Category Archives: School Media Specialist

Children's services, Conference, School Media Specialist

School library professionals invited to attend AASL’s virtual membership meeting

American Association of School Librarians

Contact:

Jennifer Habley
Manager, Web Communications
American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
312-280-4383
jhabley@ala.org

 

CHICAGO – The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) will hold its annual virtual membership meeting at 5 p.m. Central (6 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. Mountain, 3 p.m. Pacific) on Sunday, June 4, 2017. The annual membership meeting provides AASL members with a “state of the association” update via reports from AASL leadership.

As the membership meeting requires no official vote of AASL membership, all members of the school library profession are invited to attend. RSVP here to receive an email with a link to the online meeting space. AASL leadership encourages active participation in the meeting and will be available for questions via the chatbox during the presentation.

In appreciation of their attendance at the meeting, three AASL members will be drawn at random from the attendee’s names and gifted with either a tour during the AASL National Conference & Exhibition, a year of AASL membership, or a copy of the new “National Standards for School Libraries” when it launches in November.

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Advocacy, Children's services, School Media Specialist

Woodbridge School Board President Explains Vote To Fire Librarians

Fired stamp

From the Woodbridge Patch By Carly Baldwin (Patch Staff)

“WOODBRIDGE, NJ — The president of the Woodbridge school board talked to Patch Wednesday and defended the board’s unanimous vote last week to eliminate the district’s remaining librarians.

“I will candidly admit I did not anticipate how much backlash there would be on this,” said school board president Daniel Harris. He said the board received “dozens” of emails from people upset with the library changes, many from Woodbridge residents but some from all over the country. About 15 parents attended last Tuesday’s Board of Ed. meeting, causing one Board member to remark that she’d never seen the room so packed.

There are only three librarians left in the Woodbridge school system, and all three are at the high school level. Two have teaching certificates and will be offered teaching jobs in the district, Harris said. At least one librarian will be kept as a traveling librarian between all three high schools, Colonia, JFK and Woodbridge High.

It’s part of dramatic changes ahead for Woodbridge school system’s libraries.

With the librarians gone, Woodbridge school libraries will be transitioned into “a more flexible space for the district,” Harris said. “I don’t want to use the word ‘lounge,’ but it will be a place where students can work on projects together. You’ll see it look more like a college library, with couches and a coffee-shop style set-up.”

“A lot of the books will be recycled or donated,” he said. “Especially the encyclopedias and atlases, those are very outdated. The more popular books will be sent to classrooms or kept. We’ll probably look into an electronic method of allowing students to borrow books.”

And expect these changes to be happening very soon: The library at Colonia Middle School will be converted into a computer lab this summer. The new look for the district’s libraries will be in place by the time students return in the fall.”

(Read the rest of this article here!)

Advocacy, Communication, Programs, School Media Specialist, Training

AASL President’s Program addresses “What an administrator wants”

Dr. Scott Beck

Contact:

Jennifer Habley
Manager, Web Communications
American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
312-280-4383
jhabley@ala.org

CHICAGO – Scott Beck, head principal at Norman (Okla.) High School, will conclude the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) Awards Ceremony & President’s Program taking place at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 24, as part of the 2017 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

“As school librarians, we know how critical it is to the success of our library programs to have a supportive administrator,” said AASL President Audrey Church. “I am very excited to have Dr. Scott Beck as my President’s Program speaker. Dr. Beck knows what a 21st-century library program that contributes to student learning looks like and understands the key role that today’s school librarian plays in instruction in his/her school. We look forward to him sharing his perspective on how school librarians transform student learning.”

Beck is currently the head principal at Norman High School, serving 2,000 students in grades 9-12. Over the course of his 17-year career in education, Beck has also served as an assistant principal and a National Board Certified social studies teacher. As principal, Beck has overseen a 30-million-dollar renovation at the high school, including a state-of-the-art learning commons and a 1:1 laptop initiative.

Beck presents nationally and internationally on educational issues. Past presentations include “Library as School Hub” and “Building the Eclectic High School” presented at the 2012 and 2013 High Schools that Work National Conferences. He holds a Master’s degree in education administration, curriculum and supervision and a Ph.D. in education leadership and policy studies from the University of Oklahoma.

The AASL Awards Ceremony and President’s Program is an annual event featuring prominent experts on issues relevant to school librarianship and is open to all registered conference attendees. For more information about this and other AASL programs at the 2017 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, visit www.ala.org/aasl/annual.

The American Association of School Librarians www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.

School Media Specialist, Services, Training

New eCourse: Being Indispensable: A School Librarian’s Guide to Proving Your Value and Keeping Your Job

Being Indispensable: A School Librarian’s Guide to Proving Your Value and Keeping Your Job eCourse
Contact:
Colton Ursiny
Administrative Assistant
ALA Publishing
cursiny@ala.org

Chicago—ALA Editions announces a new iteration of our popular eCourse, Being Indispensable: A School Librarian’s Guide to Proving Your Value and Keeping Your Job. Hilda K. Weisburg will serve as the instructor for a 6-week facilitated eCourse starting on July 10, 2017.

Estimated Hours of Learning: 30
Certificate of Completion available upon request.

School librarians are worried about their jobs, and with good reason. Budget cuts have taken many jobs, and those who have retained their jobs find their resources stretched thin. In this eCourse, respected authority Weisburg gives school librarians concrete strategies for demonstrating and proving their worth through clear, focused leadership.

Showing you how to focus and strengthen your programs and articulate those strategies in ways that build support for yourself and your library within your institution, she leaves no stone unturned. This eCourse teaches you how to lead; how to identify the people you need to influence; and how to influence them on paper, in person, and during meetings.

Learning outcomes

  • Making the case for the vital role school librarians play in learning
  • Identifying your mission/vision in order to focus your program and be able to prioritize efficiently
  • Building a solid base of support among stakeholders who hold the power over your future
  • Creating and preparing to carry out plans targeted to strengthen your programs

eCourse outline

Part 1: Positioning Yourself

  • Qualities of a leader (your strengths and weaknesses)
  • Mission and vision statements
  • Core values and tag lines

Part 2: Reaching the Power Stakeholders

  • Connecting with administrators (superintendent, principals, BOE, and the central office)
  • Connecting with the community (parents, business owners, the public library, and others)

Part 3: Reaching Priority Stakeholders

Conference, School Media Specialist

ITEM Fall Conference Call for Proposals – 2017

“Future Ready > 21st Century – Information and Technology Educators of Minnesota
October 12-14, 2017
Minneapolis Marriott Northwest
Brooklyn Park, MN

The Program Committee for the 2017 ITEM Fall Conference is looking for information technology professionals to present 45 minute break out sessions around the theme of Future Ready > 21st Century. We are seeking presentations in the following strands, which promote student and/or staff learning in these areas:

-Communication
-Collaboration
-Critical Thinking
-Creativity
-Citizenship

The lead presenter of each session may choose either a $50 reduction in conference registration cost or a free one year ITEM membership.

This year, all breakout sessions will last 45 minutes. All vendor sessions must be identified.

Proposals will be accepted until this form is scheduled to close on June 2, 2017.

If you have any questions, please contact the ITEM Program Committee at: itemconprogram@gmail.com“