Meanwhile, back in England… May 18, 2007
Posted by Laura Pearle in : Check this out! , add a commentBBC Radio 4 programme “Front Row” did a piece on the SLA’s Librarian of the Year. Wouldn’t it be nice if NPR did something similar for us?
(Note: link to BBC will only work until Wednesday, May 23rd)
Posted by Laura Pearle
School Library Learning 2.0 May 14, 2007
Posted by ayucht in : Check this out! , add a commentCSLA’s 2.0 Team has designed School Library Learning 2.0, a professional development course especially for school librarians, and we are inviting “friends” from outside of California to join us, too! We’ll guide you through web 2.0 tools such as blogs, photos and images, RSS and newsfeeds, tagging, wikis, podcasting, and much more. The coolest thing about the tutorial is that it gives you examples of compelling library and curriculum collaborations while at the same time giving you “permission to play.”
This is a fun and fabulous way to learn together and strengthen our collective educational technology savvy. Hope you’ll join us if you haven’t already registered. WEEK #1 is the introduction to the 9-WEEK course. Registration is in WEEK #2. Throughout the course, the CSLA 2.0 Team will “cheer you on.”
Summer 2.0 fun runs from June 1 through September 1, 2007. Early birds and eager beavers can start right away at www.schoollibrarylearning2.blogspot.com Take the course over the summer, with some playing catch-up over the next school year. We recognize that web 2.0 tools such as blogs and video sites like YouTube are often “blocked” by Internet filters, so this summer many will learn from the comfort of their homes, public libraries, and coffee shops — until school district filtering policies change with the times.
posted on behalf of Rob Darrow
AASL Responds to District Administration Editorial May 11, 2007
Posted by cphillip in : Community , add a commentAn editorial regarding the “Higher Power of Lucky” appeared in the “District Administration” April 2007 issue. The article is online:
http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1127
Once it was brought to the attention of the AASL the following letter was composed and sent to the editor.
May 10, 2007
Gary Stager
Senior Editor
District Administration
488 Main Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06851
Mr. Stager:
Thank you for the strong stance you have taken in favor of intellectual freedom in your recent editorial, “Good Books and Bad Reactions,” published in the April 2007 issue of District Administration. However, your characterization of school librarians’ reactions to this book is a bit misleading. The author’s use of the word scrotum did not prevent the “Higher Power of Lucky,” by Susan Patron from being added to school library collections. The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), which administers the Newbery Medal, and the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) have yet to be notified of a single library that decided not to place the book in their collection because of the use of the word scrotum.
In fact, one of the most vocal critics of the book, who was quoted in the New York Times and various other media reports, had already bought the book for her library. An AP reporter following up on the leads from the New York Times article found that none of the librarians who they quoted had actually banned the book. They were merely discussing appropriate grade level, how to best bring it to the attention of the teachers with whom they worked, and whether fourth grade teachers would be likely to use it as a classroom read-aloud. This is the typical sort of discussion school librarians regularly have with their peers on professional discussion lists, and it was obviously misinterpreted by outsiders “listening in” on their discussion.
You may be interested in a follow-up article by the AP titled “Librarians Debate Award-Winning Novel” (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/02/22/entertainment/e113211S26.DTL ), which demonstrates that, contrary to the reports in the initial New York Times article, banning of this book is not widespread in school libraries.
Libraries are about inclusion rather than exclusion. The freedom to read, speak, think and express ourselves is core to our American values. Part of living in a democracy means respecting each other’s differences and the right of all people to choose for themselves what they and their families read. The latest statistics from ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom offer a powerful testament as to how often school librarians rise to protect this freedom. In 2006 alone, school library media specialists sought ALA’s assistance in responding to 137 attempts to remove materials from school libraries.
Fortunately, librarians understand that children mature at different rates and have different interests, reading abilities and life experiences. Decisions about what materials are suitable for particular children should ultimately be made by the people who know them best – their parents or guardians.
The “Higher Power of Lucky” is a perfectly nuanced blend of adventure and survival, both emotional and physical. It is a gently humorous character study, as well as a blueprint for a self-examined life. The book serves as a reminder that children support one another just as adults do. We agree with you that children and their families should be given the opportunity to read this book and develop their opinions, and we hope you’ll print this letter, or a follow-up editorial, in District Administration. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Kathleen T. Horning Cyndi Phillip
President President
Association for Library Service to Children, American Association of School Librarians,
a division of the American Library Association a division of the American Library Association
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Posted by Cyndi Phillip, AASL President
The Future of Libraries May 11, 2007
Posted by Laura Pearle in : Check this out! , add a commentThe Future of Librarians in the Workforce
The Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has commissioned a comprehensive study to investigate the future of the library workforce. All public and academic libraries, and a sample of school and special libraries are being asked to participate through completion of a web-based survey over the next several weeks. This important study will produce estimates of the size of the library workforce (by type, size and locality) and the skills needed by current and new library workers now and in the next 10 years. The results will also be used by IMLS to develop and inform policy and programs.
The school library surveys will be distributed in the next few weeks and will be sent to 6,000 school libraries nationwide.
For more information about this project please visit the project website at: http://libraryworkforce.org
Learning through Gaming May 1, 2007
Posted by Christopher Harris in : Community , add a commentThere is a worldwide oil crisis that started yesterday, April 30, 2007, with the shocking revelation that demand for oil was exceeding supplies by about 1.5% leading to a sudden surge in gas prices to $4.25 a gallon…sort of.
This isn’t actually happening in our current reality, but it is close enough that it doesn’t take much effort to immerse ourselves in the slightly modified reality of a World Without Oil. This augmented reality game, or ARG, invites players from around the net to explore the possible outcomes of a world that suddenly finds itself running out of oil. What economic impacts will we see? What will happen to our daily lives? It can’t be good that one of the three key indicators in a region’s status is a chaos meter…
There is more information about the game available from the World Without Oil website, as well as a special section on using this augmented reality game in schools. If nothing else, the four page study guide offers some great questions and resources about oil.
(posted by Chris Harris)
