13
February
2008
Book Bonanza Winners / Gale/LMC Award / New Alaskana / Certification / Summer Reading / New Job?
BOOK BONANZA WINNERS – AT LAST
In January, I finally announced the winners of the 2007 Book Bonanza. They were:
Klukwan Community - First Prize
Trapper Creek School Second Prize (Tie)
Kaleidoscope School of the Arts Library (Kenai) Second Prize (Tie)
We had 17 entries all together, and this year’s competition was a cliff hanger in more ways than one. We had three rounds of judging with honorable mention going to Willow Community Library and Delta Greely Middle and High School Libraries. Shageluk and Pitka’s Point were also singled out as worthy. AkASL, AkLA and local chapters of AkLA (Anchorage, Northern Chapter, and Juneau) were generous donors along with the Friends of the Ketchikan Public Library. Ron and Lynn Dixon of the late Cook Inlet Book Company, who were founding sponsors of the Book Bonanza, made a contribution of books in the last days of their well-loved store. Individual contributors were Roz Goodman, Joyce McCombs, and Sue Sherif. Barnes and Noble made a valiant rescue of the 2007 Bonanza by making an unexpectedly large, last-minute donation of gift cards for the winners.
The Book Bonanza 2008 guidelines and entry forms will be posted on the AkASL web page soon, and they will be available at the AkLA Conference February 28- March 2 in Fairbanks as well. This year’s deadline will be April 30, 2008, and the winners will be announced after school starts in September, 2008.
Thanks to the AkASL members who served as judges.
GALE /LMC AWARDS – Deadline April 28
Gale and Linworth Publishing are once again sponsoring an award for teachers and media specialists influencing student achievement, the TEAMS award. The competition is open to all public and private schools in the US and Canada, and entries are due April 28, 2008. The winners receive cold, hard cash, loot (subscriptions and Gale and Linworth products), and glory (recognition at the ALA Conference in June at (oh, yes!) Disneyland, Anaheim, California! I know from the several presentations that some of you have made on collaboration and what I have seen when I have visited schools around the state that some of you could be winners. Check the competition guidelines at:http://www.galeschools.com/pdf/TEAMS-form.pdf
NEW ALASKANA TITLE 
Fans of Pam Flowers (ALONE ACROSS THE ARCTIC, BIG-ENOUGH ANNA) and Jon Van Zyle (oh, we all know his work) will be glad to know that they have collaborated to produce a new picturebook, DOUGGIE: THE PLAYFUL PUP WHO BECAME A SLED DO HERO. The true story of another of Pam’s dog team members and lead dog on her 325-mile expedition to the magnetic North Pole, this picture book is a story of determination with a touch of high Arctic adventure. Let’s just say that a polar bear is involved. (Alaska Northwest, 2008 ISBN 978-0-88240-654-1 )
CERTIFICATION
Kari Sagel, Erika Drain, and other school librarians who have been working diligently to clarify the situation involving certification of school librarians in Alaska have recently posted a letter from the Deputy Commissioner of the Education and Early Development on the Alaska Association of School Librarians web site. Visit the site at: http://www.akla.org/akasl/ to read the letter of January 3 from Deputy Commissioner Spackman and to see all other activities led by the hardworking Alaska Association of School Librarians E-Board.
SUMMER READING NEWS FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIANS
The materials for the 2008 Statewide Summer Reading Program are now arriving in public and community libraries if you submitted participation forms in October. If your library doesn’t receive its CATCH THE READING BUG @ YOUR LIBRARY by March 1, please notify Priscilla McAdara at the Alaska State Library office (priscilla.mcadara@alaska.gov ) or call her at 1-800-776-6566 if you are outside of Anchorage. The artwork for the teen program, METAMORPHOSIS @ YOUR LIBRARY is truly striking.
We will be receiving PSA’s in several formats at the Anchorage office soon. Please let us know if you would like to borrow a copy to promote your program.
