Bookmark
December 2018
President's Message: Giving the Gift of Time
My fellow NJASL members,
NJASL is so proud of Jill Mills, and the entire conference committee. The NJASL conference refreshed members through high quality professional development, networking opportunities, and time to reflect on our best practices. There are numerous images taken by our members that you can peruse and share here.
I hope you will take a moment to renew yourself and think about all that NJASL provides for you. We are calling on members to give the gift of their time by becoming a more active member through volunteering. Volunteering can be done from the privacy of your home, in the comfort of your pjs. It may involve retweeting a post on social media, participating on a call, or sharing a new professional development strategy. Please complete the brief survey, found below, to become more involved as a volunteer with NJASL. This organization can become even stronger in 2019 because of its members.
In this season of giving, I hope that you will consider volunteering your time with us over the coming new year.
Christina Cucci
President of NJASL 2018-2019
Important News and Information
IMPORTANT: Attention ALL MEMBERS
Members-
NJASL's mailing address has changed. Please send our new address to your business office so that your purchase orders for membership and conference are sent to the correct location.
The Value of NJASL Membership (created by Betsy Quinn!)
Follow us on Instagram!
Mentors Needed
Have you been in your position for at least four years? Would you like to share what you know with a novice SLMS? Think back to those first days on the job with all your new responsibilities. A new SLMS could easily become overwhelmed by all that is expected of them.
You could make a difference for someone by serving as a mentor. Most of the contact can be virtual. The mentor contract suggests three on-site meetings over the course of the year, so that the mentor and mentee can observe each other in action.
If you are willing to share what you know, please complete the mentor application form linked here. If you have any questions, please contact me: mentoring@njasl.org
~Michelle McGrievey
Congratulations to our Award Winners!!!!
Check out how Ocean City High School celebrated Joan Vicari's award at NJASL! Video clip begins at 5:30 - 8:40!
NJASL Legislative Consultant
- Mary Moyer Stubbs
Library Legislative Updates - December 2018
NJASL Advocacy Efforts
Mahwah School District Update
Due to the parent advocacy, the Superintendent has agreed to revise how students are permitted to checkout books from the school libraries. Parents are continuing to attend school board meetings. Media articles are continuing. Trenton Times Editorial
Freehold Regional High School District - Continuing
This district with six high schools and over 10,000 has only one full-time school library media specialist. NJASL is looking to develop a cohort of parents and community members to attend school board meetings and advocate for school libraries in this district. Please email advocacy@njasl.org if you live or work in this district and interested in assisting with this advocacy effort.
Union Township School District Update
The school has posted two school library media specialist positions due to the joint efforts of NJASL, NJLA, ALA, AASL, AECT, NJEA and the local education association. There were many, many letters shared by the national, state and local community.
Tapinto Union News Article (includes photos from the November 20 school board meeting)
Springfield Township Public Schools - New School District Effort
Springfield Township is the newest school district to ask for assistance. NJASL was approached by a group of parents and plans to attend the January 7 school board to ask the district to add four positions (PreK, Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8). There is a full-time school library media specialist but none in the PreK-8 schools. NJASL will be presenting a letter of testimony along with NJLA and other letters will come from NJEA, ALA, AASL and AECT. Please email advocacy@njasl.org if you live or work in this district and are interested in assisting with this advocacy effort. Please note - advocacy does not necessarily mean speaking at the school board meeting. Simply attending is helpful as well as speaking to neighbors and other community members to share what students are missing by not having a school library media specialist.
Eliminated Positions - Other Districts
NJASL will be creating a google form to post on the NJASL website to enable members to post information on schools where districts will be eliminating positions. NJASL hopes to become more proactive in their advocacy efforts before positions are eliminated.
Legislative Updates
A 132 / S2933 Information Literacy Bill
View the advocacy flyer created by Unlock Student Potential for a full list of the sponsors.
A 1995 / S2934 Ratio of SLMS to Students Bill
View the advocacy flyer created by Unlock Student Potential for a full list of the sponsors.
If your legislator is not listed, take a few minutes to call their office to ask them to sponsor these important bills for school libraries.
For additional information, visit the NJASL Library Legislation webpage, http://www.njasl.org/Library-Legislation
LibraryLinkNJ Supplemental Funding Bill, A4815
The bill would provide enough funding to preserve full services via LibraryLinkNJ through the end of the current fiscal year. The bill, A-4815, must now make its way through the legislative process by January 31.
For more information on the bill, http://librarylinknj.org/news/e-updates/save-librarylinknj
Per Capita State Aid Bill, A 3801 / S2668
These bills makes 10.5 million supplemental appropriation for increased per capita library aid.
