Author Archives: The Unquiet Librarian

Salem Press Launches The Library Grants Center

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http://salempress.com/Store/grants/grants.htm

Salem Press via kwout

Today, Salem Press launched The Library Grants Center, a free, online directory of grants for libraries.   Developed and Edited by Mirela Roncevic for Salem Press, the grants tool empowers librarians to locate library grant funding sources on the national, state, regional and local levels (US sources).  The center is free, requires no login or authentication, and will be updated on a regular basis.  It also contains a how-to area with a tutorial, FAQ, and lists of resources.

According to the Salem press release, the web site focuses on grants available to all types of libraries and from a range of sources—public and private— including professional organizations, large corporations, and family foundations. “Everyone’s aware of the financial pressures on libraries. They are enormous and growing,” said Peter Tobey, Salem Press’s Director of Sales & Marketing. “So we were motivated to try to relieve some of that pressure by developing self-help tools for librarians. The Library Grant Center is that tool.”
The Library Grants Center consists of three distinct sections:

  • National Library Grants features a sophisticated search tool that lets grant seekers perform simple keyword searches or narrow their search options. A range of browsing options is also provided, including browsing by grant category, purpose, and deadline.
  • State Library Grants is a state-by-state guide that points librarians to grant information specific to their state and to the foundations in their area that support libraries.
  • Library Grants How-To provides in-depth information on the grant applications process, complete with extensive lists of resources for further research and pointing to grant writing tools available online at no cost.

“We hope librarians will help us add to the Center so that, as a community, we can keep it up-to-date and growing,” added Tobey. “We are committed to keeping it current and useful.”

According to Roncevic, “the proliferation of social media outlets has inundated the library and publishing industry with relentless dialog. While dialog is important, we shouldn’t forget the tools. The more free tools we build and share, the more we grow our community’s footprint. The bigger that footprint, the greater the benefit for all involved. The Library Grants Center is a free tool that addresses the needs of librarians looking for funding but also a practical reminder to publishers and vendors that their support still matters a great deal.”

Free Webinars: Carterette Series Webinars for November 2011

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The Georgia Library Association is pleased to announce the November 2011 session of the Carterette Series Webinars  (http://gla.georgialibraries.org/mediawiki/index.php/Carterette_Series_Webinars).

 

As of the upcoming session, the Carterette Series Webinars will be expanding in scope to include notable national speakers in addition to homegrown Georgia talent. As always, the series will continue to highlight trends, innovation, and best practices in libraries. Registration remains free and open to anyone, anywhere. Topics are chosen to be of interest to employees of all library types and each session is approved for one Georgia Continuing Education (CE) contact hour.

 

Can’t make it to the live show? That’s okay! The sessions will be recorded and available on the CSW site for later viewing. (http://gla.georgialibraries.org/mediawiki/index.php/Carterette_Series_Webinars)

 

Google+

Presented by Michael Sauers

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. EASTERN STANDARD TIME

http://bit.ly/nidLQF

 

In this session Michael Sauers, the Nebraska Library Commission’s Technology Innovation Librarian, takes you on a tour of Google+, Google’s latest attempt at creating a social network. At only a few months old it already has more than 50 million users and was designed with privacy in mind from the beginning. Is Google+ a Facebook killer? Is it something you should be paying attention to? Should your library be there? Michael will give his answers to these questions and more.

 

Michael Sauers is currently the Technology Innovation Librarian for the Nebraska Library Commission in Lincoln, Nebraska and has been training librarians in technology for more than 15 years. He has also been a public library trustee, a bookstore manager for a library friends group, a reference librarian, serials cataloger, technology consultant, and bookseller. He earned his MLS in 1995 from the University at Albany’s School of Information Science and Policy. Michael’s tenth book, Blogging & RSS: A Librarian’s Guide, Second Edition was published in October 2010. He has also written dozens of articles for various journals and magazines. In his spare time he blogs at http://travelinlibrarian.info, runs Web sites for authors and historical societies, is past-chair of the Nebraska Library Association’s Information Technology and Access Round Table, takes many, many photos, and reads more than 100 books per year.

