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0439
 
Phone: 612 624-2925
Toll Free: 800 462-5348
Fax: 612 625-3569
Email: kline119 at umn.edu
 
 




Marian Rengel
Grant Projects Developer/Communication Coordinator
Learning Resources & Technology Services
Miller Center 112D
St. Cloud State University
720 Fourth Avenue South
St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498
Office: (320) 308-5625
Fax: (320) 308-4778

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