For more information on these bills, https://njla.org/content/a3801s2668
Other Articles of Interest
Great Article on Making Library Videos
Call for Curriculum
In this time of budget cuts and school funding challenges, having a board-approved curriculum can mean the difference between school positions that are considered vital and those that are not. A board-approved curriculum elevates the school library program status to that of other content areas in the building, creating an equal playing field for partnership. School library media specialists often find their positions threatened and lack the evidence of a curriculum as the framework needed to safeguard their jobs. When an information literacy or library curriculum is in place, there is a demonstrated need for a qualified professional to teach it.
With this in mind, the Ad Hoc Curriculum Committee has been established to gather best practice examples of library or information literacy curricula. The aim is to provide these examples to our members to assist them in advocating for and developing their own. Several members have shared curricula with us in the past, but now we need only those that reflect our new AASL standards. See below if you can help us with this critical work.
This collection may also serve to support and inform the state in developing a new Information Literacy curriculum, which is currently known as bill HB A132 / S2933. NJASL consultant Mary Moyers has been working with legislators to pass this bill, which would require instruction on information literacy in grades K-12. Information literacy, as described in this bill, includes digital, visual, media, textual, and technological literacy, and the language of the bill specifically includes mention of certified school library media specialists. Look for a push in December when we will ask NJASL members to reach out to legislators in support of this bill.
Do you have a board-approved curriculum that has been updated to reflect the new AASL Standards that you can share with us? Submit it here to share it with your fellow librarians.
Questions or comments? Email membersatlarge@njasl.org
Kim Zito and Amy Gazaleh
NJASL Nomination Committee
Volunteers are needed to be part of this year's NJASL Nomination Committee. The committee will be tasked with finding candidate for next year's NJASL officers. The positions that will need to be voted on in the Spring of 2019 are Secretary, Member at Large and Vice President. This committee will meet online, so the commitment time is minimal!
If you are interested in joining the committee, please email Lisa Bakanas at Pastpres@njasl.org.
If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else for one of the positions, please email! I hope to hear from you soon!
Professional Practice & Development
Battle of the Books
~ Elizabeth Ullrich
Fantastic News! This school year's Battle of the Books three lists, order form and questions are now available on NJASL's website under the Members Only section. Committee members volunteer their time creating these diversified/multi-leveled lists and writing questions for all new titles. To access the questions, click the link below each level and a zip file will automatically download on your computer. If you've thought about starting this program in your own school, check out the Handbook also on this page. If you would like to join our committee, please contact Elizabeth Ullrich at eullrich66@gmail.com.
Girls Who Code Provides Free Books for 3-5 Grade Book Clubs
Girls Who Code, a national non-profit with the mission to close the gender gap in technology, is providing free books for our new 3-5 grade book Clubs. Students read and discuss our nonfiction book, Learn to Code and Change the World. We provide five free books per Club and grant funding! Clubs can be run entirely offline, and we offer an optional online component if you wish to use it. No computer science experience necessary! To claim your free books, free curriculum and support, just submit our online Club application at www.girlswhocode.com.
For more information, contact Eve Balick at eve.balick@girlswhocode.com.
GIRLS WHO CODE CLUBS IN NEW JERSEY PARTNERS WITH NEW JERSEY MAKERS DAY
Girls Who Code Clubs in New Jersey would love to share the work that our 230+ Clubs are doing with our local communities. New Jersey Makers Day celebrates maker culture at 300+ sites around our state on March 22 and 23, 2019. If your location is a NJ Makers Day site and also hosts a Girls Who Code Club, we would love to spotlight and celebrate your work! We are looking for NJ Girls Who Code Clubs who would like to share their work with their local communities at their NJ Makers Day site. Join us to spotlight your Club, share your Girls Who Code project, and recruit new Club members or Facilitators!
If you are interested in getting involved to spotlight your Club, please contact Eve Balick at eve.balick@girlswhocode.com and Doug Baldwin at dbaldwin@njmakersday.org. Please let us know about your potential interest and we will follow up with you directly.
If you are an NJ Makers Day site interested in starting a free Girls Who Code Club, please visit our website to submit an online application or contact our NJ representative Eve Balick with any questions. If you are a Girls Who Code Club interested in becoming an NJ Makers Day site, contact Doug Baldwin.
Library News from YOU!
10th Annual Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive at Mt. Tabor Elementary School Media Center
by Beth Raff
Hour of Code at Hawthorne High School Media Center
by Theresa DiGeronimo
Westwood Jr/Sr High School Charity Book Fair
The Westwood Jr/Sr High School media center held its annual charity Scholastic Book Fair. In collaboration with volunteer students from the National Honor Societies, the fair donated purchased new books to the Pajama and Books Foundation. The organization is dedicated to bringing new books to needy children and establishing reading programs across the US. Students wrote a nice message for the children that will eventually receive the brand new books.