 

~~~

Please contact a member of the Carterette Series Planning Team with questions or suggestions.

 

Karen Viars: karen.viars@gpc.edu

Tessa Minchew: tessa.minchew@gpc.edu

Sarah Steiner: ssteiner@gsu.edu

AASL 2011: Enjoy the Conference Experience from Afar and Face to Face

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Good afternoon!

If you aren’t able to make it to Minneapolis for AASL 2011, there are several ways you can still experience the conference and enjoy from afar:

  1. Follow the conference hashtag of #aasl11 on Twitter; we will also be tagging videos on YouTube and Flickr photos with aasl11 as well; the Tweet archive is available at http://twapperkeeper.com/hashtag/AASL11 .
  2. Join the AASL 2011 Conference Ning!  This is a virtual network where people can engage in conversations, share conference materials and reflections, and network with other librarians.  You do not have to pay to join the Ning, nor do you need to be a registered participant to be part of the conversations for learning.  Join today at http://aasl11.ning.com/ .
  3. We hope to be streaming and/or filming some of the sessions from the Learning Commons—this is a space where people can do mini-presentations and/or simply lead a conversation about any issue/topic in librarianship.   See the lineup in progress for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday as well as our teaser video at http://aasl2011learningcommons.wikispaces.com/ .  If you’re coming to Minneapolis, come join us at the Learning Commons for a diverse group of librarians who will be presenting on a wide range of topics!
  4. AASL Virtual Conference is an alternative option for those who can’t attend in person in Minneapolis.  Virtual conference details and registration fees are available at http://www.aasl11.org/virtual/ .

Questions?  Please feel free to contact me at buffy.hamilton at gmail.com .  Thank you!

Buffy Hamilton, Ed.S.

AASL 2011 National Conference Committee Social Media Chair

School Librarian
Creekview High School

1550 Owens Store Road

Canton, GA  30115

770-720-7600, x 253
770-720-7644, fax

FREE eBOOK: SCHOOL LIBRARIES: WHAT’S NOW, WHAT’S NEXT, WHAT’S YET TO COME

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Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the over 50 authors who contributed to School Libraries: What’s Now, What’s Next, What’s Yet to Come, we are delighted to announce that our crowdsourced eBook is now available for free download!

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/96705

We hope you will enjoy downloading and reading these diverse perspectives on where school libraries are and what school librarians are doing to redefine, stretch, and expand traditional services.

Please feel free to share this link with your colleagues, administrators, professional and union organizations, Board of Education members, and more. Help us spread the word and build the conversation about the possibilities of school libraries!

We have it available for free download in three formats:

  • PDF for those who want to read it on a desktop/laptop
  • .mobi for those who want to read it on Kindle software or a Kindle device
  • .epub for those who would like to read it on Adobe Digital Editions software, iBooks, Sony Reader, the Bluefire Reader app, Nook, and most other eReaders

While you can find the eBook on Smashwords now; in about 2-6 weeks, Smashwords will send it out to the major eBookstores (including Apple’s iBookstore, Barnes and Noble, Sony Bookstore, and others, although Amazon is in negotations) for free distribution.

With deep thanks,

The Authors of School Libraries: What’s Now, What’s Next, What Comes After

Editors:
Kristin Fontichiaro, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Buffy Hamilton, Creekview High School, Canton, GA

Foreword:
R. David Lankes, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

Photographs:
Diane Cordell, Retired Teacher Librarian, Queensbury, NY

Contributors:
Kelly Ahlfeld, Mettawee Community School, West Pawlet, VT
Diane Erica Aretz-Kernahan, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Emilia Askari, Living Textbook Project, McCollough Unis School, Dearborn, MI
Kathleen Atkin, Louis Riel School Division, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Robert Baigent, National Library of New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand
Susan D. Ballard, Consultant and Simmons College, Boston, MA
Angela Washington-Blair, Emmett J. Conrad High School, Dallas, TX
Dan Bowen, ICT Learning and Teaching Consultant, Surrey, England, UK
Holli Buchter, St. Vrain Valley School District, Longmont, CO
Jennifer Branch, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Len Bryan, Cedar Ridge High School, Round Rock, TX
Jennifer Colby, School of Information, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Diane Cordell, Retired Teacher Librarian, Queensbury, NY
