Library Ties

Every year they hold an annual forum at ALA Midwinter where the AASL candidates can give a speech.   So, today I gave a speech about why I’m running for President of AASL.  The text of the speech is below (give or take a few words as I know I improvised a bit).  I believe they are posting a recording of it on the AASL blog soon.

Thank you for the opportunity to run for AASL President.  I thought I would start out telling you a little about how I got in to this profession.  15 years ago a little flyer from Ball State University changed the course of my life.  It advertised a program for school media services.   I always knew growing up I wanted to be in some sort of field related to education.  When I was in high school and the district tech director wasn’t in the building, I was often the next person in line to be called if something went wrong.  Thinking I wanted the director’s job someday, I asked what kind of degrees she had.  The response – home economics!  I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to be following the path.   My job during high school was working at the Speedway Public Library, so when that flyer came from Ball State it sounded like that might be the right fit!

While I’m not sure I completely understood what I was getting myself into, I did quickly discover how this was the perfect profession for me.  When I was student teaching, my supervising teacher strongly encouraged me to join ALA/AASL and our state association, AIME.  She was from the generation where you joined because that was part of your responsibility in being a professional.   I dutifully listened and sent in my dues.  But it is so much more than just paying dues — it is about finding ways to contribute and be INVOLVED.

The opportunities for leadership in our state organization came around, as did the chance to serve AASL in a variety of capacities over the years such as chair of the Affiliate Assembly (did you know you could be elected when you were 1000 miles from the meeting?) or chairing the 2007 AASL Conference.  These chances to give back to the profession are something I value and treasure because they made me a better school librarian for my students and staff as well as helped refine my skills as a leader – skills that I can use as President of AASL to benefit you.

I believe and know that the future for our profession lies with INVOLVEMENT.   School librarians are leaders in teaching 21^st Century skills; yet, due to budget shortfalls, positions are being cut.  INVOLVEMENT begins in our schools by designing instruction and providing resources that meet the needs of our students and teachers and basing these resources on the AASL learning standards.   As leaders we need administrators to see us directly impacting student learning.  Being INVOLVED is convincing decision makers that school library programs are transparent in all curricular areas and are a good use of scarce dollars.  I believe we have to be INVOLVED in the profession, recruit new members, and show them how they can be actively INVOLVED in AASL. The future for our field is defined through professional involvement.  The more active members we have the larger voice AASL has to advocate for school libraries.  As a candidate for President of AASL I will continue to work on legislative initiatives and strengthen our profession by completing targeted concerns in the AASL strategic plan. These are unsettling times, but by being INVOLVED and working together, we can fulfill a vision where school libraries are a necessity in every district and every school.

When I leave here today, I’m going back to the 470 students and 40 staff members of North Elementary School and my day job as the library media specialists.   But I know that by being a part of the AASL community, I have a network of people I can rely on to help me in time of need, to share and brainstorm ideas, and celebrate the successes.  As AASL President, I want every school librarian to see the AASL community and say, “I have to be a part of that!”

Tags:   AASL · AASL Election 20103 Comments

As part of one of my side jobs, I write a monthly newsletter.  For the January issue, I always include a list of some of my favorite books from 2009.  My list is mostly picture books and I’m looking for books that teachers can use in the classrooms.  So, here were my favorites from 2009:

• All of Me by Molly Bang
• I Want a Dog by Helga Bansch
• Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton
• The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
• Redwoods by Jason Chin
• Our Children Can Soar by Michelle Cook
• 14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy
• There Was an Old Monster! by Rebecca, Adrian, and Ed Emberley
• Willoughby and the Lion by Greg Foley
• Pond Circle by Betsy Franco
• A Book by Mordicai Gerstein
• The Looking Book by P.K. Hallinan
• Falling Down the Page by Georgia Heard (editor)
• One World, One Day by Barbara Kerley
• Otis by Loren Long
• Crow Call by Lois Lowry
• The Lion’s Share by Matthew McElligott
• The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
• Are you a Horse? by Andy Rash
• The North Star by Peter H. Reynolds
• Pink! by Lynne Rickards
• Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
• Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
• Adventures in Cartooning by James Strum, Andrew Arnold and Alexis Frederick-Frost
• Have I got a Book for You! by Melanie Watt
• Big Frog Can’t Fit In by Mo Willems
• Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems
• The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau by Dan Yaccarino
• 2030 by Amy Zucerkman and James Daly

And while not a picture book, this collection of stories from famous people from all types of life by Anita Silvey is fantastic – Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Picture Book.

