I’m going to be spending part of my weekend working through the copy editors notes on my new book. It is slated to come out in the fall from Libraries Unlimited/ABC-Clio. Here is the cover which I just got. It makes me realize the process is really nearing the end.
Tags: ABC-Clio · Adult Learners · Libraries Unlimited · Professional Development · school librariansNo Comments.
Joyce Valenza, Barbara Stripling, and Carl Harvey
I had the joy recently of spending a few days in Binghamton, NY for the NYLA School Library Section conference. This was my last official visit to a state conference as AASL President (I still will visit 2 or 3 states next year as Past-President).
I shared a session on School Librarians as Leadership which has been fun to share in states all over the country. I like to think of the possibilities and share some of the great work AASL is doing to help school librarians be prepared for that leadership role.
The keynote speaker was my friend Joyce Valenza from Philadelphia. As many times as I've had the chance to listen to Joyce share her thoughts and ideas, I always come away learning something. Her passion for the field and the profession and the power of school librarians in today's school is always infectious.
In addition, the big news while I was there was that it was announced that Barbara Stripling won the ALA election and will be our 2013-2014 ALA President. It was so exciting to be in her current home state of New York and get to celebrate her win with the entire conference!
I also attended some wonderful session on the Common Core, Curation, iPad Apps, and had the pleasure of listen to three wonderful authors - David Wiesner, Margi Preus, and Emily Arnold McCully.
As with most of the places I've visited this year, I enjoyed the chance to catch-up with dear friends and make new friends as well. I continue to believe the most important part of any conference are the networking and opportunities to connect with fellow colleagues. New York was a wonderful host and I enjoyed getting to spend my last visit as an AASL President with them.
Tags: AASL · AASL President 2011-2012 · American Association of School Librarians · conferences · NYLA-SSL · Professional Development · Reflection · school librarians · school librariesNo Comments.
Where does the time go? I had this ready to post at the end of March and then the response to the White House petition arrived, it turned to April, and I’m just now getting back to it. Anyway, the update below covers until the end of April. One last update will be out at the end of June.
Events/Projects:
ALA President Molly Raphael, Senator Jack Reed, and AASL President Carl Harvey
The Board met during ALA Midwinter and the following action was taken:
Board Votes (after Midwinter):
Press Interviews:
Tags: AASL · AASL President 2011-2012 · American Association of School Librarians · Carl Harvey · Reflection · school librarians · school libraries · school library programs · White House petitionNo Comments.
We’ve been waiting patiently (ok, maybe not so patiently) for almost two months now since we crossed the threshold of 25,000 signatures to the White House petition I posted. When I say we, I mean the countless librarians of all kinds of libraries, parents, students, and community members that took the time to sign the petition have all be anxious to hear the reply from President Obama and the White House.
On Friday, April 13th, at 7:15pm, the wait was over. The response was delivered to my inbox. I read it quickly and then begin emailing colleagues and friends to see if they, too, got the reply. Obviously they did as I quickly began to see posts of it coming up on Facebook, Twitter, and a few emails, too. The complete text of the reply is available for anyone to read on the We the People Petition site.
What did you think?
At this point, I’ve gotten a variety of different assessments on the reply —from those who were glad to finally hear the White House say school libraries are important and have value to those who think they completely talked around the question. Reality in my estimation is there a little truth in both assessments.
I saw some strong wording about the value of school libraries and the critical role they play. For example:
“School libraries do much more than house books and store data: a school library can broaden the horizon of learning for students and link them with communities and experiences far beyond their own classroom and community.”
I saw the direct language that says the White House is supportive of school libraries.
“The Obama Administration remains committed to supporting school libraries…”
I saw where they saw the important role that school libraries play in our schools.
“The Administration believes that if we want to give every child a fair shot in life, we must open doors of opportunity while they’re young and teach them the skills they’ll need to succeed. This means that one of our greatest responsibilities as citizens, as educators, and as parents is to ensure that every child in America cannot only read, but possess the skills to comprehend, analyze, and think critically about the text. School libraries are critical to making sure that this happens.”
Where I saw a little bit of a dodging is of the funding opportunity. Most of the opportunities that were listed as potential funding sources for school libraries, to the best of my knowledge, are not working out that way. Many of these state-wide literacy plans completely ignore or leave school libraries and librarians out of the conversations and funding opportunities. There are pockets where the school library program is fundamental to a state’s literacy plan , but there is no consistency.
So, where do we go from here…
First, I would urge school librarians to use this statement to work with their State Departments of Education. Clearly school librarians need to be a part of those State Literacy Teams and this statement from the White House supports that. At the very least, any funding opportunities coming from those plans need to include school library programs.
Second, as ESEA goes through reauthorization, it will be important to use this statement to help garner support and funding for school libraries. This is be a powerful piece to use with our Federal legislators. Share it with your Senators and Representatives during National Library Legislative Day or when you visit their offices at home.
Lastly, I think there is opportunity to use this at the local level. The White House gave some strong support for school libraries and the role they play. I don’t know if that will resonate with local school boards and administrators, but it just might worth a try.
