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The issues of the teacher librarians and para-professionals in California School Libraries. Please share your concerns, feedback and questions.

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Video Contest for CSLA Members

CSLA is excited to announce a new members-only video contest. Members are invited to submit an instructional video that addresses competencies within the California Model School Library Standards. Finalists from the contest will be asked to present their videos, and share how they created their work at the CSLA State Conference in San Diego on Feb 6, 2016 during a session from 7:30-9:15 a.m. Presenters will receive a coupon code for full conference registration or conference registration reimbursement. A reimbursement form will be sent to finalists who have already registered for conference. We hope that you will join us in creating a video for your school community and our contest. Good luck and enjoy the process!

A video might explain how to:
  • develop a search strategy,
  • locate a magazine article from a database,
  • evaluate websites,
  • use the library online catalog,
  • create formulas on a spreadsheet,
  • make animated flashcards,
  • produce a podcast,
  • practice netiquette,
  • develop a design process,
  • or another competency.
We also invite you to consider a video that incorporates the theme of school libraries as Doorways to Diversity, but you don't need to be limited to the conference theme.

All submissions should be sent to https://dropitto.me/videocontest
password: cslavc
Rules and Guidelines
  • Content must be accurate, current, informative and useful.
  • The video must support the implementation of CA Model School Library Standards.
  • The video must be aligned with, and support, school librarianship and CSLA goals in the broadest sense.
  • Content must be original.
  • The submission must be technically sound, easy to access, and engaging.
  • Videos may include screencasts, animations, “Ken Burns” effect, as well as movie-type genre, or similar types of videos.
  • The video must be web-based, have a URL, and be publicly accessed.
  • Video URL must be made available to be posted in the CSLA website.
  • Audience for the video must be specified (teachers, students, other TLs).
  • Video length should be 2-4 minutes.
  • Videos must be made by CSLA members.
  • Each member can submit only one video.
  • In the video, please include your name, job title, and school.
  • Finalists will present how they made their videos in a concurrent session at the Annual CSLA Conference February 4-7, 2016 in San Diego.
The videos will be reviewed by CSLA Committee on Standards Integration (CSI) and the State Board.

All video submissions will also be reviewed for possible Seal of Alignment recognition.
Deadline: Midnight, December 31, 2015
Finalists will be announced on January 10, 2016.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

LIBRARY 2.015 ONLINE CONFERENCE


Teacher Librarian Day is OCTOBER 19, 7am-8pm. 

The Library Online conference is celebrating the fifth anniversary! Huge thanks and a shout-out to founding partner The School of Information at San José State University<http://ischool.sjsu.edu/> and its director (and conference co-chair), Dr. Sandra Hirsh <http://ischoolapps.sjsu.edu/facultypages/view.php?fac=hirshs>, for the vision and support that has made this unique event a reality. 

With their help the conference community has grown to over 21,000 members, and teacher librarians are encouraged to learn more, make connections, and get future announcements by joining Library 2.0<http://www.library20.com/>. 

For the pre-conference event this year, the conference organizers are excited to announce Teacher Librarian Day <http://www.teacherlibrarian.org/page/teacher-librarian-day> on Monday, October 19th, a five-hour special (and also free) series of online sessions around the topic of "Teacher Librarians and School Culture" - organized by Joyce Valenza<http://about.me/jvalenza>, with lots of special guests<http://www.teacherlibrarian.org/page/teacher-librarian-day>, and supported by CiSSL, the Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries at Rutgers<http://cissl.rutgers.edu/>. The conference has inherited the Global Teacher Librarian Ning network, with over 7,000 members--learn more and connect with others at http://www.teacherlibrarian.org<http://www.teacherlibrarian.org/>.

Monday, October 5, 2015

October Library Ideas

October.  Summer is gone with fall beginning its reign.  This is usually the signal that school is in full-swing and routines are almost standard.   So what’s happening in California’s school libraries?  What routines are being followed?  What events does a typical school library host during the month of October?

