Advocacy+Collaboration

The media coordinators/librarians from BSE, BCMS, MES, NES, NMS, and the tech facilitator from AES met on January 13, 2010 at Newport Middle School. Below are the suggestions and ideas that we devised as our strategy for approaching the Board of Education as they begin discussions regarding the 2010-2011 school budget. Our primary purpose (I think, please feel free to modify this statement) is **to inform our school board members of the valuable services we provide to our students and our schools**. Please review what we have discussed, add your ideas and/or suggestions, correct any errors I have made, etc. Everyone will be able to edit this document until we have what we feel best represents the group. //**Note - I use the term "librarian." If the group prefers media coordinator or media specialist, that is fine with me. I just love the word "librarian"!**//


 * What skills and resources do we provide for our students and staff? (We want this to be realistic, but I don't believe it is necessary to give every detail. You all know we do A LOT. Feel free to disagree.)**
 * Information Skills
 * Research process - location, access, and proper use of information
 * Preparation for college
 * Literacy Skills
 * Literature appreciation - JOY of reading!
 * Battle of the Books
 * Administrative duties
 * Collection development
 * Budget management
 * Professional development for colleagues
 * Serve on various committees (School Improvement Team, Media/Tech Committee)


 * What are some of the challenges currently facing some CCS libraries?**
 * Some schools do not have librarians
 * students are missing valuable learning opportunities
 * student access to books is greatly diminshed
 * **accountability** for valuable school resources (books, videos, DVDs, etc.) is diminshed
 * Some school librarians are performing tasks that prevent them from fulfiling the job responsibilities of a school library/media professional
 * again, students are missing valuable learning opportunities
 * collection development suffers
 * Due to scheduling, some school librarians are not able to be active, vital participants in the **Professional Learning Communities** initiative
 * Many school libraries do not have full time library/media assistants
 * this takes valuable time away from the learning opportunities we provide
 * libraries are being closed while the librarian is performing other tasks (teaching information skills to a class, tutoring, Read 180, SRI)
 * **safety** becomes a factor - one person cannot teach, monitor other students, and perform other tasks
 * Budgets have been cut dramatically
 * collection development suffers greatly
 * A positive note **CCS librarians share materials via inter-library loan. Everyone benefits from all schools' materials.**
 * Where do we go from here?**
 * First, we speak to the BOE regarding the value we add to the education of our students. We need to:
 * generate a statement to be used at this meeting [[file:BOE Notes.doc]]
 * investigate current research that provides evidence to support strong school libraries -
 * **An Essential Connection: How Quality School Library Media Programs Improve Student Achievement in North Carolina** - This study is specific to NC
 * []
 * provide some kind of handout, brochure, etc. that highlights what we do
 * Second, we present to our Principal's at one of their weekly meetings. We propose a plan to present to the Principals during National Library Week. We came up with the following ideas (thanks Robin!):
 * Hosting a breakfast complete with placemats made by students in our schools.
 * Hold it on their regularly scheduled Principals' meeting day during National Library Week (that would be April 15 [tax day!]) The theme is "Communities Thrive." You can go to the ALA website to see the promotional logo for this event. National Library Week 2010
 * Librarians work together by grade levels (elementary, middle, and high) to highlight what we do at each grade range. We want to keep it positive, showcase what we do!
 * Third, we need to invite our BOE to come to our libraries and see what we do. I think they'd be impressed!
 * We need to compose a statement to be used at the BOE meeting in February**...
 * I would like to begin with my **point of view as a learner**, not as an educator. When I was in middle and high school, no one ever taught me the things I teach my students at NMS. By the time I got to college, I did not know how to do "research". My very first paper was a laborious task! I continued to flounder my way through paper after paper in college. I didn't discover that there was a process, a method for approaching research tasks until after college. When I finally discovered that there was a frame work to guide the research process, I realized that I never wanted my students to suffer the same fate. It truly has become my mission to help my students learn essential skills to navigate and utilize the endless amounts of information in an ethical manner. Our high school librarians continue the process begun in middle school.
 * **Cartert County is unique** because the librarians in our schools are not simply the keepers of the books. They are all TEACHERS. They know their curriculum, and they know how to teach it. There is an entire curriculum dedicated to Information Skills
 * While Carteret County has some of the best teachers in the state, **many educators may not fully understand information skills and the research process nor how to teach it**. Often times **teachers are so busy** trying to cover "their" curriculum, they don't have the time or energy to incorporate information skills. This is why school librarians are such a valuable part of the educational team.
 * Carteret County School librarians are also committed to Literacy Skills
 * They constantly strive to stay informed of current literature in order to promote the joy of reading. They host and/or sponsor a variety of programs to promote literacy and more importantly THE JOY OF READING. One such program is Battle of the Books. This year Carteret County will have only five schools participating in the North Carolina Battle of the Books competition because two of our schools have opted to eliminate their school librarian positions. Our elementary school librarians are the most enthusiatic people in the world when it comes to promoting THE JOY OF READING! They stay informed about what is new in the publishing industry. High school librarians share a great challenge in keeping older students in this digital age READING.
 * Speaking of digital age, CCS librarians also strive to stay informed of the latest resources in technology. We used a "Wiki" to collaborate on our initiative to promote what we do to the BOE.
 * ** We need to add something about the administrative or business part of our work, but it's late, and time for me to go to bed.... :o) Good Night!**


