The state of Texas has a budget deficit in the billions. Schools and library programs will be cut, which means people will suffer. Both institutions are about transforming lives through information. This great video says it better than I ever could…
See more library promotional videos here.
Librarians are such a modest group. There are fantastic learning experiences and programs that take place in school 
libraries every day, but no one knows about them. I know we were all taught that it isn’t polite to brag on ourselves, but there is a professional way to go about it: a monthly report.
In a recent blog post over at Informania, Fran Bullington writes:
How do you keep your program front and center in the eyes of your school community? Many school librarians create and share monthly statistics reports with their principals. But should we stop there? Why not post these reports for the entire school community?
She goes on, linking to several stellar library reports by librarians around the country and vowing to upgrade her own reports in the process. Take a look at these examples - it will be well worth your time.
Librarians in my district create monthly or six weeks reports in all kinds of different ways. You are really only limited by your creativity, but a report should include photos of students in the library along with stats and some information about the teaching that you are doing.
One of our high school librarians is experimenting with reporting via web 2.0 tools. For the first six weeks this year, she created her report on Glogster. She plans to use a different web 2.0 tool each six weeks.
This year I have started compiling a six weeks report for the district from information submitted by the campus librarians. The first one is posted on our library services wiki.
Monthly reports are a great way to let people know how the library is being used. If you aren’t doing one, I encourage you to start.
If you’re already doing a monthly report, post it online for everyone to see!
Remember Doug Johnson’s 3rd Commandment of a Successful Library Program:
Thou shall take thy light out from under thy damn bushel and share with others all the wonders thou dost perform.
Go forth and SHARE!
Communicating with someone who speaks a different language can be difficult and frustrating for both parties. Talking slower and louder doesn’t make the other person understand either! It requires a concerted effort to learn some common vocabulary when trying to communicate.
Librarians and principals often speak different languages, even though both are educators. Librarians must make an effort to learn to speak “principal” in order to communicate effectively about the library program.
This afternoon’s TLA webinar, “Are We Speaking the Same Language?,” addressed this issue. Joel Castro, webinar presenter and principal at East Early College High School in Houston ISD gave some tips for speaking the principal’s language:
1. Say “student achievement” a lot – talk about what you are doing to help students learn.
2. Learn about school accountability – feel the heat that your principal deals with on a daily basis.
3. Be seen working with core content area teachers. Talk to your principal about what you are doing with them.
4. Copy the principal on all memos that go out to the teachers from the library.
5. Provide the principal with data showing how much better your library is than other libraries!
–Evidence that students are excited about coming to the library
–Number of classes taught
–Usage stats on databases
–Circulation statistics
–Evidence of improvement from year to year
–Comparative data from other schools
–Evidence of planning meetings with content area teachers
–Evidence of contributions made to the school outside of the library program (chaperoning field trips, author visits, serving on committees, club sponsorship, etc.)
6. Model the use of 21st century tools and teach students and teachers how to use them as well.
If you’ve had trouble connecting with your principal in the past, Joel’s advice is to START OVER. Begin by asking the principal what he/she would like to see in the library program. He says, “The creative librarian will weave best practices into the principal’s wishes for the program to create a new, positive direction.”
Take his advice, learn some common vocabulary and start speaking “principal”!
Image: “Celebrating the Principals Birthday with Flip Flops.”
Students are taking the TAKS test this week, and I’m here in my office with no phone calls or emails to distract me. Now is the perfect time to post about all these cool things I’ve been collecting from my Reader for the last several months.
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SafeshareTV – this web site allows you to share YouTube videos without all the distracting and sometimes inappropriate comments and related videos on the page. Simply paste the URL of the YouTube video you’d like to use into the box on Safeshare.tv, then click “Generate Safe Link.” Note: This doesn’t let you bypass any filters that are in place – in my district you still have to go to YouTube and override the filter before you can see the video through SafeshareTV – but it does cover up all the other “stuff” on the YouTube page.
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22books – Tara at the TLC=Tech+Library+Classroom blog first alerted me to this site. It is a librarian’s dream. It allows you to make book lists that you can link to or embed in blogs, wikis or web pages. Next time a teacher asks for a list of good books that are good examples of “voice,” make it on 22books and email a link. Lists created here are easy to update and share. Tara has created a whole wiki using embedded lists from 22books. Here’s a list that I put together in about 5 minutes. A really easy tool to use!
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The Amazing Web 2.0 Projects Book by Terry Freedman is a free e-book that is perfect for librarians and teachers who want to integrate some new web 2.0 tools into their instruction. Download it today!
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Dan Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, has a new book out about motivation. Drive: the Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us picks up where A Whole New Mind left off and discusses the how people who are involved in creative right-brain work need different motivation than people who are involved in left-brain work. Definitely something for educators to consider. The video below is Pink himself discussing the science behind motivating people. It’s a little long (18 min.) but well worth watching.
