Available on the website at <http://www.oasl.info>
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Volume 20, Number 6 February, 2008
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SPECIAL OASL BALLOT INFORMATION ---- Allen Kopf
Important candidate information and by-laws changes
FROM THE MEMBERSHIP
1. Call for 2008 jt. Conference presenters ---- Linda Ague
2. OBOB news ---- Debbie Alvarez
3. Kenny Moore visits North Eugene ---- Karen Leeson
4. January OASL Board Notes ---- Jenny Takeda
5. Graham Salisbury visits Agnes Stewart Middle School! ---- Darlene Linihan
6. Display Case Idea ---- Janet Setness
7. Google Docs at Your Service ---- Janet Setness
8. Scholarship Information ---- Kate Vance
9. OASL award nomination sought ---- Erin Fitzpatrick-Bjorn
10. Region 5 Conference set ---- Lisa Krebs
FROM THE STATE
1. OLA/WLA Conference / Sharing More than a Border -----Wyma Rogers
FROM ALA and AASL
1. SKILLs Act ----- Rosalind Reynolds
2. Continuing Education Opportunities ---- AASL Hotlinks
3. WCSLit Rally in Olympia, WA ---- Julie Walker (AASL)
4. Picturing America Project ---- ALA
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FROM THE PRESIDENT --- Gregory Lum
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The upcoming regional conferences are coming to a location near you! Region 1 and 4 joint conference will be held at Oregon Episcopal School on February 9th; Region 2 conference will be held at Lebanon High School on February 23rd; Region 3 conference will be at Meadowlark/Buena Vista School in Eugene on March 1st; Region 5 conference will be at Grants Pass High School in Grants Pass on March 15th; and Region 6 & 7 joint conference will be at Westside Elementary School in Madras on April 5th. As a participant, I enjoy connecting with fellow library personnel, learning about new technologies, checking out the new products with exhibitors, and listening to authors and special speakers at these smaller settings. Check www.oasl.info and click calendar for more information about a regional conference near you.
Also, the first-ever Oregon Battle of the Books begins with regional competitions in March before the state battle on April 19th at Chemeketa Community College. Region 1 competition will be at Jesuit High School in Portland on March 15th; Region 2 competition will be at Linus Pauling Middle School in Corvallis on March 15th; Region 3 competition will be at Roseburg High School on March 15th; and Region 4 competition will be at West Orient Middle School in Gresham on March 1st. Teams in regions 5, 6, and 7 will not participate in regional competitions, but advance directly to the state battle. Debbie Alvarez, OBOB chair, has done a superb job for this huge event. If you would like to volunteer at the regional competition in your area, please contact Debbie at Deborah_Alvarez@beavton.k12.or.us.
Happy Chinese New Year (February 7th)! Happy Valentine's Day! Happy Birthday, Oregon (February 14th)! See you at a regional conference or a regional battle.
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OASL ELECTION INFORMATION ---- Allen Kopf
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The OASL election is coming soon. Balloting will be done through MemberClicks and will begin on February 15. All ballots must be submitted by March 1, 2008. The pages that follow contain information about the issues to be found on the ballot. The OASL members listed below are running for office and their names will be on the ballot. There will be additional space on the ballot for write-in candidates.
President-elect - Carol Dinges
Secretary - Jenny Takeda
High School Level Representative - Jan Nichols
Elementary Level Representative - Lynda Johnston
Paraprofessional Representative - Meg Miranda
Commercial Representative - Steve Baker
(Current President-elect, Merrie Olson will advance to President; current President, Gregory Lum will advance to the office of Past President)
Following are statements written by each of the candidates:
Statement by Carol Dinges, running for office of President-elect:
After teaching language arts for many years, and having once worked in a public library, I decided that I wanted to be a school librarian because it would combine the best of two careers - and, for once, I was right. I became the library media specialist at Lebanon High School in 1999 and have never regretted it, even when it involved moving the entire library to temporary quarters ("Camp Library") while our facility was gutted and rebuilt. Okay, there were a few moments then...
