OEMA Newsletter
An Electronic Newsletter
of The Oregon Educational Media Association
Volume 15 No. 1
September,
2002
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE from Kelly Kuntz
Ah, "it was the best of times, it was the
worst of times" seems to be the catch-phrase
of the day! But as library media teachers/specialists,
we have much to be grateful for this year. Educational
research continues to pinpoint the school library
as the foundation and key to improving academic
achievement. Laura Bush continues to champion
and spotlight the role of the library within the
school with Oregon maintaining a high presence
in that process.
And you have the remarkable rare opportunity of
sharing the wonder of books and the power of information
with your students who begin each year anew. Smell
deeply as you open that box of new books, inhaling
the plastic perfume generated by those shiny crinklely
covers. Make sure those books and the others on
your library shelves ranging from slightly used
to belovedly tattered find their way into students
hands, their desks, their backpacks, and even
under their pillows! Open up their eyes to the
excitement of information, be it print or electronic!
You have a very special role; relish it!
The OEMA/OLA Joint Conference "Libraries
Without Boundaries" promises to be an amazing
opportunity to hear national speakers, network
with colleagues and learn new strategies.......and
it is right here in Oregon. See you in October.
FALL CONFERENCE
HIGHLIGHTS from Mary McClintock
Joint conferences are special events in the professional
lives of members of WLMA and OEMA and the 2002
conference will be the first joint effort in seven
years. Together our two associations have pooled
resources and talents to produce a gathering of
the caliber of a national library media conference.
The 2002 Conference Steering Committee features
the most creative library media folks that Washington
and Oregon have to offer and they have been working
for over three years to develop the Libraries
without Boundaries program. Chair positions have
been split equally between the two associations
and together we represent decades of conference
planning experience. Nancy Graf's expertise in
negotiating with hotels, for example, is largely
responsible for the incredible conference rates
at the Doubletree, allowing us to pay room rates
"frozen" years ago.
An icebreaker at one of our early planning meetings
unearthed some unusual life experiences among
the members of the conference team. We have someone
who saw the corpse of Ho Chi Minh lying in state
in Hanoi, someone else shook hands with three
different U.S. presidents, another sat behind
Eldridge Cleaver while an all-white women's choir
sang "Dixie," and yet another person
attended elementary school in Egypt and can still
tell a joke in Arabic. Previous careers include
being a corrections officer, a cocktail waitress,
and a professional actress. World travelers among
the group have cruised the rivers of Europe, lived
on Rio's Ipanema Beach, and have even broken an
ankle in the middle of an Ecuadorian rainforest.
Others climb mountains or routinely take ten-mile
walks. This lively, unusual bunch are the brains
behind the conference.
Our diverse authors will help us celebrate the
global village in which we live and the threads
that make up the fabric of American life. Authors
Chair Marian Creamer, who served on the 2001 Caldecott
Committee, has drawn upon years of connections
with authors and publishers to line up a rich
program of nationally esteemed authors. With a
superb sense of timing Marian booked Virginia
Euwer Wolff before she won the 2001 National Book
Award for True Believer and landed new YA author
An Na right after she won the 2002 Michael L.
Printz Award for A Step From Heaven. Two-time
Newbery winner Lois Lowry along with Francisco
Jimenez and Jacqueline Woodson round out the top
tier of authors who will be speaking in a variety
of conference venues.
Authors from across the northwest who will be
presenting concurrent sessions include Graham
Salisbury, Susan Fletcher, and many other local,
yet prominent talents. Author sessions occur throughout
the conference program and designated times for
author signings have been planned. Be sure to
use the book sales preorder form to guarantee
you will have the books you want for author signings.
A conference highlight will be the Author/Awards
Reception on Friday evening at which everyone
will have a chance to chat with her favorite authors
in a festive atmosphere.
A special conference event will be the keynote
on Friday morning in which an author panel will
explore the meaning of "home." Three
years ago I was in the audience for the keynote
panel "Sweet Land of Liberty," at AASL
in Birmingham and remember well how moving the
program was. Booklist's Hazel Rochman, who was
the "spark" on the Birmingham panel,
will be with us to stir our panel to reach the
same level of passionate discourse. Banquet speaker
Richard Rodriguez will offer further inspiration
on Friday evening. Many of us have long been fans
of Rodriguez, having watched his video essays
about American culture on PBS's NewsHour program
for years, yet for some of you Rodriguez may be
a new writer. He is a powerful speaker who seems
perfect to reflect thoughtfully on our Libraries
without Boundaries theme.