William Cross, Copyright and Digital Scholarship Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Meg Donhauser, Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Flemington, NJ
Joanne de Groot, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Stacy Dillon, LREI – Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School, New York, NY
Andrea Dolloff, Ethical Cultural Fieldston School, New York, NY
Meg Donhauser, Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Flemington, NJ
Laura Fleming, Cherry Hill School, River Edge, NJ
Lorna Flynn, American International School in Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
Elizabeth Friese, University of Georgia,Athens, GA
Rachel Goldberg, East Middle School, Plymouth, MI
Beth Gourley, Western Academy of Beijing, Beijing, China
Dorcas Hand, Annunciation Orthodox School, Houston, TX
Alida Hanson, School Library Teacher Program, Simmons College GSLIS, Boston, MA
Violet H. Harada, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
Heather Hersey, Lakeside School, Seattle, WA
Valerie Hill, Ethridge Elementary School, The Colony, TX, and Texas Woman’s University School of Library and Information Studies, Denton, TX
Kimberly Hirsh, Butner-Stem Middle School, Butner, NC, and G. C. Hawley Middle School, Creedmoor, NC
Shannon Hyman, Byrd Middle School, Henrico, VA
Pamela Jackson, East Wake High School, Wendell, NC
Melissa P. Johnston, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Jesse Karp, LREI – Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School, New York, NY
Sara Kelley-Mudie, The Forman School, Litchfield, CT
Tricia Kuon, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX
Neil Krasnoff, New Tech High School at A. Maceo Smith, Dallas, TX
Jennifer LaGarde, New Hanover County Schools, Wilmington, NC
Teri S. Lesesne, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX
Margaret Lincoln, Lakeview School District, Battle Creek, MI
Kate MacMillan, Napa Valley USD, Napa Valley, CA (see also Chap. 9)
Adrienne Matteson, White River Elementary, Noblesville, IN
Kathleen McBroom, Dearborn Public Schools, Dearborn, MI
Walter McKenzie, ASCD, Alexandria, VA
David Meyer, TMC Furniture, Ann Arbor, MI
Ben Mondloch, Cherry Lake Publishing, Ann Arbor, MI
Leslie L. Morgan, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Cathy Jo Nelson, Dorman High School, Spartanburg District 6 Schools, Roebuck, SC
Beverley Rannow, Otsego Public Schools, Otsego, MI
Howard Rheingold, UC Berkeley, Stanford University, San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Nikki D. Robertson, Auburn High School, Auburn, AL
Daniella Smith, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Evan St. Lifer, Scholastic Library Publishing, Danbury, CT
Jennifer Stanbro, South Portland School Department, South Portland, ME
Caitlin Stansell, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Jeff Stanzler, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Carolyn Jo Starkey, Buckhorn High School, New Market, AL
Wendy Steadman Stephens, Buckhorn High School, New Market, AL
Michael Stephens, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
Linda Straube, New Trier High School, Winnetka, IL
Cathy Stutzman, Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Flemington, NJ
Mega Subramaniam, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Margaret Sullivan, Smith Systems, Plano, TX (see also Chap. 6)
Joyce Kasman Valenza, Springfield Township High School, Erdenheim, PA
Karen Villegas, Grosse Pointe North High School, Grosse Pointe, MI
Jeanna Walker, Portage Public Schools, Portage, MI
Donna Watt, Invercargill City Libraries, Invercargill, New Zealand
Holly Weimar, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX
Senga White, James Hargest College, Invercargill, New Zealand
Erin Drankwalter Wyatt, Highland Middle School, Libertyville, IL
Amanda Yaklin, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Alice Yucht, Retired/rewired Teacher-Librarian, NJ
Marci Zane, Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Flemington, NJ

PS – Want to create a Smashwords book of your own? We recommend the Smashwords Style Guide (http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52).

Georgia Library Media Specialist of the Year Finalists and Winner 2011

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AND THE WINNER IS…

One of the highlights of the Georgia Council of Media Organizations Conference (GaCOMO) is the presentation of the Library Media Specialist of the Year Award (LMSOTY).  Co-sponsored by the Georgia Library Media Association (GLMA) and the Georgia Association of Instructional Technology (GAIT), the LMSOTY Award recognizes a K-12 media specialist whose services have created an exemplary media program.  This year the state winner was selected from a group of seven district LMSOTY winners.

