What’s your number?

I’m # 6,502 to sign the petition asking the Obama administration to ensure that every child in America has access to an effective school library program.

An effective program should include highly qualified staff, and equitable access to resources that support and further develop learning in and outside of the classroom. This should result in a variety of resources: databases, internet access, tech tools to support projects as basic as word processing or more complex like editing a film or creating a robot. Magazines and periodicals that support classroom learning and student interests, and books in a variety of formats: fiction and non-fiction, hardcover and paperback, paper and electronic, words and graphic novels, dystopian and fantasy romance. People develop so much in the years 4 – 21 and having the ability to explore the world through books and other library information sources broadens their experience. I haven’t even touched on the social/creative outlets a lot of my students find in our library by playing chess, Apples to Apples, puzzles, and other games, or participating in book clubs or an open mic coffee-house.

My student library aides must take a mid-term, and one question I ask is what they have learned so far this year as an aide. The responses I get are sometimes what you would expect, “I’m learning how to be better organized,” or “I’m learning where to find books in the library.” But I also get answers that let me know the student really is growing while being a library aide. This week, one student wrote in their response that they are learning forgiveness this year as a library aide.  This person started out in a rough spot, and we have all moved past that spot and get along very well. It warms my heart to know that this student sees this. Another student wrote that they have a huge lack in social skills. Working in the library has helped this person develop social skills in dealing with fellow aides and library patrons. It has given them confidence in their senior year and it will be something they take with them after graduation.

My library aides are just a small part of my job as a school librarian. Education has a big focus on data right now, and I think there is a need for careful data collection and analysis to see what “Education” is doing right. After a while, though, data can become just a number, and some higher-ups lose sight of the individual attached to each piece of data. If something you do is hard to put into the terms of data, such as a library aide learning about forgiveness or social skills, that piece gets lost when looking at the firm data that makes up the big picture. It is impossible to connect these two student experiences to whether they pass their SOL tests or graduate on time because so many other measurable variables can be connected: teachers in the classroom, the curriculum, grades, test scores. I may know, without a doubt, that a student is graduating as a more developed person from our school because of the library, but no measurable/standardized test exists to prove it.

This is why when librarians ask for help in supporting our cause, it is a grass-roots movement. Signatures on a petition are our data that can be taken to President Obama. Each signature might represent a person who loves books and wants all children to have access to them whether rich or poor. Another signature is a person who remembers a librarian that changed their life for the better as a child, a teen, a college student, or even as an adult. One person might think of the stereotypical cranky librarian they have personally experienced, want better for children, and see the push for “effective school libraries” as a way to retire the cranky old and make sure they are replaced by the excited positive new (instead of not being replaced at all!).

So think about your opinion of school libraries: the positives and the negatives, the information they contain that reveals the past and opens the future, the hope that every student can become a reader if they just get introduced to the right book by someone who knows the book AND the student, the world of opportunities every student can access if the library has open doors and a knowledgable key master. I know it is annoying to create a username and password for the White House website, but if you agree with even a fraction of what I am saying, get over there and add your name to the petition.

Who knows, you might learn about other petitions you believe in and that account will continue to come in handy.

If you do add your name, come back and comment on this post to let me know what number you are.

Hello There, Dear Blog

Oh 2011, I feel like you just got here. Must you go so soon?

Seriously, this year has been a blur. I really can’t believe 2012 begins in 36 hours. Last year, I over-extended myself with commitments and scaled back this year. Somehow, the world kept life just as busy this year.

I traveled a lot (for me)! I attended ALA Midwinter, and was able to go to Disneyland with my husband for a few days. Spring flew by, and I attended ALA Annual right after school ended. (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3) During the summer, I was lucky enough to go to NYC for 24 hours and then spend a weekend at Rensselaerville. I got some beach time in at Ocean City (Maryland) and Wildwood Crest (New Jersey). I didn’t see as much of my family as I would like, but I was lucky to spend a good amount of time with dear friends.