So there it is.  My favorite picture books from 2009.  The best part is now that we’ve made a list, the process starts all over again for next year!

Tags:   picture booksComments Off

I have to admit I love opening packages.   They can be wrapped up in beautiful paper or in a plain cardboard box.   I’m just like a kid at Christmas wondering what might be inside it.   Anytime we get anything new materials into the library, I always like to try and be first to see what gems we might find inside them.  It is always fun to share with the students or teachers who wander by something brand new right out of the box.

When I got home today, there was a box sitting on the front porch.  And, after opening it I knew it was one of those times you want to share the exciting thing I found.  So, since we’re on break from school, it seemed the blog might be a perfect place.   I was so excited because inside the box were copies of my brand new book – The 21^st Century Elementary Library Media Program.   The book is published by Linworth Publishing, which is part of the ABC-CLIO family.  While I’ve spent a year or more working on it and seen its many various drafts, it was so exciting to see the final product in print.  Hopefully you’ll indulge me taking a few minutes to celebrate!!!  Opening that box and seeing my own work come to fruition was exciting.

Sometimes it is interesting to think back about how a project like this starts off in the first place.  I certainly would have never guessed when I started out in this field that I’d be writing a book – let alone this being my third one.  But, I believe strongly in taking advantages of opportunities.  When I was student teaching, my supervising teacher and I worked on a project that she thought would be perfect for an article.  She encouraged me to write it up, and to my surprise School Library Media Activities Monthly (now School Library Monthly) agreed to publish it in the fall of 1998.   I never realized that many journals take submissions from practitioners.   So over the next few years, I continued to turn in articles based on things happening in our library media center.  I sent things to a variety of magazines – sometimes getting published and sometimes not.  I found the writing to be a great way to reflect on what we did in the library media center.  After a while a few fabulous friends of mine (Marge Cox and Susan Page) got together and decided to try our hand at writing a book.  Each of us had a unique perspective and it was our combined efforts and talents that kept us moving forward until the project was complete – The LMS in the Writing Process (Linworth, 2007).   Following that I thought maybe I could tackle the next book on my own.  While it was much harder to keep to deadlines without my co-writers pushing me along, eventually it came together and the book was published — No School Library Left Behind (Linworth, 2008).  Now that I kind of had an understanding about the process, I started on another book and today that process can to an end with the final copies that arrived today – The 21^st Century Elementary Library Media Program (Linworth, 2010).  I keep writing articles and I’m sure at some point may tackle another book.  All along the way there have been amazing editors and publishing folks to help guide me along each and every step.

The thing that I always think about is that this could have happen to anyone.  There are amazing things happening in school libraries all over.  Taking a little time to reflect about them and write them down can lead to a published piece to share with others.  We as a profession tend to be too shy in letting others know the great things going on in school libraries.  We should take advantage of any opportunity to share.  Writing about the things that happen in our libraries is very reflective and can often lead us to think about why we do things the way we do – and make them even better.  Journals often are looking for great ideas that they can print.  Check out their submission guidelines in their journals or online.  Besides a published piece, one might also consider a blog or other online format for sharing.  There are many new avenues one can take advantage of to share.  Every time I take a few minutes to catch up on the journals I always post to our state listserv about the people from our state who are showing up in the journals.  These folks need to be recognized for their efforts, but also I hope it encourage others to follow their lead.  So as you think about what you might do in 2010, think about taking time to write an article or blog posting.  You never know when something little might lead into something bigger down the road – like a package on your own front porch!

