OELMA eNews
Summer 2017 Edition
In This Issue...
- President's Message - Kelly Silwani
- Vice President's Message - Deb Logan
- Past President's Message - Liz Deskins
- 2017 OELMA Annual Conference Updates - Jessica Klinker
- Tech Tools & Tips - Lori Lee
- OELMA Member Spotlight: Casaundra Bronner
- Highly Effective School Library Rubric - Susan Yutzey
- The iSchool at Kent State University News - Meghan Harper
- Summer Recharge - Andy Jados
President's Message - Kelly Silwani
Happy summer vacation everyone! I hope you are getting a chance to unwind, maybe travel to an exotic location, or get caught up on reading or sleep.
Several times a year, including summer, your OELMA board meets either face to face or virtually to discuss and/or take action on issues that are important to you. An agenda is set, directors and liaisons submit reports and we meet to go over any specific requests or actions. Board meetings are open to any OELMA member and I highly encourage anyone interested to attend. Although you wouldn’t be able to vote on board items that require one, it’s a great way to learn what’s going on around the state. Please contact me for our schedule.
At our May 6th board meeting, for example, we discussed:
- Ways the board can be more transparent. (The OELMA president will now be sending out meeting highlights after each board meeting.)
- The recent membership survey. We grouped the comments into several categories and over the next few meetings, we will be working on strategies to better support our members. The categories we will be looking at are: 1. Access to PD/Workshops, 2. Lack of awareness of member resources, and 3. Members and/or nonmembers in terms of benefits, resources and access to resources.
- The (then) upcoming Frank Baker workshop on Fake News. (I hope you were able to attend. It was timely and filled with an incredible amount of information.)
- We also discussed the option of a joint conference between OLC and OhioNet in 2019 due to the AASL conference being held in Kentucky that year. Neither organization could enter into a partnership at this time, so we decided to go ahead with our usual OELMA conference with the possibility of a symposium to address larger community issues that involve libraries.
- I updated the board on OELMA’s work with ODE regarding the updating of the State of Ohio library guidelines. At ODE’s request, OELMA is hosting a small group of librarians, from around the state, representing different types of schools and student demographics, on July 18th. The session is meant to brainstorm ideas about the general direction of the standards. Once the new AASL national guidelines are released in November, ODE will put out the call for writers for our new guidelines. I’ll be sending out updates as they come in.
We will have OELMA’s annual meeting at the conference in October. Be sure to plan to attend. We will introduce the new officers after the board election.
A Snapshot of an Exciting Week as OELMA’s Vice President - Deb Logan
Sitting down to write my report today reminded me that this is an exciting time to represent you in OELMA. This week started with the OELMA and CMCIG of ALAO Popping the Fake News Bubble Workshop at Ohio State Newark campus. Over fifty K-12 and academic educators gathered. Together we expanded our thinking with presentations and discussions on the subject of media literacy. The day started with an informative and inspiring keynote by national media literacy expert, Frank W. Baker, participants attended an array of sessions, and a poster session. After lunch, individuals had opportunities to create lessons or join in a discussion on what K-12 students need to be prepared for postsecondary education. The day concluded with a discussion about the role filter bubbles play in the current fake news environment and with what educators need to do to prepare our students for a filter bubble world. Be sure to check out the Plunderbund posting by Denis Smith at: http://plunderbund.com/2017/06/26/as-we-deal-with-the-fake-news-epidemic-librarians-might-be-our-real-superheroes/
I am writing from ALA in Chicago, where I am representing OELMA at AASL’s Affiliate Assembly. Three times each year, OELMA’s president and vice president attend Affiliate Assembly meetings where we meet with other librarians from our region and across the country to discuss and learn about issues, trends and cutting edge thinking. In addition to making sure that Ohio’s needs and perspectives are represented, OELMA’s officers bring back ideas and resources for organizational strategies and professional development opportunities. OELMA’s 2017 Midwinter featured information about Future Ready school library programs, including a presentation by Shannon McClintock Miller. This was based on Liz Deskin’s and Kelly Silwani’s 2016 Affiliate Assembly experiences. So far, we have heard about a toolkit of resources for administrators. We are also learning about the newly approved school library competencies that we are hoping will provide some direction for taking a new look at OELMA’s competencies. Watch for more information about the administrative resources and competencies in the near future. I am also looking forward to being present when Dr. Susan Yutzey accepts the 2017 ABC-CLIO Leadership Grant on behalf of OELMA. The cash award for this honor will used to help fund OELMA’s leadership academy titled “Make Leadership Your Superpower” in March 2018.