During GaCOMO the seven district LMSOTY winners participated in a very informative panel discussion.  They shared tips and ideas on how to develop an exceptional media program emphasizing student achievement.  At the GLMA/GAIT/GLA School Luncheon, GAIT President Sonja Fox and GLMA President Betsy Razza recognized each district LMSOTY and his/her enabler.  Then the state winner was introduced.

2011 Georgia Library Media Specialist of the Year Susan Grigsby

This year’s state Library Media Specialist of the Year is Susan Grigsby of Elkins Pointe Middle School in Fulton County.  Susan represents the Metro District.  She was nominated by Jerome Huff, principal of Elkins Pointe Middle School at the time Susan was nominated last spring.  In his nomination letter, Mr. Huff stated that “Students enter the [Elkins Pointe] media center knowing that it is a place of learning and gathering information to make them better students.”   In addition to providing exemplary media services, Susan is actively involved in staff development at her school by consistently supporting the Georgia Performance Standards.

During the panel discussion, Susan commented that when library media specialists are asked to add another responsibility to their full schedule, we should “…shift our thinking from ‘yes, but…’ to ‘yes, and.’ That shift can lead to collaborative brainstorming that may never happen otherwise. Saying ‘yes, and’ allows others in on the idea so that solutions are discovered instead of problems. So, when you take a ‘never say no’ attitude it doesn’t mean you are doing every single thing someone asks you to do but it does mean finding a way to make many things work by inviting the requesting party to chime in on the solution. It also means giving creative ideas a nurturing place to grow and blossom instead of finding the problems with them right off the bat.”

In addition to receiving a plaque and $250.00 from GAIT and GLMA, Susan received a wonderful donation from Bound to

Susan Grigsby and Judy Serritella

Stay Bound Books, Inc., Peachtree Publishers, Capstone Books, World Book, and the GLA COMO Store.   Although not sponsors of the LMSOTY Award, these five vendors wanted to donate a gift to the state winner’s media center.  The donation will be used to purchase resources for patrons of Elkin Pointe Middle School Media Center.

There were six other districts represented in this year’s competition.  Beverly Brostek represented the Southeast District.  Beverly is the media specialist at Brunswick High School in Glynn County and was nominated by her principal Terry Graff.  Beverly believes that by “…giving teachers the tools they need to enhance their teaching will ultimately benefit all stakeholders…”  Therefore, Beverly will host technology training sessions that integrate technology into the  GPS.  She also turns the media center in the Pirates Café to promote reading.

The East District was represented by Angela Dallis, media specialist at Grovetown High School in Columbia County.  Anna Olliff, media specialist at Evans Middle School, nominated Anglea for LMSOTY.  Anglea states reading is her passion and that is why she constantly promotes books through read-alouds, book talks, and even dressing as various book characters.  She strives to have a “student-driven” media center despite budget cuts.  Often Angela volunteers to pilot software at her school knowing it will be a benefit to students, teachers, and parents.

Chris Parker, media specialist at Mt. Carmel Elementary in Henry County, represented the South Metro District.  Chris was nominated by his principal Martin Gore.  An avid supporter of the Georgia State Media Festival, Chris works with students and teachers to incorporate technology skills into daily lessons.  As coordinator of the school’s Compassion Projects, Chris is able to put books in the hands of his students, their parents, and even soldiers serving in the Middle East through multiple fundraising projects including book fairs.

Andy Plemmons represented the Northeast District, and he is the media specialist at David C. Barrow Elementary School in Clarke County.  He was nominated by his principal and enabler Dr. Ellen Sabatini.  Andy strongly believes students should help make decisions on book purchases.  He has two groups of students who meet with the vendors, preview books and help with the final order.  To help struggling readers, Andy talks to each individual to discover their interests which helps to lead them to become stronger readers and better students.

Shannon Robertson of Southeast Bulloch Middle School in Bulloch County represented the Coastal District.  She was nominated by Assistant Superintendent Dr. Fran Stephens.  One of the highlights of the media center is the weekly Book Club meeting that involves students in all grades.  Shannon worked with the sixth grade teachers to create a unit that emphasizes internet skills, research skills, internet safety, the Dewey system, and print resources.  All lessons carry over to projects in the upper grades.

