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TASL Talks Tennessee Association of School Librarians
Inside This Issue: Letter from the President
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Advertisements (Openings)
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Advocacy + #TASLChat
A New School Year is Upon Us!
ESSA
Hello librarian friends, and welcome to the fall edition of TASL Talks. This edition is all about IDEAS; the pages are oozing with opportunity for you to walk away with! Take a look at what some of your colleagues are doing and learn about the exciting days ahead for libraries as you read our advocacy pages. Sit back with your notepad and get inspired! This is going to be a fun read! Save the Date! TASL Chat
TASL Con ‘16
ALA Midwinter
Oct 17/ Nov 21
Nov 3-5, 2016
Jan 20-24, 2017
Catch it @ 9pE/8pC!
With a free preconference session on the latest ESSA news!
ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits is in Atlanta this year!
#TASLChat
2017 Slate of Officers
4-6 7 8-9
Conference Opportunities 10-11 Member Spotlight
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Regional Updates
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Programming Ideas
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Region ID/Contact Info
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From the President’s Desk: TASL friends, The onset of a new school year is always a time for new ideas, innovative programs, and a fresh start. I have enjoyed learning of the new endeavors and positions many of you have embraced in this new school year. And, I join those of you who are thrilled to be in the same location but introducing new programs, materials, and resources to our students this fall. TASL is certainly full of talented, innovative, resourceful, and adaptive professionals! Let me say thank you to all of you who have taken time to collaborate with EveryLibrary to fight for the inclusion of school libraries and school library stakeholders in the ESSA Implementation process in Tennessee. Whether you served on one of the committees and subgroups or provided feedback via the General or Parent Feedback form, you have been instrumental in ensuring provisions for school libraries in Tennessee. Much work is still to be done at the state and local levels, but trust that our Advocacy Committee, under the chairmanship of Beth Frerking, and our entire executive board will be working beside you to provide the training and resources you need in each step of the process. In addition to this supreme advocacy initiative, the TASL Leadership Team is thrilled to offer another semester of valuable opportunities for professional growth and networking to our members. We hope you’ll take advantage of all TASL has to offer by participating in these upcoming events.
Fall Regional Round Tables – September/October 2016
TASLChat – October 17; November 21 @ 9pE/8pC
25th Annual Conference – “Operation Excellence: Best Practices for Teaching Librarians” November 3-5, 2016 o
AASL Free ESSA Preconference Workshop – November 3, 10a.m.-noon
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Preconference events with Mr. Schu & SCBWI’s A Novel Conversation – November 3
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Volunteer State Book Award Banquet – November 4, 6:30pm
While the fall looks to be another busy one, for now, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the news and information inside the pages of this edition of TASL Talks. I can’t wait to see everyone as we celebrate TASL’s silver conference anniversary! What a time to commemorate our impact on the library world!
Blessings,
Mindy Nichols 2
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Advertisements TASL Position Openings
Want to become more involved in TASL? We currently have a few volunteer openings. If you are interested in any of the following roles, please contact Misti Jenkins at misti.jenkins.tasl@gmail.com
East Tennessee Professional Development Co-Chair A great place to start in TASL & a great way to make connections, the East PD Chair gives you valuable leadership opportunity! In this role you will organize a one day PD for East TN librarians which involves setting the location, creating the schedule, working with the key note speaker, & assisting the West PD Chair in getting door prizes for the event and presents for presenters.
Regional Area Representative Openings Are you interested in serving as a TASL Area Representative? Area Representatives are the veins of the organization, maintaining open lines of communication among region members and representing the region as a voting member of the TASL Executive Board. Area Representatives serve a three-year term, must be a TASL member, and practicing librarian, school library supervisor, educator of school librarians, or a retired school librarian. We will have opportunities in the Appalachian, Cumberland, and Highland Rim regions beginning January 2017.