Tags:   21st Elementary Library Program · Carl Harvey · librarymediaprogams · Linworth2 Comments

Today was a milestone of sort.  I attended my last Board meeting for the Indiana Library Federation.  I finished my year as Immediate Past President (which I think technically ends 12/31).  When I was elected in 2005, it was a 4 year rotation (2nd VP, 1st VP, President, and Past-President).  Prior to that, I served 2 years as a member on the Board representing our school library association, AIME.   I’ve enjoyed every minute of it  — even when an issue or problem came along that I thought for sure would have me bald before my term had ended.  I made amazing friendships and have learned amazing life lessons.

I always wonder how I will react to the ending of my time on the Board.  Obviously I’ve spent a great deal of time and effort in helping to move the organization forward.  You take ownership of those things you did and projects you worked on.  Sometimes it is hard to imagine that anyone but yourself could do it the right way.  But, I find that the opposite is true.  Both when I left as President of AIME and now as I leave as President of ILF, the amazing thing about professional organizations is that there is always the next leader willing and able to pick up and put their best efforts towards the organization.  I like to think they’ll tackle those areas that I couldn’t make work, or that they’ll take things I started and make them even better.   One year I worked for a principal who as she announced her retirement said, “I’ve been here long enough.  I’ve fixed all the things I know how to fix.  It is time for someone to come in with new ideas and hopefully solve those problems I couldn’t.”  I think you find as a President of an organization that same feeling rings true.

Many ask why you would run for President of an organization.  I’ve done it twice on a state-wide level and now venture into the national level as a candidate for President of the American Association of School Librarians.  I think there are a couple of reasons:

1.) Opportunity – My career as a library media specialist has always been one of opportunities.  Certainly I don’t seek them out, but rather they seem to find me.  If you had told me the first time I attend a conference, that I would have a leadership role in the organization, I probably would have laughed!  Most people wouldn’t believe this, but I tend to be shy.  Being out in front as a leader wouldn’t have been something I might have jumped on right away.  But, with each new step — committee member to committee chair to board member to president all provide a ladder for me to climb and learn and grow.   Now I’m more aware as these things come along and realize the potential of saying “yes”!

2.) Contributions – With each opportunity comes the realization that “I can do that” and “I have something to offer or contribute.”  Taking on a leadership role is one thing, but making sure that while you are serving in that role, you are making a positive contribution to move the organization forward is important.   What talents do you bring to the table?  What perspective do you provide?  How can you help guide the organization to be even better than the day you took office?  I know that my profession has given to me in so many ways by the opportunities I’ve had to attend conferences, network with colleagues, read professional literature, build friendships, and a whole host of other ways as well.  I wholeheartedly believe that it is therefore my responsibility to give back to the profession.  By serving, I can hopefully give others some of the same opportunities and benefits the profession has given to me over the years.

3.) Growth – People always seem to notice that I have an amazing administrator who supports my activities in the profession.  He may not always provide funding, but he does help to ensure I can participate and contribute as much as possible.  Anytime I’ve asked to join a new committee or take on another role, he quickly replies, “yes”.  He would tell you that he believe that all of those experiences help make me a better library media specialist for our students and staff.  I agree with him.  The interaction with other colleagues, the perspectives you learn, and the work you do all majorly impact and influence the library media specialist you are.  It helps us to grow beyond the walls of our library.  I can’t tell you the times I’ve come back from a meeting or a session and said, “We have got to try that here!”  Besides the benefits of success, I have a friend who refers to those moments in life when you’d do something differently if given the chance as “life lessons”.  It is taking the positive spin on it, but I have come to believe it the best way to consider how we grow.  As a leader there are always things I wish I had done differently.  Its part of life and we have two choices.  We can wallow in the mistakes, or we can the opportunity to learn from them.  I choose the latter.  I know that the next time around I’ll be smarter and more aware to hopefully make the right decision.

