PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE - Martha Decherd

Thursday, January 27, was Oregon Library Legislative Day. You will be happy to know that you were well represented by five volunteers. Linda Ague, Sheryl Steinke, Jim Tindall, Jim Hayden and I did our best to spread the word about the importance of school libraries and licensed school librarians to our state representatives and senators. By and large, we had positive responses from those we were able to talk to. Late in the afternoon, we attended the official program marking the centennial of the Oregon State Library. Gov. Kulongoski spoke of his love of books and support for libraries, which prompted Linda to ask him if he includes school libraries among those he supports. (He said yes.)

Spring regional conferences are just around the corner! I encourage you to attend one near you. They're a great chance to network with other school library professionals in your area. Those I've attended in the past have been rich with great ideas, interesting authors, and good food. The schedule of regional conferences can be found elsewhere in this newsletter.

SPRING REGIONAL CONFERENCES

Regions 1 & 4
Date: March 12 8:30 - 3:00
Location: Jesuit High School, Beaverton
Details: Registration from 8:30, sessions from 9 to 3
6 sessions:
Elaine Gass, Education Librarian, Lewis & Clark College, The portrayal of the Lewis & Clark expedition through children's literature
David Slater, author of Cheese Louise
Inspiration
Best of the West, lesson plans for using these children's choice titles in library classes, Mary Norton
L-Net
OSLIS
$10.00 at the door includes lunch and snacks.

Region 2
Date: February 26
Location: Linus Pauling Middle School in Corvallis
Details: Get the Most from EBSCOhost, Blake Albretsen
Pop-Ups: Engaging Studens with Book Art, Edith Fuller
Comptuer Repair 101, Ruth Peters
Special Books for Special Kids, Jamie Orlowski
Battle of the Books, JaKay Greer and Mardy Stevens
Got Questions? L-net has Answers, Caleb Tucker-Raymond
BookTalk by Grassroots of Corvallis
Vendors

Region 3
Date: March 12
Location: Bertha Holt Elementary School in Eugene
Details: Presentations include PowerPoint, literature circles, library promotions and collaboration. Special speaker will be Bob Welch, an award-winning general columnist at The Register-Guard newspaper and an adjunct professor of journalism at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He is the author of seven books, and has been published in such magazines as Reader's Digest and Sports Illustrated. His new book American Nightingale The Story of Frances Slanger, Forgotten Heroine of Normandy is about a nurse in World War II. Several vendors will also be on hand.

Region 6:
Date: April 2
Location: Armand Larive MS in Hermiston.
Details: Book Festival II will begin with registration and a continental breakfast at 8 A.M. At 8:30 conference sessions will begin. They include “Club Newbery,” and “Library School Grants.” There will be presentations about Advanced OSLIS/EBSCO/L-Net, and Advanced Accelerated Reader. A member of the Caldecott Award Committee will make a presentation on book selection for children, middle school and high school readers. Local authors Carolyn Ashcraft and Bette Lynch Husted will autograph and talk about their books. Some of their books will be available for purchase. Back by popular demand are the short book reviews presented by library media specialists from Region 6. Several book vendors will have commercial exhibits. The conference will end at approximately 3:15 P.M with a snack and drawing for door prizes. Registration will be via email by contacting Allen Kopf kopfa@umatilla.k12.or.us
Deadline for registration is March 18. The fee of $10, which includes lunch and snacks, may be paid at the door.  

Region 7
Date: February 12 10:00 - 2:30
Location: Deschutes County Library Meeting Room, Bend
Details:
Rex Ziak, Northwest author, photographer, naturalist and authority on the Lewis and Clark Expedition (Centennial 2004-2006)
Mary Norton from Bound to Stay Bound, ŒBooks the West Likes Best
Martha Dechard, OEMA President, OSLIS and OEMA listserv expert
VENDORS: World Book, Quality Books, Sagebrush Education Services, and Mackin Library Media
$5.00

FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT JIM TINDALL

This winter a unique partnership has emerged. Its goal is a July 2006 summer literacy conference, tentatively to be held in Redmond. The boards of OEMA, OLA, and ORA have banded together to endorse the idea, and ODE and the Oregon State Library are interested in the project as well.
Since the concept began with OEMA, it our task to further the project with the naming of a conference chair. Is there someone out there who seeks an opportunity to lead at the state level in the area of literacy? If you are that individual, read on.

Originally shaped as a cradle to grave conference or summit or retreat, attendees would represent every interest from preschool staff to geriatric care providers. Lists of goals and possible session topics can be emailed to you upon request.The concept was global, and refined to look at children's literacy. Trainers would be volunteers from the three groups.

Seed money can come from OEMA sources. The idea calls for a one-night, two-day event where the great outdoors may be used as breakout 'rooms,' and could include recreational activities ranging from horseback riding, golf, and horseshoes...or just lounging.
If you are that individual, please contact Jim Tindall at tindallj@nwasco.k12.or.us wk (541) 296-4616 ext 1212. All questions are welcome-as are all levels of involvement.

CONNIE HULL GRANTS AWARDED

Congratulations to Thurston High School, Leslie Middle School, Chenowith Elementary School, French Prairie Middle School, and Centennial High School. These five schools were this years winners of the $200 Connie Hull grants. The proposals included a request for group reading sets to include Hispanic families, a CSI: crime investigation activity, a "A la Batalla con los libros" proposal, an SSR reading booster for the high school and a graphic novel lit. circle plan. This is only the third year these grants have been awarded but each year there are more applicants. This year we had twenty-one applications all of which were great ideas. Look for more information from these winners at their presentations at the 2005 conference.