The Southwest district was represented by Cheryl Youse, media specialist at Colquitt County High School.  Cheryl was nominated by her assistant principal Delano Jefferson and Gail D. Thompson, work-based learning coordinator.  To promote reading, Cheryl uses book talks, a Banned Books program, and book trailers, which have been viewed by students around the country.  Thanks to Cheryl, technology is an instrumental part of the learning environment for her students: Thinkfinity, Discovery Streaming, GALILEO, iPods, Google Earth.

Now is the time to start thinking about the K-12 media specialist who you know that should be nominated for LMSOTY.  Please review the guidelines on the GAIT web site (http://www.gait-inc.org/) or the GLMA web site ( http://glma-inc.org ).  There are many outstanding media programs throughout the state.  Now more than ever it is imperative that people in other areas of education and outside of education know who is the driving force of these great programs.  Nominate an outstanding media specialist for Library Media Specialist of the Year.

Leslie Wantland,
GAMA Assistant

Stockbridge High School
1151 Old Conyers Road
Stockbridge, GA

Critical Vote on School Libraries This Week

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reposted from The ALA Washington Office District Dispatch blog

I am writing this message as we look at what, I believe, is the best opportunity for school libraries to be recognized in Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), our nation’s most important federal K-12 education law.  What happens in the next few days in a Senate committee will determine federal K-12 education programs for the next decade.  If school libraries are not in the legislation, if we don’t succeed this week, we face a daunting hurdle to get federal school library programs acknowledged for many years.   More and more students will not be served; a whole generation of low-income kids will go through school with inadequate or even no school library resources.  Unfortunately, I am not exaggerating.

Please bear with me as I explain the political realities of what we are dealing with on this issue and how what happens this week in a Senate committee affect what will happen in the coming years.   And, I want to emphasize to all library supporters – we need  you to be nimble, tough and strategic as we ask you to take action in several ways as the possibilities for  getting a school library program at the federal level unfolds in the coming days.   We have some opportunities to succeed for school libraries and K-12 students in this next phase but we are facing some very real risks of losing.   And, I don’t like to lose; not when it’s this important.

I want to answer some of your questions about federal school library proposals and if or how we can succeed in Congress for the long haul.  Unfortunately, making legislation is really like making sausage so bear with me as I explain some of the crazy contradictions in the process.

What is happening in the U.S. Senate on school library proposals right now and what is ALA doing?
Starting today, (Wednesday, October 19) the U.S. Senate Committee on Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) begins a process to mark-up a bill to reauthorize ESEA.   It is our understanding that by the end of this week, the HELP committee will complete its work on the bill, including many amendments.  Then the bill goes to the Senate floor for a final Senate vote.  We have no way of knowing when the bill will go to the Senate floor.

The public got access to the draft bill on October 11, 2011.  This bill was changed on Monday, October 17 in what was called “the Manager’s Amendment” and the committee had a deadline of yesterday at 10:30 a.m. for other committee member’s amendments.   Not an unusual situation while making sausage, I mean legislation.  It is expected that there will be around 150 amendments to be considered.

Leading up to this point, and since the beginning of the 112th Congress in January of this year, ALA, working closely with the American Association of School Libraries (AASL), developed and successfully had the SKILLS Act introduced by Sen. Jack Reed and Thad Cochran asking for a federal initiative dedicated to supporting and enhancing school libraries as part of federal education legislation.  This bill has only 5 cosponsors, which, unfortunately, is not enough to have this proposal “slide” through the Senate.   The language of the SKILLS Act is the culmination of several other proposals we made in previous Congresses.

What will the Senate HELP Committee do this week?
