bookmark Newsletter of the New Jersey Association of School Librarians
Vol XLI, Number 6
PO Box 610, Trenton, NJ 08607
President’s Message
609-394-8032
http://www.njasl.org
Calendar
2012 For the past several years, it seemed that whenever I opened my inbox Mar 1 - Enthusiastic Reader Nominations there was a plea to call this legislator, email another, sign a petition or advocate due - check www.njasl.org for info. for ourselves and our libraries. I called, I wrote and I signed. I was never as Mar 24 - Unconference “Handhelds in the disappointed as I was this past Fall when I saw that we could not get enough Library signatures to sign a “We the People” petition started by a California school Mar - Letters About Literature judging librarian. It seemed that we were the only ones interested in speaking out for Apr - Announcement of winners in Letters school libraries. Where were all our supporters? about Literature May - Letters about Literature celebration at Then Carl Harvey, AASL President, reworded the White House petition Princeton and tried again. At first it seemed that this petition would go the way of the first. I Nov 29 - Dec 1 - Annual Conference at heard over and over that “if we couldn’t get 25,000 signatures on a petition, how Long Branch, “Inspiration, Motivation, Participation” could we say we have an influence on millions of children.”
All of a sudden everything changed. At Midwinter in Dallas, there were kiosks encouraging librarians from all divisions to sign the petition. The importance of signing the petition came up at a number of meetings. Molly Raphael, ALA President, was interviewed and talked about how all libraries are part of an ecosystem. We need all kinds of libraries. All libraries are important and we can’t let the attack on school libraries continue. It became a sport to watch the signatures grow. My email had messages from a number of vendors encouraging their friends, employees and clients to sign the petition. My Twitter Feed had reports of authors sending out tweets asking their followers to sign. Support was coming in from all avenues and it was with great satisfaction that I saw the petition reach the required number of signatures. Now, the White House will have to respond to it. The petition in and of itself won’t require school library programs in all schools. It will, however, get the attention of White House staff. Hopefully, that attention will send a message to the Department of Education and Congress to support the SKILLS Act including school libraries. In New Jersey, we are also formally releasing our study of School Libraries this month. The Study shows that quality school library programs are valued by teachers and administrators and have an impact on student achievement. We want the word to get out that out school libraries are an important part of our schools. Libraries teach inquiry and college and career readiness skills. We will be asking you to retweet our articles, post them on Facebook and share our flyers with your staffs, administrators, PTA’s and legislators. Tell your stories just like the libraries in the study. What we learned with the petition is that we can work together to reach a goal. We have support. Let’s capitalize on that support and let everyone know that School Libraries Matter. Let’s help get the results of our study out there. We can do it! Fran King NJASL President
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SAVE THE DATE!!!
Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 2012
INSPIRATION! MOTIVATION! PARTICIPATION!
General Session Keynote: Kate Campbell Stevenson Banquet Keynote: Robert Sabuda
Ocean Place Resort and Spa 1 Ocean Blvd Long Branch, NJ
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AASL and Your Professional Development
Hilda K. Weisburg AASL Liaison, AA Delegate
As a school librarian, you need to accept responsibility for your professional development. Many of you (not enough) take advantage of the NJASL Conference as an opportunity to keep up with developments in the field, and, of course, some of you take courses. But too many school librarians rely solely on what their districts offer for in-service, knowing full well that these tend to focus on classroom teacher needs. The bottom line is that if you want to be Visible and be regarded as Vital, you must know the latest in technology as it applies to education and what trends are likely to affect your program. You need to learn how you can improve student learning and their ability to build knowledge and to function on a high level in the 21st century. To repeat, you are responsible for your professional development. Fortunately, AASL has developed multi-channels to deliver this to you. Fall Forum – One of my favorite professional development opportunities is the AASL National Institute, commonly called the Fall Forum. It is presented on years when AASL doesn’t have a national conference. I have attended the last three, chairing the one held November, 2010. Because they are small (never more than 500 attendees) and focused, the Fall Forum is an immersion from which you come away thoroughly versed in the single topic it covered. The Forum scheduled for October 12-13, 2012 will be held in Greenville, South Carolina. It is close enough to drive, if you prefer that, and the topic is of extreme importance in positioning you as a leader in your building. It’s entitled Transliteracy and the School Library Program. For those of you who don’t know what transliteracy is (which means you really need to go to the program) it is defined as “the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks. – www.transliteracy.com.” That’s quite a mouthful – and an even bigger challenge to incorporate into your teaching—not as separate isolated skills, but the entire spectrum being used to serve the purpose of communicating knowledge. As the page about Fall Forum (http://www.ala.org/aasl/conferencesandevents/fallforum/fallforum) explains, “Transliteracy and the School Library Program is designed to help school librarians develop strategies for integrating transliteracy skills into subject areas across the curriculum. Discussions will articulate the range of skills known as transliteracy skills and highlight current research on how young people learn and play in the contemporary online environment.” Go to the site for the learning objectives and outcomes. With those in hand, you should be able to convince your administrators that what you will be bringing back to students will make your attendance worthwhile (even if you have to pay for it yourself and take a personal day on Friday.) The keynote speaker and primary facilitator of the Forum is Henry Jenkins, Provost’s Professor of Communication, Journalism and Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. The author of Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide and Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century (The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning), Jenkins is the principal investigator for Project New Media Literacies (NML) which focuses on “the educational challenges of making sure that every student in America has the social skills and cultural competencies needed to participate in a networked society. To meet these challenges, the group strives to develop and test educational materials dedicated to preparing students for engagement with the new media landscape.” Jenkins will be working directly with facilitators and attendees to develop strategies for integrating transliteracy skills across the curriculum. Do not let this opportunity slip away. (AASL is trying to get hosts for satellite sites so that you will not have to travel all the way to South Carolina. I will let you know if we will have one in NJ.) E-Academies-AASL now runs courses on a regular basis. Below are the ones scheduled for the “spring session.” It will be too late for the first one by the time this issue appears, but if you are interested in it, let me know and I will see if I can encourage the powers-that-be to reschedule it.
Page 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February, 2012 . . AASL continued: Design for Understanding Meets the 21st Century School Librarian running Jan. 30 – Feb. 24. Facilitated by Mary Keeling, participants will be introduced to the Understanding by Design Curriculum framework known as the Backward Design model. Participants will work with the model’s three stages – Big Ideas, Enduring Understandings, and Essential Questions - to build a basic knowledge of the processes and apply the concepts to planning units of library instruction. New in 2012! From 0 to 60: Implement eBooks in Your Library Program in 4 Weeks taking place Feb. 6 – Mar. 2. Built on his experience introducing e-books in San Antonio’s North East Independent School District, course facilitator Richard Hasenyager will help participants build an individual e-book implementation plan for their school or district. Topics covered include e-book delivery and acquisition models, digital rights management, technical needs of e-book platforms, and use of e-books in instructional units. The Path to Collaboration: Making it Happen running Mar. 19 – Apr. 13. Facilitator Marilyn Heath will guide participants through identifying and analyzing the factors that contribute to successful collaborations with teachers. Participants will look at the culture of the school, the role of the school librarian, qualities of successful leaders, and the various facets of the collaboration process in order to develop and initiate an action plan and encourage teachers to join them in empowering students. For more information about these courses go to www.ala.org/aasl/eacademy. Fees are $99 for AASL members; $149 for ALA members; $225 for nonmembers; $99 for retired AASL members; and $75 for student AASL members. Learning for Life (L4L) Webinars – If you are trying to become more comfortable with the AASL’s Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs and/or the AASL Standards for 21st-Century Learners, consider accessing the archived webinars. During April, 2010, L4L hosted a series of four webinars based on the four chapters of Empowering Learners. Pricing for AASL members is $39 per webinar or $140 for all four. There is other pricing for ALA members, non-members, and students, as well as district pricing. In 2009, L4L presented four webinars on the four strands of the Standards. These are priced at $29 each, $99 for four for members, with different rates for the other categories. For more information, go to http://www.ala.org/aasl/conferencesandevents/l4lwebinars/l4lwebinar. Licensed Institutes – These are full-day workshops that can be held anywhere in the country. While some state affiliates (such as NJASL) use them as pre-conferences, you might want to see if your district would offer one for the librarians during one of your regular in-service days. Among the possible topics are: Collaborative Leadership, Reading and the Elementary School Librarian, and Reading and the Secondary School Librarian. For pricing and more information, go to http://www.ala.org/aasl/conferences-continuing-education. Knowledge Quest—As I am sure you know by now, KQ is the print journal of AASL. While it is a member benefit, anyone can go to http://www.ala.org/aasl/knowledgequest, click on the current issue, and get the “extras” that go with it. For example the January/February, 2012, issue is on Futurecasting, and there is an associated webinar on Releasing Your Inner Leader as well as a podcast with the two co-editors of the issue. There is also a link to Essential Links with information on Futurecasting. Pick the professional development opportunities that best fit your needs and life. You certainly have enough options from which to choose.