LEGISLATIVE DAY FOLLOW UP

When Linda Ague visited with a Eugene representative, she had a most enlightening was a conversation. This representative expressed amazement that there would be schools with no librarians and assured Linda that the schools in his area all had librarians. Linda had to remind him that she was from Eugene and that in fact only the high schools in his district had full time certified librarians. 

It would be wonderful to have 400 instead of 40 librarians roaming the halls of the state building so we could really make a statement in 2007 but there is no need to wait until then. Visit <http://www.leg.state.or.us/senate/> or <http://www.leg.state.or.us/house/>, locate your legislators and email them today. Tell them you were sorry you missed them on legislative day and then remind them of the important role that libraries play in promoting literacy, bridging divides digital and otherwise and that we are a valuable resource for the entire educational program at our school. Legislators received information about the Oregon study so you can also remind them of the connection between school success and strong library programs from that study.

Mostly they just need to be reminded that as information explodes around us, the very people with the expertise to teach students how to manage all that information are endangered. Invite them to visit your library to see what you are talking about and thank them for being willing to grapple with the issues that challenge Oregon's schools and communities. Say whatever you want but say something - they need to hear from all of us.

KATHY JENSEN APPOINTED TO LSTA BOARD

Congratulations to Kathy Jensen for being selected to be on the Oregon State Library's LSTA council. Patty Sorensen's term ended in 2004.

READ ACROSS OREGON

The 3rd annual Read Across Oregon event <http://www.oregonliteracy.org/events/readacrossoregon.shtml > takes place in March of 2005. Schools are encouraged to sign up and participate by reading as much as they can while raising money and support for Oregon Literacy's valuable programs and services.

Oregon Literacy, Inc. (OLI) will be asking for a small flat fee to join Read Across Oregon. Schools have the option of obtaining pledges in addition to the entry fee, much like any walk-a-thon or bike-a-thon, on a per page basis.

Schools receive half of the funds that are raised by anyone that they have brought in to participate in RAO! The school simply promotes the event to all students, faculty and employees.The entry form is at <http://www.oregonliteracy.org/events/rao_signup.shtml> Then at the end of March, the school works with OLI to make sure funds are obtained. OLI will provide the marketing materials, reader packets and do the bookkeeping for the event.

You can also sign up by contacting and get other information about Oregon Literacy, Inc. from Jon Toorock at jon@oregonliteracy.org or 503-244-3898.

GRAPHIC NOVEL WEBSITES

http://www.ala.org/ala/booklinksbucket/graphicnovelsforyounger.htm

http://www.ala.org/ala/booklist/speciallists/speciallistsandfeatures3/referenceonweb/graphicnovels.htm

http://sidekicks.noflyingnotights.com/

http://www.noflyingnotights.com/index.html

RESOURCES WORTH SHARING

Karen Wedeking loves to find new resources either for advocacy or professional development.

Karen Wedeking is Higher Ed Rep on the OEMA Board and former OEMA Library Media Specialist of the Year now coordinator of the library media program at George Fox.

Norma Mailer wrote in the January 23, 2005 edition of the Parade Magazine on the following topic: If you could do one thing to change America for the better, what would it be? He stresses the importance of reading and what should be done. The entire article can be read at http://archive.parade.com/2005/0123/0123_one_idea.html

For our diverse school populations, the following book might help teachers and school personnel to understand children and families who enter our districts from all over the world.

Mary Piper has written The Middle of Everywhere Helping Refuges Enter the American Community. Orlando: Harcourt Inc. 2002.

The Northwest Regional Educational Lab has Picture Books an annotated bibliography with activities for teaching writing with the 6+1 Trait Writing model. This is the 6th edition (2004) and gives many ideas for using the picture book to teach effective writing. Contact at www.nwrel.org/comm/catalog to see this book and the rest of NWREL entire collection of research-based publications.

Blanche Woolls and David Loertscher have edited the Whole School Handbook published by ALA in 2005. This book is a gathering of information, hints, and suggestions from the giants in the school library world. Topics include: history, professionalism, materials, guidelines, evaluation, credentials, technology, operations, program, promotion, funding, staff development etc.

The Librarian of Basra A True Story from Iraq is written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter and published by Harcourt in 2005. This picture book could be shared from elementary to adults. It speaks not only to the value of libraries, but the importance of relationships, perseverance, and learning.

100 OREGON BOOKS

The Oregon State Library unveiled a year-long exhibit to celebrate its centennial anniversary. The Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission was given the challenge to select 100 Oregon Books <http://www.ochcom.org/100books> to help the state library celebrate. Guests at the celebration on January 27 received a beautiful 9-page booklet of the list. You can download a .pdf at the link in this article.

State Librarian Jim Scheppke invited librarians to encourage teachers who visit the state library with their students to walk across the street so students can see this great exhibit.

A history of the Oregon State Library is available at the home page of the Oregon State Library <http://oregon.gov/OSL/> in the section entitled State Library Celebrates 100 years.

WORDSTOCK 2005

Portland's annual Festival of the Book <http://www.wordstockfestival.com/ > will include featured readings by best-selling authors, poets and NW writing legends, panels on every conceivable subject, workshops for teachers of writing, dinners with your favorite authors, a free two day book fair with hundreds of exhibitors, two days of children's readings and activities, food, music, cooking demonstrations and more!
Events include a book fair, children's festival, community readings, the Night of Literary Feasts, Wordstock for teachers and much more.

CALENDAR

OEMA Newsletter -- Editor: Sheryl Steinke

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