Membership in OASL has been a great help to me - the collegiality and support have been vital for what could be a very lonely profession. For the past several years I've served on the OASL Board as Region 2 representative, and in 2005 I was honored to be named OASL Secondary Library Media Teacher of the Year.
I view membership in OASL as a two-way commitment - while I rely on fellow-members for help and support, I have a responsibility to the organization and its members, as well. It's that responsibility that prompted me to run for president-elect.
Carol
Statement by Jenny Takeda, running for office of Secretary:
I appreciate the opportunity through OASL to work with other school library professionals and advocates from around the state to support school libraries. I first joined the OEMA board as the Scholarship Chair for several years and have been the Secretary for the past four years. I was an elementary school librarian in Beaverton before moving to the district level where I support the library programs throughout our district. In addition to the regular secretarial responsibilities, I have actively participated on several ad-hoc OASL committees and am committed to lending my voice and efforts to the leadership work that OASL does on behalf of school library programs in Oregon. Thank you for your consideration.
Jenny
Statement by Jan Nichols, running for High School Representative:
I have been teaching 23 years, 2/3 of that time as Library Media Specialist. Currently, my job title is Librarian, Hermiston High School, Hermiston, OR. I began working in libraries formally at age 15 when hired by Port Angeles Public Library (later, North Olympic Library System). Throughout college and for ten years after, I worked at Western Washington University Library, for the last four years as Supervisor of the Reference Department. My duties there included teaching Library Science 101 or "Introduction to Libraries." It was one of the contributing factors in my decision to move on to teaching in the public school system. Many students, freshmen through seniors, were not cognizant of searching techniques or of the materials and ideas libraries could provide. Since then I have been employed in the education field and have worked in elementary, middle and high school.
Since 2006 I have been a member of the OASL Board, elected in April 2006 as representative from Region 6. However, I have been a member of OEMA and OASL for far longer. I was first a member in 1985 and except for those years teaching 4th and 6th grade, have been a member ever since. As Region 6 member I have held five Regional Conferences in buildings at which I have taught. I have twice been Educator of the Year in my school, first in 2000, as Armand Larive Middle School Teacher of the Year and again in 2007-2008 as Hermiston High School Educator of the Year.
I am interested in the position of High School Representative to the OASL Board because I am interested in working with the organization in this particular area of service. I would like to serve colleagues at this point in my professional development as well as this point in their professional lives. I enjoy the interaction with other media specialists who are involved at this level of their profession.
Jan
Statement by Lynda Johnston, running for Elementary Representative:
Over a 25 year career, I have taught 5th, 6th, and 7th grade in three school districts. The majority of time, I have been an elementary media specialist for Dallas School District. Dallas is a town with 3 elementary schools of about 450 children, one middle school and Dallas High School with a student population of about 1100 and is located 20 miles west of Salem. During the lean years of budget cuts, I managed and taught in three elementary schools, but now have just one. This allows me to develop the collection, write grants, enlarge curriculum especially in the areas of technology, and get to know the students and staff. In 2006, I was named the Oregon Elementary Media Specialist of the Year by OASL.
One of the services of OASL is the Oregon Battle of the Books. I have been a committee member for nearly two years. Within Dallas School District I have implemented Battles for many years. I have used the OASL web page for many years to answer questions of curriculum and as a means to answer questions about this profession and contact other members. Dallas Schools have been active users of OSLIS and the Book Award program. OASL is a professional organization that is user-friendly.
Lynda
Statement by Meg Miranda, running for Paraprofessional Representative:
I am running for re-election for the position of Paraprofessional Representative on the OASL Board. I have been the paraprofessional rep since the Board created the position four years ago.
It is important that OASL continue to offer services to all who work in library/media centers. Over the years, I have presented a number of programs for paraprofessionals at the fall conferences. I also write a regular column for the Interchange. If elected, I will continue to try to be a visible and accessible representative.
I have worked as a full-time school librarian for the past 10 years and part-time for 2 years. I have worked to make our school library a place where students feel welcome and excited about reading and searching for information. I work closely with teachers providing them with materials and information to make their jobs a bit easier.