Was it worth it?
Looking back, there was a lot of time and energy spent by a lot of people to get this petition to 25,000+ signatures. What did we gain? Really only time will tell, but I think there are a few immediate take-aways.
I want to thank each and every person who signed the petition and put time and effort to encourage others to sign as well. We may not have gotten everything we wanted in the reply, but I think we made some great progress. Each step forward is a step in the right direction. The petition, I think, gave us just that – another step.
Tags: school librarians · school libraries · White House petition4 Comments
I’ve been a little quiet on the blog lately. I’ve had a fairly long stretch at home and been catching up at school! But, last week I headed to Chicago and the New Leaf in Learning Conference hosted by Follett. I filled the car with gas and headed to the windy city on Wednesday morning. After getting settled, I was ready for Pre-Opening Session keynote with Kevin Honeycutt. I had seen many of his resources and ideas over the years, but had never actually heard him speak. It was so inspiring to hear the story of his childhood and how teachers made such an impact on his life. He shared many of the creative ideas he had for using technology with kids. It was a great way to kick off the conference.
The next day started off with Ian Jukes. His lively and funny presentation. He talked about how hard it is to make changes. Like did you ever wonder where the distance between two train tracks came from? You’d be amazed how far back in history you can go trying to figure it out. He shared a lot about disruptive innovation and how it isn’t bad, but it does make us have to readjust and he believes we have to start doing it in education right now!
The rest of the day was a variety of breakouts. Connie Williams had some great idea for using primary sources with documents, graphics, and information. Eric Sheninger did a great presentation on how to use Twitter and other new technologies to be in contact with kids, parents, etc. He is a great model for a 21st Century administrator. In the afternoon I saw Shannon McClintock Miller who shared some of the ways her students are connected in their learning. Followed by Tiff Whitehead and Tamara Cox, who are two middle school librarians, who shared some amazing ideas for how they are the Next Gen Librarian Today! I ended the day with listening to Mark Moran from Dulcinea Media share some thoughts on pushing folks who are resistant to technology.
The next morning was an early start as I lead one of the Birds of the Feather Session. We were a small group, but we had a very rich conversation about the mobility of today’s school libraries. Following that I went to a session by Brian Kenney, former SLJ editor and now director of the White Plains Public Library. He shared some great ideas of how public and school libraries should (or could) be working together. From there I went to a great session with Lori Feldman and Andrea Keller who shared some great ideas for using digital storytelling. They are both special needs educators and the stuff they were doing with their kids was amazing. The last session I went to was Casey Veatch who shared some of the things he was doing in his libraries to move them to the 21st Century. The end of the day was an inspiration closing keynote by Sarah Brown Wessling. You could totally see why she was the 2010 National Teacher of the Year. She was so amazing in sharing her hopes and dreams for educators. The students in her room are very lucky.
A common theme in the conference is we can’t wait to make change in our schools. We have to do it now, and we can be the leaders of that change. Each presenter had ideas and strategies for helping you move forward — even if you were already down that path. I learned so much from all of these amazing presenters and sessions. My head was buzzing all day long. I made lots of thoughts about how I can use some of what I learned from each of them at my school next year. Sometimes conference do that for me…they give me some time to think. With the day to day running of a school library, my mind isn’t always about to get past what has to be done next. Being away a little bit sometimes gives it that chance to recharge.
But, at the end of the day, I think some of the best part of the conference (like almost every one I attend) is the conversations in between sessions. I met some wonderful new librarians and educators and made some great new connections. This was the second New Leaf in Learning Conference. It was an amazing learning experience and one I hope I get to attend again. For those that weren’t able to make it, they are planning a Virtual Conference where you can sign up to see many of the sessions as they were recorded. I’m hoping to use that opportunity to catch some of the sessions I missed!
Last week was truly an exciting experience. The petition for school libraries that I posted on the White House “We the People” site reached 25,000 signatures. As of this moment, it is nearing 27,000. I, along with many others, I could tell from Facebook and Twitter, were clicking the refresh button often as the ticker got closer and closer.
I think with everything you do, there is always something to be learned from the experience. For me, the lesson I learned was anything is possible when everyone is working together. From ALA President Molly Raphael’s School Library Task Force to the ALA Think Tank on Facebook who bought ads on Facebook to the vendor community who sent out messages to all their customers to the librarians and their supporters who convinced their families to all sign the petition to the ALA divisions who helped pull in the entire library community to the other national organizations and associations that partner with AASL who spread the word through their websites and memberships as well, it truly was a team effort. This group certainly took full advantage of the powers of social media. It was amazing to watch the power of everyone working together and the results paying off when we crossed the magic 25,000 line.
We now wait for the White House response. There is no timeline given by the White House other than they will respond as quickly as is possible. The response will be posted on the White House – We the People – website and everyone who signed the petition will receive the response via email. There is no guarantee that the response will include any action from the White House. However, the petition will help raise awareness of the issues facing school libraries today.
