CSLA Blog

CSLA elections

2012-02-22T11:07:00.001-08:00

Serving as an officer for CSLA is a great opportunity in several ways. Officers attend meetings which, are usually virtual where they hear more about what is happening in the organization and in our field. They also meet other library staff so they can share concerns and ideas. When they go to CSLA events they know more people so they have more fun. Of course, the most important reason is that they are giving back to CSLA, which has served our profession for almost 100 years.

The positions that are open on the State board are President-Elect, Secretary, VP Government Relations, and VP Professional Development. The Northern Region needs a President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and one representative to serve in each of the four Sections. (There is already one representative in each region.) The Southern Region has openings for President-Elect, Treasurer, and one Representative from each Section. Members currently in the positions may also run.

The election will be in April. Please let me know if you have any questions or if you would like to serve in any of these positions. dapa@comcast.net

Diane Alexander, CSLA Past-President

California State Survey Time

2012-02-13T16:00:00.000-08:00

It is time again to complete your CDE State Library Survey: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/lb/schlsurvwelcompage.asp Some survey facts to remember

1. A survey is submitted for each school by site or district personnel.

If assistance is needed see #8.

2. There is a password. Type it as you see it here: @YourLibrary

Then select the "Start Survey" button

3. CDE needs your numbers. The survey is essential to develop an accurate

picture of the condition of school libraries across the state.

4. The survey is collecting information about last year, 2010-11

5. You can see collected prior year survey information at any time.

6. NEW! Tutorials that show you how to use your automation system to

answer question #10. Thank you, Janice Gilmore-See, Marie Slim and

Kathie Maier for creating these!

7. Please share this information with others in your district!

8. Need assistance? Just ask.

Lisa Leiplein, lleiplein@cde.ca.gov 916-319-0441 or

Barbara Jeffus, bjeffus@cde.ca.gov 916-319-0445

Submitted by Barbara Jeffus

Petition Success!

2012-02-05T17:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much to everyone who signed the "Ensure that every child in America has access to an effective school library program" petition on the whitehouse.gov site. We got the 25,000 signatures required by February 4. In fact, we got 26,982 signatures! It now goes to President Obama. Stand by for what we need to do now. :)

Scholarships and Awards

2012-02-05T09:41:00.000-08:00

Scholarships and Awards

Some of the many advantages of CSLA membership, are the awards and scholarships we offer. They all can be found with their application forms under “Foundation” on the CSLA website, www.csla.net . The deadline for all the applications is May 30.

Scholarships

Above and Beyond - $1,000

DEMCO/Betty Barkema School Library Improvement Grant - $5,000

Leadership for Diversity Scholarship - $1,500

Mook & Blanchard Honorary Scholarship - $1,000

Northern Section: Jewel Gardiner Memorial Scholarship - $1,00 twice a year

Paraprofessional Scholarship - up to $100 per class

Southern Section: Teacher Librarian - $1,000; Paraprofessional - $500

Awards

Administrative Leadership Award Innovation Award

Advocate for School Libraries Award Leadership for Diversity Award

Good Ideas! President’s Award

Honorary Membership Award Technology Award

Take a look at the website to see if you want to apply for any of these or nominate someone else. This is a great opportunity to reward deserving people.

Diane Alexander, CSLA Past-President

Kids Got It Easy

2012-01-29T15:04:00.000-08:00

Generation NOW kids &why schools have to change … (Part 1)

When I was a child,adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hardthings were when they growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to schoolevery morning.... barefoot and in the snow… uphill... BOTH ways...

I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way I wasgoing to tell mykids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it.

But now thatI'm older and a school librarian, I can't help but look around and notice theyouth of today. They've got it so easy. I mean, compared to my childhood,they live in a Utopia.