(Meg works at Linus Pauling Middle School in Corvallis)
Meg
Statement by Steve Baker, running for Commercial Representative:
I am Steve Baker. I am the Oregon Account Manager for Follett Library Resources. I have been with the company around 27 years, and a member of OASL/OEMA the same amount of time. I live in the Portland area. For the last several years I have been the OASL Commercial Representative, serving on the OASL Board.
Representing the Commercial Members of OASL is something I actually enjoy doing. The Account Managers, from the varied companies that do business with OASL members, are a key component of the organization. When we exhibit at the Fall Conference, and the various Regional Conferences around the state we are offering our support in a variety of ways.
I would like to be considered to keep the position of representing the Commercial members of OASL on the Board. I believe it is important to maintain communication with the Board, of the interests of the Commercial members, and I will continue to try my best to do that.
Steve
Proposed OASL Bylaws Changes
There are five proposed changes to the OASL Bylaws that will be presented to you with full support of the OASL Board for a vote during this election. There were two more items presented at the membership meeting during 2007 Fall Conference, however, the OASL Board believes these two items need to have further discussion before they are brought to the membership for a vote. Those two items will not be included on the ballot for a vote at this time. Please read the rationale for each of these items. At balloting time you will be asked to cast a vote on each of the OASL Bylaws changes listed below:
Item 1
Every OASL Board member who has been elected to the OASL Board or appointed to the OASL Board (by the OASL President) has one (1) vote at full board meetings.
Rationale for Item 1
The OASL Full Board is made up of 18 elected members, 18 appointed members, 4 affiliate partners and 1 executive director. Elected members are elected by the members of OASL. Since the beginning of the organization only the 18 elected members have been given the right to vote at board meetings. Appointed members of the board are appointed by the OASL President and often serve as committee chairs. The appointed board members work very hard at their committee tasks. Currently, they are allowed to make presentations at meeting, but are not allowed to vote. Often they sit at board meetings and listen to and engage in discussion, but when the decisions are made, they cannot vote. Affiliate partners are not appointed by the OASL President. They will remain as nonvoting members of the board. See Item 2 concerning the OASL executive director. Voting yes on Item 1 means you agree that all elected members and appointed members of the board have the right to vote on issues at OASL Board meeting
Item 2
The executive director of OASL has one (1) vote at full board meetings.
Rationale for Item 2
The OASL executive director is employed by the OASL Board and does work that affects all areas of the organization. The executive director gives reports, enters into discussions, and is often asked to give advice at meetings, but when decisions are made, the executive director is not allowed to vote. Voting yes on Item 2 means that you agree to give the OASL executive director the right to vote at OASL Board meetings.
Item 3
Only the persons who are elected to the OASL Full Board or appointed to the OASL Board (by the president) will serve as members of the OASL full board. These persons are responsible for submitting board reports for every board meeting. (If the chairperson of a committee cannot attend a board meeting, a member of that committee may attend the meeting with full voting rights.)
Rationale for Item 3 This item clarifies who is a member of the OASL Board. It explains reporting responsibilities to the board. It further clarifies that if the board member is the chair of a committee, but cannot attend a board meeting, the committee still may have representation and a vote at the board meeting. Voting yes on Item 3 means that you agree with the statement.
Item 4
Each OASL committee shall have more than one member.
Rationale for Item 4 The board feels that the word "committee" means more than one person. This item clarifies that all OASL committees will have more than one member. Voting yes on Item 4 means that you agree with the statement.
Item 5
Those who work on the OASL Interchange will form a committee consisting of Interchange Coordinator, Interchange Editor, and Interchange Advertising. This committee will be named the Interchange Committee and will have one chair, one vote, make one report.
Rationale for Item 5 This item consolidates what are currently three appointed board positions into one committee. The people working in these positions currently collaborate closely and actually function as a committee. This committee will have one chair, one vote on the board and make one report to the board. Voting yes on Item 5 means that you agree with this statement.