But, the petition is not a silver bullet. As we work towards getting school libraries included in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it will be important that we keep up the effort. We need to be talking to Senators and Representatives, encouraging them to support the Skills Act. On January 17, U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ, 7th), along with Representatives Rush Holt (D-NJ, 12th) and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA, 6th) introduced the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLS) Act. The SKILLS Act, numbered H.R. 3776 in the House, is a companion bill of S. 1328 that was introduced in the Senate by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) back on July 6, 2011.
The Congressional Briefing in October, followed by the petition, have been great steps in advocating for school libraries at the Federal level. But they are just steps in the journey. We’ve not reach our destination, so we have to keep moving forward as we paint a picture for our legislators about what today’s school libraries can do for students and the importance for each and every student to have access to a quality school library program!
Tags: AASL · AASL President 2011-2012 · American Association of School Librarians · ESEA · school librarians · school libraries · school library media programs · White House petitionComments Off
During Midwinter we did a major push to encourage folks to sign the petition for school libraries. Below are some video interviews that ALA President Molly Raphael and I made to help explain the importance of the petition.
I want to thank Molly as well as the Division Presidents who made sure to spread the word at every major function and event. In addition, blasting it out to their Boards, their members, and the entire library community. We are in this together!
As of this second (1/25 at 9:20pm) we are at 14,377 signatures, and we need 10,623 more signatures. We need to reach 25,000 in just a few days – Feb. 4th. So, please continue to blast it out on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and every other venue you have. Please continue to help get the word out about school libraries and help us ensure the Obama administration has to respond to this petition.
Interview with ALA President Molly Raphael:
Interview with AASL President Carl Harvey:
Tags: AASL · ALA · American Association of School Librarians · American Library Association · Carl Harvey · Molly Raphael · School Libraries White House Petition1 Comment
The White House recently responded to two petitions with over 50,000 signatures each about the SOPA and PIPA legislation currently being considered by Congress. The petition both were opposed to this legislation and the White House has now come out against the legislation, too.
White House Response: https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petition-tool/response/combating-online-piracy-while-protecting-open-and-innovative-internet
Huffington Post Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/14/white-house-sopa-pipa_n_1206347.html
After 12 days, the petition for school libraries is almost at 8700 signatures. This is over 1/3rd of the signatures we need, but we still need over 16,300 more signatures. We have to get 25,000 signatures to get a White House response. Please continue to push the survey with family, friends, teachers, students, administrators, community members, and anyone you know that might be willing to sign. Anyone over the age of 13 can sign the petition.
The link to the petition can be found here: http://wh.gov/Wgd
You do have to create an account to be able to sign the petition.
I understand it can be a little clunky and not everyone is successful the first time. Trying different browsers and different computers has helped some folks. Logging out of the site and logging back in has helped others. Still others has persevered and come back a day or two later and it worked.
Thank you so much for all everyone has done to get us this far, but keep up the effort to get more signatures! We have until Feb. 4, 2012, so time is ticking away!
Tags: AASL · school libraries · White House Petitions1 Comment
It has been a little under 4 days since the White House Petition for school libraries was posted. As of 8:50pm, we crossed the 2,000 signature threshold. This is a great start, but obviously we have a long way to go in the next 26 days to reach 25,000.
Please continue all the great work to get the message out. Anyone over the age of 13 years old may sign the petition, so please encourage friends, family, students, teachers, parents, administrators, and community members to all take a few minutes to sign the petition. This is a great chance to explain why 21st Century school libraries are so important.
The petition can be found at: http://wh.gov/Wgd
You will need to create an account in order to sign the petition.
If you have trouble signing the petition, here are a few things to try:
1.) After clicking on the link in the confirming email, log out of the White House website. Log back in and find the petition and then the signing button seems to work.
2.) Some people have tried different web browers and that has helped.
3.) A few folks even just went to a different computer and that helped, too.
Thank you to everyone for all your hard work!
Tags: 9 Comments
Before the holidays, I shared with you that I thought it was worth taking another stab at trying to get the 25,000 signatures on a White House Petition about school libraries. I am excited to say that I posted the petition today! Thank you to the many librarians and friends who offered support and offered their advice and ideas for the petition.
Here is the short URL to the petition.
You just need to go to the link above, create an account (if you don’t have one) and sign the petition. Takes less than a few minutes to get it all done!
So, we have until Feb. 4th, which is only a month. We’re off to a good start, but we need to spread the word EVERYWHERE! We need to get our family, our friends, the parents at our schools, and anyone else that supports school libraries to sign this petition. We need to connect with our public librarian and academic librarian colleagues and encourage them to support us just as we would support them with these efforts.
I hope you will go and sign it right now and then go and encourage at least 10 of your friends to go and sign it, too. Please share it on listservs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. We need to get the word out through as many different sources as we can to watch those numbers climb! Make sure to share the short URL above as that is much easier than the long one!
Thank you in advance for all your work to help get this petition going! We want to make sure the White House hears loud and clearly how important we think school library programs are to educating today’s students for their future!
Tags: AASL President 2011-2012 · school librarians · school libraries · school library programs · White House petition65 Comments