As always, if you want any information about ALA/AASL, including membership and committee appointments, or if you want further information about anything relating to AASL, contact me at 732-566-1995 or e-mail to: hildakw@gmail.com.
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Alice Dinizo NJASL-R Reporter
A peaceful New Year 2012 to everyone! And now for a news article that everyone should be aware of, whether retired, still working, or looking for possible employment. In the Sunday edition of a local New Jersey newspaper, readers were invited to respond to different editorials, and many of the responses were varied, to say the least. But as school librarians, we should be aware of the range of responses to this editorial: “Most schools fail, not because of what does or doesn’t happen within the classroom, but because a community fails its children.” One responder did state that children succeed if their parents nurture them, read to them, and take an active part in their children’s lives. Another reader stated that being politically correct didn’t work, and the issue of the urban family should be addressed. Still another responder contended that children born out-of-wedlock were certainly an issue. The remaining responders to this editorial put the blame for poor test scores in urban schools upon poor teaching, lack of classroom discipline and parental accountability, and on putting funding for education in the wrong places. We school librarians have seen it all and think our own thoughts on what needs to be done. It is important that we who have worked or still work with children be aware of the wide variety of opinions on the topic of children who are not learning despite a teacher’s best efforts. We might want to lash out at someone who blames everything on teachers who don’t inspire their students to learn. But when it’s known that the waiting list for classes for very young teenage mothers trying to finish high school is longer than what you might imagine, the problems of educating urban children will not be answered easily. Something to think about… Eighteen states evaluated the relationship between strong school library programs and increased academic achievement among students. A government report studied their results and found there is a positive relationship between the services and characteristics of a school media center and increased student learning! What were those characteristics of the school library that helped learning? Among the services cited were: 1. The number of hours the school library was open. 2. The presence of certified librarians. 3. Flexible scheduled access to the school library. 4. Collaboration between the school librarian and the teachers. School librarians fostered in students the ability to be involved in their own learning and investigations. They taught students how to think rather than what to think. Are we good or what? If you are interested in joining the Retirees, please contact Elspeth Goodin at jsmgoodin@gmail.com.
Bookmark is published monthly September through June by The New Jersey Association of School Librarians, PO Box 610, Trenton, NJ 08607. October through May are online editions. Deadlines are always the 15th of the month. Editors: Pat Morris, Bev Siti. Email to <justbev@juno.com> and please put NJASL or Bookmark in the subject line.
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Middle School Literacy Corner - Bruce DuBoff Castellucci, Cecil. First Day on Earth. Scholastic, 2011. 150 pages. ISBN 13: 978-0-545-06082-0. This book is appropriate for grades 7 and up, or ages 13 and older, depending on reading level and interests. Note: This work contains mature language and situations. Alienation has been in vogue for modern tweens and teens since J. D. Salinger introduced a meandering, post-war “lost generation” to Holden Caulfield. Many YA authors, ranging from the serious Lois Lowry in The Giver to the lighthearted Gordon Korman in Schooled, have successfully reproduced the strangeness adolescents feel as both they and their world change and grow exponentially. Cecil Castellucci’s fable-like novel First Day on Earth succeeds in creating a character who both feels like an alien and who appears strange and uncomfortable to most of his world. Her lyrical, sparse characterization drips with verisimilitude, proving the old writers’ adage that less is more. Malcolm has had a rough few years. His father left him for another family, and his mother has been drowning in a bottle ever since. Mal hates and resents his father for abandoning them, so Mal pities his helpless mother and shops and cooks occasionally to keep her alive. However, the secret that has made Mal a stranger to everyone on Earth is that he believes he was abducted by aliens several years ago, and he is fairly certain they are returning for him. This personal reality has separated Mal from almost every one of his peers. However, Mal has a soft spot for lost and helpless animals, and Dr. Manitsky, the veterinarian at the shelter, and her daughter Posey are kind to him even though Mal knows it is partially out of pity for his difficult situation. When Mal brings in a