To begin with:

Our parents told us to stay outside and play (without providing supervision or advice on activities) ... all day long. Now children are never left unsupervised and have packed schedules with camps, lessons, sports, tutoring, enrichment … or if the family can’t afford these things the Internet and TV are the babysitters.
Everything is safer now. I remember roller skating (metal wheels) on the sidewalk without the benefit of pads and helmets. My knees were permanently scabbed. I rode my bike without a helmet, often with no hands. Seat belts and car seats were for rich people with new cars. My mom let us ride wherever we wanted – even in the open bed of a truck and we hung on. If we were lucky, we got the "safety arm" across the chest at the last moment if she had to stop suddenly. Not only that, but the recharging ports in cars … those were cigarette lighters, and there were also ashtrays that slid out and were full of butts. People actually drove around smoking while the kids were in the car -- with the windows rolled up (which was actually a chore because you cranked a handle to make windows roll up).
We didn't have microwaves. If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove. Making popcorn was a real ordeal. You either had to have a special popper or you got this foil package that you put on the stove and then all the kernels in the bottom were burnt.

And then there was technology:

· The television had 13 channels. We had to usea little book called a TV Guide tofind out what was on. There was no such thing as channel surfing because we hadto get UP and walk over to the TV to change the channel, which we did byturning a dial ~ I remember being the remote control. Not only that, sometimethe reception was fuzzy and if I wanted a clear picture I’d have to stand infront of the TV holding the rabbit ears just so.

· There were no DVRs or TiVo or OnDemand orstreaming TV from a website, so if we wanted to watch a program we had to watchit when it was being broadcast and there was no fast-forwarding throughcommercials. There was no Cartoon Network either so we had to wait all weeklong for cartoons that were only on Saturday mornings. Late night TV endedsometime after midnight, and then the station played the Star-Spangled Banner to “sign-off” and then there was nothing onexcept a test pattern until morning.

· After school, there were reruns of wholesome showslike The Brady Bunch, Gilligan’s Island, and I Dream of Jeannie … oh and Bewitched. I think I may have seen everyepisode of these shows several times because nothing else was on. Every once ina while there was an Afternoon Special that was really corny and always had amoral lesson for you to learn. What do kids do now after school? They’remulti-tasking, switching between several activities incessantly; listening tomusic, texting friends, doing homework, sending IMs, watching YouTube, checkingemail and Facebook, sending tweets, eating, and playing a game … yes, they aretrying to do all these things simultaneously.

· Our only telephone was stuck on the wall witha long cord that got tangled up as we walked as far away as it would stretch.We were lucky that we weren’t on a party line where your neighbors could listenin. Even so, I remember my parents getting very irritated having to listen tomy long, inane conversations. Now parents often don’t have a clued what theirkids are talking about; half of it is in acronyms (LMAOROFL) and it is filledwith bizarre emoticons ;-)

· There weren't any fancy features like CallWaiting, either. If we were on the phone and somebody else called, they got abusy signal, that's it. There was no Caller ID so when the phone rang we had noidea who it was! It could be our school, our parents, our boss, our grandma,the collection agent... we just didn't know! We had to pick it up and take ourchances. There weren't any cell phones either, so if you left home you just missedthe calls – see, we didn’t even have answering machines! If you wanted to makea call away from home, you’d have to find a phone booth – sometimes you can seethem still.

· TEXTING? Yeah, right – although for a whilethere were these beeper things that people carried around to know when theywere desperately needed for an emergency.

· Yes, there were computers (I’m not that old!),but they existed in huge rooms in big companies and even with that giganticcomputer it was less powerful than an iPhone now.

· No one had personal computers, and theInternet wasn’t open to the public. If we wanted to know something, wehad to go to the library and look it up ourselves, using the drawers in thecard catalog! Informationis now instantaneous and customizable with RSS feeds, blogs, interactivewebsites, and … Google.

· There was no email. We had to actuallywrite somebody a letter - with a pen! Then we had to find orbuy a stamp and put it in the mailbox, and it would take a week to get there.

· There were no MP3's or Napsters oriTunes! We had records in vinyl with beautiful jackets that were likeartwork. There were no CD players, but we did have giant boom boxes thatwere really heavy to carry around. We'd play our favorite tape and"eject" it when finished, and sometimes the tape deck would “eat” thetape when ejected. And if we wanted to steal music, we had to wait around allday to tape it off the radio, and the DJ would usually talk over the beginningand mess it all up!