Our workshop offerings feature many of the leading
figures in educational technology, children's
literature, and information literacy. Extended
Sessions Chair Jan Weber took over about a year
ago from Darwin Page who has since moved out of
the Northwest. Scheduling workshops both before
and after the conference (all day Thursday and
Saturday afternoon) will better accommodate the
needs of members. Due to Jan's persistence and
successful arrangements with Apple, we are able
to offer hands-on technology sessions at the hotel
rather than off-site at a school.
The 2002 Conference Steering Committee has been
working hard to develop an exciting and memorable
conference program of inspiring speakers, challenging
presenters, and a diverse array of award-winning
authors who will explore facets of literacy and
learning without boundaries. It has been a privilege
to work with such a dynamic, inventive committee.
The names of the committee chairs are listed below
for a little well-deserved recognition.
Register early since this will be a huge conference
and many spots will fill up quickly. Check our
website for contact information,
hotel registration, author web links, more in-depth
descriptions of sessions and periodic program
updates
Libraries without Boundaries is a conference you
won't want to miss.
OEMA RETIREES PLEASE
At the fall conference, OEMA will honor people
who have retired since last October. They should
have been OEMA members sometime in the last three
years. Jenny Takada, Awards Chair, would greatly
appreciate names of people you know who have retired
and the school district where they last worked.
If you have contact information (address or e-mail)
for retirees that may have changed since the last
directory, that would be useful too. Please send
replies to Jenny
Takada.
GRAPEVINE
Special thanks to Media Specialists Soozi Crosby,
Gray Elementary in Astoria, Gregory Lum, Astoria
High School, and Lynne Pickens, Knappa High School,
for volunteering at the OSLIS booth during the
COSA conference in Seaside last June.
Jim Tindall, RIFfed from Wy'east Middle School
in the spring has found work. He will be the district
librarian for The Dalles School District.
OSLIS FUNDS OREGONIAN
ONLINE FOR ALL OREGON SCHOOLS
The Oregon School Library Information Service
(OSLIS) has funded the balance of a one year online
subscription to the Oregonian newspaper for all
of Oregon's K12 educational institutions.
By supporting the cost of the subscription, the
resource will be free to each school for the 2002-2003
school year. Also lending financial support for
the subscription costs were the Oregon Educational
Media Association (OEMA) and OETC.
The online subscription to the Oregonian newspaper
will be available sometime in late September exclusively
through the OSLIS website at http://www.oslis.k12.or.us/.
This subscription is for one year, through August
2003. If no sustainable source of funding is identified,
the OETC will conduct a subscription drive for
renewals in the Spring of 2003.
OSLIS is supported in part by TLCF and LSTA grants
and its founding partners, OEMA, OETC and Oregon
Public Education Network (OPEN). For more information
about the OSLIS project and its free resources,
visit the OSLIS website.
OSLIS WEB LIBRARIAN
OSLIS (Oregon School Library Information System)
has contracted with Donna Cohen to work with OSLIS
expert librarians to update the current web site.
The revision is made possible by an LSTA grant
from the Oregon State Library.
Ms. Cohen was a public school teacher for 10 years,
then a reference/bibliographic instruction librarian
in an academic setting. She currently, in addition
to working with the OSLIS web site, performs a
variety of consulting and instruction functions
in the library and technology field. Donna's work
includes independent information specialist/consulting
librarian with specialties in web site design,
web search instruction, project management and
curriculum design. You can visit her web site
at http://www.docheninfor.com for additional information
and to see some of her workshops that are currently
available.
BEVERLY CLEARY CHILDREN'S
CHOICE AWARD
Nominated titles for 2002-03:
| Gloria's Way |
Ann Cameron |
| Weird Stories from the Lonesome Cafe |
Judy Cox |
| Here We All Are |
Tomie DePaola |
| Mammalabilia |
Douglas Florian |
| How to Talk to Your Dog |
Jean Craighead George |
| Judy Moody |
Megan McDonald |
| Dear Whiskers |
Ann Whitehead Nagda |
| Marvin Redpost: Super fast, Out of Control |
Louis Sachar |
This new contest is targeted at second and third
grade readers, but is open to any elementary school-aged
student. In order to vote for their favorite book,
students must read (or have read to them) at least
4 of the nominated titles.