NJASL Affiliate News
Help Advocate for LibraryLinkNJ
With the help of Abigail Bacon from BELS Consortium as the tester, Arlen Kimmelman was able to create an editable template to create a customized infographic for school librarians to use to advocate for LibraryLinkNJ inter-library loan services with cost sharing.
The template includes the Slides to make the flyer, the link to customize a chart, and the ability in Slides to print or download the Slides as a .pdf. We hope having a compelling and accurate visual message will encourage school districts to accept the value and importance of contributing to the cost-sharing model of inter-library loan services for our students and staff.
Contributed by
Mrs. Arlen Kimmelman, Ed. M., M. A.
School Librarian & Techbrarian
National Board Certified Teacher
Past President, New Jersey Association of School Librarians
Google for Education Certified Trainer #05584
AASL News
Congratulations to Beth Raff and Stacey Shapiro the two NJ members of ALA's 2019 Class of Emerging Leaders. http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/11/ala-announces-emerging-leader-participants-class-2019
Evaluating School Library Programs
AASL Crosswalks with ISTE and Future Ready standards.
https://standards.aasl.org/project/crosswalks/
AASL Up Close and Personal
by Hilda Weisburg
Now is the time to start planning to attend the 2019 AASL Conference, November 14-16, in Louisville, KY. Begin with a brief conversation with your administrator, letting him or her know about it, and that you will follow up with details as they become available. AASL has materials you can use to “make your case.”
You can ease the way if you are participating at the conference. Right now, AASL is looking for proposals. Take a chance and submit one. No one will know if you are turned down. And if you are accepted, your administrator will be very much inclined to let you attend.
If that seems too scary for you, consider participating in the poster session. (It used to be called “Exploratorium,” but it has a new name I can’t remember.) AASL hasn’t announced when it will be accepting proposals for it. I will let you know as soon as it opens.
The biennial conference is special. Every exhibitor, every program is directed towards school librarians. The only challenge is choosing among so many presentations. In addition, you have the chance to network with school librarians from around the whole country – as well as some international librarians.
This year is a great opportunity to attend ALA Annual Conference. It’s being held in Washington, D.C., June 20-25, 2019. It’s easy to get to by car or train and late enough that most of you will be out of school. The exhibits are huge, and the programming is varied and interesting. Make it the beginning of your vacation and see the sites in Washington.
If you have any questions about AASL, please contact me at hildakw@gmail.com. I would be glad to answer or find the answers for you.
Villy Gandhi Leadership Training Scholarship
All NJASL members are invited to apply for the Villy Gandhi Leadership Training Scholarship. Villy Gandhi scholars participate in the AECT Annual Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 21 -25, 2019.
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 an International affiliate of NJASL. Learn more about AECT at AECT.org
To become a Villy Gandhi Scholar, you must be a certified library media specialist currently employed in a New Jersey school library media center and a member of NJASL. The applicant agrees to attend the AECT Fall Convention, attend NJASL Board of Trustees meetings and implement for NJASL at least one idea obtained at the AECT Convention. The scholarship provides up to $1,000 to help cover transportation, lodging and registration fee for attending the event. After attending the event, the person will write an article for Bookmark describing their experience, assist at the AECT Booth at the NJASL Fall Conference, participate on School Media Technology Division Board calls and prepare a webinar or similar form describing your experience at AECT.
To apply, provide the following: name, home and school address, home and school telephone number, grade level responsibility, number of years as a SLMS, resume, and a short biography. To this cover sheet, attach supporting evidence of qualifications for the award. These should include statements on experiences in educational media, volunteer experiences with NJASL and its affiliates and information on pertinent materials the applicant may have published or produced. There are 3 questions to answer and applicants should provide 2 letters of reference. It can be from administrators, and/or supervisor and one from a colleague can be a third one. SEE MORE INFORMATION ON THE NJASL.ORG WEBSITE – AWARDS!
The deadline for this application is March 15, 2019. The recipient will be notified by May 1 and the award will be presented jointly with the AECT President at the NJASL Fall Annual Conference in December, 2019.
Send the completed application by EMAIL (No Google Doc) to Leslie Blatt at MrsLes@aol.com
Opportunity to Present at AECT 2019
Are you Inspired? Would you like to present at an International Convention in October, 2019 in Las Vegas? The Call for Proposals is open for the AECT International Convention till February 18.
In keeping with this year’s theme of Inspired, NJASL requests that proposals on example topics listed keep the overall theme in mind in the submission:
The teaching of information literacy. There has been discussion of how information literacy is perceived in the K-12 environments. Where does technology fit in?
Changing role of Library Media Centers and Library Media Specialists in K-12 environments
Collaboration techniques between School Librarians and Teachers
Best Practices - information literacy and/or instructional technology, Digital Storytelling, coding, etc.
