PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE - Martha Decherd

"Oh, the weather outside is... delightful!" 65 in Portland in February?? Is it Spring already?

In any case, it is the time of year for OEMA regional conferences: your opportunity for excellent, local, affordable professional development. I traveled to Bend for the Region 7 conference on Feb. 12. Kate Grant assembled a great day of presentations on L-Net, OSLIS, Lewis and Clark, and new books. Those who came had a great day of learning in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.

Every regional conference I have attended has been a great experience for everyone there: a chance to connect with others who share your goals and frustrations, the positives and the puzzles that present themselves every day in a school library; a chance to learn about new books and new strategies; a day to recharge for the rest of the school year. I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity and attend the regional conference
near you. It will be a day well-spent.

SPRING REGIONAL CONFERENCES

Regions 1 & 4
Date: March 5, 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 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.  

DISTINGUISHED LIBRARY SERVICE AWARD FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS

Deadline: March 31, 2005
Do you have a great administrator? Make a nomination!
The Award This award is presented by OEMA annually to an administrator of a school or group of schools for developing an exemplary school library media program and for having made an outstanding and sustained contribution advancing the role of the school library media center.

Criteria The administrator should demonstrate:

* leadership for the provision of high quality library media staff, facilities, collection, equipment, and staff development opportunities
* support for library media center services that provide learning opportunities and curriculum implementation for all students
* promotion of library media programs

Eligibility Eligible for nomination are county, building or district administrators who are directly responsible for a school or group of schools at any level. Also eligible are district administrators who are responsible for broad instructional leadership. Nominations may be made by school library media specialists, district library media supervisors, and district or local library media organizations who are current OEMA members.

Nomination Please submit:

* name, title, school, and/or district address, phone number, brief description of his/her job role, and educational and professional background
* a written narrative of the nominee's outstanding and sustained contribution toward furthering the role of the school library media program, a description of the district or building library media program and staffing, and an example of the administrator's library philosophy
* two signatures of fellow teachers who endorse the nomination of this administrator (identify each of the two supporters)

Guidelines: Nominations should be submitted by March 31, 2005

Please mail the nominations to:

Margaret Ogren, Awards Co-chair
OEMA Awards Committee
Willamette Primary School
1403 12th Street
West Linn, Oregon 97068
503.673.7260
ogrenm@wlwv.k12.or.us

BEVERLY CLEARY VOTE - March 15 - April 1

It's almost time for students to vote for their favorite book in OEMA's Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award. Voting takes place from March 15-April 1. Send total votes for each book to bccca@verizon.net. Additional information at http://www.oema.net/cleary/index.htm

YRCA VOTE - March 15 - April 1

Between March 15 and April 1, it's time to vote for your favorite YRCA titles. Your votes must be postmarked by April 5 to be counted in this years contest. In addition to the winners in each category,  please count the number of votes for each title when you send in your results. Also identify the name of the school or library sending the votes. You may send the results by email to yrca@ischool.washington.edu or to Ruth Murray at murrayr@wlwv.k12.or.us . You may also mail your results to:

As you probably know, anyone in grades four through twelve in the Pacific Northwest who has read (or has heard read) at least two titles
from a category of the list, is eligible to vote. Students may vote in any category if they have read two titles in that category. If a student had read two books in each of the three categories, they may vote in all three. You need not send ballots only the tally of votes. If you would like to review the titles, please go to the PNLA website at: <http://www.pnla.org/yrca/index.htm>

NCCE CONFERENCE IN SEATTLE MARCH 16 - 19

If you have ever attended an NCCE conference (Northwest Council for Computers in Ed), you know they pitch a great event. Because several of their Board of Directors are or have been school librarians, they have specifically created strands for the special needs of school librarians who work with technology and support student / teacher use of technology
in the curriculum.

We're swinging for the fences with Teacher/Librarians! This year's NCCE Conference features several workshops and sessions that would be of value to you. Your special line-up includes the following workshops and sessions. You can purchase a one day ticket or a season pass. For a complete roster visit our website at: http://www.ncce.org/ncce2005/index.html. Visit us March 16-19 and hit a homerun for education.

