The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is delighted to announce the continuation of a Minnesota Book Awards initiative made possible by grants from the Minnesota Department of Education - Office of State Library Services and the Minnesota Library Foundation.

Effective immediately, Minnesota libraries and affiliated nonprofit library organizations are invited to apply for funding to host an author event or series featuring Minnesota Book Awards winners or finalists. The application deadline is Friday, May 23, 2008.

Your help in sharing this exciting opportunity with libraries and affiliated organizations in your network is greatly appreciated. A total of $6,000 is available for author events occurring between now and November 30, 2008. The maximum that may be requested for funding reimbursement by any one library or affiliated organization during this funding period is $500.

The application process is easy. Contact Ann Nelson at the Friends for a application materials. The application may be returned by email, fax, or mail. Applications are currently being accepted, and priority will be given to organizations not receiving funding reimbursement through this program within the last 12 months.

Organizations are encouraged to feature finalists or winners from the most recent Book Awards, although this isn't a requirement. A listing of 20^th annual Minnesota Book Awards winners and finalists is included as the third attachment. A complete listing of winners and finalists from throughout the Book Awards' 20 year history is available on The Friends' website, www.thefriends.org.

Please let me know if you have questions regarding this opportunity. I am available as a resource to applicant organizations needing author contact info and/or programming suggestions.
Thank you for your help in spreading the word about the available funding for Minnesota Book Awards Author Events. This is a great opportunity for us to work together in promoting and honoring Minnesota authors and books throughout the state.

Ann Nelson
MN Book Awards Coordinator
The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library
325 Cedar Street, Suite 555
Saint Paul, MN 55101-1055
Direct: (651)366-6497
Main: (651) 222-3242
Fax: (651) 222-1988
mnbookawards@thefriends.org
www.thefriends.org

Minnesota Book Awards deadlines

With the application deadline quickly approaching for individuals interested in serving as a final round judge for the 20^th annual Minnesota Book Awards, I wanted to send out a reminder that the application deadline is Friday, November 30, 2007.

Applications are being accepted from individuals qualified and interested in judging one of the following eight award categories: Children’s Literature, General Nonfiction, Genre Fiction, Memoir & Creative Nonfiction, Minnesota Nonfiction, Novel & Short Story, Poetry, and Young Adult Literature.

The position description and application form are available at www.thefriends.org/mba_judges.html. Qualified applicants need not have previous judging experience to apply.

Please don’t hesitate to contact Book Awards staff with questions about anything related to the 20^th annual Minnesota Book Awards, and be sure to visit www.thefriends.org for ongoing updates. As a reminder, book nominations close on Friday, December 14, 2007.

Thank you for your continued support of Minnesota authors and books.

Ann Nelson
Minnesota Book Awards Coordinator
The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library
325 Cedar Street, Suite 555
Saint Paul, MN 55101-1055
Direct Phone Number: 651/366-6497
Main Office Number: 651/222-3242
Fax: 651/222-1988
mnbookawards@thefriends.org

Minnesota Book Awards materials available

Thanks to the support of the Office of State Library Services – Minnesota Department of Education, bookmarks and posters featuring the winners of the 19^th annual Minnesota Book Awards are now available. We’re excited to have these materials with the theme of Read Local! available as free resources to libraries and other organizations throughout the state.

You can order copies of these posters and bookmarks by contacting Ann Nelson mnbookawards@thefriends.org

With your order, please be sure to provide the following information:
- # of posters you would like. These will arrive in a mailing tube.
- # of bookmarks you would like. Bookmarks must be ordered in quantities of 100, making a minimum order 100.
- the mailing address for your organization.

Materials will be available as long as supplies last.

Another resource, reading guides for all the winning books, will be available on the Friends website, www.thefriends.org, by the end of September. Printed versions will also be produced. They are close to completing a handbook on conducting author programs within libraries, and they will send out a communication when that resource is available.

Minnesota Book Awards accepting nominations

Dear Minnesota Librarian,

I am excited to announce that things are gearing up for the kick-off of the 20^th annual Minnesota Book Awards.

On September 4, 2007, The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library will begin accepting nominations for books published by Minnesota authors in 2007. We will be accepting nominations for books in these eight award categories: Children's Literature, General Nonfiction, Genre Fiction, Memoir & Creative Nonfiction, Minnesota Nonfiction, Novel & Short Story, Poetry, and Young Adult Literature.

In addition to preparing for nominations, we are also beginning recruitment of volunteer judges to serve on the preliminary round judging panels. Each of our eight panels will have three judges, and qualified people new to the judging process are encouraged to apply as are experienced judges. We are targeting librarians and booksellers in our preliminary round recruitment.

Librarians from throughout the state are encouraged to apply. The preliminary round judges will meet the afternoon of Saturday, January 26, 2008 at Open Book, the home of The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, to select the four finalists in their category. Only people who are available on January 26 should apply for a preliminary round position. The call for final round judges will go out later this fall.

