Showing posts with label Advocacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advocacy. Show all posts

February 5, 2015

Popular Library Memes

Here's my Thursday round up of librarian memes.  Some are humorous while others focus on our ongoing advocacy efforts.

I also included an original meme featuring one of my freshman athlete students and I.  Creating your own memes are a great way of encouraging students to pick up a book and read and they promote your Library Media Center.

Enjoy!

February 4, 2015

Chicago Needs Elementary School Librarians

Reposted from WBEZ - Chicago
It’s no secret that when funding goes for a elementary school, one of the first affected areas is the school library. A school with a dedicated library could end up with only a shelf in a classroom. And then there are other cases, where the school supports the library and kids have an active role in reading, not to mention just more exposure to ideas, to topics, to the world.


Terri Grief, President of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA)

Megan Cusick, Chicago Public Schools Librarian and Chair of Chi School Librarians

Chicago Needs More School Librarians

The struggle continues for CPS librarians.  I just pray that more positions will open back up for this fall.  Chicago Public Schools students deserve to receive the service of a credentialed librarian and discover books in the school's central library collection.




September 21, 2014

The Better the School Library, The Higher the Reading Scores

I just love Stephen Krashen.

Dr. Krashen is the Professor Emeritus of University of Southern California, and world renowned language acquisition expert.  Krashen is a champion for school libraries.  Earlier this year, he spoke passionately about the need for school librarians and school libraries at the Los Angeles Unified School District's school board meeting.    He argued that investing in libraries offers a path to literacy for economically disadvantaged children.  Below is the full speech he gave along with some key points for further reading.   This speech is based on his studies on school libraries that he has conducted along with Dr. Keith Curry Lance.
Geoffrey Canada


 1.  "Poverty Counts, lack of health care, lack of access to books, home, neighborhood, schools, the hungry, ill all have nothing to read on their own."


2.  "The more people read for pleasure, the higher their literacy scores." 

Free voluntary reading access to books makes a difference."
'Reading for pleasure did it for him'
Geoffrey Canada, President of the Harlem Children's Zone
http://www.philanthropynewsdigest.org/newsmakers/geoffrey-canada-president-ceo-harlem-children-s-zone-inc.-improving-outcomes-for-children-and-youth-through-a-place-based-strategy
Liz Murray
'It was books that made the difference'
Liz Murray, Harvard Graduate and motivational speaker.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129753532

 
Dr. Keith Curry Lance
3.  "The better the school library, the high the reading scores"
Dr. Keith Curry Lance, Founding Director of the Library Research Service at the Colorado State Library
founding Director of the Library Research Service at the Colorado State Library - See more at: http://keithcurrylance.com/about_keith/#sthash.2mhLzseG.dpuf
founding Director of the Library Research Service at the Colorado State Library - See more at: http://keithcurrylance.com/about_keith/#sthash.2mhLzseG.dpuf
founding Director of the Library Research Service at the Colorado State Library - See more at: http://keithcurrylance.com/about_keith/#sthash.2mhLzseG.d
"Impact of access to books all over the world,  scoring on the Pearls Examination - international test,
Access to a library of a collection of 500 books or more,
balances the effect of poverty.  Poor children don't read well because they do not have access to books.  When kids have access, they read more."


His strongest statements:
  1. "Poverty counts, students that live in poverty has minimal access to books"
  2. "The more school librarians per child, the higher the reading scores."
  3. "The Better the School Library, The Higher the Reading Scores"
  4. "More studies need to be conducted to see if funding technology in K-12 education will work."
  5. "The use of technology for online testing for Common Core standards, means that this is the biggest expense in the history of education."
  6. "Access to books and libraries really does help"
Stephen Krashen needs to come to Illinois....school librarians in this state need him now more than ever before.

August 31, 2014

Classroom Libraries

In an effort to help once again...I've created another board on the school's Pinterest page.
Wendell Phillips Academy Classroom Libraries Pinterest Board

The Classroom Libraries Pinterest board provides teachers with a virtual guide for setting up a marvelous library in their classroom.  Teachers can see creative physical spaces, gain decorating ideas, download helpful signage/labels and read more about how the classroom library feeds into the central library within the school.

Now I know those of you who are teacher-librarians really take a hands off attitude about assisting with the classroom libraries.  Like you, my library budget has been cut in several schools so that the classroom libraries can receive the financial support....ouch right?   Years ago, Chicago Public Schools librarians were instructed to provide a teacher overview of how to set up classroom libraries.  After the presentation, the classroom teachers received a set of books across the genres for their libraries.  Librarians did not receive books but did receive a heartfelt thank you.  That really stung.  Okay, I'm being a little snarky here but that really angered many of us.   In addition, I refuse to re-org my library by genre, lexile or whatever new reinvention of the wheel that they come up with.  When libraries are re-orged, it hurts the students because there's no transfer of knowledge when they visit libraries that are organized by Dewey.  Let me stop my rant now.
Teacher-Librarians Are Leaders!