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Writing a Paper? Try These 7 Research Tips – great article from US News and World Report that might benefit seniors going off to college in the fall. (via the Neverending Search blog)
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Teaching Kids to Read from the Back of a Burro – this CNN Hero is a man with a mission to save the rural children of Colombia from illiteracy. Great story!
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Rethinking Library Advocacy – One of the many great sessions I attended at TLA had to do with advocacy. The speakers were two of the ladies who have become known in library circles as “the Spokane Moms.” These women pulled together a grass-roots effort to save school librarians whose positions were being cut in Washington. They had some very sound advice for those of us who advocate for school libraries. This post does a great job of summarizing the session.
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Shelf Consumed is a new blog written by my colleague Leigh Ann Jones. She has some great content – it’s an RSS feed worth adding!
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That’s all I’ve got for today. Good luck to all the students working hard on those tests this week!
This is a great video that really describes what a 21st century librarian does. It’s not just books anymore!
(via The Blue Skunk Blog)
Back in September, Cushing Academy in Massachusetts made the news by announcing that they were removing all of the books from the library in order to make room for digital information sources. This move prompted librarians and education bloggers around the country to write and wonder about the place that print resources have in a 21st century library. A great response came from Brian Kenney, editor of School Library Journal, in his editorial from the October issue.
In this month’s issue of Teacher Librarian though, David Loertscher puts it all in perspective with this list:
Ten Things Worse Than a Library Without Books:
1. A library without a credentialed teacher-librarian.
2. A library without information in the format users prefer.
3. A library that restricts access to information in any format.
4. A library that most teachers ignore.
5. A library that most students Google around.
6. A teacher-librarian who is afraid of, or ignores the impact of technology.
7. A library that only deals in print materials.
8. A library of antiquated computers and computer networks.
9. A library where tech directors have a big sign behind their desks reading: Just say NO!
10. An empty library.
He makes a great point – what’s the point of having a library (with or without books) at all, if students and teachers aren’t using it?
In a time when information is plentiful and easy to get, users have to believe that coming to the library adds value to their information experience or they will get what they need elsewhere. What are you doing to add value to your students’ and teachers’ experiences in the library?
Julie Todaro, presenter
TLA recently conducted a public opinion poll of Texas voters to find out how much support there is out there for all types of libraries.
Other sources of data about school libraries:
AASL – Research and Statistics
Michael Eisenberg’s presentations
Library Media Program: Data Sources, the School Library Media Specialist
Resources for School Librarians
The TLA survey was a statewide telephone survey conducted in October – November 2008.
The survey found that nearly all Texans (99%) are an essential part of the educational experience and more than 9 in 10 agree that school librarians are critical to student achievement. The vast majority would support legislation that would require public schools to provide students with a school library and librarian that meets statewide standards. More than 8 in 10 voters across every demographic segment and geographic region support the legislation, including 88% of Republicans, 95% of Democrats and 96% of Independents.
Strong majorities support increasing public funding for school libraries!
Data from the survey shows that the general public feels that school libraries and professional give every child the opportunity to read and learn.
How can we use this data to promote school libraries?
Use it as a message to administrators, school boards, PTA groups, teachers, students, relevant associations and legislators.
Expand the Strong Libraries Strong Scores mini-conference model to other areas of the state, to other associations and organizations and with other related events.
TLA recommends focusing on the unique contribution of school libraries to round out and encourage student development and achievement. Instead of trying to be another classroom, focus on what makes us unique.
Jennifer LaBoon, presenter
The 81st Legislative Session ended June 1 with “partisan meltdown” and many bills died.
Two key issues for schools were the K-12 databases and a full-time librarian on every campus. The databases funding made it through, but was not increased as requested. The state library will be doing some “creative” budgeting in order to keep the resources at the existing level. While we didn’t get quite what we wanted, we didn’t lose any ground.
The full-time librarian issue is a difficult one. There has been discussion of this for a long time, but many have been reluctant to press it with the legislators. The hope is that we could possibly replicate the standard for counselors, which are mandated at schools of 500 students or more. The timing must be right to move forward on the issue.
HB 915 specifies that TEA must consider of a school district provides a certified school librarian on a campus as part of the accountability rating for a district. The bill was referred to the Public Education committee, but never got a hearing. Inquiries into the feasibility of a similar bill in the Senate were met with heavy resistance – no unfunded mandates.
HB 3/ SB 3 was the “accountability” bill. Rep. Dennis Bonnen worked to amend the bill to include certified librarians as part of the accountability ratings. The amended language was stripped by the Conference Committee, as were most floor amendments added in the House. Bonnen did not give up, though, and worked with Rep. Rose to add library services to her amendment 72. Unfortunately, all amendments that passed the House were removed by the Senate.
