Use the ALA Legislative Center…it’s easy and effective July 29, 2007
Posted by Sara Kelly Johns in : Community , add a commentAfter an e-mail from the new AASL Legislative Committee chair Doc (Bob) Roth last night, I sat down with a cup of coffee and some issues…the SKILLs Act and the full funding of the Improving Literacy through Libraries Act. Both offer such incredible possibilities for our students and both need support from everyone to happen. These chances to make a difference are great examples of the partnership between AASL Affiliate Assembly concerns, AASL members’ requests for action, work by AASL committees and staff and “Big” ALA’s resources and staff. The Washington Office is working HARD for school libraries and students. You will be hearing a lot from Doc and his committee on taking action.
I went the the ALA Legislator Center’s link, followed the steps and it didn’t take much effort to send messages to my senators and representative (one pasted below). And I’ve already received an automated reply from one of them! And I was able to send messages to 12 others (6 each topic) to encourage them to also take action; one went to ALA President Loriene Roy who has been very inclusive of the youth division presidents on youth issues, BTW.
Give it a try! Fax or e-mail…both are easy. Here is a sample message:
Message sent to the following recipients:
Senator Clinton
Senator Schumer
Message text follows:
July 29, 2007
[recipient address was inserted here]
Dear [recipient name was inserted here],
Full funding of this legislation can really make a difference for kids.
Local funding for school library programs is inequitable in New York
State’s school libraries and state funding is minimal. The current funding
level only allowed five grants to New York State school libraries. Please lend
your considerable support to full funding of the Improving Literacy
through School Libraries Act.
Having a strong school library program makes a difference for students’
literacy and means that equal opportunities to infuse technology and print
resources into successful earning and to help students be enthusiastic
readers.
Thank you for your support,
Sara Kelly Johns
President, American Association of School Librarians (AASL/ALA)
67 Canaras Ave.
Saranac Lake, NY 12983
johns@northnet.org
Library Media Specialist
Lake Placid Middle/High School
Please use this link to SEE ME and view more information about me
http://www.capwiz.com/ala/picturepages.tt?id=24208
Meet AASL: the Independent Schools Section July 27, 2007
Posted by admin in : Community , add a commentIntroducing the Independent Schools Section (ISS), and this year’s Chair, Alison Ernst.
What is the ISS?
ISS is the Independent School Section of the American Association of School Libraries, a division of ALA. ISS is chaired by an elected member of the section. This academic year, I will serve as Chair, following the strong leadership of Patt Moser from Sidwell Friends School, Washington, DC. I am Alison Ernst, Director of Library and Academic Resources at the Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts.
How does the ISS fit into AASL?
Many members of AASL work in public schools, and understandably much of the division’s activities and strategic goals address the issues specifically facing public school librarians. Independent schools are “independent” of many of the constraints public schools must deal with (including state requirements and standards, mandatory testing, etc.). Additionally, independent schools libraries contend with challenges specific to their situation, for example, running one library that covers all grades from K through 12 or supporting an International Baccalaureat curriculum. ISS provides a “place at the table” in our national professional organization for independent school librarians to connect, offer mutual support, and strengthen our practice.
What does the ISS do?
One of the most helpful services according to members is the ISS Electronic Discussion List (listserv). This enables librarians to ask questions and seek advice from ISS peers, as well as to share pertinent information. For more information go to: http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/aasledisclist/iss.cfm
ISS leadership also maintains a web page with links to community resources, events and policies pertinent to Independent School Librarians. The ISS web page also features Independent School libraries of note (a new feature!) Check out: http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aboutaasl/aaslcommunity/aaslsections/iss/iss.cfm
At ALA and AASL national conferences, ISS provides programming of interest to members, such as tours of local independent school libraries and networking gatherings. This past ALA annual ISS sponsored a very popular and highly rated pre-conference “Advocacy begins with Strategic Planning” led by nationally known organizational consultant Maureen Sullivan. This program was attended and enjoyed by public school librarians as well!
Librarians know knowledge is power. Statistics can be used for “case building” necessary to support and secure library resources, whether additional funds for books and electronic resources, or to protect/increase staffing levels. In 2004, a Data Committee began the process of gathering useful statistics to aid Independent School libraries; as the results are analyzed, we’ll be sharing that information with members and non-members via articles and presentations. See: http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aboutaasl/aaslcommunity/aaslsections/iss/data.cfm
ISS has produced A Student and Parent’s Guide to Evaluating Libraries in Independent Schools. (see pdf) ISS members often provide their schools’ Admissions Office with this helpful publication (available in packs of 25 from the ALA Store).