Here are some events that you can use to promote your collection or sponsor an event in your library:
And don’t by shy, share your success stories with us and your patrons, teachers, administrators, and library supporters to show we are active participants in our libraries.  Tweet or post on Facebook or share a pin on Pinterest.  Use the CSLA official hashtag #4csla so that we can retweet or add that to our collection of ideas.

Don’t forget about PiBoMo (Picture Book Month) which is in November. 

Friday, October 2, 2015

CSLA Betty Barkema School Library Improvement Grant



As the winner of the CSLA Betty Barkema School Library Improvement Grant in 2015, I applied for this grant as a supplemental funding source for current renovations to Lafayette Elementary School Library in Long Beach, Ca.  Using LCFF funds with LBUSD approval, the Lafayette Library Media Center was created; a library and adjoining 35 desktop computer lab.  Large picture windows and a doorway separate the two spaces, allowing for the rooms to be used separately or as one continuous space. The remodeled library needed a space for 8 new laptops for online catalog access.

The goal of my grant proposal was to seamlessly integrate purchased laptops in the new library media center.  As space is always premium and the library is a multipurpose room; used for staff meetings, parent trainings, and library classes, I researched DEMCO Technolink Stations as the perfect solution to house the laptops used by students for access to our online catalog.  The multi-station free standing unit could hold two laptops and the single station could be attached to the wall, with adjustable shelf, I could place two more laptops and the others sit on bookshelves in one section of the library. I contacted DEMCO for a quote and used it in my grant proposal. I was totally shocked and excited to be the grant winner!! 

DEMCO has so many solutions to updating our libraries; seating, book shelving, tech integration...the possibilities are endless!  Thank you to CSLA/DEMCO Betty Barkema School Library Improvement Grant for bringing Lafayette Elementary School Library into 21st Century Learning! 


 
Katherine Tacea
Teacher Librarian
Lafayette Elementary School
Long Beach, Ca

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

New Deadlines for CSLA Board Positions and Awards/Grants

The NEW deadline is October 7th.  If you think you would like to volunteer for one of the positions or apply for a grant or award, you still have time! Here is the link for you apply.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

YOU could be a CSLA Board Member

We would love to have several of you CSLA members sign up to run for a state or region office. The new terms begin in February!

You may nominate a worthy colleague or throw your own hat in the ring using this form http://goo.gl/forms/tbgxw1e9Fb! We'd love to have many names to submit to our membership for the election. 

Please peruse the openings and see if one might work for you. If you have questions, the names and emails of the immediate past presidents are listed. 
Deadline: Thursday, October 1, 2015
State Board Openings: contact Liz Dodds at liz.dodds@gmail.com
PRESIDENT-ELECT - To assist the President and prepare to assume the presidency in the succeeding year.
SECRETARY  - To record and disseminate the actions of the Executive Board meetings and state association membership meetings.

VICE-PRESIDENT, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS - To assume leadership in association activities for the following areas: Legislation, Credentialing Issues, Intellectual Freedom, Liaisons, and Leadership Development
VICE-PRESIDENT, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - To assume leadership in professional development activities in the following areas: Committee on Standards Integration, California Young Reader Medal Committee, Research Task Force
Northern Region Board Openings: contact Jessica Lee at JessicaLee@berkeley.net
PRESIDENT-ELECT
TREASURER
SECTION 1 REPRESENTATIVE

SECTION 2 REPRESENTATIVE
SECTION 3 REPRESENTATIVE
SECTION 4 REPRESENTATIVE
Southern Region Board Openings: contact Sondra Keckley at skeckley@gmail.com
PRESIDENT-ELECT
TREASURER

SECTION 1 REPRESENTATIVE
SECTION 2 REPRESENTATIVE
SECTION 3 REPRESENTATIVE
SECTION 4 REPRESENTATIVE
SECTION 5 REPRESENTATIVE
SECTION 6 REPRESENTATIVE
Regional Treasurers maintain all financial records of the Region.
Regional Representatives are conduits between the Region Board and the membership, particularly in dissemination of information, planning of Section and Regional events, and membership maintenance and recruiting.
All positions have a two year term, with the exception of the presidency. The presidency is a three year commitment: a year each as president-elect, president, and past president.
Please consider running. It is a fantastic professional and personal development experience.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Heart_hand_nevit_fractalized.svg/223px-Heart_hand_nevit_fractalized.svg.png 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heart_hand_nevit_fractalized.svg

