OEMA Newsletter
  
An Electronic Newsletter
of The Oregon Educational Media Association
Volume 15 No. 8
April, 2003

FROM THE PREZ - Kelly Kuntz

Despite the grim news from the headlines, both internationally on the war front and within our own state which is paralyzed financially, and the fact that portending cuts are weighing heavily on all of us, the robins continue to stalk the green grass shoots looking for plump worms, the red-hued leaves of the Japanese maples are beginning to unfold and furl, and the gophers proudly announce their presences with marvelous mounds and piles of freshly dug dirt. Life does have a way of continuing.

I am in the midst of moving from one house to another after eighteen years, and am reacquainting myself with Kuntz archives in our attic in a desperate attempt to reduce the number of boxes required for the move. However painful and time-consuming, this process has afforded me with a rare glimpse into the "wheel of time" which, often despite our best efforts, continues to move forward. Change is painful, frightening and can be extremely uncomfortable. Change can also be challenging, motivating and invigorating. Leaving one's comfort zones to reach the next level is unnerving, and yet we must be ready to reach up and grasp that sharp, rocky outcropping as we pull ourselves up toward the summit. The rocks may be sharp and difficult to navigate, but must be conquered in order to reach the top. 

Our journey may pave the way for others to follow. And so, during these scary, demoralizing times, please know that you are not alone. Use the combined power of your fellow OEMA members to assist you as you climb that mountain. Visit the OEMA web site (http://www.oema.net) often as it will be continuously updated with helpful news, links and resources to help you and your community advocate for school libraries. Likewise, if you discover a successful tactic or strategy, please share it with your OEMA colleagues via the listerv.

And, all I can say after spending hours in my attic trying to slim down my possessions/archives on a lovely Saturday at the end of March, thank goodness my husband is in the moving business! Enjoy the warmth of April.

OEMA SPRING REGIONAL CONFERENCES

Mark your calendars for OEMA Spring Regional Conferences. Here are the dates and the organizers who are working very hard to produce a quality Saturday spring mini-conference for you:

2003 CONFERENCE: KEEPER OF THE KEYS

Keeper of the Keys is planning sessions for all library staff. Sessions at both the Friday extended sessions and Saturday's concurrent sessions are being planned for library staff who are managing a library for the first time, as well as for veteran library media specialists. Whether you need to learn or brush up on cataloging, or need ideas for your library web page, there will be sessions for you.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD FOR ADMINISTRATORS

The OEMA awards committee is still seeking nominees for this year's Distinguished Library Service Award for School Administrators. If you have a supportive and great building or district administrator, especially in these trying times, please send your nomination to awards co-chair Martha Decherd <Martha_Decherd@ddouglas.k12.or.us> by May 30, 2003. 

For complete information check out the OEMA website at http://www.oema.net/awards/admin.html

GEORGE FOX SUMMER CLASSES
George Fox will offer three courses toward a library media endorsement from June 23-July 11 on the campus in Newberg.

Dynamic School Library Program EDFL550 (3 Units)

Offered MWF 12:30 –4:30 and Tuesday and Thursday 8:30-3:30 June 23-July 3

This course introduces the student to all aspects of Program Administration, including the role of the media center, development of goals, both short and long term, human, physical, and financial resources. Required for Library Media Specialization

Advanced Studies in Childhood/Adolescent Literature EDFL533 (2 units)

08:30-12:00 MWF

This course focuses on a critical examination of children's literature as literature, considers curriculum development based on children's literature, and on a further development of a broad understanding of literacy learning issues. Required for Reading Specialization and for Library Media Specialization.

Resource Management EDFL556 (3 units)

05:30-08:30P MTWTF

This course provides the media specialist with resources and knowledge about the organization, cataloging, classification and arrangement of resources in the media center.Classroom centered
George Fox University teacher education programs take you a step further than the state requires. Employers recognize our graduates' commitment to excellence and their superior level of preparation. Well-designed programs, smaller classes, and attentive instructors make George Fox University a satisfying place to broaden your teaching horizons.