Now, just because I’m off the Board doesn’t mean I’m going away.  I’m still a card-carrying member of ILF and AIME.  I still believe that I have ways I can contribute to the growth of our state professional organizations.  So, while I may not be sitting on the Board, I likely won’t be on the sidelines either.  I’m sure there will be some other opportunities that come along the way.

I’m excited about the upcoming AASL election and running for President.  I see it as another way I can contribute and give back to the field.  My leadership with AIME and ILF will be (and have been) a value to me in this new endeavor.

This has been my paths.  Others may go down different roads and have different ways they can contribute back.  Whatever that road might be, look for the opportunities to be active and involved in your state and/or national organization.  It certainly will be an experience you won’t regret!

Tags:   Indiana Library Federation · LeadershipComments Off

Given a few days off and my sleep pattern somewhat tends to change.  So here it is way past my normal bedtime and I’m still wide awake.  Rather than waste the time away, I’m going to finally get a new posting up on this blog.  I keep thinking I’ll get into a rhythm and flow of posting more often, but alas something always seems to come up.

So, since the last posting has been a little while, it seemed appropriate to catch-up after a most busy fall.  So, here are the highlights of the last few weeks.

* I am very excited to be a candidate for President of the American Association of School Librarians.  The election is this spring, so I encourage all AASL members to get out there and vote (vote for Sara Kelly Johns for ALA President, too!)!!  You can read more about my candidacy on my website or check out my Facebook group.

* The AASL conference this fall was a wonderful learning experience.  Keynotes danah boyd, James Patterson, and Marco Torres were amazing.  I still need to find some time to go back to my notes and process some of their messages.   As always it was a great time to meet with my colleagues, friends, and the vendors, too.

* I’ve been working as part of the Library Media Committee for the National Boards for Professional Teaching Standards.  I am in awe of the company I’m surrounded by in our meetings.  Each person brings such a unique perspective and opinion as we work to rewrite the Library Media standards to become National Board Certified Teacher.    We still have a couple of months to go before we’re done and I look forward to it.

* C.L.A.S.S. (Connected Learning Assures Students Success) has been a main part of my professional development for a long time now.  This month I presented/facilitated at their Related Arts Day and attended the Support Team Day.  The monthly e-Tools I write was just finished, too, so I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with my C.L.A.S.S. friends.

* A few articles published as well as waiting anxiously for my copies of my new book which should arrive by years end.  The 21st Century Elementary Library Program is published by Linworth.

* Just last week I attend Peggy Sharp‘s annual trip through Indianapolis to talk about the Best Books of 2009.  I wasn’t disappointed.  I got lots of great new ideas!

* School was a busy place, too, with three grade levels doing a major project.  We also use our PLCs to provide professional development for our teachers about wikis.

I make this list for a couple of reasons.

1. I’m getting older and it helps me to think back to remember what I’ve done, so I can reflect a bit on the accomplishments and see potential for improvements down the road.
2. It reminds me that there are opportunities abound.  We have to be willing and ready so that we can jump on those adventures and see where they take us.
3. I think it is amazing the interactions with people all of these events have brought.  I got a chance to meet in person many folks I know virtually.  There were people I knew and new people to meet.  Networking to me is so critically to our job because I think it helps us to broaden our thinking and perspective.  I sometimes need that little push there and these conversations help to create that.

I know I’ve used this phrase before in an article and probably in this blog if I went back and looked, but Barbara Pedersen from C.L.A.S.S. says it best, “As good as we are, we can always get better!”  This fall has been an amazing time in my professional career as there have been opportunities and changes for me to get even better!  I know that everything on my list this year will have an impact on what I do with students and teachers the rest of the year.  I can’t wait to see where the path will take me now!