Returning to the 'positive', there are some benefit I see in supporting my fellow teachers in providing advisement on setting up classroom libraries .  Also, if you have any additional benefits, please share them with me!:

1.  Classroom teachers are often 'lost' when it comes to setting up their libraries.  They request my support because I am the trusted and reliable reading/book/literacy expert in the building. 

Book display in the  Library Media Center 
2.  I read the books (really I do!!) and can connect them directly to the curriculum.  Teachers use me as their 'go to' person in the building.

3.  I share with classroom teachers which books kids will actually read (not just enjoy) and those they will put down.  When shopping at those half-off and discounted stores, teachers will be a little more selective in their purchasing decisions.

4.  Books in the classroom libraries can provide just a taste for reading, but the school library will satisfy a hunger for reading.

5.  Because the classroom library is an 'unbalanced collection' and does not represent all interests, beliefs and cultures students will use the school library as a greater and expanded resource of information.

6.  Students will see that the classroom library and school library do compliment each other and both encourage the love of reading. 

One of my fav book displays I pulled off of Pinterest
All roads lead to the school library right?  The main key to making this work is school libraries must receive financial support to purchase books from the school budget.  They shouldn't have to rely on grants, donations or other means to maintain a healthy collection that serves the entire student population.  No program should be deemed more important than the other.   Face it, no classroom collection can duplicate the depth of a great school library collection....not one. 


Source:
The Ultimate Classroom Library:  Your School Media Center
by Buffy Hamilton
http://www.aasl.ala.org/aaslblog/?p=438  

Meme - The Four Roles of the Teacher-Librarian
http://tl-ng.wikispaces.com/The+Four+Roles+of+the+Teacher+Librarian 

June 26, 2014

SLJ's Leadership Summit 2014

Mark your calendars!  I will be serving as a panelist for the upcoming School Library Journal 'Leadership Summit 2014'.  The summit will be held on Sunday, October 26th in St. Paul, Minnesota.    

For more information, visit the SLJ Leadership website -  SLJ's Leadership Summit 


April 6, 2014

School Library Month in Chicago

#Repost - American School Library Association Website

School Library Month (SLM) is the American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) celebration of school librarians and their programs.  Every April school librarians are encouraged to create activities to help their school and local community celebrate the essential role that strong school library programs play in a student's educational career. 

Chicago Public Schools librarians are celebrating too!  A new Twitter page has been created by CPS Certified School Librarians this weekend to highlight the GREAT things Chicago school librarians are doing every day with students in their libraries.   Follow this Twitter page to view projects, pictures and read articles about school libraries.  Don't have a Twitter account?  You can view the tweets by logging onto:
FOLLOW US!
@ChiSLibrarians


National Library Week

#Reposted from American Library Association: National Library Week

Libraries and librarians have a powerful and positive impact on the lives of Americans on a daily basis. Their stories are key to communicating the value of libraries.   National Library Week is the perfect opportunity to encourage your community to tell the story of how the library has changed their life.

It's time to celebrate in Chicago and around the country!

January 30, 2014

The Art of #Repost

I love to #Repost...especially on Twitter!
 
I'm up every morning at 4:30am reading online and learning new things.  Whether it be on my iPhone, my trusty iPad mini or desktop, reading professional articles provides me with more knowledge, direction during confusing times and inspiration to strive for better for my students.  
   
     Often times, something that is written by another person will grab my interest touch my heart or add fuel to it internal burning fire of an issue that I'm dealing with.   I normally don't #Repost other blogs on my blog but in this case, I just couldn't resist.

#Repost - Diane Ravitch recently posted a speech given by Principal Frank Sutliff.  Sutliff is also the President of SAANYS (School Administrators Association of New York State) and a former librarian.  This speech was delivered to a crowd of concerned citizens and educators at the Oneonta (New York) Forum on January 18m 2014.   

My favorite quote of the article was of course librarian centered:
“I know that I loved reading due to the worlds that it opened; I also know that our so called close readings of prescribed documents and passages will not open up that same love of literature in today’s students.”

Man did he ever hit that one out of the park!  Just read the ENTIRE speech, you will not be disappointed.  Remember, feel free to #Repost.

Diane Ravitch Blog
"A Principal Eloquently Denounces Common Core and Race to the Top"