Let's Talk Turkey - strong libraries build strong students

Thanksgiving time is a time to be thankful for what we have, remember the way things used to be and to think about the future. It is a time to sit around the table and talk. Conversations will run the gambit, from world events to how to make a difference. When conversation turns to education reform, it is a good time to "talk turkey" or say it simply: strong libraries build strong students, strong communities.    

Let's Talk Turkey* is available on downloadable bookmarks. Print out a page of mini bookmarks and decorate your holiday table. Why not use them to get a discussion started? Talk books. Talk library. Talk about reading, research skills, digital literacy and preparing students for 21st century skills. 

*Big Eye Readers (animal and career series) are available at the Library Advocacy Store at cafepress.com/csla

Library Advocacy Store Adds Products

Travel mugs,dog tags and more have been added to each of the 30+ Library Store sections, including the children's book illustrations, CSLA Logo, and my career and animal characters. You can either go directly to the design you like and open it, or "search" topics such as: mugs, jewelry, purse hangers, playing cards, note cards.

Visit the Library Store at http://cafepress.com/CSLA to browse the art and items, develop strategies for library advocacy, make "wish lists" and place holiday orders.

Malala Yousafzai Opens New Birmingham Library (UK)

Malala Yousafzai, the teenage girl shot by the Taliban in Pakistan for advocating education for girls, gave a 7-minute speech during opening ceremonies of the opening a new public library in Birmingham, England. She said that "Pens and books are the weapons that defeat terrorism."





http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LGg8G35jwuo

Background: http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/426709/Taliban-shooting-victim-Malala-Yousafzai-opens-Birmingham-library 

AASL Infographic: Strong School Libraries Build Strong Students

California READS - a State of Mind

The California state flag is a popular design for t-shirts and sweatshirts, so it made sense to modify elements of the design by providing the grizzly bear a book to read. Instead of "California Republic" the flag now says "California READS".  

Note:  Of course there are no grizzly bears left in California, only black bears.  Early settlers made sport of hunting and publicly fighting, killing grizzly bears.

This image is available on shirts, mugs and more at cafepress.com/DesignClass. 

InfoGraphic on Strong School Libraries

       

Big Dogs are Big Readers

New police academy rookie Nika and her dog Loki love police detective stories, especially those based in San Francisco.  Here is Loki, looking at you!

Big Dogs are big listeners and faithful friends. Loki is looking fine and is now available online at cafepress.com/DesignClass.

Sammy Squirrel Reads

For the past three years, I've been taking graphic design classes. In order to practice, I invite middle school students at Borel Middle School to recommend character ideas and which book the character will be reading. The characters were added to a collection of 1" x 4.25" bookmarks.  Kids could use the back of the bookmarks for jotting down due dates when borrowing a book. Or, they simply collected the characters. The bottom line is that my Adobe Illustrator skills improved thanks to those students!

There are now three types of characters: people with heads and books, animals with heads and books, and (most recently) whole body characters. One of the most challenging animal characters was Sammy Squirrel, requested by my friend who specified a question mark-shaped tail and glasses.

In addition to using the characters to practice my craft, they come in handy in two ways:

• Free bookmarks that include the message "Strong Libraries, Strong Students". A carry a half dozen or so with me as conversation starters.
• Images available on the Library Advocacy Store and DesignClass sites, thus providing a small revenue stream to the California School Library Foundation.

School Librarian Crusader

Here's a school librarian worth following. Middle School Librarian Sara Stevenson of Austin, TX advocates clearly and is the recipient of the Loeb Award for online journalism.

See Lauren Barack's  School Library Journal article, "Sara Stevenson: School Librarian Crusader."
Follow her on twitter

Big Eye Reader Poll

How can the Big Eye Reader characters help libraries become more visible? Which characters or messages are best? What are the best ways to promote the characters and messages? Your help is appreciated. Thank you!

Wall Art Promotes Reading, Libraries

Summer time is when planning for the next school year happens.  This apparently includes decorating walls as well, according to recent purchases from the California School Library Foundation's Library Advocacy Store at cafepress.com/csla.  Search for "wall art".

Shoppers from around the country have been ordering large, literary "wall peels" or decals -- like self-sticking posters that can be removed and repositioned.  We wonder how they are being used:  to decorate a library, a hall way, community room, school office or a child's playroom? The Library Advocacy Store has more than 50 images to choose from.  

Is it time to redecorate?

Add wall art.

Poems.

Big Eye Readers.

TEXTING Legislators About Library Issues

Teacher librarian Connie Williams, who represents California school librarians for the American Library Association, reports the following easy way to make a difference:

ALA has now made it easy for you to respond to  email alerts that get sent out asking you to please call you legislator on behalf of the most recent bill or action..  Text!

Here's what you do: (..took me less than 5 minutes!)

Text "library" to 877877. You will receive a message back asking for your address. Send that info back.  From now on, when there's a legislative alert from ALA relating to library and information issues they will send you a text.  Best part of it is that the text will contain two things:
1- some 'talking points' you can read before you make your call AND
2- a link to the telephone number of the representative you need to call.... all YOU have to do is to click on the active telephone link and you will be placing the call right away. Give your message and Ta Da!.... in the span of a few minutes you have participated in important action advocacy.

Let all your friends know about this process- you do NOT need to be an ALA member to sign on. By spreading the word you have helped build an important coalition of voices that our legislators need to hear on these important library matters. Go for it! :)

The ALA Washington Office says to expect 2-3 messages a month...