Sessions
* How to Integrate Technology and the Internet into the Classroom
* Increase The IT Developmental Level And Maturity Of Your Students
* IT User Skills: Not Just For Geeks Anymore
* Library Media Specialists As Coaches And Collaborators: One District's Story
* Discover How North Thurston School District Integrates Technology And Standards Into The Daily Curricula With Net Trekker
* Marco Polo: Internet Content For The Classroom
* Google 201: Advanced Googleology And Crispen's Technology Primer Workshops
* Point, Click, Yikes: Promoting Safe Use Of The Internet
* Lifetime Of History: Enhanced Research Strategies
* Literary Mystery
* Cutting Through The Internet Clutter
* Google
* Student Technology Literacy Certification
* Running A Computer Lab But Running Out Of Ideas

Plan to stay at the Sheraton, which is conveniently located next to the Conference Center. If you book your room through the Seattle Housing Bureau before February 25, 2005 you'll automatically be entered into a prize drawing. You may win a computer, and Apple iPod, or Mariners merchandise!

SUMMER TECHNOLGY WORKSHOP FEATURING WAYNE FREE

August 22-24, 2005 * Jesuit High School * Portland, Oregon

After a very successful speaking engagement at the OEMA 2004 Fall Conference, Wayne Free is returning to Oregon to participate with librarians and teachers in a technology workshop on August 22-24, 2005.

"I am very excited about Wayne's return to Oregon," commented Gregory Lum, workshop coordinator. “He brings enthusiasm and a wide-knowledge of technology to his presentations.”

Participants will choose from three options for the technology workshop at Jesuit High School in Portland. Graduate credit will be available.
For more information and to register online, visit: <http://online.jesuitportland.com/tech>

For conference questions, e-mail Gregory Lum, glum@jesuitportland.com

PACIFIC NORTHWEST CHILDREN'S BOOK CONFERENCE FOR WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS

What a great way to spend a week so summer vacation. Attend the 6th Annual Pacific Northwest Children's Book Conference for Writers and Illustrators July 11-15, 2005 on the campus of Reed College, Portland, OR. Linda Zuckerman, director Jeannette Larson, senior editor, Harcourt Children's Books University. Credit available from the Educational Media/Librarianship Program at Portland State University through Ruth Murray.
Join Eric Kimmel, Susan Fletcher, Ann Whitford Paul and other inspiring instructors as they present a full week of lectures and panels, critique sessions and workshops which focus on the craft of writing and illustrating for children and young people.

Topics include fantasy, historical fiction, poetry, plot and character, humor, dialogue, writing the picture book and middle grade novel as well as information about children's book publishing, contracts and agents. Students get feedback on their work in afternoon, small-group, faculty-led workshops. A limited number of individual manuscript and portfolio reviews are available for an additional fee.

Housing and meals on the campus of Reed College allow for networking opportunities and ongoing discussion with faculty and fellow students.
Registration begins March 22, 2005. Noncredit $590, 3 credits, $860, room and board add $350, lunch included for commuters. For more information or a brochure call Elizabeth Snyder 503-725-4186 or email snydere@pdx.edu or Ruth Murray at murrayr@pdx.edu.

OLA INTERNET USE SURVEY

During the months of October and November 2004, the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Oregon Library Association conducted a survey of the 139 public and volunteer libraries in Oregon. The goal was to document the manner in which libraries are handling patron access to the Internet, how this may have changed since the last survey on this topic was conducted in 2000, and how libraries are responding to the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Read the report at http://olaweb.org/org/ifcsurvey04.shtml

NATIONAL INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS

The US Department of Education recently endorsed the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) <http://nimas.cast.org/>. When publishers create instructional materials that correspond to the NIMAS standard, these materials can easily be converted into accessible formats for students with disabilities. NIMAS will help to ensure that students with disabilities have access to high quality instructional materials, in appropriate accessible formats, at the same time as other students. As a condition to receive funding under IDEA 2004, states are required to "endorse the NIMAS standard in a timely manner." For more information on NIMAS, or to learn more about accessible information technology in education, contact the Northwest ADA & IT Center (<http://www.nwada.org>) at 1-800-949-4232.

CALENDAR

OEMA Newsletter -- Editor: Sheryl Steinke

Published monthly on the 5th of the month September through May
To receive the OEMA Newsletter by email, subscribe to the OEMA mailing list using the form at http://www.oema.net/telecommunication/list.html

Send news items for the Newsletter to:
* Email: sherylsteinke@comcast.net
* Mail: Sheryl Steinke at 2405 Blacktail Dr. Eugene, OR 97405