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Advocacy Introducing the TASL Administrative Task Force The TASL Administrator Task Force has recently been accepted to present at the 2016 Tennessee LEAD conference. The conference is geared to school and district administrators in Tennessee. The task force’s presentation is entitled: Future-Ready Librarians for FutureReady Students. The task force is anxious to share the important role school librarians play in instruction in Tennessee schools. The task force includes:
Stephanie Ham, Metro Nashville Public Schools Sarah Searles, Knox County Schools Ginger Kirchmyer, Metro Nashville Public Schools Susan Harris, Shelby County Schools Denise Tabscott, Metro Nashville Public Schools
(Pictured below in order left to right)
Let your voice be heard! Your school community needs to know how valuable the library is to the health of the school in general. Visit the TASL Advocacy page for helpful points to assist you in advocating at your school as well as tools and examples of how to go about successfully communicating about what the school library has to offer! 4
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Advocacy National Library Legislative Day 2016 Librarians and friends of the library gathered in Washington May 2 & 3 to meet with legislators and ask for their support. The big issues that Tennessee librarians discussed with their senators and congressmen at NLLD included confirming Dr. Carla Hayden as Librarian of Congress, funding LSTA and Innovative Approaches to Literacy, passing privacy and surveillance reform, and providing access to taxpayer funded research. The ALA Washington Office tracks legislation, leads advocacy efforts and training, and works to be sure the libraries are represented on the Hill. One important message that attendees received during ALA’s briefings is that librarians are organized and do a great job of making themselves heard. When there’s an issue concerning libraries, legislators can count on hearing from us. Let’s keep up the good work! Since NLLD, there has been good news as Dr. Hayden was confirmed as the14th Librarian of Congress. However, some of the other issues continue to work their way through the process and their future is uncertain.
When it is critical to let your legislators know that an issue is important to libraries, TASL will be sure let you know whom to contact and how to contact him or her. It is tempting to think that one voice doesn’t matter, but the message that participants heard during our briefings is that legislators like to hear from their constituents. If you can vote for them, they want to hear from you. For more information on current issues impacting libraries on a federal level and ways everyone can advocate for libraries, subscribe to District Dispatch.
Some members of the Tennessee delegation met at Representative Jim Cooper’s office on May 3, 2016. Back: William Sundquist, Vice President, Friends of Tennessee Libraries, Beth Frerking, Librarian, Clarksville High School; Kent Oliver, Director, Nashville Public Library; Janis Perry, Assistant Director, Hatchie River Regional Library. Front: Vivian Wynn, NLLD Tennessee Director, Nashville; Susan Earl, Director, The Brentwood Library; Keenon McCloy, Director, Memphis Public Library and Information Center.
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Professional Learning Communities
Participate in monthly discussions on timely topics. Click here to learn about how to use #TASLChat!!
Archived #TASLChats:
April 18th -- School Library Month Advocacy and the Community May 16th -- End of Year Reflections July 18th -- Preparing for the School Year August 15th -- Leadership in the Library September 19 – Banned Books (coming soon) 6
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ESSA Progress with TDOE On September 8, librarians across the state participated in a webinar hosted by TASL, TLA, and the TDOE to provide direct feedback to the TDOE on ESSA Implementation in Tennessee on the following items: What efforts should the state prioritize to make sure that more educators get better feedback and better personalized professional learning opportunities? What would that look like for instructional, specialized faculty who are not in classrooms all day? What is the most essential in supporting all students to have plans for course-taking and goal-setting aligned to postsecondary opportunities? What student services are most beneficial in developing well-rounded students? Appropriate measures of school quality and student success Thank you to those of you who took the time to log on and join this valuable conversation. For those of you who missed it, TASL hopes to provide access to the archived webinar when provided access information from the TDOE. Watch your inbox!
We are looking forward to seeing you at TASL's 25th Annual Conference in November! Our Annual Business Meeting on Friday, November 4, will include the following voting measure: Election of the 2017 TASL Slate of Officers Slate of Officers for 2017 Misti Jenkins - President Blake Hopper - President-elect Vicki Winstead - Secretary Lynn Lilley – Treasurer Thank you to the Nominating Committee, under the chairmanship of Immediate-Past President Lora Ann Black, for the presentation of the 2017 Slate of Officers as a 2017 Voting Measure. 7
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2017 TASL Slate of Officers President
Misti Jenkins
Misti Jenkins is one of two librarians at Blackman High School in Murfreesboro. This is her third year at Blackman, her ninth year in the library, and her fourteenth year as an educator.