In the midst of these exciting projects, I am also continuing to work with Jessica Klinker and committee members on OELMA’s 2017 Annual Conference.
Why Attend Conferences? - Past President's Message - Liz Deskins
If you follow me at all, then you know I am a conference junkie! But why? Am I a rich, eccentric librarian who happily spends her time and money to collect name badges and conference bags? No, I'm not. What I am is a lifelong learner, and these adventures afford me great opportunities to learn in so many areas.
First, I find out about new places and faces. ALA conferences have taken me to many places around the US. Sometimes I drive and the adventure is multiplied exponentially! Once I arrive at the convention site the fun begins! Let's face it: you spend a lot of time in lines at these events. I take that as a challenge to meet and talk to as many people as possible; sometimes I end up with new friends or at least a new acquaintance. In this day of social media, that time in line may be all one needs to create a new contact for Twitter or Facebook.
Speaking of contacts, it is a great place to begin to build a connection with vendors. They love to talk to you, and sometimes they even give you things! I always schedule lots of time in the vendor hall so that I have to time to watch vendor demonstrations and ask questions about products I am considering. At large conferences you can find authors at the various vendor booths and often the publishers are passing out their books for a nominal charge, or even free!
Free books abound at conferences, even if they are ARCs (Advanced Reader Copy) they can be used as prizes for students. There are many breakfasts, brunches, receptions and New Book reviews sponsored by companies and they have bags of books to give you as you leave. There have been years I have gotten enough books at a conference that they equal the cost of attending the conference!
Lest you think getting free things is the only reason to attend, participating in meetings and sessions are the real prize. When I attend ALA or AASL conferences, I go to lots of meetings. I learn the challenges facing librarians and what my organization is doing to support them. I learn new ideas, new approaches to old issues and watch the democratic process in action. I meet like-minded individuals with whom I can discuss ideas for my library and for the libraries in my state. Sessions often share cutting edge ideas that will assist me in being a leader in my building or district, and sometimes I hear someone I would like to have come to Ohio and share with OELMA.
Now before you say, “But I just can’t afford to attend a national conference,” I just want to tell you one more thing – OELMA’s Annual conference is one of the best conferences around and well worth your time and money to attend. Our conference committee brings in those great speakers, finds presenters with cutting edge ideas, has its annual meeting where you can take part in the democratic process, and we and our vendors give out prizes! You will find authors presenting keynotes, sessions, and autographing in the vendor hall, and there will be lots of time to meet new people and build contacts. So whatever conferences you can attend, be sure you do; they will give you the professional development you need to be the best school librarian you can be.
2017 OELMA Annual Conference -- Teacher Librarians: Making All of the Connections
Wednesday, Oct 18, 2017, 04:30 PM
Doubletree Hotel, 175 Hutchinson Ave, Columbus, OH 43235
Teacher Librarians: Making All of the Connections
OELMA 2017 Conference
Dr. Heather Moorefield-Lang
Keynote speaker on Thursday, October 19
Robert Beatty
Keynote presenter on Friday, October 20
Teacher Librarians: Making All of the Connections - 2017 Annual Conference Update - Jessica Klinker, Director Liaison to Strategic Conference Committee
Mark Your Calendars
This year’s OELMA Annual Conference will be held October 18-20, 2017, at the Doubletree Hotel in Worthington, Ohio (Columbus area). Registration rates are posted on the OELMA website and registration will be active soon. This year’s theme is Teacher Librarians: Making All of the Connections, and our committee is committed to creating a schedule line-up filled with opportunities to learn new information that will help you connect all of the many roles you fill in your schools, as well as to form many networking connections with other library experts and educators throughout Ohio.