NEW JOB? If anyone has been contemplating a change of jobs for the next school year or re-entering the workforce if you retired a little too early, please think about applying for the School Library Coordinator position when it is open again on Workplace Alaska. We are expecting to post it in the near future and will be leaving it open until the end of the school year. It is NOT posted yet, because we are still trying to hire a temporary, part-time version of the job for now until the end of the school year. Consider it if you have a masters degree and have experience in K-12 school libraries. The job involves working in an office most of the time, also but traveling a good deal all over Alaska and sometimes Outside. You must be willing to ride in small aircraft and invest in Arctic gear if you don’t already own it. Willingness to put in long hours when you’re on site visits is a plus. Getting to work with librarians all over the state is the frosting on the cake. The position is in Anchorage, and the work is varied and challenging. The Library Development Team of the State Library is truly that, a team of cooperative and committed people. When the job is posted and Workplace Alaska is ready to accept applications, the opening will be announced often and in a variety of places including the AkASL website, AkLA-L, and through this e-newsletter. You have time to think about it now and will plenty of time to apply when it is posted again Hope to see many of you in Fairbanks week after next at the AkLA conference. If you haven’t registered yet, you still can at: http://www.akla.org
Posted: Alaskana, Awards, Books, Collaboration, Grants, School Libraries, Summer Reading
7
November
2007
I still have one foot in my old job as School Library Coordinator and one foot in my new job, but I want to try to keep up SAYL MAIL until we have someone who can take it over.
EMERGING LEADER / AASL IN RENO / RENO ATTENDEES CLASS REGISTRATION / SNIPPETS FROM AASL / JUDY FREEMAN PUBLICATION / ASSESSMENT TITLES / VAMPIRE TOME TOPS THE TEEN LIST
ALASKA’S EMERGING LEADER
Huge congratulations to Barrow’s own Sara Jeffress, who has been named an Emerging Leader by the American Library Association. She will be attending the next two ALA national meetings and engaging in activities with other librarians recognized as library leaders of tomorrow. In Sara’s case, she is already taking an active role as a leader as she is not only the Youth Services Librarian at the Tuzzy Library, but is also on the SLED committee and chairs the Public Library Roundtable. Way to go, Sara!
AASL IN RENO AND BEYOND
The American Association of School Librarians in Reno week before last offered varied programs and endless exhibits by library vendors. This year, for the first time, Alaska had around 30 school library representatives at the event, which convenes every other year. (A few of our colleagues spent an extra day in Reno because of a flight cancellation, but considering the balmy weather in Reno when we arrived this could only have been a bonus–although I have not heard reports of whether they had to spend a night in the Reno airport?!?!?!?!)
For those of you who were not able to attend in person, here is an opportunity from AASL to capture some of the conference’s content:
“AASL has just launched its first ever Digital Institute.
Available as part of the AASL e-Academy online offerings,
the “Minding Your Students’ Future” institute offers a rich
continuing education experience through multiple media,
including podcasts, vodcasts, and video.
Focusing on the future of learning in school library media
programs, the institute pulls together a variety of digital
sessions captured during the AASL 13th National Conference
& Exhibition in Reno, Nevada, October 25-28. Highlights
include clips from the Opening General Session with Dan
Pink in a montage with the One Book, One Conference
discussion session of his best-selling book “A Whole New
Mind.” Another main attraction is a session on the
“Standards for the 21st-Century Learner,” presented by
Cassandra Barnett and Barbara Stripling. Other topics
explored in the digital sessions include teaching
information literacy, research, podcasting, book
challenges and more. A complete list of Digital Institute
offerings can be found at
http://www.ala.org/aasl/eAcademy
Read more at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/october2007/diginstitute07.htm “
RENO CLASS REGISTRATION REMINDER
For those of you who were lucky enough to attend the Reno conference in person, Ann Morgester of the Anchorage School District has this reminder for you:
“Don¹t forget to register with UAA if you are intending to take the RENO conference class.
The registration form can be found at:
http://libraries21stcentury.wikispaces.com/RENO+LS+590.701+Class
SNIPPETS FROM AASL
Also from the national association comes this piece of advocacy information:
National test scores prove need for School Librarians
The U.S. Department of Education’s recently released
national test scores further confirm the need for a
library in every school staffed by a state-certified school
library media specialist.