· I remember the first video games like Pong andSpace Invaders and Asteroids. Our screen guy was a little square (well,we used our imagination) and there were no multiple levels or screens, it wasjust one screen… forever! Oh, and you could never win; the game just keptgetting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just likeLIFE! Now there are sophisticated game systems like PlayStation or Xbox withhigh resolution 3-D graphics, and these devices also serve as DVD players,Internet connectors, and you can control the games with your body. World ofWarcraft, and other MMORPGs, are so absorbing that kids can concentrate on themfor hours on end, seemingly loosing track of where their virtual life ends andtheir real life begins.

I hate to say it, but thekids today don't see how good they've got it … they wouldn't last five minutesback in 1970. But by the same token, I can see that their experience growing upis not “easier”, just different.

Andthis is why school can’t look the same as it did in 1970. We’re talking aboutthe NOW connected generation, with their own obstacles to overcome. Studentstoday are not engaged by spending 6-hours daily listening to a teacher talkingat the front of the classroom, often moving too fast for some, too slow forothers, and not using any of the tools they use to learn on their own.

[Tobe continued] Look for Part 2 in February, which attempts to answer thequestion of how schools need to change to meet the needs of Generation NOWstudents.

by Janice Gilmore-See, Southern Section Past-President

Think Globally...Attend Locally

2012-01-23T16:51:00.000-08:00

Hello CSLA members and friends,

My name is Katie Williams, and I am the President-Elect of the Northern Region. I have been a member of CSLA for over 20 years, and have found it to be an excellent professional organization. A few years ago I took my principal to an annual conference, as my guest, and she was so impressed with the quality and quantity of professional sessions that were being offered that year.

Luckily, we don't have to wait until an annual conference to take advantage of the expertise of our members! I have been to many regional workshops that have made a difference in the way I do my job, as a middle school teacher librarian. We have great region reps who put together professional development opportunities throughout the year, and this year is no exception.

Coming up very soon is a workshop in Sacramento on Saturday, February 11 at 9:00 a.m., organized by our Section 2 members, Andrea Catania-Stephenson and Annette Weiskircher. Save the date.... it promises to be an interesting session on Google Apps and QR Codes! You can check our CSLA website for more details as they become available.

I hope I will meet more of our Northern Region members this year, as we continue to support and educate each other.

CSLA Southern Region Section 2 Event!

2012-01-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

Important School Library Petition

2012-01-09T18:54:00.000-08:00

Here's an important item from the AASL Advocacy tip blog:

"On Jan. 4, 2011, AASL President Carl Harvey posted a petition on the White House website requesting support and recognition by including school library programs in the reauthorization of the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) expected this year. The petition has until Feb. 4, 2011, to get 25,000 signatures in order for it to reach the Obama administration.

"Spread the word outside the school library community – teachers, parents, students, community members, and family friends are all encouraged to sign the petition. Anyone over the age of 13 is qualified to sign. This is a perfect opportunity to spread the word about school libraries by asking them to sign the petition: http://wh.gov/Wgd

"After you have signed, share the link with others. Post it online, on blogs, on Twitter, and Facebook. Use all your communication methods to help get the word out."

Here is the text of the petition:

"Every child in America deserves access to an effective school library program. We ask that the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provide dedicated funding to help support effective school library programs. Such action will ensure more students have access to the resources and tools that constitute a 21st century learning environment. Reductions in school library programs are creating an ‘access gap’ between schools in wealthier communities versus those where there are high levels of poverty. All students should have an equal opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to learn, to participate, and to compete in today’s world."

Signing is important; spreading the word is incredibly important. We school library people need to network beyond our own ranks to get the needed signatures. Please share this with everyone you can. Please also be aware that some folks have had challenges signing in once they set up an account on the whitehouse.gov website. If you have challenges, try a different browser, or sign out and back in until you succeed in signing. Please don't give up!

Many thanks! Jane Lofton, CSLA President Elect

To all of the Lifelong Learners in school library land - from your Membership VP

2012-01-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

Hello All People Interested in School Libraries!

I'm Liz Dodds, and I am the Membership VP for CSLA. I am already learning a lot about how to do this job - keeping track of our members and making sure everyone understands what a valuable organization the California School Library Association is!