Connie H. Williams
National Board Certified Teacher Librarian
AASL Legislation Chair

 chwms@mac.com

Teacher Librarians: A Value Proposition

Here is a value proposition for teacher librarians as key players in building literacy for a strong democracy. Teacher Librarians:

• Provide K-12 student access to books and online resources
• Teach students (and classroom teachers) online research, cyber safety skills, Digital Citizenship
• Are schoolwide literacy and digital literacy specialists
• Reach thousands of students annually
• Have the largest classroom, reaching all students, over multiple years
• Use and offer the most technology in a school (often a computer lab or classroom set of computers, central depository for classroom technology, online library catalog, largest viewing center for presentations)

While Public Libraries play an important role in providing access to information -- especially for preschool, after school, and lifelong -- school libraries play an important role in providing access to information and instruction in how to access information to a "captive" audience of THOUSANDS of students from grades K-12.  This is an extremely important distinction (between public and school libraries or between classroom teachers and teacher librarians.)  Here is why:

• Students visit public libraries on a voluntary, often irregular basis.  However, school libraries have a "captive" audience; classroom teachers take their classes to the library for special research and other assignments, book talks, and to get taught digital literacy skills by the teacher librarian.  
• School students have library classes and free library access time.*  These numbers are potentially a powerful force in increasing literacy and digital literacy.  In California, there is now a set of minimum library curriculum standards for information skills, but no "teeth", funding or incentives for school districts to embrace the standards or rebuild their school libraries. [*except when the library hours are cut or library team reduced or eliminated -- this is an incomprehensible and tragic trend in California and across the country.  In my wealthy community, the middle and high school libraries are now staffed by teacher librarians who are employed 1/2 time and thus the libraries are less accessible to students.]  

Technology companies and other large employers could play an important role in making the argument that school districts should invest in their school library programs and staff.

Learn more about the role and issues related to strong school libraries.  See http://librarycampaign.csla.net  

Wear Your Message: READ

Keep it simple.  "READ" is the message.  Reinforce the message with a followup line.  This one resonates with teens, teachers and others who have enjoyed reading Suzanne Collin's The Hunger Game series:  "May the odd be ever in your favor."  Combine and wear the message!  T- shirt advocacy is a practical and fun way to start a conversation or make others take a moment to think about the message.

The California School Library Association Foundation's Library Store offers a variety of items with this message at cafepress.com/csla, including wall peels (like posters but no tape is needed and no harm is done to the wall), mugs, journals, and all sorts of gift ideas.


If you are looking for FREE bookmarks with this message, download a PDF from the Foundation's webpage.  The 22 mini-bookmarks are popular with teens, and make a fun book club give-away.

Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

Library Love at the Library Advocacy Store

The Library Advocacy Store is offering a number of items in celebration of Library Lover's Month (February).  Hearts galore are available on journals, note cards, and wall images at cafepress.com/csla. Promote reading, books, and library FRIENDS in February and all year long.
  

National Libraries Day (United Kingdom)

National Libraries Day is devoted to all types of libraries, library users, staff, and supporters across the United Kingdom.  It is celebrated on February 2, 2012.


There are several wonderful posters available for downloading.  Check them out!


Libraries and individuals that celebrate NLD are encourage to tweet about it to the following hashtag: #NLD12


Spread the word!  Get ready to celebrate!

Big Eye Reader Mini-Bookmarks

Collect them all!  Entertain young readers with fun mini-bookmarks that feature Big Eye Reader characters. The bookmarks are available through the California Campaign for Strong School Libraries, a project of the CSLA Foundation.


There are eleven characters so far, but how many more will join the others this year? Tweet about your favorite character or suggest one @4Libraries

Holiday Tree of Readers Advisory Books

Petaluma High School Teacher Librarian Connie Williams alerted me to this creative way or display reference books -- old, green leather bound sets of the index to journal articles were used to create a Christmas tree. Book Tree WIN is the article name. See http:wins.failblog.org/2011/12/15/epic-win-photos-book-tree-win/


see more WIN - Epic Win Photos and Videos

Congressional Hearings on the SKILLS ACT

On October 17, 2011, the American School Library Association (AASL) held a congressional briefing in Washington, DC on "Education Reform and the SKILLS ACT: An Analysis of 21st Century School Librarians and Their Impact on Career and College Readiness".  Presentations were in conjunction with Representative Rush Holt (NJ) and Senator Jack Reed (RI).  


A number of speakers brief members of Congress at Congressional Hearings on the SKILLS ACT: 

• Carl Harvey, school librarian, North Elementary School (Ind.), AASL president
• Donna L. Haye, assistant superintendent, Atlantic City Public Schools (N.J.), an AASL Distinguished School Administrator
• William A. Mayer, university librarian, American University (D.C.), international speaker and leader on the changing face of services in libraries
• Kathy Mortimer, parent from Henrico County Public Schools (Va.) an AASL National School Library Program of the Year
• Connie Williams, National Board Certified Teacher Librarian, Petaluma High School (Calif.), AASL legislative committee chair

The AASL has created a number of supporting documents and videos on the briefings at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslissues/advocacy/briefing.cfm

The bottom line is that there is an important role for strong school libraries from elementary through college, if we want our students to be effective and creative users of information in class, college and careers.  Dollars for job creation should be directed to schools for strengthening school library teams, providing more student access to school libraries and teacher librarians.  It makes sense when you know the story of what 21st century school libraries look like.  See the AASL Standards for 21st Century Learners and individual state standards such as California's Model School Library Standards.