She and Gene have been married for fourteen years. They are the parents of twin boys, William and Edwin, who are in third grade. Misti is a native Middle Tennessean who enjoys travel, reading, volunteering at church, and watching her sons play baseball. Misti has been active in TASL for nine years. Her service to TASL started with picking up Margaret Peterson Haddix at the airport for conference, moved on to being Awards Chair, and has brought her to this time as Conference Chair and President-Elect. She is honored to serve in this organization and seeks to do her best to work for Tennessee’s school librarians.
President-Elect:
Blake Hopper Blake Hopper has served as librarian for 3 years at Powell Valley Elementary and Middle School in Speedwell, TN. He previously taught 4th grade and served as chair for East Tennessee Professional Development. Blake is engaged Kayla, a 4th grade teacher in Blount County. He enjoys reading (of course), watching the VOLS, coaching basketball as his school, and spending time with his family. Follow Blake on Instagram and Twitter @pveslibrary.
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2017 TASL Slate of Officers Secretary:
Vicki Winstead
Vicki Winstead serves as librarian at Vance Middle School in Bristol Tennessee. Vicki is the sponsor of Viking Teens Read, Vance’s student book club, and Coaches teams for Bristol’s Battle of the Books. Prior to her current role as Appalachian Region Representative, she served on the TASL Intellectual Freedom and Long Range Planning committees, and helped implement the TASL Regional Roundtable meetings. Vicki is blessed to be married to her best friend Bob. Their two children, Joseph and Rachel are students at the University of Tennessee - Go Vols! When she is not reading she enjoys watching UT football and spending time with her family.
Treasurer:
Lynn Lilley
Lynn has served as a librarian at McGavock High School for the past twenty-three years. Prior to that she served as a middle school librarian in North Carolina for nine and a half years. During her tenure as a librarian she has served as a PTO treasurer, yearbook advisor, Battle of the Books sponsor, and Girls Basketball Coach. While in North Carolina she was selected as teacher of the year at Savannah Middle School. Lynn has served as the Highland Rim Area Rep for TASL, treasurer for TLA, TENN-SHARE, and TASL. Lynn enjoys spending time volunteering with the children’s program at church as well as spending time with friends and family.
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The 25th Annual TASL Conference It’s less than 2 months away!
We hope you will join us! Don’t remember if you’ve registered?
Check your purchases with TASL by logging into www.tasltn.org
Conference cost: $120 (after October 3, it goes to $140) Pre-Conference with Mr. Schu: $25 A Novel Conversation for an intimate atmosphere with authors & illustrators: $25 VSBA Awards Banquet: $40 Award winners announced!
Choose My Profile (upper left-hand corner). You will then see 5 dark gray tabs (My Community, My Profile, Connections, etc.). Hover over My Profile & choose View Transactions from the drop-down menu. You will then see a list of your purchases. You can click on any receipt to see further details.
Order your TASL Tee before the event & it will be there when you arrive! Only $18 for this practical keepsake! Click here to order. 10
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The 25th Annual TASL Conference TASL would like to congratulate Jessica Boggs. She is the winner of TASL's 2016 Conference Contest package, which includes her conference registration and hotel stay. Jessica is the librarian at Jonesborough Elementary School in Jonesborough in our Appalachian Region. If you see Jessica at Conference, make sure to tell how happy you are she could join us!
Winner Jessica Boggs with TASL Membership Chair, Cristol Kapp.
There’s still time! This AASL workshop will present the most up-to-date information on the Every Student Succeeds Act and then guide you in creating a plan to make the most of this important legislation at the school level. Click here to register now! Thursday, November 3, 2016 11
10:00am-12:00pm
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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Cristol Kapp 2016 48Hour Launch Finalist Cristol Kapp, librarian at Red Bank Elementary has won 2nd place in the recent 48Hour Launch competition in Chattanooga, sponsored by Hamilton County’s Public Education Foundation. As the first librarian to create a makerspace in Hamilton County Schools and facing the challenge of how to engage students with different levels of physical and cognitive ability in her school’s makerspace, Kapp began working with a team of Mozillians, local educators, business mentors, and others interested in her idea to develop a viable business model.