Background information about the Bylaws Changes
Last year an OASL ad hoc committee worked on a project to streamline the OASL Full Board. In doing so, the ad hoc committee came up with recommendations to be taken to the OASL Full Board.
The recommendations were taken to the Full Board at the Summer Retreat/Meeting at Silver Falls. The attendance at that meeting was low. The recommendations were discussed and a vote was taken. Those present at the meeting voted to make the changes.
The changes were presented during the Membership Luncheon at the OASL Fall Conference in Seaside. Proposed Bylaws changes that had been prepared by Martha Decherd, OASL parliamentarian, were placed on the tables. That document had information added, some items shown in red, and some items crossed out - the changes that were being suggested to the membership. Allen Kopf, Past President, read 7 items from a prepared list that the ad hoc committee had prepared, saying that membership would vote on those proposed items during the OASL election in February, 2008.
After seeing and hearing the information, two OASL members presented information to the OASL Full Board indicating that they were not satisfied with some of the changes.
As the Full Board listened to the information, members began to rethink their position on the issues. Most felt that some items on the list, such as giving all board members the right to vote at meetings, were appropriate and should be presented to the membership for a vote, but that other items needed a great deal more discussion and should not be placed before the membership for a vote. A straw poll was taken at the OASL Fall Full Board meeting in which board members indicated that they strongly supported the five items shown above.
The OASL executive board consulted with the current parliamentarian and two past parliamentarians as to the best path to follow. One of their recommendations was that the OASL Board should put forward only the recommended bylaws changes that have board support at this time.
This information has been prepared by Allen C. Kopf, current Past President of OASL. If you need more information, please contact him.
allen.kopf@umatilla.k12.or.us
541-922-6527 work
509-525-0594 home
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FROM THE MEMBERSHIP
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1. Call for 2008 jt. Conference presenters ---- Linda Ague
The 2008 OASL/WLMA joint conference will be held October 9 though Oct. 11. There are tons of great authors and recognized presenters on the program (check http://oemawlma2008.org/ for all the details) BUT as you all know the biggest part of the Friday concurrent sessions come from all of YOU. We are sharing this responsibility with the Washington folks but so far very few Oregon folks have come forward ( last count 2!) to share their best practices and good ideas. We can do better then that! The full form is on the website and the deadline for submitting your proposal is March 31 but to show you how easy it is to get on the program, this is all you need:
Name (s)
Contact Info : address, phone, email, Fax
Title of presentation:
Short Description (for publications)
Full description (for program) to include Level (e,m,hs), Theme (curriculum, collaboration, etc.)
Times you are available to speak, Length (1 hr. usual)
Willing to repeat?
2. OBOB news ---- Debbie Alvarez
Greetings participants!
I'm thrilled with the huge response to OBOB and thank each of you for all the energy you're sure to already have expended and also your time and energy in the future as well.
Our big focus now that OBOB Questions have been distributed for local use is the Regional and State Competitions. Please consider asking community members, coworkers, and friends if they would volunteer four hours of their time to volunteer at one of the Regional battles or the State battle. Please email me with contact information including name/email address. <mailto:lsta_oema@yahoo.com>lsta_oema@yahoo.com
Registration for the 2007-2008 year is now closed. Presently 169 schools are registered for OBOB. The participant list is posted both on this website and the OBOB WIKI. (It was updated and edited recently.)
For those of you interested in applying for the LSTA OBOB Grant for 2008-2009, the application is available now and extended through February 13th, 2008. <http://oboblsta.pbwiki.com/>http://oboblsta.pbwiki.com/
Please go to our OBOB WIKI for information on the new 2008-2009 OBOB registration and grant application. Also, this WIKI provides a resource for various ideas, slideshows, tips and tricks to be posted. If you've created a resource you wish to share, please add it to the WIKI but do not delete other postings.