small, frail kitten orphaned by his mother’s traffic accident, Mal cannot help pondering his fate and perhaps foreshadowing his own uncertain future: “[Dr. Manitsky is] scratching his back and the kitten is purring away, like he finally knows that everything is going to be fine. That there is still love in the world despite a dead mother in the middle of the road. Despite being all alone” (27). After meeting a mysterious man named Hooper at an alien abductees’ support group, Mal is forced to face his personal truth and shaky future, either striving to escape forever or managing to live on Earth despite its challenges and imperfections. I have known quite a few students like Mal in my life; in some ways, I was Mal when I was 14 and 15, scorning the bleak nuclear future and backward morality of the 1970s. Ms. Castellucci has eerily resurrected the primal fear of adolescence, recreating the terrifying realization that, in our own minds, we are always alone. Although Ms. Castellucci delicately walks the line between science fiction and realism, the power of the novel is that it does not depend on a decision between them to be effective. In First Day on Earth, Cecil Castellucci has created a powerful story of pain and acceptance in which reality is at best subjective, and sanity is a personal choice we all must make.
Grisham, John. Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer: The Abduction. Dutton Children’s Books, 2011. 217 pages. ISBN 13: 978-0-525-42557-1. This book is appropriate for grades 4 and up, or ages 9 and older, depending on reading level and interests.
I still remember my excitement while I read The Firm by the once ubiquitous legal thriller author extraordinaire, John Grisham. I was working at B. Dalton Booksellers and substitute teaching 20 years ago while traversing the alternate route in secondary English. I read that copy all day and night; I stayed up until 3:45 am to find out what happened to the main characters, and I survived at work the next day fueled solely by my amazement at the twists and turns of the story (and some mediocre Moorestown Mall food court fare). I was genuinely excited when I heard that John Grisham would be publishing YA books. Since I read mostly YA literature these days, I hadn’t revisited Mr. Grisham’s work until the first Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer novel last year, and, frankly, I was not blown away. I found the story slow, and although Mr. Grisham was informative continued on p. 8
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Deadline Nears for Villy Gandhi Leadership Award The deadline is coming close to apply for the Villy Gandhi Leadership Award. Villy Gandhi scholars will have the opportunity to participate in the AECT Summer Leadership Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, scheduled for July 15 -17, 2012, or the Annual Convention, which will be in Louisville, Kentucky, October 30 - November 3, 2012. The scholarship provides up to $1,000 to cover transportation, and registration fees for attending AECT Summer Leadership or AECT Annual Conference. AECT, Association for Educational Communications and Technology, promotes scholarship and best practices in the creation, use, and management of technologies for effective teaching and learning. AECT is a National affiliate of NJASL. Some of the past winners are such people as: Michelle Marhefka, LaDawna Harrington, Karen Brill, Judy Everitt, April Bunn, Janet Clark, myself, and this year’s recipient, Lisa Bakanas. Each of these people has learned a lot about technology they were able to use in their schools, as well as leadership skills that have been useful in their professional life. To become a Villy Gandhi scholar, you
must be a certified library media specialist currently employed in a New Jersey school library media center. The scholarship will be based on these criteria: the applicant agrees to attend an AECT Summer or Fall Conference, attend NJASL Board of Trustees, and implement at least one idea obtained at whichever AECT Conference attended for NJASL. To apply, provide the following information: name, home and school addresses, home and school telephone numbers grade level responsibility, and number of years as a LMS. To this cover sheet, attach supporting evidence of qualifications for the award. These should include statements on experiences in educational media, statements regarding volunteer experiences with NJASL and/or its affiliates, and information on pertinent materials the applicant may have published or produced. Please provide letters of reference from an administrator and a colleague. The deadline for this application is March 15, 2012. Please send the completed application by EMAIL to Leslie Blatt at MrsLes@aol.com. For further information, please contact Leslie Blatt at the above email. If you know someone who may benefit from this award, please contact me. Leslie Blatt AECT Liaison Leslie Blatt AECT Liaison from NJASL NJASL Past-President AECT-SMT Division Past-President
New Jersey Center for the Book, www.njcenterforthebook.org On March 4, the New Jersey Center for the Book will kick off the celebration of Food for Thought.
