From the Inside Out

I was tickled this morning to find out that something that started almost a year ago has finally come together! There is a great story and video on the front page of the New York Times: I am so pleased to see this story!! <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/books/16libr.html?hp> The video is super, too. Here's the back story:

The reporter contacted me in March 2008 for the names of school librarians who encourage reading who were close to NY City...DUH, that would be all of us! LM_NET and the SLMS/NYLA listservs connected me with a lot of people who were willing to be interviewed. I knew that if she wanted a New York City school librarian, Stephanie Rosalia would be great--she is passionate and well-spoken--so made sure she was on the list.

She followed Stephanie Rosalia for a long time and kept in contact with AASL and ALA, talking to the ALA Public Information Office and AASL President Ann Martin as recently as 3:30pm last Friday.

She is now convinced of the importance of school libraries in students' lives and asks whether there is a school librarian in each school she considers for her youngest child according to Stephanie. I very much appreciate the story!

The story is well-timed and can be forwarded to everyone's governors and superintendents as budgets are being determined.

Whoo-hoo!

During the past year, I have created and participated in wikis, read other people's blogs, Twittered, found friends on Facebook, but I have neglected this blog...I am not sure if anyone will read it, but it's time to make it part of my communications routine! I'm recovering from dancing in another New Year with my husband's band and an extended Christmas with family and friends, especially enjoying having my son Ryan and his lovely bride Andrea with us for a week. We played with a new Wii (I can finally bowl fairly well someplace!) and ate lots (the Wii Fit will come in very handy) and shivered through temperatures that hit -15 degrees F for a couple of nights. The Arizona-raised Andrea never experienced temperatures like that before.

The conference issue of Knowledge Quest is now in full swing with the earliest deadline of the four I've edited but the articles should be great--the line up of authors reflecting on the nine common beliefs and professional development is a strong one. I know co-editor Laura Pearle and I will be doing final edits between meetings and programs at Midwinter but it'll be worth it to hit the deadline and get the issue out on time...KQ's hit its mailing deadlines well so far this year and I'm not going to hold up this one!

Happy New Year to all; school libraries are on the line this year as districts react to financial pressures so let's promote and market the important work we do, consistently and loudly--a resolution I WON'T break this year!

When I read this press release on the ALA site, I immediately thought of the many school libraries who are vital to their communities. I KNOW that many, many school libraries are centers of learning and are visible outside their buildings and hope that there will be entries and winners from school libraries. (OK, I am annoyed that they didn't list school libraries as one of the examples in the proposal requirements. But we do this.)

Here’s a chance to promote your library program (Nov. 15 deadline):

This year, under American Library Association (ALA) President Jim Rettig’s leadership, members will have new opportunities to participate in ALA and to communicate their success stories. One of these opportunities is an ALA-wide virtual poster session.

The first of two poster sessions will debut this fall. Its focus is “Community Central.”

Share your experiences of making your library vital in your community (any kind of community). The possibilities are almost endless. Are you reaching underserved populations? Are you vital to local political activity? Is your library a center of learning? Are you visible outside the building? Demonstrate the specific purpose of your community involvement and the ways that you have achieved that purpose. Photos, images, and sounds may accompany your presentation.

To be considered for inclusion in the poster session, please send a proposal in the form of a summary of your library’s efforts, making sure to address the following points:

1. Question or problem (need not be stated as hypotheses)
2. Environmental context of the question or problem (such as public libraries, academic libraries)
3. Organizational context of the question or problem (internal services, outreach, community analysis, etc.)
4. Approaches to address the question or problem (i.e., the specific ways the library and its staff have addressed the kinds of programs and activities mentioned in the Community Central description)
5. Outcomes (details on the effects of the approaches, including data, testimonials or other evidence of community involvement)

The summary must be no longer than three pages, double-spaced (one or more photos or images may be included as part of the three pages).

The deadline for submitting proposals is Nov. 15. Approximately 25 submissions will be selected and will be available for viewing during January 2009. Please send the proposals via e-mail to Dr. John M. Budd at BuddJ@missouri.edu.

A second virtual poster session will take place in the spring of 2009.

Rettig’s initiatives for his presidential term are about “Creating Connections” –connections among our libraries; connections between the communities we serve and those who make funding and policy decisions; connections with prospective library workers; connections with ALA members. His initiatives address three critical issues: Advocacy, Diversity and Member Participation.

For more information about ALA President Jim Rettig’s initiatives, please visit http://jimrettig.org/content/initiatives/initiatives.htm .