We are open to more people getting involved with OBOB. Please personally contact Debbie Alvarez, OBOB Chair, and let me know if you'd like to attend future OBOB meetings. The next one is on February 16th. Email: <mailto:lsta_oema@yahoo.com>lsta_oema@yahoo.com
We selected half of the titles for the 2008-2009 OBOB year. Please see the OBOB WIKI for more information on titles. (OBOB WIKI link is listed above.)
Thank you for your energy and support, it is appreciated.
3. Kenny Moore visits North Eugene ---- Karen Leeson
I have been honored to host Kenny Moore, author of Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, the 2008 Eugene community Reading in the Rain book. Kenny is a former North Eugene High School graduate, as well as an Olympic marathoner, and thus the selection of North to host his high school author visit.
I have had a ball getting geared up for this occasion. Driven by Kennys upcoming visit and the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials in June at Hayward Field I have put up displays, prepared activities and added books to the collection. The displays include a large running track turned into a timeline of significant events in Bowermans life. Three events in Bowermans life fed into other displays and activities. Ive highlighted the history around the 1972 Munich Olympics and the capture and killings of the Israelis with books and informative displays. Im running a coloring contest around Bowermans waffle shoe invention and subsequent co-founding of Nike. I drew a Nike running shoe and am asking students if they could personalize their own pair of Nikes, what would they look like. Their entries are displayed all over the library and I will have Kenny Moore select three for prizes from our schools snack bar. In addition, there are Nike shoe boxes everywhere with running quotes taped to them. Finally, what Bowerman / Oregon Track and Field history would not be complete without Pre? I am running a continuous loop video cassette of Fire on the Track, a documentary of Pres life. I plan to show the DVD, Prefontaine, closer to Moores visit.
I developed curriculum for teachers to tap into that focused on Bowerman bringing jogging to Eugene around 1963. I collected a few vignettes that individually or taken together would offer teaches in various settings support materials to get kids connected to a piece of Bowerman history before Kennys visit. They are in brief:
" Jogging, 5 to 9 pages from Bowerman and the Men of Oregon on Bowerman introducing jogging to Eugene
" All runners are created equal: some runners are more equal than others, 13 pages from Strides with references to Elie Wiesels Night, Mike Huckabee, Salazar, and others in a lighthearted piece.
" Shoe-be-do-be-do-I-did-it, 2 pages from I Run Therefore I Am Nuts! about running shoe collections and recycling used shoes.
" Trail of the Trials, Register Guard Jan. 2008 article on memorable events of 72, 76 and 80 Olympic Trials
Finally, I added the following running books to the collection.
Strides: running through history with an unlikely athlete by Benjamin Cheever . . buoyant memoir about running
Sole Sisters by Jennifer Lin and Susan Warner . . stories of women and running
The runner's guide to the meaning of life by Amby Burfoot . . about winning, losing, happiness, humility, and heart
The runner's literary companion Ed. by Garth Battista . . animates spirit of running through stories & poems
The quotable runner Ed. by Mark Will-Weber . . great moments of wisdom, inspiration, wrong-headedness & humor
I run, therefore I am nuts by Bob Schwartz . . funny chapters on why we carbo load, hit the wall and love it
Harriers by Joseph Shivers and Paul Shivers . . the making of a championship cross country team
The four-minute mile by Roger Bannister 5th anniversary edition
Duel in the sun by John Brant . . Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley and Americans greatest marathon
I hope that by reflecting on my Reading in the Rain windfall, I have offered ideas for Librarians to connect their students to the passion and fitness benefits of running and maybe even inspire some to participate in the upcoming track and field athletic season.
4. January OASL Board Notes ---- Jenny Takeda
"Ballots will go out Feb. 1 for OASL elections. This will be the first time voting via Memberclicks.
"The Board voted to send forward proposed Bylaws changes from #1-5 that were presented by Allen Kopf at the fall conference. Explanations will be provided for each proposed change. The Board decided to withdraw the two remaining proposed Bylaws changes until further discussion takes place.
"OASL will be submitting an LSTA grant application to develop an updated statewide information literacy framework that will be correlated to the new AASL & ISTE standards.
