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Library
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Library
EXPO 2002 |
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Thank You to Thelma Gay at Richardson ISD and Tish Mulkey at Plano ISD 8:30-9:40 - Key note Address: Barry Bishop Title: The State of Texas Libraries and How to Advocate for Them! Synopsis: For the Keynote address: 250-350 Librarians from all size schools, Libraries, and districts. It is difficult for a person in the audience to be heard by all, but if you repeat their response it should be ok. Since your topics apply to both small and large library programs, I think it would be fine. TLA Announcements: Use the new TLA members-only section. Be sure to update directory information when you change email addresses, jobs, or other contact information. Also subscribe to electronic discussion lists for the units to which you belong. 1. TIF - explain issue and motivate action (advocacy) The Texas Legislature convenes in January, and we have several serious issues to fight for (Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund, school library materials, Loan Star Library grants for public libraries, and more). TIF is due to expire in 2005 and may run out of money before then. We particularly need to advocate for the continuation of TIF, e.g., the discounts and the electronic databases through TexShare and Texas Library Connection. Submit your own story about the impact of TIF in your library to http://www.whatTIFhasdone.org, if you haven’t already. Tell the stories in human terms. Educate your administrations of the importance of TIF and encourage them to catalyze their own professional and educational societies (e.g., Texas Association of School Boards and Texas Municipal League) to elevate TIF as a legislative priority; Be sure that your library’s portal to the electronic databases thanks TIF and the Texas Legislature for making these databases available to the general public; 4 Dates Tuesday, January 14, 2003 = 78th Legislature begins Wednesday, February 12, 2003 = TLA Legislative Day Mid-March = Deadline for filing bills 4 Issues Direct aid to School Libraries (School Library Materials $1.00) Direct Aid to Public Libraries (Loan Star Libraries –additional $7.5 mil) TexShare and TLC = increase funding to ensure growth and stability TIF 4 Things to do Go to TLA website and explore the Government Affairs section http://txla.org/html/govt_aff.html Join Texline to receive bulletins Attend TLA Legislative Day February 12th Make 4 contacts to your Legislator Between now and election - LETTER After election and before Legislature starts in January – OFFICE VISIT After Legislature starts in January and before TLA Legislative Day – E_MAIL, FAX After Legislative Day and before Mid March bill filing deadline – FOLLOW-UP CONTACT TIPS for Legislator communications: 1. State that you are a constituent or serve their constituents. 2. Understand who your legislator is—check biography on website 3. Explain how Libraries increase the economic and educational levels of their constituents. 4. Ask the Legislator to do something specific for you—support reauthorization of TIF, pass your TIF story along to Chairmen Woolens, etc… 5. Invite Your legislator to your Library, ask him or her for a statement to put on your website (with picture), etc… 6. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up Advocacy Identify decisions makers Understand their issues Show how Library can assist them solve their issues
Bridge advocacy principles into meeting the needs of diverse populations Identify client Understand their issues (information needs and wants) Show how the Library can assist them in solving their information needs and wants What I feel strongly about Advocacy – White House Conference on School Libraries http://www.laurabushfoundation.org/presenter_remarks.html
2. White House Conference on School Libraries: Texas Version - announce and explain White
House Conference on School Libraries
Keynote Address The
Role of School Libraries in Elementary and Secondary Education “The Library is a Literacy Playground” Very detailed research of what kids do at Libraries Not a digital divide, but a literacy divide The Librarian makes the difference! The
Importance of School Libraries Research over a decade in several states (Colorado [twice], Alaska, Pennsylvania, Texas, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Iowa). Leadership, Collaboration, and Technology What's
It Take? Librarians empower other people to produce good work, so the Librarians’ work is absorbed and hard to identify! Faye Pharr, Lakeside Academy of Math, Science, and Technology, Chattanooga, TN Dr. Kathleen D. Smith, Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village, CO Dr. Steve Wisely, Superintendent, Medford School District, Medford, Oregon The
Role of Foundations and Philanthropy in Supporting School Libraries Library Power, 700 schools over last 10 years Changed Libraries, which changed school! Read some of Dr. Vartan Gregorian’s quotes (NY Public, Brown University, Head of Carnegie Institute) 9. For reading is a means to education; education is a means to knowledge; knowledge is a means to power and a bright future. Those who undergo the test of learning to read and write do so not only for themselves and their families but our nation as well. They learn in order to become good citizens and good ancestors. That is why reading and the love of libraries and books have to begin in the earliest stages of education. School libraries constitute an indispensable introduction to literacy and learning about the world and the universe. They are pathways to self-discovery. They are instruments for progress and autonomy. 7. The other aspect of the above collaboration between the book and the reader is its intimacy, its privacy. We must not forget that pleasure, discretion, silence and creative solitude are the primary aspects of a life of reading, its most tangible justification, and most immediate reward. This solitude may appear now as an unaffordable luxury, and yet any book creates for its reader a place elsewhere. A person reading is a person suspended between the immediate and the timeless. …. Being able to transcend the limitations of time and space oneself is one of the primary pleasures of the act of reading. For it allows not only the renewal of one’s imagination but also the development of one’s mind. 4. Indeed, the library is a central part of our society. It is a critical component in the free exchange of information, which is at the heart of our democracy. In both an actual and symbolic sense, the library is the guardian of freedom of thought and freedom of choice; hence it constitutes the best symbol of the First Amendment to our Constitution. For what will be the result of a political system when a majority of the people are ignorant of their past, their legacy, and the ideals, traditions and purposes of our democracy. “A nation that expects to be ignorant and free,” wrote Thomas Jefferson, “expects what never was and never will be.” Advertise the Conference: Libraries—Freedom in Action! Libraries – Freedom in Action! 2003 TLA Conference freedom (frē’ dem) n. 5a. The right to unrestricted use; full access. 1. The condition of being free of restraints. 3. The capacity to exercise choice; free will. action (ăk’ shen) n. 3. Organized activity to accomplish an objective. 8. The most important or exciting work or activity in a specific area or field. Libraries (li’ bra rēs) n. 1a. Freedom in Action:providing a place to read what you wantproviding free access to information to allresisting censorshippromoting literacyadvocating for librariesproviding service to communityimproving skills and imagemarketing exciting imagemaking libraries “where the action is”______________________________________________________________ Notes: These definitions were taken from the American Heritage Dictionary.TLA Annual Conference will be April 1-4 in Houston, TX. The conference theme is “Libraries: Freedom in Action,” and there will be many wonderful programs to address the educational needs of the library community. Entertainment includes a President’s Party with the 21-member Sentimental Journey band and the “Andrews Sisters” with demonstrations of swing dancing. 3. School Librarian Certification - update and review See SBEC handouts 1) How to find them on the web http://info.sos.state.tx.us/pub/plsql/readtac$ext.ViewTAC?tac_view=5&ti=19&pt=7&ch=239&sch=B&rl=Y 2) Review the standards and interesting points (if this is what Librarians should know, do we know this?) 4. School Library Standards – update The measurability stuff from Christine http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/schoollibs/committees/index.html
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