According to the results of the test - the National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) - with only a few
exceptions, reading and math scores have remained flat for
the years under No Child Left Behind, 2002-2007.
“This news comes as no surprise to school librarians, who
know from both experience and from concrete data just how
vital school libraries and librarians are to academic
achievement,” said ALA President Loriene Roy. “More than 19
state studies show that school libraries that are
well-stocked and well-staffed can and do raise test scores,
especially reading test scores. That’s why the SKILLs Act
is so important.”
The SKILLs Act would require that each school have a school
library staffed by a state-certified school library media
specialist. Introduced in June, the bill is vital to the
future of today’s school libraries and, therefore, student
achievement.
Read the full news release at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/october2007/naep2007.htm
See the NAEP report at
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard
Get more information about the SKILLs Act at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslissues/SKILLS_Act.cfm
First online resource dedicated to 21st-Century skills
teaching and learning is launched
Washington, DC – Nov. 7, 2007 – To help education leaders
and policymakers implement 21st-Century teaching and
learning, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills launched
Route 21, an online, one-stop shop for 21st-Century
skills-related information, resources and tools.
Route 21 showcases how 21st century skills can be supported
through standards, assessments, professional development,
curriculum and instruction and learning environments. The
site represents the first comprehensive, go-to online
resource for high-quality content, best practices, relevant
reports, articles and research to assist practitioners in
implementing 21st century teaching practices and learning
outcomes.
Learn more at
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org
JUDY FREEMAN PUBLICATION
Some of the youth services librarians statewide and school librarians in the Mat Su were lucky enough to participate in a September workshops with storyteller and children’s book expert, Judy Freeman. Her latest book, ONCE UPON A TIME: USING STORYTELLING, CREATIVE DRAMA, AND READER’S THEATER WITH CHILDREN in GRADES PreK – 6 (Libraries Unlimited, 2007) ISBN 978-1-59158-663-0, is in the process of being added to the Anchorage collection of the State Library. If you are interested in borrowing it when it is available, please contact: Priscilla.McAdara@alaska.gov or call her at 1-800-776-6566 outside of Anchorage.
ASSESSMENT PUBLICATIONS
Also being added to the Anchorage State Library collection are two titles on assessing student learning in school libraries:
ASSESSING LEARNING: LIBRARIANS AND TEACHERS AS PARTNERS by Violet H. Harada and Joan M. Yoshina (Libraries Unlimited, 2005) ISBN 1-59158-200-8
ASSESSING STUDENT LEARNING IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER, edited by Anita Vance (American Association of School Librarians, 2007) ISBN 978-0-8389-8446-8.
To borrow either of these when they are available, contact Priscilla McAdara using the contact information above.
TOP TEN TEEN READS
The vote from Teen Read Week is in. The place to go to see what teens who voted online chose as their favorite title of 2006 is: http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teenreading/teenstopten/teenstopten.cfm Hint: The top author’s initials are SM, and the topic is….what else? …. Vampires.
Happy Children’s Book Week next week! Sue
PS If you don’t have plans to celebrate Children’s Book Week November 12-17, just go ahead and cook up some good ideas because you’ll have a second chance this school year as the annual event makes a move to May (May 12-18, 2008). In future years it will be a May celebration instead of a November one, and will be a perfect time to advertise the statewide summer reading program! See the Children’s Book Council Website for more details: http://www.cbcbooks.org/cbw/
Posted: Assessment, Awards, Books, School Libraries
8
September
2007
MADELEINE L’ENGLE / BANNED BOOKS WEEK / LIVE HOMEWORK HELP / NEW BOOK FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIBRARIANS / AkLA CONFERENCE 2008 / SCHOOL LIBRARY COORDINATOR POSITION / CORRECTION
MADELEINE L’ENGLE 1918-2007
Beloved author Madeleine L’Engle (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet and at least 60 other titles) died on Thursday, September 6. To read more about this extraordinary woman and her career, go to her website at: http://www.madeleinelengle.com/
BANNED BOOKS WEEK September 29 – October 6
If you will be celebrating or promoting Banned Books Week at your school this year and haven’t ordered materials, you’ll need to act quickly to get materials from the American Library Association at: http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteSolution.tafsn=catalog&_pn=product_detail&_op=2374
One needn’t buy the posters and bookmarks to draw students’ attention to the importance of the freedom to read. Your library probably contains books that have been targeting for banning. Use the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom website to learn more about Banned Books Week: http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.htm#wtb
LIVE HOMEWORK HELP CHANGES - IMPORTANT
With the start of the new school year, you may find yourself referring students in grades 4 through beginning college level to LIVE HOMEWORK HELP, available on SLED (http://sled.alaska.edu) or through your own library’s web page. The service is available to people within the state of
Alaska from 1 – 9 PM every day.