 * Discussion Topics--January 14, 2010 at BMS:**

The BOE Presentation will be held on Feb. 2, 2010 @ 5:30 in the C. Services Board Room Concerns:
 * The BOE appreciates only 1 spokesperson to represent a particular group
 * In our situation, one MC (Charlotte) will speak on behalf of all Media/Technology certified staff members
 * One parent can speak on behalf of parents; one student can speak on behalf of students; one teacher can speak on behalf of teachers
 * Parent/Student/Teacher speaker suggestions??
 * Parent: Michelle Pitman (SES)-- Norma will ask
 * Principal: Catherine Warren (AES)--Millie will ask
 * A handout is also helpful (the handout will need to be ready for BOE members 1 week in advance--they preview the material before attending the meeting
 * Each speaker will have only 3 minutes to speak
 * it was suggested that all speakers coordinate their comments so they do not use their time repeating what someone else has said
 * The elimination of assistants and the increased responsibilities of media coordinators is limiting the amount of time that the media center can be open--there are times during the day when the door must be locked due to lack of supervision
 * Teachers do not always have the knowledge nor the time to teach research skills in their classes; if certified media coordinators are eliminated, students will not have the research skills they need when they enter high school
 * Teachers are finding it hard to bring their classes to the media center because it is difficult to organize the schedule--in upper grades, the MC may be available for a couple of classes only--the teacher's other students may not be able to get the instruction because the MC has other duties during their class time
 * Since information skills are interwoven in all curriculum areas, teachers need assistance
 * Without the guidance of a certified media coordinator, teachers allow students to submit research projects that do not include proper bibliographies, works cited, etc. and may not be able to instruct students on the proper ways to select credible electronic sources
 * Certified media coordinators are trained in teaching copyright, formats for documenting sources, and promoting life-long learning

Suggestions:
 * Ask Cheryl Burke (//Carteret County News Times)// to write a follow-up article after the BOE meeting--a picture could be included of a "CLOSED" sign on the MC door
 * Handouts for BOE members may include //21st Century Skills// document and Media/Technology job descriptions
 * Reference could be made to the //Impact Model// book that has been published by the NCDPI and is supposed to be the "road map" for Media/Technology programs throughout the state
 * Reference can be made to HR 3928 Legislation/Bill--SKILLS Act
 * Reference can be made to famous studies that support libraries in schools/increased achievement--Colorado, Texas, Iowa, etc.
 * [] (3rd section from bottom)
 * Lance-Loertscher@http://www.lmcsource.com/tech/power/2nd/power2.htm
 * This second link provides some useful resources for "marketing'.@http://www.newlisbon.k12.wi.us/media/research.cfm
 * Might be an idea to put some of these studies on the web sites- ? parents will look at them-The pamphlet could be used for PTO meetings-One of the resources is the study done in NC in 2003
 * @http://www.rburgin.com/NCschools2003/NCSchoolStudy.pdf
 * Charlotte may want to ask all who are in attendance at the meeting in support of Media/Technology certified positions to stand
 * The presentation should be made at other meetings, as well (administrators, PTO/Parent Advisory, etc.)

as a whole do.
 * Once again, please read, add, subtract, etc, and so on to make this document reflect what WE**