What are 2-3 goals you have for the ISS for 07-08?
- Reaching out to more Independent School Librarians nationally, to connect, support, and involve. One method to support this goal is further development of responsive information sharing, via the ISS Electronic Discussion List, web presence and the AASL blog.
- Cultivating the importance of strategic planning as an effective tool, to advocate for the best library service possible to our constituents (students, teachers, parents).
- Forging connections with other appropriate organizations, such as the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
In a perfect world, what would you like the ISS to be?
ISS is already a very strong, active section of AASL. Many members (and members-to-be) are also connected to their local and regional independent school communities. I would like ISS to be the portal for involvement in ALA for those who are not yet nationally connected, as well as a model for ALA as a responsive, welcoming, inclusive section.
How can I get involved?
If you are not already an AASL ISS member, please join! Check out the web presence resources at: http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aboutaasl/aaslcommunity/aaslsections/iss/iss.cfm
Join the ISS listserv: http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aboutaasl/aaslcommunity/aaslsections/iss/resources.cfm
Attend the AASL All-Committee meeting and look for the ISS table at ALA midwinter and Annual. Come to ISS programs at ALA and AASL conferences.
Please feel free to email me directly with ideas, questions, concerns etc.: alison_ernst@nmhschool.org.
Set those VCRs July 25, 2007
Posted by Laura Pearle in : Community , add a commentC-Span2 will be airing “The Best of the Best from the University Presses” this weekend on Book-TV!
The AASL program held at the 2007 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., “2007 Best of the Best From the University Presses,” will be airing this weekend on Book TV, Saturday, July 28, at 12:00 PM (EST).
See program listing at: http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=8423&SectionName=&PlayMedia=No
Book TV schedule: http://www.booktv.org/schedule.aspx
Book TV website: http://www.booktv.org
Library Day on the Hill Video July 19, 2007
Posted by cphillip in : Community , add a commentCheck out this link to view a video created about the Library Day on the Hill. Then if you have not yet contacted your Senators and Representative asking for their support of the SKILLs Act, do it today.
http://alfocus.ala.org/videos/library-day-hill
—-Cyndi Phillip, AASL Immediate Past President
KSMA Summer Refresher July 12, 2007
Posted by ndickinson in : Conferences , add a commentDiane Chen and I left Tennessee and headed to Kentucky this week to attend the Kentucky School Media Association’s Summer Refresher in Bardstown. KSMA President, Darlah Carman, had invited us as guests from AASL (I really like being Director of Region IV — I feel special!). Not only did we get to speak to the gathering about AASL’s initiatives, but we got to enjoy a great one-day conference that really impressed me. They get a lot of bang for the buck at this annual event.
This mini-conference was held at Bardstown High School and was attended by about 350-400 Kentucky school librarians. Registration fee was about $50, and for that everyone got fed three times (breakfast, lunch, and a snack) and a cute tee shirt in keeping with the theme (Readers Are Leaders — Follow Us to Historic Bardstown) in addition to entertainment from the Old Kentucky Home singers, 5 breakout sessions (each with 6 or 7 choices of topic), a roundtable discussion period, and the chance to network and visit with fellow school librarians from across the state. There were also vendors set up in the school lobby with freebies and door prizes. Professional development certificates were awarded at the end of the day.
Diane and I decided to split up and attend different sessions for most of the day. While I attended a session on successful practices, Diane went to a session of ideas to start off a great year in the media center. Next I went to “Library Lessons for Upper Elementary” while Diane went to hear about new books for elementary readers. I then listened to some great ideas for stress reduction (free lavender sachets and door prizes — I won a CD of the soothing sounds of falling rain mingled with the delicate tones of a guitar — I’m relaxing already!) while Diane heard author Nancy Kelly Allen on “Weaving Words.” http://www.nancykellyallen.com/ (Diane’s favorite session of the day).
At lunch Diane and I were able to bring greetings from AASL. I talked about my role as Director and encouraged attendees to contact me. I also talked about AASL’s efforts to increase our influence in ALA and encouraged members to run for Council. Diane talked about the SKILLs Act, and then, in a totally unrehearsed follow-up, Terri Kirk encouraged everyone to join AASL to support the initiatives that Diane and I had discussed. (I should also mention that Darlah had AASL materials available in the display area in the lobby.)