"Jim Scheppke encouraged Board members to contact Senator Smith and Senator Wyden to ask them to co-sponsor the SKILLS Act Legislation in Congress. The SKILLS Act would require school districts, to the extent feasible, to ensure that every school within the district employs at least one state-certified school library media specialist in each school library.
"Sheryl Steinke urged people to do a 2008 conference proposal & invite someone else to do one.
"The 2007 OASL Fall Conference was very successful.
"Nancy Sullivan shared what activists in Washington are doing to support school library funding in Washington State with <http://Fundourfuturewashington.org>http://Fundourfuturewashington.org. They're encouraging other states to replicate their efforts.
5. Graham Salisbury visits Agnes Stewart Middle School! ---- Darlene Linihan
Graham Salisbury was the star of Agnes Stewart Middle Schools second Family Literacy Night on January, 24th, 08. Mr. Graham, author of Under the Blood Red Sun and Eyes of the Emperor, spoke to 200+ people about his journey as a writer. Mr. Graham spoke to two large groups of students and parents alike about how he started writing about experiences from Hawaii where his family had lived since the early 1800s. He is currently a resident of Lake Oswego where he is working on a screenplay, starting a childrens series of books and continuing to write books for middle school students.
Other parts of our literacy night included a book exchange for all ages, a Scholastic book fair, a book walk where students could win books, a reading theatre and last but not least a root beer float for everyone!
Our book exchanged was a collection of over 500 books brought in by our students. For each two books turned in they received a coupon for one book. All books were on sale for 25 cents!
The book walk gave coupons for $1. Off at the book fair and/or free books. The kids had fun and it helped every one purchase all the great books out there.
This was truly a family event with kids from two to eighty participating in the different parts of the show.
6. Display Case Idea ---- Janet Setness
Wanted to share a display case I just did. I gathered all my reading/books/library type shirts together and hung them on hangers from the light cover framework in the display case. A TA made a few more out of paper with cool slogans she found in catalogs, so the background is covered with slogans and shirts. Below I displayed new books we just got in, and the tag line for it all that I put on the inside of the glass doors to the case was "All these shirts can't be wrong!" I have had the best response from kids, even wanting to buy the shirts.
Another display case trick I just thought of when putting up a background of colorful old calendar pictures of houses, animals, and scenery and displaying books against them (tag line: Where do you want to go? What do you want to see? Reading helps you get there!) is printing the theme or tag line on transparency film, that can be attached to the inside of display case window doors. It was bright, colorful, interesting and the tag line made it more dimensional and was very readable while you could still see through to the pictures.
(note: Janet hopes this will become a regular feature. Great Idea!!)
7. Google Docs at Your Service ---- Janet Setness
I only got to see about 15 minutes of David Loertscher's presentation at the Fall Conference, but was lucky enough to see his use of Google Documents. I was impressed. I got home and shortly spent a few minutes looking at the Documents page which you find under "more" on the top of the Google home page. I signed up for an account (in no time) and created a first spreadsheet example to share with a teacher for an assignment we were working on. That ended up going nowhere.
I was so enthused by this time, I told my Bill about Google docs. He drives sports buses for Portland and when I showed him how it works, he thought there might be a use for he and his fellow drivers who normally have to drive in to bid their runs from all over the metro area on Fridays. He shared it with another driver and the two of them took the idea to their coordinator. She saw how it worked and two weeks later she had set up their bidding spreadsheets on Google docs and while they all came into the office, they all logged in from separate computers and did a test of bidding this way. It worked like a charm! They were ecstatic! Last week, they all sat home in their pajamas with a cup of coffee in their hands, got online and logged into their shared doc and did their bidding, using the chat box if they needed to say something to each other. They were done in 15 minutes, saved an hour or so of time, and the vehicle expense of arriving on site.
8. Scholarship Information ---- Kate Vance
The Oregon Association of School Libraries is proud to announce its 2008-2009 Scholarship Program.