Tags:   AASL · Barbara Pedersen · C.L.A.S.S. · Linworth · Peggy SharpComments Off

I love getting packages in the mail.  This week a package arrived on my front door step and I was thrilled to see Kristin Fontichiaro’s new book.  Kristin has scoped through the archives of School Library Monthly (formerly School Libraries Activity Monthly) and pulled out some of the best pieces that hep us think about 21st Century learning.   She’s done an amazing job editing all these resources together.  While I’ve read most of the articles in the book, it is so nice to have them all together in one place for each access.  Kristin has also provides some wonderful context for why they are important pieces for us to read.  For those just beginning to look at the new AASL Standards and figuring out how we make those fit, this would be a prefect companion piece to read.  Kristin’s book is published by Libraries Unlimited which is an imprint of ABC-Clio.  If you click on the cover, it will take you directly to the site to order it!

I probably should also tell you a couple things, so you’ll know my biases up front.

• School Library Monthly holds a special place in my heart because it was the very first magazine that ever published a piece of my writing.  As a matter of fact, they accepted and published it before I even had a job.  I wrote it based on an experience while student teaching and yet they still took it and published!
• I still write for the magazine (and others) and I’m honored that Kristin did select a few of my pieces for inclusion in her book.

I’m anxious to take some time and really reread all the wealth of ideas and knowledge in the book.  But, that will have to wait until after AASL Conference next week in Charlotte.   Wonder what new gem will show up on the doorstep next??  Hopefully it will be my new book as that is due out in just a few weeks!!!

Tags:   21st Century Learning · ABC-Clio · Kristin Fontichiaro · Libraries Unlimited · School Library MonthlyComments Off

While at the SLJ Summit in D.C., it was announced that Sara Kelly Johns, former AASL President and Library Media Specialist from Lake Placid, NY will be running for President of ALA.

This is an exciting opportunity to place a school librarian at the helm of the largest professional organization for librarians.  So, I encourage all school librarians to make sure their membership in ALA/AASL is current and be ready to cast a vote for Sara Kelly Johns in the spring election.

Thanks to Cathy Nelson for the widget that I put on my blog.  It will direct you to Sara’s website.

Tags:   ALA · sara kelly johnsComments Off

We’re working on a lot of fun things this year at my school.  I’m most excited about our professional development plan.  Our staff book study is Will Richardson’s Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.  We’re not necessarily going in order, but using it as the outline for our professional development his year.

We decided to start out with podcasts.  I spent a week training teachers.  Each created a short recording about their favorite children’s books.  Hopefully we’ll get them posted soon.  I loved how we decided to do the trainings this week.  Rather than a large group, I went to each of their Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) meetings this week.  We worked in a small group and could focus on their grade level.  It was perfect.  Now we’re working on integrating a project with podcasts into their curriculum.  The plan is to have a staff meeting at the end of October where everyone will share what they’ve done with their students.

We’ll repeat this model a couple of times the rest of the year as we explore these tools and how we can best use them with our students.  Should make for a busy and exciting year!

Tags:   podcasting · Professional DevelopmentComments Off

My grandma, Edith Aileen Groseclose Harvey, was born September 27, 1926 at 819 Chase Street, Indianapolis, Indiana.  She was the 7^th child of Walter J. and Grace Lucille (White) Groseclose.   She was named for two of the ladies that lived in their neighborhood.  She always went by Aileen.  One year she started school and the teacher called her Edith.  Her mother insisted she go back and tell the teacher she was to be called Aileen.

As a young child – maybe 2 – the family borrowed a car to visit some relatives.  Along the bumpy road at some point Grandma went flying out the car.  She was hitting in the lap of one of her brothers who obviously did hold on to her quite tight enough.  It took a few minutes to get stopped and by the time the family had turned the car around she was standing up walking down the road as if nothing had happen.  She would say it was a sure sign that she had a hard head!

Growing up on the westside of Indianapolis, Grandma spent summers of her youth swimming at the pool at Rhodius Park.  She attended West Morris Street Christian Church where she accepted Christ.   The house where she grew up on Chase Street was crowded with her parents and siblings.  She talked about if you finished dinner first you had to go out the back of the house to get back to the front.

Her father insisted that all of his children would have high school diplomas.  Grandma graduated from George Washington High School in 1944.   In August 1948, Gaynell Case introduced her to Grandpa, Ralph C. Harvey.  Six weeks later to the day they met on September 24, 1948 they were married in the West Morris Street Christian Church.

