Saturday, June 28, 2008

AASL Affiliate Assembly Meeting

Tonight was the first time that all the affiliates from across the country to discuss school librarian's needs. It is always a joy to be among the dedicated library teachers that serve us all. AASL Affiliate Assembly began discussing six areas of concern at the first meeting during the ALA 2008 conference. These concerns have an impact on all school librarians, and some have been detailed by New England librarians. I'm going to try to digest these so that MSLA members can comment on these issues.

I – Susan Ballard from NESLA asked the AASL board to establish a task force to develop a procedure to evaluate and act upon the needs of librarians in crisis due to the loss of jobs or school library programs. Because there are many levels of need and a myriad of responses from AASL, it is suggested that AASL create an evaluative process to best serve its members so that action can be taken in a decisive manner. This is a popular concern: Debra LaPlante from Arizona also proposed an organized method of response to those school librarians from the Mesa Unified School District when all the jobs were cut. These two concerns have been combined because the actions requested are similar. Voting results: Approved.

II – Ann Perham from MSLA has asked that a task force be created to promote National Board Certification for school librarians. The rationale is that these credentials would elevate a library teacher's status under NCLB as “highly qualified.” Voting results: Approved.

III – Rosina Alaimo from Region III expressed concern that AASL was not a partner with ASCD, the nation's largest educational administrator organization. She requests that we seek a liaison with ASCD by getting articled published in each other' journals, and that ASCD publish an issue on the impact of school library programs on student achievement. Voting results: Approved.

IV – Cara Cavin, also from Region III, asks that a task force be formed to examine the lack of diversity within AASL membership and to work with other ALA associations to develop recruitment practices. Cara also asks that AASL take on a more active role in larger diversity issues facing ALA. Voting Results: Approved.

V – Annette Smith from Region III is asking the AASL board to form a task force to examine the possibility of a collaborative document between ISTE and AASL. This process was begun in Philadelphia, but ended without a formalized joint statement. Voting results: Approved.

VI - Debra LaPlante's request from Region VII wants an attempt by AASL to work with Arizona administration to require school libarians at all schools. This is a response to the loss of programs in Arizona. The action items here were added to the first concern put forth by Susan Ballard. Voting results: Action items amended and moved to Concern I.

Commendations were also issued to Follett Library Resources for volunteering to collect, collate, analyze collection statistics to illustrate the average copyright date and average number of books per student; to Cocky's Reading Express at University of South Carolina, a collaborative program; to Washington Coalition for School Libraries and Information Technology, sponsored by the "Spokane Moms;" two to North Dakota Association of School Libraries and Youth Services, now requiring library media specialists take two library-approved credits as part of certification and for the creation of a Masters Degree with a concentration in Library and Information Technologies.

Please comment! Let us know what you think about these issues.

1 comment:

sunshine said...

I wish to comment on point IV. A few months ago, the AASL formed the Diversity Taskforce, which I agreed to join.

We are charged with the task of finding out how to get AASL more diversified, and will soon begin our work. Would the person who raised this concern about diversity be aware that AASL has decided to try and find out ways to diversify the profession through this newly formed taskforce?