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Southern Region's Board Retreat

CSLA's Southern Region met at the Pasadena Hilton on Saturday, August 22, for the annual board retreat. Five new board members joined the Southern Region board as Sondra Keckley passed the gavel to the new Southern Region President, Sharlene Paxton. Blair Carroll (Section 2 Rep.) Heather Gruenthal (Section 3 Rep.), Joanne Ladewig (Section 4 Rep.), Kathy Short (Section 4 Rep.), and Corie Julius (Section 5 Rep.) officially began their terms at the board retreat. Kathleen Sheppard is Southern Region's new President-Elect.
We had a great day planning for the Southern Region workshop, which will be held at the Pasadena Hilton on Saturday, October 3rd, from 8:30-4:00. In addition to our fall workshop, Southern Region has some exciting section events planned for our members this year, so stay tuned for more information on these upcoming events.

If you haven't registered for the SR fall workshop, don't delay! Early-bird registration ends September 5th, and the early-bird hotel discount ends September 4th. Deb Ford will be our keynote speaker, and we will be holding a raffle for one lucky attendee to win Deb for a Day and have Deb spend the day in the winner's library on Monday, October 5th. Additionally, we will have 16 breakout sessions, so you don't want to miss this great day of fun, networking, and learning with others in the school library world. Arrive early to decorate your name badge at our Bling Your Badge Makerspace! We'll also be giving away up to $2,500 in scholarships for teacher librarians and library paraprofessionals attending certification programs. Visit csla.net or http://cslasr.weebly.com/ for more information on the SR Fall Workshop and to register. We're also accepting speaker proposals until September 5th, so put in a proposal to share something at a breakout session--speakers receive free registration!

The Southern Region board is energized and looking forward to connecting with our members and offering a variety of great member benefits this year. 

Front row, left to right: Mindy Wilmot, Section 1 Rep.; Kathleen Sheppard, President-Elect; Sharlene Paxton, President; Sondra Keckley Past President; Heather Gruenthal, Section 3 Rep.; and Joanne Ladewig, Section 4 Rep.
Back row, left to right: Carolyn Gill, Treasurer; Marsha Barr, Section 1 Rep.; Regina Powers, Secretary; Erin Southam, Section 5 Rep.; Corie Julius, Section 5 Rep.; Victoria Waddle, Section 6 Rep.; Blair Carroll, Section 2 Rep.; and Kathy Short, Section 4 Rep.

Not pictured: Jane Brooks, Section 3 Rep., and Mark Williams, Section 6 Rep.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Exciting News about Membership Fees

July 1st is the first day of the new fiscal year for CSLA and we have some EXCITING news to share with you. After our yearly financial review, we have determined that we are fiscally solvent. As many of you may remember, it was only 3 years ago that our organization was in a situation that required us to borrow funds from one of our fund raising committees to stay afloat.  Due to the hard work and many volunteer hours of our state board members, above and beyond their normal positions, we were able to bring CSLA back to it’s previous financial position. Because of these facts, we are now in a position to pass on savings to our members through membership dues and conference fees this year (stay tuned for some exciting details in September). Please see the NEW membership fee structured below. This fee structure was approved by the state board on June 12th and will begin today, July 1st.
Membership Fee Structure
July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016

Membership Type
COST
Professional Dues
$75
Paraprofessional Dues
$45
Associate Dues
$35
Student Dues
$25
Friends Dues
$15
Commercial Dues
$125
Institutional Dues
$150
Sustaining Dues
$500

Thank you once again for your support of the California School Library Association. It is your support that has helped us to weather the financial storm. We are so happy to be in a position to extend these savings to you.

The state and regional boards are here to serve you, our members, and appreciate your continued support. Please let us know how we are doing and share any concerns or issues. We appreciate hearing from you. Your comments and concerns help us to making our organization strong and to better serve your needs.

Your 2014-15 California School Library State Board