A Busy Semester...

Well, October, and again, the month of November are proving to be busy months for the Mesabi Range College Library! Here are some of the highlights...

October 27 - The Library hosted a CTL (Center for Teaching & Learning) reception for four Irish students and their three instructors. These students are part of an exchange program partnership with Mesabi, the U of M (Duluth), and a Northern Ireland college system (SERC), focusing on Education and Educational Assistant programs. Eight students and three instructors were here for 2 weeks to observe childcare centers and primary grade classrooms in our area. The girls were delightful and I had the wonderful opportunity to host two of the students, Emma Stewart and Leigh Finlay, in my home.

As part of this exchange program, Mesabi Range College will facilitate a second trip to Ireland in May. If you are interested in an Education or Educational Assistant program, please consider this extraordinary educational opportunity! Contact Judith Blyckert, program director, via email at J.Blyckert@mr.mnscu.edu or read about our Education programs on our website at http://www.mr.mnscu.edu/

November 4 - Election Day!! I was thrilled that, just the day before, our wonderful Maintenance and IT staff managed to mount, cable and fine-tune the Library's new 32" flat screen TV. The Library hosted an "Election Reception" with coffee, goodies and day-long TV coverage of the election results. Our Library offers the only "public" space on campus for TV viewing, and the election was a grand kick-off for getting faculty, staff and students into the Library. I consider the addition of the new TV to be yet another aspect of "information literacy" in the Library...

November 6 - Library Art Gallery reception for Jacob Rosandich (see previous posting). Jacob is a former MRC student and we are happy to support his success as an artist!

As more and more students and faculty become familiar with the new Library space, I find an increase in the use of the Library as a classroom! Today Carol Helland's College Writing class came into the Library to work on a group project. Here's the group hard at work...

And on a personal note, November 6, 2008, will be an especially memorable day for me and my husband, as we await the imminent birth of our first grandson, Braden Andrew Lemieux! He should arrive by the end of this day, and here is one new grandma that can't wait to spoil her new grandbaby with lots and lots of BOOKS! (and, of course, other stuff too...)