A scholarship of $800.00 is being offered by OASL to undergraduate students working toward an educational media endorsement or individuals studying at the graduate level in the fields of educational media/instructional technology. An additional scholarship in the amount of $1500 will be offered to qualified graduate students in memory of Norma Zabel. The scholarship grants may be used to assist the recipients to further their education in a summer session or academic year of study at any accredited college or university. All recipients will be selected by the OASL Scholarship Committee. Scholarship money must be used between July 1, 2008-June 30, 2009.
Recipients must belong to OASL. Selections are based on the following:
1. The awards will be based upon applicants' potential for professional contribution in the field of educational media/instructional technology.(Applicants are asked to provide a written statement of 300 words or less describing their professional goals.)
2. Applicants must be Oregon residents or submit proof of employment in Oregon for the school year 2007-2008.
3. Applicants must include experience related to the field of educational media, communications or technology, such as employment, field experience, course work, service to the field through OASL activities, and membership in other professional organizations, etc.
4. Two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the candidate's professional qualifications and leadership potential must be submitted with the application.
5. A copy of the transcript for work completed is required at the conclusion of the term.
6. The scholarship recipients must submit a 5x7 color or black/white photograph upon notification of the award.
If you wish to receive verification of receipt of your application materials by OASL, please include a SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED POSTCARD with your completed application form.
Deadline for submission of all application forms and letters of recommendations is May 1, 2008. Judging results will be sent to all applicants on or before July 1, 2008. Application forms are available on the OASL website at <http://www.OASL.info > under "Scholarships." Requests for application forms may also be made by e-mail to katevance@hotmail.com or in writing to Kate Vance at the address below. Selection of finalists and award amount is subject to budget restraints and quality of the applicant pool. All forms and letters should be sent to:
Kate Vance, OASL Scholarship
13280 NW Lovejoy Street
Portland, OR 97229
9. OASL award nomination sought ---- Erin Fitzpatrick-Bjorn
Nominations for the OASL awards are due February 7th. Librarians and paraprofessionals may be nominated by administrators or colleagues. Nomination forms were sent to all building principals in January and are available on the OASL site or e-mail Erin Fitzpatrick-Bjorn, OASL Awards Committee chairperson: <mailto:erin_fitzpatrick-bjorn@gbsd.gresham>erin_fitzpatrick-bjorn@gbsd.gresham/k12.or.us
We are also seeking nominations for Administrator of the Year. Please submit a letter of recommendation of no more than two pages to Erin Fitzpatrick-Bjorn postmarked by March 7th.
E-mail to:
erin_fitzpatrick-bjorn@gbsd.gresham.k12.or.us
or snail-mail to
Erin Fitzpatrick-Bjorn, West Orient Middle School, 29805 SE Orient Drive, Gresham, OR 97080.
10. Region 5 Conference set ---- Lisa Krebs
Location: Grants Pass High School, 830 NE 9th St. Grants Pass, OR 97526,
Date: March 15th, 2008
Time:8:30-3:30
Cost: $15. Preregister on the OASL MemberClicks website
For more information:
Contact: Lisa Krebs
Phone: 541-474-5710
Email: <mailto: lkrebs@grantspass.k12.or.us>lkrebs@grantspass.k12.or.us
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FROM THE STATE
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1. OLA/WLA Conference / Sharing More than a Border -----Wyma Rogers
Join us! The 2008 OLA/WLA Joint Conference, Sharing More than a Border will be held in Vancouver, Washington, April 16-18. . The OLA/WLA conference web site is open. Register now! <http://www.wla.org/olawla2008/>www.wla.org/olawla2008/
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FROM ALA, AASL and BEYOND
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1.SKILLs Act ----- Rosalind Reynolds
Send Your Senators a "Save School Libraries" Valentine!
Take Action!
We need your help - ALL LIBRARIANS AND LIBRARY ADVOCATES - to ensure the inclusion of the Strengthening Kids' Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLs) Act in the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
This is the single most important piece of legislation concerning school libraries that will come before Congress this year. Reauthorization of this bill is critical to the future of school libraries.