Further information can be obtained from:

Karen Wedeking
Coordinator of the Library Media Endorsement
kwedekin@georgefox.edu
503-554-2850

PSU ANNOUNCES ONLINE INITIAL EDUCATIONAL MEDIA/LIBRARIANSHIP ENDORSEMENT PROGRAM

Beginning Fall 20003, Portland State University will begin a distance program in Educational Media/Librarianship focusing on the preparation of school library media specialists for professional positions in K-12 library media centers. The content of the program will be exactly the same as that offered face-to-face on-campus, but will be offered online with periodic residencies on-campus. Admission to this cohort program is required. Deadline date for applications is JUNE 1, 2003.

Highlights of the program
*Four-term format: Begin fall and end summer, for a four consecutive term program
*Distance delivery flexibility: Decide when to study and interact with your professors and classmates - days, evenings, or weekends - anywhere there's a personal computer and an Internet connection
*Residencies: Get the best of two academic worlds by benefiting from periodic Friday-Sunday campus residencies, providing valuable face-to-face time with your classmates and professors
*Cohort class: Network and support one another more effectively by participating with colleagues throughout the entire program as a cohort
*Practical experience: Apply classroom ideas to actual field practice through an individualized professional development practicum plan at two levels (elementary, middle, and/or secondary)
*Experienced instructors: Learn from qualified school personnel and PSU faculty currently implementing and studying aspects emphasized in the program

Participation in this program requires that you have unrestricted access to a personal computer (Windows or Mac) with a reliable connection to the Internet.

For complete information, go to http://www.ceed.pdx.edu/lib_media/
For content information, email Paul Gregorio at gregoriop@pdx.edu.
For programmatic information, email Cheryl Livneh livnehc@pdx.edu.

OETC SENDS EBSCHOST RENEWALS

Aaron Munter, OETC Executive Director, reports that notices to subscribe or renew to EBSCOhost for the 2003-04 school year will go out with OETC membership renewals around April 1. The subscription rate has not increased from last year.

The mailing will go to your district's OETC contact person. Inform your district OETC representative of how important access to safe and selected is to your students.

NCCE AND NECC OPPORTUNITY FOR LIBRARIANS

Oregon library media specialists have a unique professional development opportunity at the NCCE (NW Council for Compuer Education) Conference in Portland on April 23 and the NECC (National Educational Computer Conference) in Seattle on June 29.

NCCE has several sessions just for library media specialists with great speakers which will focus on "unleashing the potential of the school library media specialist." In these "bridging" workshops, participants will learn how to use technology to:
*Communicate with ALL stakeholders - students, teachers administrators, parents, community members
*Improve collaboration with teachers
*Expand the walls of their libraries
*Increase efficiency in program administration

Following the NCCE conference, the speakers' presentations will be
supplemented by recommended articles and websites. Participants, who are attending both workshops, will apply at least four ideas covered in this workshop (one per role) to their school library media programs. They will write a short description of their "innovation" or change. A short reflection paper, for those attending the workshops for credit, per NBPTS, will analyze what worked, what didn't, what they would do the same, and what they would do differently. This information will be shared in round tables at NECC.

April 23, 2003 - NCCE workshop speakers:
Information literacy
Peggy Milam, author of Infoquest and LMS, Compton Elementary School, Atlanta, Georgia
Communicating with administrators (+ NCLB):
Steve Wisely, Superintendent, Medford Schools, OR
Expanding the walls of your library
Annette Lamb, President, Lamb Learning Group
Collaborating with Teachers
Kelly Kuntz, Coordinator for Instructional Technology, Beaverton School District, OR

June 29, 2003 - NECC workshop agenda speakers:
The Evolving Librarian
Joyce Valenza, Library Media Specialist, Springfield Township High School, Erdenheim, PA
SUNLINK, the power of belonging to a union database
Speaker TBA
Program administration
Doug Johnson, Director of Media and Technology, Mankato Public Schools, MN
Charge to Library Media Specialists
Michael Eisenberg, Dean, Information School, University of Washington

Workshop fees:
NCCE workshop - $190.00
NECC workshop - $160.00
Both workshops - $300.00

People who attend both workshops can receive two graduate credits in Library Media through the University of Montana. Cost - an additional $115.00. For those registering for credit, there will be some work between conferences.