Speakers and Authors Announced!
The 2017 Author Committee has been hard at work and are proud to announce this year’s author line-up. On Thursday, October 19, our keynote speaker is Dr. Heather Moorefield-Lang, a professor with the University of South Carolina in the School of Library and Information Science and expert in emerging technologies and their use in education and libraries. You can learn more about Heather on her website, www.techfifteen.com. On Thursday, we also welcome Charles R. Smith, Jr. Charles is a book author, poet, and photographer who writes for children of all ages, including Brick by Brick and 28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World. You can learn about all of his books at www.charlesrsmithjr.com.
On Friday, October 20, our keynote presenter is Robert Beatty, author of the Serafina books. He writes full-time now, but in his past lives, Robert was one of the early pioneers of cloud computing, the founder/CEO of Plex Systems, the co-founder of Beatty Robotics, and the chairman/CTO of Narrative Magazine. You can learn more about Robert on his website, www.robert-beatty.com. On Friday, we also welcome Meredith Russo, 2017 recipient of ALA’s Stonewall Book Awards - Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award for her book, If I Was Your Girl. You can find out more about her at https://us.macmillan.com/author/meredithrusso/.
A wide selection of their books will be on sale for a discounted price at our conference bookstore, Fundamentals.
Mission BreakoutEDU: Tech Tools to the Rescue
Come to PreConference 2017, on Thursday, October 18 from 4:30 - 7:30, for a fun, hands-on evening of learning how to "Breakout" of the norm and create engaging learning experiences for all ages and content areas. Presenters Angela Wojtecki and Trent Roberts will demonstrate 4 new tech tools--Sphero, FlipGrid, Biteable Video Maker, and LittleBits--and introduce ways these tools can help educators differentiate instruction to meet learning standards. Then, attendees will get to participate in three different BreakoutEdu sessions, including one completely digital BreakoutEdu, demonstrating how these learning activities can be done with little to no expense or special equipment. The tech tools learned throughout the evening will be the keys to unlocking the challenges in the BreakoutEdu rooms. This event is only $25 and is open to ALL educators, including those who cannot attend full conference. Invite your colleagues for an exciting, collaborative learning experience!
Win Prizes!
Our conference planning committee has built more opportunities into the schedule for you to network with other librarians and with our exhibitor partners, who support the work we do in so many ways. On Thursday and Friday mornings, there will be half hour refreshment breaks in the exhibitor venue and fun challenges to complete for the opportunities to win prizes. On Thursday, you will have the chance to complete a Puzzle Scavenger Hunt connecting with exhibitors and other attendees. On Friday, we will feature our first-ever Librarian Gear Fashion Show. Prize categories are still being determined, but be prepared to come decked out in your most fabulous shirts, buttons, socks, etc that show how proud you are to be a librarian!
Stock up on Library Gear
Want to stock up on some great SWAG (Strategic Wearable Advocacy Gear) AND support OELMA? Check out our online storefront at www.teespring.com/stores/oelma. The SWAG committee is also always interested in ideas for new designs and slogans. Feel free to email Jessica Klinker at teachklink@gmail.com if you would like to share your ideas or be involved with the committee.
After Hours
New this year, Conference is going late-night with many activities planned by our After Hours Committee. On October 18, from 9-11 pm (or later), we will feature Unwind Wednesday activities. Choose from an array of activities, such as board games, relaxation activities, coloring, and book discussions will allow you to unwind from stress of the work week and fully prepare for conference activities the next two days. On Thursday, October 19, from 9-11 pm (or later), you will get a chance to show off your creative side with a TASK party and storytelling event. Drink up the caffeine or have a power bar and be sure to check out Conference After Hours!