Work has been busier than ever. We have a new library assistant this year, so getting her up to speed has been a focus. In addition to sponsoring the student book club, I am continuing on as the chair of Faculty Senate, and a member of the Climate Committee and two different literacy committees. I was a co-coordinator for our school Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical competition. I’ve been just as busy with book talks this year as I was last year, which is excellent.

I challenged myself, via GoodReads, to read 50 books this year. I thought that would be easy. I just made it, and it involved some last-minute reads of picture books and graphic novels. I have come to accept that reading challenges are not fun for me. Reading (and blogging) is something I do for pleasure. Once I commit to a challenge, it feels like a job. It becomes a finish line and is no longer about enjoying the experience. I won’t be doing that again this year.

Life itself has been a roller coaster, speeding through the highs and lows and dips and flips of love, loss, struggles, and blessings. The health of everyone I know ebbs and flows. I continue to be lucky to come home to a house filled with the love of my husband and two dogs. We continue the never-ending project that is living in a house built in 1951.

2012 is largely a mystery for me right now. I applied for the YALSA Board Fellow position. If I am fortunate to be selected, I envision a chunk of my year focused on that. If not, I intend to apply for another process committee position as my term on Teens’ Top Ten ends after Annual. My work commitments will continue, of course. I am not attending ALA Midwinter this year. I have no requirement to attend, and financially it is not a priority right now. I have not made a decision on attending ALA Annual, but I suspect the Board Fellow decision will have some affect on that. I would love to attend the YALSA YA Lit Symposium again, but I have some time to make that decision.

For now, I hope 2012 will pass a little more slowly than 2011 did. If any of my readers have stuck around since my last post in September, I thank you and hope you continue to stop by in 2012.

Tempted to Cry Uncle but Also Want to Brag

I admit it: I have overextended myself this year.  I committed myself to far too many things professionally and personally, and the random wrenches that get thrown in the works of life have not stopped popping up.  I have had many days where I was tempted to cry “uncle.”  I have definitely learned my limit of professional commitments , both in my job and in the ALA/YALSA world.  I really needed this winter break to catch my breath.  It’s been good already, and I know I will see everything to term.  Yet, I can’t let myself forget that feeling the next time I need to say yes or no.

Despite all of that, I am proud of the work I have done so far this school year.  Literacy has been a larger-than-usual initiative in my school this year, and teachers have come to me for assistance with this.  In the past three years I have been at my job, I rarely had the chance to work with an entire class on book selection.  I would do no more than two book talks a year, and everything else was done via walk-in reader advisory.

This year, I started with one teacher and the word spread.  By the time we left for break last week, I had done book talks for all five to six sections of grades 9 – 12 English for six different teachers, and for one of those teachers I have done two sets of book talks.  That is a huge increase from the past!

I have been trying to tailor the books to each class by doing a pre-visit survey asking about their interests, books they liked, books they didn’t, etc.  Then, based on info the teacher provides and my surveys, I pull books currently checked in to highlight.

It is the “currently checked-in” that gets me.  I have not been able to use some really great books because they are never on the shelves.  Some of the teachers have told me not to worry whether it is available or not, but I feel like I am doing a disservice to the students if I say, “This book is AMAZING, but you can’t have it today. We’ll have to put you on the waiting list.”

I’ve been trying to add variety to the talks by using book trailers, pre-written intros, reading a few pages,  and improvising what I say if it is a book I know well enough.  (Often, even if I have read the book, I need to write notes before  so I don’t get thrown off.)

How do I know I am making an impact?  Sometimes I have the students fill out a ticket to leave to assess.  But I have found other methods provide more information.  What did not get checked out by the time the students return to class?  Circulation is another piece of data.  Leviathan did not circulate well last year.  This year, it checks out every time I mention it.  If I talk a series, are the books further in the series circulating more?  The Looking Glass War series used to sit on the shelves, but this year all the books rotate in and out.

Nothing can top the personal feedback I have received, though.  I have one reluctant reader who now comes in every two weeks to check out two Orca books now that he knows they are written on a lower level but aimed at teens.  I hope that later in the year, I can get him to try something more, but in the mean time he’s reading steadily in a way he had not before.