For more information, contact Sally Brewer at Sally.Brewer@mso.umt.edu

WORD LOVER'S LIBRARY PROJECT
Wordsmith.org announced on March 14 an offer to school and libraries.They will ship a copy of the book, "A Word A Day: A Romp Through Some of the Most Unusual and Intriguing Words in English" every day to a library or school in different parts of the world. This offer is for school and library who want the book, but whose budget does not allow for the purchase.

If you would like to recommend a library or school to receive the book, please email the following information to library@wordsmith.org: Name and address of the library/school; name and title of the contact person; approximate number of readers. Information is available at http://wordsmith.org/awad/libraryproject.html.

AASL HAS NEW WEBSITE

The American Library Association and the American Association of School Librarians will begin transition to their new Web site April 7.  The new site will feature a better search engine, one-stop pages detailing ALA's work in major areas of interest, a more modern look and feel and more content to help library professionals in their daily work. Check it out at http://www.ala.olrg/aasl/

The home page will feature new navigation headings:
* Awards & Scholarships (includes information on grants, fellowships and professional achievement awards);
* Education & Careers (includes information on accredited programs, recruitment and continuing education);
* Events & Conferences (goings-on at ALA, its divisions, office and roundtables);
* Issues & Advocacy (one-stop pages for information on issues ranging from diversity to censorship to literacy);
* Libraries & You (geared to the public, with recommended reading lists and information on how to support libraries);
* News (the latest press releases, press kits and promotions;
* Our Association (access to ALA governance, divisions, offices and customer service);
* Products & Publications (everything printed, published or sold by the ALA); and
* Professional Tools (a toolbox of resources for those who work in all types of libraries, including collection services, administration and management and user services)

DIGITAL DIVIDE SHRINKS AMONG U.S. KIDS

The "digital divide" between rich and poor children in the United States is rapidly shrinking as youngsters of all income levels and ethnic groups increasingly use the Internet, according to a report released by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Internet use among minority and low-income children has surged over the past two years and children under 17 now spend nearly as much time in front of a computer as they do watching television. But gaps persist as white children and those from rich families are still more likely to have high-speed Internet access at home, the study found. The research firm Grunwald Associates surveyed thousands of parents and children over the past year. As Internet use has increased in mainstream society over the past decade, some public-policy experts have worried that less-affluent sectors could become more isolated as they do not develop the skills needed to succeed in the digital era. More than two-thirds of low-income households now have a computer at home, compared to 98 percent of high-income households, the report found. Two years ago, computers could be found in fewer than half of all low-income households, while nine out of 10 rich households had a computer.

EL DIA DE LOS NINOS/El DIA DE LOS LIBROS

DAY OF THE CHILD/DAY OF THE BOOKS

Throughout Latin America, children are honored on a special day of the year. In most Latin American countries El Día de Niño (Day of the Child) is celebrated on April 30th. As a way of introducing the importance of bilingual literacy within the Latino community, organizations such as REFORMA, AASL and the National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE) have co-sponsored this initiative by linking the El Día de Niño celebration to books, libraries and reading; thus, the expanded title Día de Los Niños/Día de Los Libros (Day of the Children, Day of the Books).

Author and poet Pat Mora is strongly committed to establishing Día de Los Niños/Día de Los Libros as an important cultural event that is recognized across the U.S. in schools and libraries.

PEYTON STAFFORD REPRESENTING LERNER

Peyton Stafford is now representing Lerner Publishing Group as well as The Child's World and Marshall Cavendish. Lerner Publishing Group and Marshall Cavendish are both running specials for school libraries. OEMA members can contact me <peytonstafford@comcast.net> for details.

CALENDAR

OEMA Newsletter -- Editor: Sheryl Steinke, Eugene 4J Schools

Published monthly on the 5th of the month September through May
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Send news items for the Newsletter to:
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