This effort has been the height of “hurry up and wait.”  For 2 years, ALA and its members have been talking to their legislators about including school libraries in federal legislation.  Senators Reed and Cochran introduced the SKILLS Act in June 2011.  There are various procedural steps expected as the final version of the ESEA bill actually goes to the committee for a mark-up; things will be happening quickly this week.  The SKILLS Act has morphed into an amendment by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Patty Murray to the larger ESEA bill as the Senate HELP Committee begins its work.  This is not an unusual occurrence as bills evolve and consolidate or morph through the legislative process.   At this point, our advocacy alerts have started referring to a school library “amendment” rather than the SKILLS Act.     We think the overall ESEA bill will pass, although we do not know if the school library provision will be supported.   But another step in sausage making…

Who are our champions?
Senator Jack Reed continues to work very hard for school libraries.  He wrote the SKILLS Act, recruited a Republican co-sponsor, Thad Cochran, and twisted arms to get the original co-sponsors (Senators Kerry, Murray, Rockefeller and Whitehouse).  He got appropriations language for school libraries in this year’s Senate Appropriations bill and has worked with Senator Whitehouse to create this amendment to ESEA.

Senator Murray has agreed to co-sponsor the Senator Whitehouse’s school library amendment.

We need to say thank you.

What happens after the Senate passes ESEA? 
Because of the history and difficulties in getting ESEA reauthorized in previous Congresses, the agreement between the House and the Senate is for the Senate to pass ESEA first.  Then the bill would go to the House.  The House has passed 4 smaller education bills, none of which address school libraries, and the Senate does not support that approach.   On top of this, the current House leadership has indicated that it will not work on ESEA until 2013 – the next Congress, after the 2012 presidential and congressional elections.

Why are we so worried about the Senate bill and what is happening the House of Representatives?
We need for school library language to stay in ESEA for the next Congress.   With the assumption that the 113th Congress will start with the Senate bill from this 112th Congress, it is extremely important that the school library provision gets into ESEA now.

If the House should vote on ESEA in this Congress, we must be in the Senate bill because there is no unique House bill.     If school libraries are not included in this pending Senate bill, it is extremely unlikely that we would be able to persuade the same congressional players in the next Congress to add in a school library program.   Is this type of dynamic written down anywhere?   No, but because of many years of lobbying and political observing, we know what kind of challenge it would be.

What is the long term expectation?
First, we must succeed in the short term:   get a school library program into the Senate’s ESEA now.   By doing so, we position school libraries to be included when an ESEA bill is finally reauthorized, even if that is in the next Congress.

Why is ESEA taking so long to reauthorize?
Getting ESEA reauthorized, including changing the name from No Child Left Behind (NCLB), has taken years already.    ESEA itself is controversial and the current political environment leading into the 2012 presidential election year complicates all legislation – this bill as a whole as well as our proposal for school libraries.

But, still, why can’t we get everything we want?
Well, like sausage, legislation is a mixture, often roughly ground up and stirred together.  By nature, the legislative process is a series of compromises.  In previous ALA initiatives to get federal school library legislation there were some provisions that are not now in the SKILLS Act.  Unfortunately, we have not had great support from the education unions and from other K-12 organizations.  We are competing with everything from literacy coaches to classroom teachers – even though we know that school librarians are both of these.  In the present political environment and the challenging budget climate, we have to cling to survival for our school libraries and, more importantly, the students they serve.  We have to survive in ESEA now to live another day to get funding or even more advanced programs in the future.

What can I do?
Please look at this blog twice a day.  Put in a call to your U.S. Senators from your states at 202-224-3121.  Those of you who have a senator on the Senate HELP Committee must be particularly active and alert.  Please respond to every action alert – even if you called or wrote your senators before about school libraries.  Get other colleagues and neighbors to also call in.  It only takes a few moments to call the senate switchboard, ask for your Senators’ offices, and leave the message:  SUPPORT SCHOOL LIBRARIES IN ESEA!  OUR COUNTRY’S STUDENTS PERFORM BETTER IN SCHOOLS WITH SOLID SCHOOL LIBRARY PROGRAMS.


Lynne Bradley
Director, Office of Government Relations
ALA Washington Office