“Food for Thought” Food as Science, Food as Culture, Food as Career ---- What’s on Your Plate? A statewide New Jersey Center for the Book/Library of Congress partnership program with the Monmouth County Library System will take place on Sunday, March 4th, 2012 at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters in Manalapan from 11:30am – 4:30pm featuring renowned Chef David Burke of David Burke Fromagerie in Rumson, as the keynote speaker. Special guests include Jon BonJovi’s Soul Kitchen, and Kiwi Magazine National Award Winner Chloe Rosen. Participation from Sickles Market, Trader Joe’s, Wegman’s, and historical Lusscroft Farms of Wantage. Rutgers School of Environmental Sciences is bringing an hands-on curriculum for preschool nutrition and the Historical Commission of Monmouth County is presenting early foodways of our republic. A roster of the day’s events will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. Check the Center’s website.
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concerning the legal process, he could have added more suspense and action. The second installment of the series, The Abduction, promised to be more exciting, considering that Theodore’s best friend, April Finnemore, is kidnapped. Although I invite you to judge for yourself, I do not believe Mr. Grisham has found his YA voice yet. Mr. Grisham’s treatment of the material is ponderous and plodding, like the last season of a long-running show in which most of the conflict is gone (like M*A*S*H or Happy Days) or a poorly acted movie-of-the-week mystery. The normally quiet town of Strattenburg gets turned upside down after the abduction of April Finnemore, Theodore Boone’s best friend. To save her, Theo will need his renowned legal knowledge and acumen teamed with an intensity heightened by fear for his best friend and plenty of help from his friends. Despite his parents’ concerns, Theo embarks on a mission to find the kidnapper and rescue April. The number one suspect is escaped convict Jack Leeper, who was a pen pal to April while in prison and was spotted at a local convenience store around the time of the abduction. Theo, however, has doubts about that scenario, asking more questions about his mysterious friend from a dysfunctional home than he has answers for: “Theo knew April well, but he also realized there were many things about her he didn’t know. Nor did he want to. Was it possible that she would run away without a word to him? Slowly, he had begun to believe the answer was yes” (43). With unexpected but desperately needed help from his discredited, hippie lawyer Uncle Ike, Theo is more determined than ever to uncover the truth and return his friend, safe and secure, to the friendly confines of Strattenburg. Once again, similar to my reaction to Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, I like the plot and idea of The Abduction, but I am unhappy with the slow pace; and again, Mr. Grisham has bestowed adult sensibilities upon his kids and his interpretation of kid sensibilities upon his adults, resulting in an informative but uneven and unexciting mystery adventure. The ending is just as anti-climactic as the first book’s ending and just as disappointing. I am not saying that future attorneys or Law and Order fanatics will not find this book valuable and engaging, and I have students who said they liked the first book, but I want more from the author who made my heart skip 20 years ago; I want to have to stay up late to find out what happened, not fall asleep before finishing the penultimate chapter. Unfortunately, Mr. Grisham may not have the touch he had in the 1990s, and he may not impress his audience with this latest effort; tweeners are not particularly forgiving or patient readers.
-Bruce DuBoff is the librarian at Pennsauken Intermediate School and Howard M. Phifer Middle School in Pennsauken, NJ. Bruce’s e-mail address is bduboff@pennsauken.net and his web URLS and blog site are as follows: Websites: http://ww2.pennsauken.net/pim and http://ww2. pennsauken.net/pms, Blog: http://phiferbooks.blogspot.com
SAVE THE DATE!!!
Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 2012
INSPIRATION! MOTIVATION! PARTICIPATION!