Sponsors
OELMA is grateful to all of the companies and organizations who partner with us in so many ways. At present, we have 20 exhibitors confirmed for our conference, including Gold-level sponsor, ABC-CLIO, Silver-level sponsor, RACO Industries, and Bronze-level sponsors, Bound-to-Stay-Bound, OhioNet, and State Library of Ohio. When you do business with these organizations and visit their booths during your time at conference, please make sure to thank them for their continued support of OELMA and school libraries!
We cannot wait to see you at the 2017 Conference on October 18-20, 2017 at the Doubletree Hotel in Worthington, Ohio!
Tech Tools & Tips - Lori Lee, Technology Sub-Committee Chair
Boomerang for Gmail is a Google extension that lets you take control of when you send and receive email messages. You can write an email now and schedule it to be sent automatically at the perfect time. Just write the messages as you normally would, then click the Send Later button. Use the handy calendar picker or the text box that understands language like "next Monday" to tell Boomerang when to send your message.
Boomerang will also help you to clean up your inbox without losing track of important messages. Use Boomerang to take messages out of your inbox until you actually need them. Just click the Boomerang button when you have an email open, and choose when you need it again. Boomerang will archive your message. At the time you choose Boomerang will bring it back to your inbox, marked unread, starred or even at the top of your message list.
OELMA Member Spotlight: Casaundra Bronner
Tell us about your current employment.
District: Dayton Public Schools
Position/Grade Level: Library Media Specialist at Stivers School for the Arts, 7th-12 grade
What have you been reading recently?
I have read two books this summer: Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania by Frank Bruni and Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon.
I am also finishing up Overcoming the Achievement Gap Trap: Liberating Mindsets to Effect Change by Anthony Muhammed and The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson.
Share one thing that you love to do that you get to do nearly every day.
I love listening to students talk about “life.” Some students come by daily and “check in” with me. I share what is going on with me and they feel comfortable with sharing how life is going with them. It is so rewarding to develop meaningful relationships with students. That is why I enjoy working in school libraries...the relationships matter.
Was there a person or experience that was key in your decision to become a school librarian?
There are mentors that have been instrumental in my development as a person and librarian. My first two mentors were Rosalyn Givens and Andrea Hirtle. These two librarians have been encouraging and inspiring to work with. Mrs. Givens influenced my decision to go back to school after many years to become a certified library media specialist. My bachelor’s degree is in illustration! She pointed me in the right direction and connected me to the right people. I am so grateful for her friendship. Mrs. Hirtle has been a constant guide throughout my career as a paraprofessional turned library media specialist. I currently work at the school she retired from and it is such an honor. I have to also mention...Dr. Susan Berg, Chris Findlay, Elaine Fultz, Gayle Geitgey, and many others. Librarians are so giving; it is a special group to belong to.
What would you like to share about your family?
I am the proud wife of Darryl Bronner Sr. and the happy/busy mother of daughters Lauren (24 years old and a graduate of Saint Louis University; Health Sciences), Adrienne (20 year old junior at Kent State University; major Teaching English as a Second Language) and my one and only son Darryl Eric Jr. (16 year old rising senior at Stivers School for the Arts). He wants to work as an artist. Darryl Jr’s first college choice is “that school up North!” I will not hold this against him; after all my husband is from Detroit.
On the Road Again - Susan Yutzey, Library Promotions Sub-Committee Chair
With the lyrics of my favorite Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson song rattling around in my head, I prepared for my road trip on June 29, when the Highly Effective School Library Rubric Writing Team convened at the Mansfield Public Library at 9:30 a.m. to begin its work on the second draft. The writing team composed of Kelly Silwani, Liz Deskins, Deb Logan, Kris Konik, Susan Mongold, Jennifer Schwelik, and I began the arduous task of deconstructing the comments from the first draft that was presented at the OELMA MidWinter.
The writing team began its task earlier this month during a virtual call in which we established a timeline. The team's plan is to complete a version of the rubric before the Annual Conference at which time it will be presented at a Conference session for members to ask questions. In November, once the AASL Standards are shared, the Ohio Department of Education will begin assembling a writing team for Ohio's long anticipated Library Guidelines/Standards. The Highly Effective School Library Rubric and accompanying documents will figure prominently in the creation of the Library Guidelines/Standards.