Voting will take place between March 15 and April
1, 2003. Students should vote for their favorite
book. Teachers, librarians, and home-school parents
may e-mail the total votes for each book to committee
chairman, Jann
Tankersley. (Vote only once-at a public library,
school or home school) Additional information is
available on the OEMA website.
PATRICIA GALLAGHER
PICTURE BOOK AWARD
Nominated titles for 2002-03:
| Small Brown Dog's Bad Remembering Day |
Mike Gibbie |
| Anansi and the Magic Stick |
E. Kimmel |
| There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Trout |
Terri Sloat |
| Dear Juno |
Soyung Pak |
| Grandma Summer |
Harley Jessup |
| The Emperor's Old Clothes |
Kathryn Lasky |
This contest sponsored by the Oregon Reading
Association is a Children's Choice contest working
especially well for Media Specialists in elementary
schools. Read all of the nominated books to the
kids, then have them vote for their favorite.
Send total votes to Carole Brown by March 1, 2003.
OREGON INTELLETUAL
FREEDOM CLEARINGHOUSE
The Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse
provides an annual report of challenges to materials
in public and school libraries in Oregon each
year for Banned Books Week. This year, the 15th Annual Report
will be available on the Oregon State Library
web site for Banned Books Week. In the past the
Annual Reports have been published as an insert
to the Fall issue of Writers NW. This year it
will only be available on-line.
Banned Books
Week, September 21-28, 2002, reminds Americans
not to take the democratic freedom of reading
freely for granted. The American Library Association,
a co-sponsor of Banned Books Week, has a wide
variety of information available on their website.
LETTERS ABOUT LIBRARIES
2003
Letters About Literature 2003 is a project sponsored
by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress,
in association with the Weekly Reader Corporation,
which invites students to write a letter to an
author -- living or dead -- explaining how that
author's work changed the student's way of thinking
about the world. Winners will receive cash awards
at the national and state levels.
Beginning with the 2003 Letters About Literature,
three competition levels are being offered for
students in 4th-6th grade, 7th & 8th grade,
and 9th-12th grade. Guidelines and entry
coupon are available on the web.
Letters About Literature is co-sponsored in Oregon
by Oregon Center for the Book at the State Library,
Oregon Library Association‚ Oregon Young
Adult Network and Children's Services Division,
Oregon Educational Media Association, and Oregon
Reading Association. Oregon winners are announced
in April and a celebration is held in their honor
at the State Library. Oregon's winning letters
from previous years are available for your
review.
CHRIS CRUTCHER SPEAKS
IN PORTLAND
On Monday, Oct. 21, award-winning author Chris
Crutcher will present the first annual Teen Author
Lecture as the finale to Multnomah County Library's
Teen Read Week program. Teen Read Week runs October
13-21, 2002.
Crutcher's Oct. 21 lecture will take place at
7 p.m. at First Congregational Church (1126 S.W.
Park Ave.) in Portland, Oregon. Free tickets are
available on a first-come, first-serve basis,
starting Sept. 16, by calling 503.988.5402. Tickets
are also available at the Capitol Hill, Central,
Gresham, Hollywood or Midland libraries of the
Multnomah County Library.
AASL STANDARDS FOR
SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST PREPARATION
The final draft document
of performance based standards for school library
media education programs, for use in the NCATE
Accreditation process, is now available. It will
be presented to NCATE for approval in mid-October
2002.
C-SPAN VIDEO OF WHITE
HOUSE CONFERENCE ON SCHOOL LIBRARIES
C-SPAN is making available streaming video of the June 4, 2002
White House Conference on School Libraries.
On that site, locate the "White House Conference
on School Libraries" box on the archives
page and click the "Watch (6/04/02)"
link. RealOne Player
(a free download) is required.
The video is also available for purchase from
the C-SPAN store.
CALENDAR
OEMA Newsletter -- Editor: Sheryl
Steinke, Eugene 4J Schools
Published monthly on the 5th of the month September
through May; also available on the OEMA
website. To receive the OEMA Newsletter by
email, subscribe to the OEMA mailing list using
the form at http://www.oema.net and then scroll
down to OEMA ListServe(s).
Send news items for the Newsletter to:
* Fax: 541-687-3463
* Email: steinke@4j.lane.edu
* Mail: 2405 Blacktail Dr. Eugene, OR 97402
Deadline: 1 week before publication, except 2
weeks for the January issue.