The GOOD NEWS is that the people who produce this service, Tutor.com, have finally listened and now offer a Mac compatible version! The BAD NEWS is that students with very old browsers on either Mac or PC platform may not be able to access the live chat with a screened and trained tutor. In addition, right now the service is asking people in some circumstances for a Library Card Number. In Alaska the response should NOT be a library card number, but instead should be the password used for all our proprietary databases on the Digital Pipeline on SLED. If you do not know this password already, you cannot receive or send it via email or on a website. Instead, you can call the toll-free number at 1-800-440-2919 to get the password. Remember you are welcome to share the password with clients of your library to use at the library or at home, but you CANNOT share the password with them via web or email. (This is part of our licensing agreement.)
NEW BOOK FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIBRARIES
New at the Anchorage office of the Alaska State Library is THE SUPER3: INFORMATION SKILLS FOR YOUNG LEARNERS by Mike Eisenberg and Laura Eisenberg Robinson. This 2007 Linworth publication provides a scaled-down version of the Big6 research method that they claim will work for Pre-K through second grade. The Pre-K claim may be a serious stretch since all the examples on the numerous worksheets involve writing, but the 3 skills (planning, doing, reviewing) are a good framework for younger students who are just embarking on research projects or beginning to identify story elements. Contact Priscilla McAdara at 907-269-6580 or priscilla.mcadara@alaska.gov if you would like to borrow the book.
AKLA CONFERENCE 2008 – PROPOSAL DEADLINE September 15
The state library conference will be held in Fairbanks this year. The dates are February 28 - March 2, 2008. The Alaska Association of School Librarians will be offering travel grants again this year, and information about how school librarians who are members of AkASL may apply will be posted later in the fall. In the meantime there are two things that you can do to get ready: 1. You can talk to your principal about the dates and the importance of participating in the type of professional development that the conference offers 2. If you have something to share with other librarians throughout the state, you can submit a program proposal online at: http://www.akla.org/fairbanks2008/forms/more.php
SCHOOL LIBRARY COORDINATOR POSITION
There are still a few days to apply for my position as School Library Coordinator. The job is posted at: http://notes5.state.ak.us/wa/mainentry.nsf/WebData/1hp1HomePage/?OpenThe position is listed under Librarian III and School Library Coordinator. It’s one job listed two different ways.The closing date is currently posted as September 12 (Wednesday).
This is a great job, so I encourage anyone who has a solid background and an interest in serving libraries and librarians throughout the state to apply.
My official duties as Head of Library Development begin September 17, but I will continue to keep you informed via SAYL Mail until a replacement has been chosen. I’ve just had a wonderful almost two-week vacation with one of my sisters, so I feel energized to wear two hats for a little while, but hope that I won’t be straddling two positions for long!
CORRECTION
As reported in the last SAYL Mail, Helen Clark of Fairbanks is indeed leading the instructional technology program at the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, but her duties have expanded, so her official title is: Executive Director of Library Media and Instructional Technology. Katie Sanders will be serving with Helen and have the title of Director of Library Media Services as indicated previously.
You can post a comment to this blog by clicking on the grey number next to the title.
Sue Sherif
School Library/Youth Services Coordinator
Alaska State Library
Posted: Books, SAYL Mail, School Libraries