Could Library Media Specialists or Technology Teachers be considered Instructional Designers?
Other topics of your choosing are also welcome!
Also, submissions that are interactive to encourage audience participation will be of great value.
For more information on submitting proposals go to AECT.org. If any other questions, please contact me!
Leslie Blatt NJASL Liaison to AECT libreader@gmail.com
ISTE Affiliate News
~ Renee Rogers (iste@njasl.org)
How do you use student learning data?
ISTE has partnered with Project Unicorn to better understand how student learning data and privacy issues impact educators in their daily practice. They are surveying educators across the globe to identify issues and best practices. Let’s include librarian voices in their data. Please take a moment to fill out this brief survey https://info.iste.org/project-unicorn-and-iste. You will be entered to win one of five awesome prize packages, including free registration for you and a colleague to attend ISTE19!
Speaking of ISTE19…
Did you know that the ISTE19 conference will be held nearby in Philadelphia, PA this year? Are you planning on attending? Mark your calendar for early bird registration, starting December 4, 2018. NJASL members have attended and presented at past ISTE conferences, and this one is sure to be the biggest and best yet! Keep an eye out for a call for proposals and signups to present at the Librarians Playground, and get your feet wet presenting at this international conference by engaging with other knowledgeable, curious, and innovative school librarians in the smaller “playground” setting! Stop by the ISTE booth at the NJASL Fall Conference for more information about ISTE, the ISTE Standards, and ISTE19 conference registration!
Want to learn more about ISTE?
ISTE has a very active online network of librarians. Even if you aren’t (yet!) an ISTE member, you can engage with ISTE Librarians Network leaders through the website http://librariansnetwork.weebly.com/, and by following @istelib and #istelib on Twitter. Watch for advocacy opportunities, and announcements of webinars, appearances, and new publications from this highly respected group of librarians and ed tech leaders.
Check out all of the free and members-only resources for librarians through ISTE at https://www.iste.org/learn/librarians, including the free crosswalk of the ISTE Standards for Educators and Future Ready Librarians Framework (https://www.iste.org/docs/isteu-docs/iste-standards-e_frl-crosswalk_6-2018_v7-2.pdf). The ISTE Standards for Students and Educators have also been crosswalked with the AASL National School Library Standards (https://standards.aasl.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/180828-aasl-standards-crosswalk-iste.pdf).
Use these crosswalks with teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders to highlight your critical role in teaching, learning, and leading with educational technology in your building and your district.
BPASL Meeting Alert!!
Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019, 12:30 PM
Tenafly High School, Columbus Drive, Tenafly, NJ, USA
HCLA's Winter Workshop
You must register for event- more information included on the agenda.
Contact:
Stephanie Singer
President, Hunterdon County Librarians Association
Thursday, Feb 21, 2019, 09:00 AM
Hunterdon County Library, New Jersey 12, Flemington, NJ, USA
MCSMA Upcoming Events
January 16 (snow date 1/23) – Best Books!
Join us for our most popular program – our annual Best Books as reviewed and presented by the Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Youth Services Staff. There are two simultaneous presentations for Elementary and Middle/High School.
March 14 – Library Lessons for All Subjects
Wondering how to engage more learners in the library? Looking for new ways to collaborate with different teachers? Have you already had success and want to share it? MCSMA is hosting a poster board session focusing on bringing more subjects into the library. If you’d like to present, please contact us at mcsmaweb@gmail.com.
Looking forward to seeing you soon! Check out the flyer for more information.
Tri-County Meeting Alert!!!
Tuesday, Jan 15, 2019, 04:30 PM
Samuel Mickle School, Kings Highway, Mickleton, NJ, USA
UMASL Meeting Alert
The Union Middlesex Association of School librarians will be hosting their winter meeting on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at Metuchen High School. The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. with a brief board meeting. After that we will have Chrissy George, Middlesex Public Library’s Children’s Librarian and Webmaster will talk about “Today’s Best of Books in Children’s and YA Literature. Chrissy has been working at Middlesex Public Library since 2010. She is in charge of their collection development, managing and implementing programs for children and teens. She also has created collaborative programs for the staff of Middlesex Borough Schools.
Tuesday, Feb 26, 2019, 04:00 PM
Metuchen High School, Grove Avenue, Metuchen, NJ, USA
THANK YOU! Looking for submissions...
Don't forget that we are always looking for entries from ALL membership. Deadlines for the year are on the 15th of every month. Check out more information about our deadlines here. Please share articles with me at the bookmark@njasl.org email address by sharing a Google Document or PDF.
Check out more information about deadlines and submissions on the Smore linked below!!
NJASL
Email: bookmark@njasl.org
Website: njasl.org
Location: LibraryLinkNJ, Stelton Road, Piscataway Township, NJ, United States
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NJASL/
Twitter: @njasl