Georgia Ed Finance Commission Updates

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On a positive note, in State School Superintendent Barge’s address to COMO on Friday, he noted that he considers media specialists’ contributions to student achievement equal to that of classroom teachers and recognized that we interact with more students each day than most classroom teachers.  When the Finance Study Commission work moves to its next phase, we may want to remember these statements – and remind others!

State Education Finance Study Commission Update

The first deadline for the State Education Finance Study Commission, established by House Bill 192, was September 30, 2011. The letter sent from the co-chairs, Sen. Fran Millar and Rep. Brooks Coleman, to Gov. Deal regarding the interim recommendations of the commission is at http://tinyurl.com/GovDeal930.  An executive summary of the interim recommendations, which address school nurses, professional learning, capital outlay and the 65% rule, is at http://tinyurl.com/IntRec93011.  For an example of how budget and Capitol staff are approaching analysis of these issues, you might want to read the white paper on professional learning at http://tinyurl.com/ProfDev2011.

Also relevant to media centers is a presentation on Textbooks and Technology delivered to the commission in late August.( http://tinyurl.com/TextTech)  Finally, Joe Martin, long-time education advocate and recent state school superintendent candidate, has created a document overviewing his suggestions for funding formula framework changes. (http://tinyurl.com/FundFormula) These are not highly specific, but do leave media staffing at current funding.  It also alludes to flexibility rather than expenditure controls, which might not bode well for return of media materials direct funding.  (See pages 10, 16, and 30 for most critical media-related information.  Page 8 also includes an interesting statement:  “A teaching position could be filled through various forms of technology along with new combinations of employees.”)

All information on the Commission membership, activities, presentations and papers may be accessed through the Georgia DOE website at http://tinyurl.com/EdFinComm192

What can you do?  Please keep your stories coming about how funding changes are impacting your ability to meet student needs.  If someone on the commission lives in or represents your district, please contact them directly as your situation affects their own family and neighbors.  (The list of commission members is on the website.)  Stay tuned and please respond when we need your advocacy support or more information.

Thanks for all you do for our students! Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns at nantbrown@hotmail.com.

Nan Brown,

GLMA Advocacy Coordinator

Briefing: Education Reform and the SKILLs Act: An Analysis of Twenty-First Century School Libraries and Their Impact on Career and College Preparedness

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Education Reform and the SKILLs Act: An Analysis
of Twenty-First Century School Libraries
and Their Impact on Career and College Preparedness

October 17th, 2011

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL),
a division of the American Library Association
In conjunction with Representative Rush Holt and Senator Jack Reed

Cordially invite you to a briefing:

Education Reform and the SKILLs Act: An Analysis of Twenty-First Century School Libraries and Their Impact on Career and College PreparednessMonday, October 17th, 2011
10:00-11:00 am
121 Cannon House Office Building

Speakers

  • Carl Harvey, School Librarian, North Elementary School, Indiana
  • Donna L. Haye, Assistant Superintendent, Atlantic City Public Schools, New Jersey
  • William A. Mayer, University Librarian, American University, Washington D.C.
  • Kathy Mortimer, Parent, Henrico County Public Schools, Virginia
  • Connie Williams, National Board Certified Teacher Librarian, Petaluma High School, California

School libraries are no longer just for books. Instead they have become sophisticated 21st century learning environments, offering a full range of resources that provide equal learning opportunities to all students. S. 1328, the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLs) Act, supports and sustains 21st century school libraries by ensuring that every school is served by a state-certified school librarian and has access to the resources our students need to succeed and prepare for the future. As Congress considers the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it is crucial that the SKILLs Act is included in the plan for education reform. This briefing will feature a panel of experts who will discuss the important services that are provided under the SKILLs Act to promote literacy and career and college preparedness for our nation’s students.

Please RSVP to Kaytee Lozier at klozier@advocacyassociates.com or             202-349-1030       by October 12th.