Ocean Place Resort and Spa 1 Ocean Blvd Long Branch, NJ
*** General Session Keynote: Kate Campbell Stevenson WOMEN: Back to the Future!
*** Banquet Keynote: Robert Sabuda Pop-Up Artist
Pam Gunter, Conference Chair 2012confchair@gmail.com
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2011 NJASL Conference Survey Follow-up Thank you to all who responded to the 2011 Conference survey. The results were compiled by Elizabeth McArthur, Association Manager, and read by Fran King, President, April Bunn, President-Elect and 2011 Conference Chair, and myself, Pam Gunter, Vice President and 2012 Conference Chair. The results offered a lot of food for thought in planning future conferences, as well as concerns to be addressed. DATES: The first weekend in December is not favorable for many of our members. It was the first item that I addressed last spring when I agreed to run for vice president. I consulted with many of the present and former board members about other times, but late November/early December is the earliest we could schedule the conference since many districts now require 60 days notice for board approval of professional development requests. Many districts will not accept requests for time off prior to the first official day of school. Also considered are the dates of other conferences, such as AASLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fall Forum, AECT, and ISTE, which several NJASL members attend. At a vendorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suggestion, I looked into a joint conference with NJLA or NJEA, which brought up a host of other issues. There are also weather concerns after the holidays and the desire to have time to implement new ideas. Knowing that the date had to be confirmed in time for the 2011 conference, I decided to keep the same weekend as in the past few years; however, the board will discuss a change in dates for future conferences. WEEKDAYS VS. WEEKENDS: The responses ranged from no more weekends due to family concerns, to only weekends because some members cannot get time off from school. Some requested a one day only conference. I strongly feel that, given the number of programs and events we offer, we need a multiple day conference. I kept the Thursday, Friday, Saturday schedule because volunteering to run the conference takes a lot of energy, and a day to rest and review afterward is needed before going back to work. VENUE: While Ocean Place was favorable overall, several people requested a location closer to home. There are relatively few state venues that are large enough to host all the needs our conference requires. If we locate further north, we would attract fewer members from the south, and vice versa. We really feel that Ocean Place is fairly central. We are open to suggestions for future venues, however, if anyone has any to share. PRICE: Room rates are discounted up to a certain date prior to the conference, then are subject to availability at the contracted rate. For comparison of registration rates, the PA School Librarians Association is charging a $225 early bird rate for their April 12-14, 2012 full conference, including four meals, and $120 for the full conference without meals. Regular rates after the early bird deadline jump to $250 and $145. The CT Association of School Librarians hosted a twoday joint conference in October, 2011, with the CT Educational Computer Association at the following rates: $150 early bird/$175 regular/$200 walk-in for the main day only, including a box lunch and membership in both associations. The first day was a pre-conference at an additional $90 early bird/$100 regular. I was unable to locate conference registration rates for Delaware, Maryland, and New York, whose school librarian associations are divisions of their state library associations. PROGRAMS: We have some flexibility and have heard your requests for more sessions for high school, technology, and concrete ideas that can be easily replicated in our libraries, but we are also limited to the programs that are proposed. If you have a program of interest to share, please submit a proposal. We are also looking for poster session presenters, which is a great way to share successful ideas. Forms are on the NJASL website. I hope that this article will foster a greater understanding of the thought that goes into each conference. Planning begins about 18 months in advance, and we try to present enough options so that everyone will find something of benefit and interest. Pam Gunter, 2012 conference chair 2012confchair@gmail.com
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Retiree Profile Dagmar Finkle I have lived an adventure since the day I was born! My parents had fled Estonia just before the Russian invasion and we ended up in a Displaced Persons Camp in Germany. I was born on April 28, 1945 in Bad Toelz, Germany midst the sounds of guns and bombs. In April 1947, we boarded a ship and crossed the stormy seas of the Atlantic Ocean for ten days before arriving in New York City. As with many immigrants, my family found work and a place to call home through other Estonians who had already settled in the United States. I came to Lakewood, NJ when I was three years old. By the time I went to school, I was fluent in English (for a 5 year old). I still remember how eagerly I looked forward to going to our school library – the kind and nurturing librarian, the cozy room, the wonderful stories, and the books. While my parents know English they were not familiar with American children’s stories since they had not grown up with these. They were only familiar with the classic children’s novels such as Little Lord Fauntleroy (which I loved), Kidnapped, etc., but in their native language. I often reflect on how this experience has remained a positive memory for me. As other Estonian immigrant students