School library advocacy efforts are important and all are encouraged to attend TLA Legislative Day. Legislators really do not realize that every school does not have a certified librarian on every campus and need to be made aware of the situation.
The school library study mandated by the last legislative session was presented in December 2008. It was very positive towards school libraries. Other initiatives include the Shirley Igo Award for PTA members who are supportive of their school libraries. TLA had a booth at state PTA conference and PTA had a booth at the TLA conference. The Spokane Moms are confirmed to present at TLA 2010.
Take home ideas:
Vote! for school board, legislators, congress
Create an administrator of the year award for an administrator who advocates for libraries
Create a librarian of the year awar
Create a Friends of School Libraries grou
Reach out to your PTA group and other civic groups
Attend Town Hall events
Invite legislators to school literacy events
Send thank you letters
Reach out to smaller districts around you
Attend Advocacy Pre-Conference at TLA 2010
Plan to attend Legislative Day in 2011 and TLA in Austin in 2011
Volunteer to help advocate for school libraries at these upcoming events:
PTA Summer Leadership Conference
Austin, July 24-25
TASA/TASB Conference
Houston, October 1-4
Every year, when we evaluate our library programs according to the Standards and Guidelines for Texas School Libraries, one of our lowest areas is typically Standard V – Connections to the Community. It takes a lot of planning and effort to reach out and bring the community into the school library, but if you invite them, they will come!
Case in point: Right before Spring Break, Margaret Beasley, librarian at Cannaday Elementary hosted a Library Expo. This evening event featuring the library attracted over 200 students, parents and siblings! Attendees were treated to demonstrations of technology that is used in the library, including a Promethean interactive white board lesson
and podcasts created by 3rd and 6th graders.
They were also given a hands-on lesson in the computer lab on how to access the library’s online resources from home.
This year’s event was so successful that Margaret is already making plans to do it again next year!
The benefits of a program like this are many. Not only does it make stakeholders aware of what their kids are doing when they come to the library and of the resources that are available, it increases the likelihood that those stakeholders will advocate to keep the library program, if there should ever be a possibility of letting it go.
What are you doing to get parents into your library?
Friday began with a wonderful Mexican breakfast provided for us by PermaBound. We enjoyed visiting with the PermaBound folks and each other on this last day of our meeting.
Gloria Meraz started the morning with some information about the work TLA has been doing with the legislature to advocate for school libraries. She believes that we now have a foothold in several important governmental agencies, both at the state and national levels. We are poised to work with and through TEA and TSLAC in order to move forward and get school libraries into state policy. This is an extremely complex issue that we need to approach with caution. Gloria encourages us to start at home talking to our local district officials, parent and student groups to educate them regarding the benefit of school libraries.
The TEA and TSLAC study of school libraries is due to the legislature in December, which is probably too late for legislation to be drafted for this session. We hope that the report will convey a sense of needed action, but understand that the agencies involved may not feel that it is within their purview to provide that. If they don’t, it will be up to us to come up with an action plan. This legislative session will be a time for us to stack up some building blocks and strengthen the legislators’ understanding of our needs.
Our job #1 is to get administrators, superintendents and parents to speak on our behalf. This is the time that things are happening, we need to do it now!
Region One ESC has a reading program called the Tejas Star Book Award, that gives an award each year to a bilingual book. 129 languages are spoken in Texas schools, but Spanish is the highest. Region 10, 11, 14 all have high populations of English Language Learners. There aren’t many research articles written about supporting ELLs in the library, but the research that we do have shows that ELLs need culturally relevant texts in order to make reading easier for them.
The purpose of the award is to promote reading among all students, but also to promote the benefits of bilingualism/multilingualism in a global community. The program also aligns with TAKS objective 1 that deals with culturally diverse written text. The 2007 PEIMS snapshot shows that 46% are Hispanic and 16% are LEP.
To make it on the list, a book must have an accurate and positive representation of the Latino culture with authentic and affirmative portrayal of characters. A book must also have been published originally in Spanish or in full Spanish/English format. The content of a book must be appropriate for students in grades K-6, be of high literary quality, and have received a positive review by a major review source or by one of the Tejas Star committee members. If a book is published outside the US, it must be of interest to Texas school children.
The 2007 winner was Juan and the Chupacabras by Xavier Garza. The 2008-2009 book list can be found here.
Instructions for participation and voting
Tejas Star participation and tally form
The new list consists of 12 titles. Students must read 3 of the titles in order to vote for their favorite one.
After a check of the Mesquite ISD library catalog, DS found that many of our libraries already have most of them. This would be a great addition to any library’s reading promotion activities.
The morning break was sponsored by Heinemann-Raintree.