Our annual conference in November is a wonderful learning and networking experience.
We also host several events per year in the northern and southern halves of the state, where more learning and networking take place.

Please take a look at our calendar at http://csla.net and click on the Events Tab to see what has been planned with you in mind. Attend and invite a friend.

I'd like to especially reach out to the paraprofessionals in the school library world and make sure that you feel you're a vital part of this organization. Another group that we'd love to welcome is the private or independent school librarians - let's work together!

Leadership for Diversity is a committee under the auspices of Membership. If you're interested in making sure the wonderful diversity of California is represented by those who are entering the school library field, and that once they enter they are informed and active in their schools, districts, and CSLA, then you may want to serve on this committee. Please let me know (liz.dodds@gmail.com) if you're interested. Sandy Schuckett will be the chairperson of the committee.

I am a teacher librarian at Bullard High School in Fresno. I have been a TL for 16 years - 3 in elementary, 6 in middle school, and 7 in high school. Before becoming a TL, I taught PE, German, and math. I love working in the library because of the technology, the collaboration, the research,and the constant change. I think there has never been a more exciting time to be a teacher librarian. Ebooks and etextbooks make their appearance- how will we handle that? Students still need to be encouraged to read for pleasure, and everyone needs help with research! There's never a dull moment!

Here's some food for thought for you lifelong learner mover and shaker types:

The future is a platform

View more presentations from Jason Griffey

School Libraries Link Learners - A New Year Posting from Jane Lofton

2012-01-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

My name is Jane Lofton, your new State President Elect. I am very honored, excited, and, yes, more than a little nervous, to be taking on this position. I accepted this challenge because I believe passionately in the importance of school libraries for our students, and in CSLA’s vital role in advocacy and professional development for those of us who work at and teach in California school libraries. I got active in CSLA very soon after I entered the school library field in 2002. I did so because I was so impressed with the professional development I received from the organization. I wanted to become involved and give something back to this association that gave me so much. What I have found since then, though, is that the more active I become, the more I actually receive myself.

As your President Elect, my major role this year will be assisting our awesome President, Pam Oehlman: preparing for the presidency next year; and planning our next annual conference in November 2012 in San Jose. I am happy to announce that our 2012 Conference theme will be “School Libraries Link Learners.” We help our students to become lifelong learners because of our own passion for lifelong learning; both our we and our students are always learners, discovering new ideas, learning new skills, and expanding our imaginations each and every day. Please stand by for information coming very soon about our conference dates, location, and participation opportunities. In the meantime, please get in touch with me (jane@lofton.com) if you are interested in participating in the planning team.

In case you would like to know a little more about me, I’m sharing a Prezi presentation I created in Fall of 2010 when I began my current position as Teacher Librarian at Mira Costa High School and have just updated a bit:

About Me on Prezi

I thank all of you for giving me the privilege of participating in the CSLA State Board as President Elect. I look forward to a wonderful year of sharing learning, networking, and advocacy for school libraries with all of you.

Southern Region Scholarships - Applications Available!

2011-12-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

Need money for library school? If you are a Southern Region member, fill out the applications posted at http://cslass.wikispaces.com/Scholarships for the opportunity to apply for our paraprofessional or professional scholarships. And may the odds be EVER in your favor! Any questions? Contact Marie Slim: sraslim <at> sbcglobal <dot> net Applications are due Friday, March 30th, 2012

Cyber Sunday Parent View

2011-12-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

During the recent CSLA Annual Conference in Pasadena last month, our organization held the first ever "Cyber Sunday," an event open free of charge to the community with some of digital literacy's top experts providing sessions on many different aspects of digital citizenship. I publicized the event at my school, and Shirley Shoda, one of my great volunteers and the parent of a 10th grader and 3rd grader attended. I asked her to write a guest posting about her experience, which I also posted on my school blog. Here is what she wrote:

"My main reason for attending Cyber Sunday was to learn about ways to protect my family on the net. I signed up for a session called Parent Support: Young Children Online.