enrolled in school, I was often asked to sit next to them and translate from English into Estonian so they could keep up with the class. I realized in later years that this experience strongly influenced my desire to become a teacher. As kids, getting a good education was always stressed in our family as well as our community, in addition to holding on to our culture and heritage. Even today, the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lakewood, N.J. serves to store archival collections documenting the exile and immigrant experience of the Estonians in America and the rest of the world. When in high school, I participated in many activities, as do many students – two that stood out were the yearbook committee (editor, senior year) and library guild. Both provided experiences to develop selfdiscipline as well as communication skills, skills that we know a school librarian cannot do without. My dance background and desire to be a teacher lead to my career choice. I majored in health and physical education at Bouvé Boston School – Tufts University/ Boston-Bouvé College of Northeastern University and graduated in 1967. To help defray college expenses, Bouvé employed me to organize and manage their professional library. While not large, it was my first opportunity to “work” in the field. It was during a health course that I was first exposed to a broad range of children’s literature since we were required to read about 100 young adult novels and children’s stories. It reached a broad list from Winnie the Pooh to The Black Boy. How unique to be introduced to this literature in a physical education curriculum! My first teaching position in 1967 was as a health and physical education teacher in Brick High School, N.J. During this tenure, I served on the NJ State Steering Committee for Lifetime Sports. In1969, we moved to Westfield, N.J. where my husband, Steve, was employed. After working in Westfield High School for a time, I stopped to raise our son (Adam) and daughter (Susan). I also have a stepdaughter, Vikki, who was three when I married Steve. While they were young, I coached gymnastics and taught swimming at the Westfield YWCA and also volunteered at our children’s school libraries. I also volunteered for the local Red Cross Chapter as a swimming instructor, First Aid/CPR instructor, chair of the First Aid Department, and an officer on the Board of Directors. When our children were in school full time I was able to substitute as well, which meant being called to substitute at all the school libraries in the district. That was a fantastic experience – to work with some of the most professional and dedicated administrators, teachers and librarians was such a learning opportunity for me. As chair of a volunteer School District Research Committee, I was fortunate to also team with talented parents to research issues for the superintendent of schools. I especially remember one topic being if class size plays a role in the quality of education. This question is still a hot topic of discussion today. Since my husband, Steve, had started his own business in Morristown, N.J. we moved to Chatham Twp., N.J. where I continued to volunteer in the school libraries as well as substitute. Teaching a variety of academic
February, 2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 11 classes once again proved a great asset once I became a school librarian because I was familiar with so many of the assignments. Once again I was privileged to work among many professional and dedicated administrators, teachers and librarians – another wonderful learning opportunity for me. When doctors told me to limit my time in the sun due to frequent basal cell carcinomas it was a school library support staff that suggested I become certified as a school librarian. In1988, I received an Associate Library Media Specialist certificate from Rutgers, The State University and began my “second” career as an elementary school librarian at Lester, C. Noecker School, Roseland, N.J., while continuing to take professional development classes to further my knowledge of the profession. I was fortunate to replace a valued member of the faculty who had worked there for over twenty years and left things in good order. But we were now in a new era with the use of technology - particularly computer instruction and OPAC (online public access catalog). I felt I was at the right place at the right time to provide instruction, assist and collaborate with teachers and colleagues, redesign the layout of the room, and more. Our school only went up to 6th grade and after that the students went to the West Essex School District, North Caldwell, NJ. I had become a member of EMAnj (Educational Media Association of New Jersey/NJASL New Jersey Association of New Jersey) right after I started working in Roseland. Networking with state and county library members has been key to providing a coherent program as well as an understanding of key issues for all school libraries. In 1991, we bought a house near the beach in Lavallette with the hopes of someday retiring there. For the time being it served as our place to escape and enjoy visits with family and friends. At one of my college reunions a person who was being honored said to me “I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, I just know I don’t want to stop growing”. As I get older I have tried to keep this in mind as well. It motivated me to take on the experience of middle and high school positions. While at Berkeley Heights School District I was given both, first as the middle school librarian at Columbia Middle School and then as the high school librarian at Governor Livingston High School. During my tenure, the Union County Regional Schools were dissolved and students merged into several of the district communities. I was asked to gut, redesign, and become