Now for the second bit of interesting news: Immediate Past AASL President Audrey Church's initiative centered around working with school administrators to create an administrative guide to educate superintendents, principals, curriculum directors, etc. on how school librarians function as learning leaders through delivering effective instruction, leading for innovation and engagement, and making a difference for students. Available for download as an infographic, School Librarians as Learning Leaders: An Administrative Guide, the effective school library program is front and center providing a definition extracted from AASL's Position Statement: "meeting the personalized learning and resource needs of all students is the core mission of professional school librarians. Fully staffed and supported school libraries foster individual student growth."
OELMA as the professional association for school library media specialists is not alone in crafting a Highly Effective School Library Rubric. While Colorado, New York, and a few other states are light years ahead of Ohio, in talking to other school librarians at AASL Affiliate Assembly (ALA 2017) the concept of a rubric for effective school libraries is on many state associations' radars.
On the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is making music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again
So as I made my way up I-71 with OELMA members Kelly Silwani and Liz Deskins, I was humming On the Road Again because the life I love is making music with my friends, and that music is crafting a future for Ohio's school library media specialists as indispensable learning leaders in our schools.
Highly Effective School Library Rubric Writing Team
Highly Effective School Library Rubric Writing Team
Highly Effective School Library Rubric Writing Team
The iSchool at Kent State University News - Dr. Meghan Harper, KSU Liaison
The School of Library and Information Science has officially changed their name! As of July 1, the School adopted the new name of School of Information and will be known as the iSchool at Kent State University. The name change follows a recent acceptance of the School into the international iSchools alliance. The consortium is committed to advancing the information field.
Following the name change, a new iSchool alumni group is forming. The “Kent State iSchool Alumni Society,” is a community of members who will come together to support each other, broaden professional knowledge, advocate for our profession and, of course, have a little fun. The Society is open to all alumni of the school, and there will be no membership fee. Please contact the School if you are interested in becoming a member.
Fascinating facts about our School
- Top 20 of Library and Information Studies Programs by US News and World Report
- Largest Masters program at Kent State University
- Participates in an Interdisciplinary PH.D program
The School of Information welcomes two new faculty members:
- Ms. Katie Campana is a PhD Candidate in the Information School at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on informal learning environments and the learning opportunities they provide for children and families through their programs and services. Articles from her work have appeared in scholarly journals such as Library Quarterly and Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, as well as Children and Libraries, a practitioner-focused journal. In addition, she has published a practitioner-focused book titled Supercharged Storytimes. She will be teaching in the area of youth services.
- Dr. Heather Soyka is currently a post-doctoral fellow with the DataONE project, headquartered at the University of New Mexico and geographically based at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her primary research area is in archival studies, and centers on the intersection of communities and recordkeeping. Her work involves examining and understanding how the members of data intensive communities use recordkeeping as a way to understand and build, grow, and sustain their environments. In particular, she focuses on how factors such as culture, values,and trust are used to shape records and data creation in community recordkeeping. Her research is grounded in archival studies and more broadly within cultural heritage informatics and library and information science. She will be teaching in the area of Cultural Heritage Informatics.
The iSchool has had three new degree options that have been approved this summer by the Ohio Board of Regents:
- Master of Science in Knowledge Management
- Master of Science in Health Informatics
- Master of Science in User Experience Design
The iSchool also offers multiple dual degree programs such as:
- Master of Library and Information Science and Master of Business Administration (M.L.I.S./M.B.A.)
- Master of Library and Information Science and Master of Education, plus School Library Media licensure (MLIS +K-12 School library media)
- Combined Bachelor's-Master's Degree
The iSchool also offers a Masters in Library and Information Science Degree and a licensure-only option to obtain K-12 School Library Media licensure.
Reinberger Childrens Library Center News
Visit our website at:
http://www.kent.edu/slis/marantz-picturebook-collection-study-picturebook-art
The iSchool at Kent State University offers 2 research fellowships connected to the Reinberger Children’s Library Center, the Marantz Fellowship and the Alpers Fellowship.