Prototypes, using readily available technology and hardware including a Makey Makey and a Rasberry Pi were created to demonstrate how students of differing abilities could interact with technology to create and share a collaborative and ever-evolving art project. Inclusive I/O, Kapp’s newly supported business, plans to offer an input kit to educators allowing them to give universal access to all students in a makerspace environment. For more information, you can contact Cristol at kappcm@gmail.com. 12
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Regional Round Tables TASL’s Regional Round Table is a great way for librarians to stay connected. Get with other area librarians to network and discuss current trends in School Library and Information Science. Be ready to share great things you’re doing and rub shoulders with the movers and shakers of your region! Here’s where each region will be gathering next:
Mississippi River Region:
Volunteer Region:
Saturday, September 24 from 9:30am-11:30am at Riverdale Elementary School 7391 Neshoba, Germantown, TN 38138 For more information, contact Amy Balducci amy.balducci@gmsdk12.org
Saturday, October 1 from 10:30am-12:30pm at Powell Library 7330 W. Emory Rd Powell, TN 37849 For more information, contact Raina Scoggins scogginsr@hotmail.com
Walking Horse Region: (Already took place on Friday 9/16 at the Embassy Suites in Franklin so they could take advantage of the SCWBI Author & Illustrator Autograph Party being held the same night!) For more information on the next one, contact Shannon Minner shannon.minner@cityschools.net
Regions not listed here will be connected via email!
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Regional Updates Appalachian Region: Congratulations to the Tennessee High School Library, and to Britni Demma and Shannon Hayes, Library Media Specialists!
The Tennessee High School Library Media Center has been awarded a 2016 Dollar General Youth Literacy Grant of $2000. The grant is designed to enhance the school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) students’ literacy skills. The grant money will be used to purchase print and digital materials to supplement the realworld components of the Tennessee High School CTE programs of study. Shannon Hayes & Britni Demma
Suzanne Costner, LMS from Fairview Elementary School in Maryville was the only librarian in the state to win a 2016 Outstanding Educator Award from Humanities Tennessee. She is one of six recipients. The awards recognize educators who have demonstrated excellence in teaching the humanities and who encourage the humanities to be an important part of their students’ lives. Each of the 2016 recipients, selected from a pool of nominees from across the state, receive a $2,000 fellowship to further their professional development in the humanities, and their schools receive $1,500 for humanities programs and materials. 14
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Regional Updates Mississippi River Region: Amy Balducci, librarian at Riverdale Elementary received a $10,000 grant from the Germantown Education Foundation for the purchase iPads in the Media Center.
Lydia Crossnoe, librarian at Bells Elementary School in Bells, TN was selected as 2016 Crockett County Educator of the Year by the Crockett County Chamber of Commerce.
Volunteer Region: Knox County has implemented a new approach to library professional development. Each media specialist has identified a project for professional growth. They will be able to work together in small groups all year long to accomplish a major area of improvement--either in their library services, or their teaching. 15
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Regional Updates Mississippi River Region: Crockett County High School librarian Mindy Nichols is thrilled to provide a creative space that supplies 3D printing, Snap Circuits, Makey Makey, Legos,
Ribbon Cutting
K’Nex, Suspends, Arts & Crafts, Puzzles, Games, a Lego Wall, and a Green Screen to her students. Follow CavLibrary’s Maker Movement on Instagam @cav.library, on Twitter
CavLibrary 2016
@cavlibrary, or @ www.cavlibrary.wordpress.com.
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Regional Updates Walking Horse Region: Reading in the school day took place at many area schools on September 23rd. Cedar Grove Elementary is hosting author Ryan Sloth, former Iowa State Football Cornerback, on Friday, September 2nd. Runaway Theater will be performing in November and Bright Star Touring Company will be performing in December. The following schools will be hosting author N.D. Wilson through Linebaugh Public Library’s Pen Pal author program: Cason Lane Academy; John Pittard Elementary; Erma Siegel Elementary; Smyrna Middle; Thurman Francis (k-8); Overall Creek Elementary
Contact your Regional Representative with the great things going on in your district, so we can celebrate and recognize the difference school librarians are making all over the state!