After lunch there were two more breakouts and then discussion periods for the four roundtables (non-public, elementary, middle school, and high school).
On the way back to Tennessee, Diane and I had more than enough to discuss to keep us busy talking for the 3-hour drive home. We both were on a high and so glad that we had taken the time to attend. I love going to conferences in other states and seeing how other state associations “live.” We got some great ideas for TASL and had a great time representing AASL. Thanks, KSMA! (And best wishes to Darlah who is getting married this weekend on the beach!)
posted by Nancy Dickerson
ALA and Books July 9, 2007
Posted by Laura Pearle in : ALA2007 , add a commentAs Alice points out, part of our mission is to “prepare students for life-long learning, informed decision-making, a love of reading, and the use of information technologies.”
Most of us go to ALA (or AASL) for the book stuff, but we rarely talk about what we’ve seen/done. How many stood in line for an author signing? Grabbed posters and ARCs? I was one of them. YALSA had a great session, “Teens Read”, with Laurie Halse Anderson, Alyson Noel, Cecily Von Ziegesar and Sherman Alexie. The common thread from them was the while technology has changed (from sitting by the phone and passing notes in class to cell phones and texting, for example), being a teen hasn’t. It’s still, as Ms. Noel said, about the Firsts: first love, first, kiss, first date, first steps into adulthood. In their own way, these authors all address that.
Ms. Anderson pointed out that our task, as librarians, is to bring books to students; she mentioned that many students haven’t read a book for “fun” since fourth grade (how many of us have had the experience of the student complaining about the assigned book because it’s dark/serious/work/boring/meant to teach a lesson?) so she sees it as her job to remedy that. One area that needs exploring is the internet – where so many of our students feel anonymous and safe (they aren’t really, as we well know). Ms. Noel’s books show the darker side, the “culture of mean” that can pervade MySpace.
Ms. Von Ziegesar’s books are about the students she grew up with – the Upper East Side private school world she came from. Yet, somehow, many girls, from all over, read them and identify with the characters and dilemmas.
If you can get Mr. Alexie to speak, do so. His tales of being an Indian immigrant to our white country and finding that he belongs to many different tribes, and what this experience means are both hysterical and poignant. Students will love hearing from him and may feel part of a group in a way they never thought they would.
Another important note: audiobooks (or playaways) are books. Students today are more aural, and “reading” by hearing is still getting the text. It’s also good for those students that are not the visual learner, the dyslexic, etc..
(posted by Laura Pearle)
The Disposable Librarian July 8, 2007
Posted by admin in : Hot Topics , 15commentsIt is that time of the year again…librarians are retiring or moving on to another job and not being replaced. In some cases, school district administrators are making difficult and dreaded decisions to cut valued professional school library positions. These are lamented budget-driven decisions to eliminate instruction and vital services. There are administrators who are sadly shaking their heads and admitting that this is unsound. However, in too many cases, the outgoing librarian has made the decision easy. Eliminating the position is a no-brainer. Schools are about educating students and these librarians are about The Library and The Collection or hiding until they can retire. We all know these librarians…the people that will not be missed or replaced when they retire or move on to another job. These are the library stuff people…the Disposable Librarians.
Occasionally, other professionals quietly refer to negative impact of Disposable Librarians with the Walt Kelly quote, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” These are the people who are more about collections and things than education or people. They are the people who would not dream of writing a lesson plan or teaching a lesson; who would never bend a circulation policy: who focus on collections instead of students; and think of teachers as troublesome annoyances that will interfere with library operations if permitted…after all they are the librarian, not a teacher.
How do you recognize the Disposable Librarian?
- They talk about what the library needs and wants instead of student needs and how the library supports the educational process.
- Don’t bother them with students; they are too busy measuring the exact placement of barcode, spine and genre labels.
- Books go out over holidays? Never!
- Circulate books to kindergartens? That is not going to happen either; they might lose a book or two.
- Allow primary age students to browse the whole collection and, gasp, even take out nonfiction books? Again, that would not be what is best for the library.
- Do not bother trying to talk about them about their lesson plans. The Disposable Librarian does not do them. They are “The Librarian” instead of being an educator.
- Maybe they will read a few stories, show a video, or hand out some worksheets, but do not expect them to teach information skills.
- When they do teach, they hijack the teacher’s curriculum, forcing the students to listen to days of instruction that has no relevance to the project at hand.