Marantz Fellowship
The purpose of the Marantz Fellowship (supported by Dr. Kenneth and Sylvia Marantz) is to encourage scholars from the United States and around the world to use the resources of the Marantz Picturebook Collection for the Study of Picturebook Art in their research on the study of picture books.
Marantz Fellow 2017
Stacey Bliss, 2nd year PhD candidate in Education at York University in Toronto, Canada was the 2017 Marantz Fellowship awardee. While in the Reinberger Children’s Library Center, Bliss explored picturebooks with ‘unwelcomed’ characters, focusing most of her attention on the illustrations of Maurice Sendak. One find of particular interest was Sendak’s 1993 controversial book, We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy.
Bliss pointed out that it “…tackles issues, and is perhaps quite apropos in order to open discussion on our current state of unions. How have we been tricked and are we living in a house of cards? Can we see the cards that we have been dealt? What house has been built for us in our popular literature and picturebooks? What new, contemporary houses are being built or can be built?” Bliss will present some of her findings at the International Research Society for Children’s Literature Congress in August 2017, and she will publish her findings in the Edinburgh University Press.
Albers Fellowship
The Albers Fellowship was created by SLIS alumna Jacqueline M. Albers, M.L.S. ’94, to establish an endowment for a guest scholar to study children’s literature using the collections in the Reinberger center.
Albers Fellow 2017
Lauren Christie, PhD student at the University of Dundee in Scotland, and the recipient of 2017 Albers Fellowship, is researching the evolution of the Gothic genre in children’s literature from eighteenth to the twenty first century. Christie argues that the presence of spooky and dark elements in stories, and exposure to fear in children’s literature, is healthy. “In order to help boost collective literacy rates we need to be doing everything possible to ensure the publishing industry continues to attract or maintain this young readership,” Christie points out. After spending time developing programs that promoted literacy to deprived communities in Scotland, Christie made the connection that children would read as long as they were interested in the subject matter. One popular genre in children’s and young adult literature from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century was those with Gothic themes. “My time as an Albers fellow enabled me to further my exploration of this field by pinpointing literary examples from the early nineteenth century, which was heavily influenced by the Gothic genre. Tracking the traditional elements of this collaboration will allow us to consider what can be done in the future to maintain popularity, and whether or not this style of literature has changed.” Through her research, Christie hopes to have an impact on raising reading levels within her community and beyond. “I feel this research topic would make a significant economic and societal lasting impact in education and society. My research will address the issue of how to get children to enjoy literature at large, therefore addressing the literacy issue; this will, in turn, boost individual reading abilities, raise collective literacy rates and change non-reading children and teens into readers for life.”
Volunteer Opportunities
There are many opportunities to volunteer in the Reinberger Children's Library Center and the Marantz Picturebook Collection. Please contact Reinberger Director Michelle Baldini mbaldini@kent.edu if you are interested.
Summer Recharge - Andy Jados, Administrator Liaison
I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. As I write this article, I'm on my way to North Myrtle Beach. We all know how important it is for everyone to recharge their batteries over the summer to power up for the school year ahead. During this time of relaxation and reflection, I'm thinking about what my fellow principals would love their media center specialist to help them with. I try to focus my energy and thoughts on improving instruction. Although it's pretty cliché, I think every principal has this as their main goal, even if other things sometimes get in the way. If you haven't started to brainstorm ways you could assist your principal in this venture, I would urge you to do so. Then have a conversation with your principal before actually putting any plans into action to be sure your goals align. I have had librarians help by promoting professional development opportunities to our staff that support the school's instructional vision. Sending out articles that pertain to improving pedagogical practices can also be helpful. Another wonderful idea is putting up a pineapple chart in the staff lounge to facilitate teacher communication about what they are doing in their classroom and when their peers could observe them. Of course everyone is already working nonstop with their current duties. However, I know from personal experience that your principal will be be extremely grateful if you could assist in supporting him or her in this way. Having your librarian become an instructional leader in your building is a dream come true.