"The first portion of the session was covered by Daryl Hulce, Program Administrator for USA-SOS Internet Challenge. This program is an Internet Safety Program for 3rd thru 8th graders, backed by the FBI and is designed primarily for participation by schools. The students answer a series of questions to earn points. The schools then compete against other schools to win a prize. Some of the topics include Virus Protection, On-Line Predators, Reputable Sites, and Social Networking. (There are 17 topics in all). The program is designed like a game, making it very kid-friendly.

"The second portion included an introduction of Nooks for Books by a rep from Barnes and Noble, explaining how this technology can be used in the classroom and at home. Everyone in the audience actually got to play around with a Nook!

"In addition to these talks, I received some helpful handouts, such as “A Parents’ Guide to Facebook”, presented by ConnectSafely.org, explaining about how kids can socialize smartly and safely on the web. It covered topics like “Why you should be honest about your age”, “How to choose friends wisely”, “Configuring who can see what you post”, and “Limiting who can see your info or search for you”. These topics were extremely informative not only for my children but for me as well.

"Cyber safety will continue to be a hot topic in our household as we use the web more to connect with others. I feel that having attended Cyber Sunday has definitely helped me become better equipped in protecting our privacy and ensuring our family’s safety online."

Thanks so much for contributing, Shirley!

Holiday Season Reflection

2011-12-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is a time of reflection, and as I reflect on this past year I am reminded of the all that we have lost, but also all that we have gained. When times are tough, and we all know they are pretty tough right now, we need to remember to rejoice a little each day. Rejoice in the fact that you have your health, your families and friends, a roof over your heads, and food on our tables. We can also rejoice in the friendships we have made and continue to foster through our professional organization. This year is my 3rd year serving on the CSLA Southern Region Board. As I reflect on these past 3 years, I realize that I have had the opportunity to be a big part of some important work in helping our organization grow and change. I have always been a proponent and true believer in volunteer work, and have found that I cannot give without getting something back in return. Through my volunteer work, CSLA has given me the opportunity to help guide the organization in a positive and hopefully prosperous direction. I have developed relationships with fellow library professionals that have been fulfilling and inspirational. The most important thing I take from my volunteering with CSLA is the feeling of pride I get from the work we have accomplished this year. In the next few months our Past Presidents will start their search for future CSLA board members at the regional and state level. Don't pass up the opportunity to "Give" back to your organization. Don't wait to be asked, make the call yourself and volunteer, I did! Being a part of a professional organization is a fulfilling and rewarding experience, don't miss out on this great opportunity to serve.

The work we each do on our sites, district offices and beyond is important work for the students of our state. Rejoice each day in your contribution to their growth. Rejoice in learning something new, in giving back to your school, community, professional organization. Rejoice that teachers before you gave of themselves so that you have the opportunities you have today.

It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that

no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy Holidays,

Kathie Maier, CSLAsr President 2011

Introducing - Jessica Gillis

2011-11-20T22:39:00.000-08:00

As the new Vice-President of Communications for CSLA I see my job as making sure that all the CSLA members have easy access to state and national news, events and issues regarding our positions and interests in K-12 school libraries. To support this we are starting a blog to share information as if becomes available and allow you to make comments and share your concerns, interests and questions.
I'll take this time to share a little about myself. I grew up on the East Coast but moved to California in 1988. I had just gotten my teaching credential in MA and had to wait to take the CBEST so I took a classified job in an elementary school library for a year. After 20 years in the classroom and working with homeschoolers in Monterey county I finally decided it was time to become a teacher librarian. I was lucky to get a position in a Palo Alto elementary school while I was still finishing my library degree which I completed in Dec. 2010 from SJSU. As a SLIS student I became a member of CSLA and ALA-AASL, taking advantage of the cheaper student dues, attending the conferences and meetings as well. My involvement in AASL and joining the Taskforce for the implementation of the 21st Century Learning Standards led to my election as Region 7 Director-Elect. This position acts as a liaison between State and the national organization. An appropriate complement of that role is working on communication with my state organization. I am honored to have been asked to fill the position of VP of Communications for CSLA and look forward to working with the other fabulous board members that are part of the CSLA team.