The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) will be considering reauthorization of NCLB in the next month. In order for the SKILLs Act to be included in NCLB - that is, to place a state-certified school library media specialist in every school - each member of the Senate must co-sponsor the SKILLS Act.
The names of your Senators must appear on this bill Please call their offices immediately and request that they support the SKILLs Act. Then ask your Senators to contact either Senate HELP Committee Chairman Ted Kennedy (D-MA) or Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Mike Enzi (R-WY) to express the importance of the SKILLS Act of be included in NCLB reauthorization.
Neither Oregon Senator are on the bill. Contact them
Ron Wyden contact information:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/?id=488
Gordon Smith contact information:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/?id=489
Refer to S. 1699 ---- Strengthening Kids' Interest in Learning and Libraries Act or the SKILLs Act. The main points are:
***Amends title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize appropriations for FY2008 for the Improving Literacy through School Libraries grant program.
***Requires states and local educational agencies (LEAs) that receive school improvement funds to ensure that by the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year there is at least one highly qualified school library media specialist in every school that receives such funds.
***Requires Improving Literacy through School Libraries funds to be: (1) proportionally distributed to serve students in elementary, middle, and high schools; (2) used for media resources appropriate for all grades; and (3) used for professional development in information literacy instruction that is appropriate for all grades.
***Expands the program of grants to states and subgrants to LEAs for the recruitment, retention, and professional development of teachers to require that highly qualified school library media specialists be included in the focus of such efforts.
2. Continuing Education Opportunities ---- AASL Hotlinks
***AASL Digital Institute Still Open
AASL has launched its first ever Digital Institute.
Available as part of the AASL e-Academy online offerings,
the "Minding Your Students' Future" institute offers a rich
continuing education experience through multiple media,
including podcasts, vodcasts, and video.
Focusing on the future of learning in school library media
programs, the institute pulls together a variety of
sessions captured during the AASL 13th National Conference
& Exhibition in Reno, Nevada, October 25-28, 2007. It
includes a session on the "Standards for the 21st-Century
Learner," AASL's newly released learning standards. Other
topics explored in the digital sessions include teaching
information literacy, research, podcasting, book
challenges, and more.
Register for the Digital Institute at:
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aasleducation/onlinecontinuing/institute/institute.cfm
***AASL e-Academy Æ Online Learning for School Library
Media Specialists
Registration for Spring courses is now open! Register
today! These professional development opportunities, offered
in cooperation with the University of North Texas (UNT)
project LE@D, are either self-paced or facilitated programs.
For course listings and registration, please see:
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aasleducation/onlinecontinuing/courses/courses.cfm
3. WCSLit Rally in Olympia, WA ---- Julie Walker (AASL)
Washington Champions for School Libraries and Information Technology is a group of parents and other library supporters who are sponsoring legislation to fund libraries and certified librarians in all Washington schools. On Friday, Feb. 1st a summit and rally was held in Olympia. Both ALA and AASL presidents attended and spoke. ALA is provided media relations support for the rally and the summit. The WA group hopes to inspire copycat coalitions in other states. Oregon has already put out feelers to the Washington group. For more information go to:
http://www.fundourfuturewashington.org
4. Picturing America Project ---- ALA
Applications are now being accepted for Picturing America (SM), a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), conducted in cooperation with the American Library Association. Applications may be submitted online at http://picturingamerica.ala.org through April 15, 2008.
If you have already applied for Picturing America, thank you!
In order to enhance the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture, Picturing America brings some of the nations greatest works of art into school classrooms and public libraries. Successful applicants will receive a set of forty high-quality reproductions of American masterpieces, a teachers resource book and additional educational resources available at http://PicturingAmerica.neh.gov.
Public, private, parochial, and charter schools and home school consortia (K-12), as well as public library systems and school districts, are invited to apply. Awards will be announced in May 2008 and distributed in September 2008 for display during the 2008-2009 school year and beyond.
For more information about Picturing America, including a list of the artwork featured, grant guidelines, and the online application, visit http://picturingamerica.ala.org.