Visit the AASL website: www.ala.org/aasl/

One Book, One Conference Discussion of The Shallows Continues: Chapter 2

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http://aasl11.ning.com/group/the-shallows-book-discussion/forum/topics/chapter-2

Chapter 2 – AASL 2011 National Conference & Exhibition via kwout

from Carl Harvey:

I have really enjoyed reading everyone’s comments and thoughts on Chapter 1.  I think we’re going to have a lively discussion as we continue through the book.  Here are some discussion questions from Chapter 2, but please feel free to add your own questions, thoughts, and ideas as well!

How do our experiences impact our perceptions?  Thinking about the connection with Gary Hartzell and the work he has done in how administrators understand school libraries.  How can we create experiences that will better educator today and future administrators?

There are two trains of thoughts shared in Chapter 2 whether nature or nurture have an impact on how our brain learns?  What are your thoughts?

On page 41 Carr writes, “Evolution has given us a brain that can literally change its mind – over and over again.”  How do you think this impacts how we prepare students for their future in the library?

What role do you think neuroplasticity plays in students who have over time developed habits that they can’t learn or succeed?

Join the conversation at the AASl 2011 Ning!

Unlimited E-Learning at Webjunction Georgia!

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From the Georgia Public Library Service:

I’m writing to announce a couple of enhancements to Webjunction Georgia (WJGA). Effective immediately, WJGA members (you must be an employee of a public, academic, or school library in the state; an employee of GALILEO; a trustee of any Georgia library or library system; or a library science student at Valdosta State University) will be able to enroll in unlimited courses without charge. Here’s a short video promoting the changes that I encourage you to share with your colleagues throughout our library community.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USpXYIMW69s&hd=1]

The highlights of these enhancements include:

  • Free, unlimited access to 300+ courses available anytime, selected for relevance to libraries.
  • Simplified course enrollment process
  • All course prices are set to $0. You no longer need to apply for a free course scholarship and deal with the complexities of that process.
  • If you are already enrolled in a course, you will continue to have access to the course for 12 months from the date you enrolled.
  • You must be a WJGA member and logged into your account to see the course catalog on our page, http://ga.webjunction.org/catalog.

Also, Webjunction has enhanced how it handles its webinars. WJGA members will now receive advance registration notices for WJ webinars and attendance certificates that may qualify for continuing education credit. All members of the WJ community will continue to enjoy the free online webinar programming that WJ offers each month.

The Webjunction service provided by GPLS can be an invaluable resource in supporting your continuing education and learning needs. Please share this message or our promo video with your colleagues and encourage them to register for a WJGA account if they have not done so already and begin enjoying unlimited access to quality, online learning.

Feel free to shoot Jay an email or give him a call if you have any questions!

If you decide to sign up for a Webjunction account…please read this information:

  • Signing up for an account is easy and membership is free for your media specialists — there’s nothing that an individual, their school system, or individual school needs to purchase.
  • All that a media specialist will have to do is go to the Webjunction Georgia site, click “Create an Account,” and then complete a short application.   Accounts are typically approved within 72 hours.
  • Since there is a limit to the total number of active users I can have in the system at any given time, I ask that people to contact me if they try out WJGA and decide that they won’t actively use it. This will allow me to deactivate those accounts to free up space for other potential users.
  • In the event that we hit our cap, I will selectively reduce the number of non-public library user accounts in the system, which could result in some/all media specialists being booted from the system. I really don’t think this will happen, but I just want you to know in the interest of full disclosure (and I’d definitely communicate with you in advance if I suspected this would be necessary).

Jay Turner| Director, Continuing Education| Georgia Public Library Service

1800 Century Place, Suite 150, Atlanta, GA 30345-4304

404.235.7124 | 404.235.7201 fax |

jturner@georgialibraries.org | www.georgialibraries.org