the school librarian at the high school. During this time I had also become very involved in EMAnj/NJASL, which empowered me to be able to fulfill my professional challenges. Until 1993, I served on the Executive Board and was Chair of Professional Development and Research Committee, a committee that develops professional resources and reviews current educational practices. During 1993 and1994, I served on the Executive Board as Vice-President/Conference Chair in addition to being a member of the ‘94 NJPSA/EMAnj Technology Conference Committee that presented a one-day conference. The then served on the Executive Board as President-Elect and a member of the EMAnj/NJASL Professional Development and Research Committee. I served as president of EMANJ/NJASL in 1995 and continued to be an active member of the Professional Development and Research Committee. Some of you may remember these were challenging years as the State Library and Department of Education were making many changes and Governor Whitman was proposing a new funding system that would jeopardize school libraries. Thanks to the diligent work of the board members the DOE acknowledged that school libraries should be included in the funding to school districts. NJASL continues to network with local, state, and national organizations to further assure that school libraries remain vital in all school districts. While continuing to serve on the Executive Board as Past-President, and a member of the Professional Development and Research Committee, I chaired the President’s Programming for the ALA/AASL San Francisco Conference in June 1997. Barbara Stripling was President of AASL at the time. It was a rewarding experience to collaborate with such talented committee members to put together programs that reached out to school librarians all across the United States. Coincidentally, our son relocated to San Francisco a few months prior so it was a bonus to get to see him too. I have also served in other capacities: EMAnj/NJASL Nominating Committee Chair, co-chair of the EMAnj Professional Resources Committee, EMAnj Conference Committee, Elections Committee Chair and INFOLINK Board member (Eastern NJ Regional Library Cooperative) and Nominating Committee member. I continue to serve on the NJASL Finance Committee (which oversees the organization’s savings) and Professional Development Committee.
Page 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February, 2012 When my husband sold his business we moved to Lavallette. In hopes of shortening my commute I worked in several school districts nearer to home. My last eight years were spent at Middlesex County Vocational High School, Perth Amboy Campus. I commuted with three fellow teachers and once again was given the opportunity to organize a new library from scratch – hard work but fun. Now I had not only high school curriculum but also eight different vocations to learn about and support. The challenge was rewarding and exciting. I retired from teaching on January 1, 2011 after 25 years of full-time teaching and another 14 years of substituting/ volunteering. In addition to being involved with NJASL, I am currently Secretary and on the Board of Directors for the New Jersey Center for the Book (http://www.njcenterforthebook.org/). Its mission is “to celebrate books, reading, libraries, and the diverse literary heritage of New Jersey.” This supports my desire to continue in some capacity to provide in-service and/or presentations that supports literature in some capacity. In the past I had offered in-service training and/or presentations to library media specialists, teachers, and administrators on current library instruction and curriculum development as it relates to the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards, literacy, the Internet. I presented at: • EMAnj/NJASL Annual Fall Conferences • NJPSA Spring Technology Workshop • NJPSA Fall Conference • NJEA Fall Conventions • NJ Reading Association • Ocean County Reading Association • School District Professional Development Workshops I have been the recipient of the following awards/acknowledgements: 1998: Awarded the EMAnj Certificate for Extraordinary Service as a Leader in Providing Professional Development to the Educational Media Association of New Jersey 1998 – 2000 - Infolink Executive Board Member Resolution 1999: Recipient of the EMAnj President’s Award 2007: Recipient of the William A. Peterson Award, presented by the Union Middlesex Association of School Librarians (UMASL) 2009: MCVTS Perth Amboy Campus Teacher of the Year Retirement has been very rewarding. That’s not to say I don’t miss the kids because I do. But it was time to move on, to close this chapter and move on to the next. Retirement has afforded us time to travel (Alaska last June, traveling down the east coast this past December to visit our daughter who lives in Savannah, as well as places and people to see all the way to Key West, and a planned trip in April on a river cruise to experience the Floriade), more time for family and friends to visit at the beach house, sewing, photography, knitting, working out at the gym with Pilates and yoga, walking on the beach, and of course, reading. It’s been fun to join the Friends of the Library, Lavallette Beautification Committee, The Knitter’s Club, and the Lavallette Yacht Club Book Club. It’s also been a delight to attend events that the grandkids participate in, even carpooling to get them to their destinations. It’s also rewarding to know I can assist my mother who doesn’t drive anymore when she needs assistance. Most of all I cherish the time I spend with my husband of nearly 46 years. Where has the time flown? What will be our next adventure? I’m ready!
Point to Ponder:
If we fail to speak up about the value of school library programs and state certified school librarians, who will?