- Be a part of the assessment process? Hah! That is for teachers. Disposable Librarians do not grade.
- Teachers are met at the library door and it is clear that they are not invited to enter.
- Students and adults fear and avoid them. Coming to the library is simply not safe.
- Their answer to nearly every question is no.
- Using technology? Forget that!
How many of us will be stretched across multiple buildings to fill a “void” being left by yet another Disposable Librarian? With her leaving, are her building administrators crying out who will teach their students? NO! They are asking, “Who will process books,” while the principals who work with Teacher-Librairans are fighting to keep them TEACHING, and in one building.
Ultimately, this is not about lost library positions. After all, who needs Disposable Librarians? Students, teachers and schools do not need them. This is about speaking up for students…they need Teacher Librarians. It is now time for all of us to stand up for students. We need to speak up and yell, “Stop it!” to the Disposable Librarians.
We can start by being clear to would be Disposable Librarians in library schools that ours is an education profession that is about working with teachers to serve and teach students in order to prepare students for the future.
As for the Disposable Librarians that are currently occupying school libraries, being a collection person is not acceptable. It is time to be an educator and an integral part of the educational process.
(The above has been posted on behalf of all Teacher-Librarians working with Disposable Librarians. If you’re not sure which you are…)
Meet AASL July 7, 2007
Posted by Laura Pearle in : Community , add a commentIntroducing Debbie Abilock, Editor of Knowledge Quest and Gayle Bogel, Associate Editor for Knowledge Quest on the Web
1.What is Knowledge Quest?
Knowledge Quest (KQ) is the official publication of AASL, with a print circulation of over 10,000 school librarians and educators. KQWeb is the online edition of Knowledge Quest, with expanded articles, original content and selected reprints from the print edition.
2. How does KQ/KQW fit into AASL? (and ALA?)
KQ/ KQW are visible voices of AASL/ALA to members and non-members. We focus on school librarians whose needs and interests, while unique, also have some commonalities with librarians in other settings.
3. What is the mission of KQ/KQW?
Knowledge Quest offers substantive information to assist building-level library media specialists, supervisors, library educators, and other decision makers concerned with the development of school library media programs and services. Articles address the integration of theory and practice in school librarianship and new developments in education, learning theory, and relevant disciplines.
4. What 2-3 things would you like KQ/KQW to accomplish in 07-08?
- Develop a rich web presence that capitalizes on the interplay between print and online editions
- Leverage the value of KQWeb as a communication channel for AASL and an enhancement to the print issue.
- Explore the capacity of the new ALA content management system for adding interactive elements, audio/video files to web
5. What would you like to see KQ/KQW be like?
- A magnet for membership – reading an association’s journal can be the first step that a non-member might take toward membership
- An articulate and lively mirror of the best in school library media practice based on our profession’s research.
- A first-source for relevant information and research from related disciplines such as education, psychology and sociology.
- A collaboratory to promote thoughtful risk-taking.
- A voice for the profession beyond AASL (I like this one a lot!)
- A communication connection to the larger community of ALA
6. How do I get involved?
Write to Debbie Abilock (kq@abilock.net) and Gayle Bogel (gbogel@gmail.com) describing your professional and personal passions – what you love, what you care about, what you’re doing, what you’d like to try.
Is there a theme you’d like KQ to consider?
Are you interested in researching resources for a theme?
Want to review professional resources?
Would you like to peer review, edit or create Web-ready manuscripts?
Would you like to write an article or series of columns?
Affiliate Assembly at Annual July 5, 2007
Posted by charvey in : ALA2007 , 2commentsThe Affiliate Assembly met twice during Annual in DC. The meetings focused on an opportunity for state organizations to share concerns and commendations with the AASL Board. Friday night the group worked on editing the concerns, and they were voted on Sunday morning. Concerns topics ranged from Web 2.0 to Reading. The AASL Board will consider these concerns and report back to the Affiliate Assembly at Midwinter. The Affiliate Assembly provides a communicate route between state level organizations and the national level.
The Affiliate Assembly also had a spotlight presentation by Julie Walker and some of the states involved in the 21st Century Skills endeavor.
Congratulations to Irene Kwidzinski who was elected Chair-Elect. Leslie Foreman was elected Recording Secretary. Jay Bansbach will be the Chair.
Last, but certainly not least, this was the 30th Anniversary of the Affiliate Assembly. Thanks to AASL for providing us cake on Friday night to celebrate!
Posted by Carl Harvey