Call for Presenters at the 2017 TLA Conference! The conference is April 5-7, 2017. The theme is “Celebrate Tennessee Libraries!” Click here to learn more or contact Missy Dillingham of TLA for more info! Missy Dillingham: missy.dillingham@brentwoodtn.gov
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Programming Ideas A Few Ideas for Banned Books Week
Sept 25 – Oct 1, 2016 Click the picture above for more ideas
Distribute a list of frequently banned books. If students have read a book and enjoyed it, have them write a letter of encouragement and thanks to the author of that book. If the author is alive, maybe students can send an email. If the author is dead, keep the letters (and post them on a bulletin board?). Print a copy of your school's Challenged Materials Policy and the form your system has for challengers to fill out Give groups of students’ summaries of famous banned books Have them complete the challenge forms as best they can and present their book. For any questions they cannot complete, have them write why they cannot complete the question.
Cumberland Gap High School in Claiborne County is celebrating Banned Book Week with this hot display. 18
Programming Ideas
Do you need some ideas for Teen Read Week? YALSA Blog has created a post called Blog Post Round-Up: Inexpensive and Easy Programming that highlights some favorite teen programming ideas. They have ideas like Back to Afterschool: Tech Resources, Pop Up Programming, and 30 Days of Teen Programming: Low Stress Making through Crafternoons, as well as Developing Creative Programming for Teen Reads Week. You can also join a new teen programming community called Teen Programming HQ to find, share, and discuss teen programming ideas with other library staff and educators. Visit the Teen Corner to find out how to connect with your local public library and the top 10 teen favorites!
Look at this great Pinterest page of Teen Read ideas! Check out YALSA’s page!
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New to TASL? Wondering where you belong? Appalachian: Claiborne, Hancock, Hawkins, Sullivan, Johnson, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Cocke, Greene, Washington, Unicoi, Carter Cumberland: Clay, Pickett, Jackson, Overton, Fentress, Putnam, DeKalb, White, Cumberland, Warren, VanBuren, Grundy East TN River: Marion, Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Rhea, Meigs, McMinn, Monroe, Polk, Bradley, Hamilton Highland Rim: Montgomery, Robertson, Sumner, Macon, Dickson, Cheatham, Davidson, Wilson, Trousdale, Smith Mississippi River: Lake, Obion, Dyer, Lauderdale, Crockett, Tipton, Haywood, Shelby, Fayette Volunteer: Scott, Campbell, Morgan, Anderson, Union, Knox, Roane, Loudon, Blount, Sevier Walking Horse: Williamson, Rutherford, Cannon, Maury, Marshall, Bedford, Coffee, Giles, Lincoln, Moore, Franklin Western Plains: Weakley, Henry, Gibson, Carroll, Madison, Henderson, Chester, Hardeman, McNairy West TN River: Stewart, Houston, Benton, Humphreys, Decatur, Perry, Hickman, Lewis, Hardin, Wayne, Lawrence
Mindy Nichols, President
Highland Rim Region, VACANT
Mindy.nichols.tasl@gmail.com
Stay connected! Subscribe to the TASL e-list; log in @ www.tasltn.org
Mississippi River Region, Amy Balducci Misti Jenkins, President-Elect/ Conference Chair
Amy.balducci@gmsdk12.org
Misti.jenkins.tasl@gmail.com
Volunteer Region, Raina Scoggins scogginsr@hotmail.com
Dana Lester, Secretary Dana.lester.tasl@gmail.com
Walking Horse Region, Shannon Minner Shannon.minner@cityschools.net
TLA: www.tnla.org TEL: www.tntel.info
Western Plains Region, Sherry Copeland
Tenn-Share: www.tenn-share.org
SherryCopeland.tasl@gmail.com Lora Ann Black, Immediate Past President LoraAnnBlack.tasl@gmail.com
West TN River Region, Cindy Martin Cindy.martin@waynetn.net
Appalachian Region, Vicki Winstead vcwinstead.tasl@gmail.com
Web Manager, Beth Frerking frerking@gmail.com
Cumberland Region, VACANT
East TN River Region, Cristol Kapp
Follow us on Twitter @tasltn AASL: www.ala.org/aasl
Lynn Lilley, Treasurer Lynn.lilley.tasl@gmail.com
Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/tasl.tn
Want to be featured in TASL Talks in 2016? Email Ginger Kirchmyer @ gingerkirchmyer@gmail.com
This issue of TASL Talks was designed & edited by Ginger Kirchmyer