The deadline for applications is Friday, September 14. To learn more about the Minnesota Book Awards, please visit www.thefriends.org. Questions about the judging opportunity can be directed to me at mnbookawards@thefriends.org or 651-366-6497.

I hope the opportunity to be part of the Minnesota Book Awards judging process is of interest to you. Thank you for considering the invitation to apply for this important position, helping to honor and celebrate the very best by Minnesota authors.

Ann Nelson
Minnesota Book Awards Coordinator
The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library
325 Cedar Street, Suite 555
Saint Paul, MN 55101-1055

Direct Phone Number: 651/366-6497
Main Office Number: 651/222-3242

Fax: 651/222-1988
mnbookawards@thefriends.org

www.thefriends.org

Minnesota Book Awards initiative

The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is delighted to announce a new Minnesota Book Awards initiative made possible by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education – Office of State Library Services. Effective immediately, Minnesota libraries and affiliated nonprofit library organizations are invited to apply for funding to host an author event or series featuring Minnesota Book Awards winners or finalists.

Your help in sharing this exciting opportunity with libraries and affiliated organizations in your network is greatly appreciated. A total of $5,000 is available for author events occurring between September 1, 2007 and April 30, 2008. The maximum that may be requested for funding reimbursement by any one library or affiliated organization during this funding period is $500.

The application process is easy. For application materials, please contact Ann Nelson at mnbookawards@thefriends.org Applications are currently being accepted, and requests will be approved for organizations meeting all stated requirements on a first-come, first-serve basis. Review of applications will begin Friday, August 17, 2007. Interested organizations are encouraged to apply early!


Please let Ann Nelson know if you have questions regarding this opportunity. She is available as a resource to applicant organizations needing author contact info and/or programming suggestions. Alayne Hopkins and Stu Wilson from the Friends office are also contacts for this program.

NEW Lecture Series Sponsored by the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library

NEW lecture series sponsored by the Friends of the Saint Paul Public library for those who want to make the world a healthier place. Explore reasons and ways to work in health and development outside the United States, hear stories of expatriate living, and get practical, hands-on advice for jobseekers and volunteers at this three-part program, based at St. Anthony Park Branch, 2245 Como Ave., St. Paul. All programs begin at 7 p.m., and are coordinated by Patricia Ohmans, Health Advocates.

Tuesday, May 22--Talk about what global health is, and some reasons why you should--or shouldn't--work in global health, with returned Peace Corps volunteer Elizabeth Songalia, who found fulfilling work in the Philippines.

Tuesday, May 29--Practical methods to get ready to work in international health, and some examples of the kind of work available, with Rob Carlson, PA, who spent six months in a refugee camp in Sudan.

Wednesday, June 6--Explore re-entry to the States and how to keep in touch with health work, with Joan and Segundo Velasquez, who built a non-profit organization that builds roads, clinics and schools in Bolivia.

For more information, see the Friends at: www.thefriends.org

Upcoming Untold Stories: Labor History series

David Bacon's Children of NAFTA: Labor Wars on the U.S./Mexico Border investigates the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement on those who labor in the agricultural fields and maquiladora factories on the border. Bacon will be joined by SEIU Local 26 President Javier Morillo.

WHO: Author David Bacon
WHEN: Tues., 7 p.m., May 15
WHERE: Metropolitan State University/ Dayton's Bluff Branch Library, Ecolab Room, 645 E. 7th St., St. Paul

Sponsored by the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library

19th Annual Minnesota Book Awards Winners Announced

The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library announced the winners of the 19th annual Minnesota Book Awards. In addition to winners in eight categories, the Book Awards presented the new Readers’ Choice Award, which was selected by nearly 3,000 voters from across Minnesota. The annual Minnesota Book Awards program is a project of The Friends, in consortium with the Saint Paul Public Library and the Mayor’s Office of the City of Saint Paul.

View the Award winners at http://www.thefriends.org/mnbookawards.html.

Join us for an Untold Stories Event on April 18th: By the Ore Docks: A Working People's History of Duluth

At 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 18, join author Richard Hudelson for a compelling workers' history in his book, By the Ore Docks: A Working People's History of Duluth. Location: Rice Street Branch Library, 1011 Rice St., Saint Paul. For much of its history, Duluth has been the site of vast steel, lumber, and shipping industries, and home to people who worked tirelessly in the harbor, rail yards and grain elevators. By the Ore Docks presents a full-length history of the people who built this port city and struggled for both the growth of the city and the rights of their fellow workers.

Untold Stories--coordinated by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library--is a national award-winning labor history series. In 2003, the Friends received the John Sessions Memorial Award: An honor given to a library/library system in recognition of their work with the labor community and acknowledgment of the labor movement's history and contributions:

http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaawards/johnsessions.htm

Untold Stories events are free and open to the public. Refreshments, too! For more information, visit http://www.thefriends.org/ or call 651/222-3242.

Minnesota Book Awards-Finalists Announced

The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library are hosting the 2007 Minnesota Book Awards, scheduled for May 5, 2007. For a list of finalists, click here.