They lived in a few places on the westside before building their first house on E. 33^rd Street.  They lived there for many raising their sons Carl and Mark.

Grandma worked for RCA until she got married.  She stayed home with her children for a while, but returned to work in 1966 as a U.S. Postal Clerk in 1966.   She retired in 1973 following an accident where she was hit by a car that crushed her hip.  While in the hospital, Grandpa and her sons moved her and the family to their new home on Jackson Street back on the Westside of Indianapolis.

Grandma enjoyed sewing and crocheting.  She sewed many dolls and clothes.  When she made a new dress she would often make a matching tie for Ralph to wear.  Even as her eyesight began to fail, she continued to crochet making many blankets to give to her grandchildren.

After Grandma’s eyesight was completely gone, she became a voracious listener of audiobooks.  She listened to stories of all kinds borrowing many of them from the Speedway Public Library and the Indiana State Library.

In the mid-1980s she and Grandpa moved to Brewer Drive.  They spent many years at that house together taking care of each other as they got older.  Grandpa and Grandma enjoyed the frequent visits and phone calls from their grandchildren.

Often Grandma loved to look through her old pictures.  Even though she couldn’t see them, she loved the memories they brought back for her.  Someone would start describing a picture to her and she would stop them and say, “Oh yeah, I had on such and such a dress.  It had this pattern in it.”  or  ”There were four of us in that picture and I’m the 2nd from the right.”  She had an amazing memory for details of events that had happen many years ago and even not being able to see the picture in her hand, still had a perfect image of it in her mind.  Grandpa and Grandma lived on Brewer until 2008 when they moved to Cicero to live with their son Carl.

Grandma died Thursday, August 27, 2009 at home in Cicero just one month shy of her 83^rd birthday.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Ralph C. Harvey, four brothers Elvin Richard, Roy Merle, Eugene Howard, and Milburn Walter Groseclose; two sisters, Doris Lucille Groseclose and Vivian Groseclose Henson.

She is survived by her sons, Carl (Brenda) and Mark Harvey; grandchildren, Carl II, Lara (Roger) Najdek, Mary, Craig (Elizabeth), Monica, and Matthew Harvey; step-grandchildren, Derek and Shannon Finley; and great-grandchildren, Matthew Najdek and Hannah Harvey; and one brother, Wilbur Groseclose.

She was buried at the Bluff Creek Cemetery next to her husband Ralph and near her parents, grandparents, and many of her siblings.

Tags: 1 Comment

Our school for the last several years has adopted the C.L.A.S.S. Model for our instructional model.  One of the tools C.L.A.S.S. shared with us is the idea of a hallway greeting.  You’ll find things like this outside every learning space in our building.  The idea is to provide a variety of opportunities for students to read text no matter where they are in the building.

My hallway greeting this week comes from a poster I got at ALA this summer.  I grabbed it the minute I saw it because it went with a book by author Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrator Tom Lichtenheld.  Separately they have done some amazing books, but together they do some unbelievable work.  There latest book, Duck! Rabbit! is perfect for using with students and teachers.  It is all about perspective and how everyone may look at the same thing and see something completely different.  Being able to step back and see something from another perspective can be an invaluable skill to learn when working with people.  Sometimes we get so focused on how we see things that we don’t take a minute to consider there might be another way to look at it.

There are lots of ways to use this book, but two ideas that quickly came to my mind:

Consider sharing this book with teachers at a staff meeting before discussing a heated topic.  Starting the conversation by thinking about looking at the issue from all perspectives could lead to solution that works for all.

Consider sharing this with students when you need to help them resolve a conflict.  Letting students see there are different ways to look at the issue may help them start to understand how each other are feeling.

Rosenthal and Lichtenheld’s book is certainly one I’m glad to add to my collection.  It will be right there next to The OK Book which I loved as well.  I can’t wait to see what new books we’ll see from them next.

Tags:   amy_rosenthal · C.L.A.S.S. · tom_lichtenheldComments Off