The teacher who I have done two sets of talks for emailed me after I completed the first set.  She wanted to tell me that when her classes returned to the room after the talk, everyone was happily reading.  She said that in her 20 years of teaching, she had never seen so many “at-risk” students find books that they were excited to read.  One male teacher who team-teaches with her for a class that has a lot of special education students stopped in a few weeks ago to tell me that I really inspired those students to read.  These students had previously dug in their heels and refused to read.  A lot of them had never been exposed to the books they could relate to and just thought all books were boring.  Now, those same students are finding books written at a level they can read, about teens who are relatable.

That is what makes it all worth it.  That is one of many reasons I love my job.

A teen blogger posted on YALSA’s blog this weekend about what makes a great YA librarian.  While the comments have been quiet on the post, I’ve seen a good amount of discussion on Twitter.  I can honestly say that I don’t have colored hair, and we don’t offer a large amount of activities in our library.  I think it could be debated how many and what type of activities a school library can provide (especially in a school of 2700+ students and only two librarians and one assistant) but I do believe we have worked hard to provide things for our students.  The other attributes do match me, and I believe I am a pretty darn good YA librarian.

A Plea for Two Things

Did you vote today?  If so – yay!  If not, go do it right now.  I’ll wait!

 

You’re back?  You better have voted!

If you have any spare dollars to your name right now, think about donating to an ESOL teacher in my school on Donors Choose.  She is doing a book club with her English Language Learners.  These are great kids who are motived to get an education.  We are working with her and the students on this book club and need a little financial help in order to provide the students with the books.  Any small amount is welcome!  Feel free to pass this on – every little bit helps!

We’re only 3 weeks into the school year?

True to my expectations, I’ve been absent from my blog, and I miss it dearly.  The new school year has been very busy.  Our library circulation statistics for the first two weeks of school was double what we had last year, we’ve had an increased number of teachers wanting to use the library, which has been overwhelming but so very awesome.  Even my student aides are great!

A lot of people have been on edge this year, though.  We have a new principal, new assistant principal, a new performance review process, budget cuts, lower than predicted enrollment, and we didn’t make AYP last year.  The new principal has been one of our assistant principals for a few years, so he’s not new to the school, but his philosophies are different enough from our former (and much-loved) principal that many people are anxious.  Some people have already judged the new AP in a poor manner.  People are anxious about their jobs and the money available to assist them in doing their jobs due to the budget cuts and potential for more cuts due to low enrollment.

The new review process is centered around data and evidence.  I’m excited about the potential I see in it since my biggest frustration with education continues to be ineffective/lazy/burned out teachers.  But I already see/hear people trying to BS their way through it.  ”Just tell me what to put down that will make them leave me alone,” said one poisonous teacher.  Another said at a meeting concerning the new process to focus on your best lessons and just don’t include other stuff.  This really irritated me because I think reflection is a big step missing in the process some teachers go through year after year.  I think the new review system is an excellent way to demonstrate reflection and adjustment based on student achievement, but many just seem to want to know what new song and dance routine to throw at the administration so they can keep doing the same old thing.

So, needless to say, it seems like, after the third week of school, many people are already tired, frustrated, and plumb wore out.  Whining seems to be constant; people are snappish and quick to take offense.

We are short one staff member in the library due to a family emergency, so the extra traffic has been juggled between just two of us.  I’ve come down with a cold this weekend and would love to take another day to rest up (I spent more of today asleep already) but I just don’t feel like now is a good time to be out.

Besides being sick and dealing with the work stress, things have been good.  I turned 35, we’re celebrating our 7 year wedding anniversary, and fall is coming.  I do miss my personal time.  I haven’t read a book since school started, even my magazine and internet reading has fallen terribly behind.  My DVR is filling up and I haven’t had time to catch up with many family and friends.  I feel very out of touch with the bigger world of libraries and YA lit and am really looking forward to the YALSA YA Literature Symposium for the chance to just immerse myself in it all.

I promise my  blog is not dead, just quiet.  I can’t wait to come back and share all the thoughts that keep tumbling through my head, needing an outlet.

P.S. Will I see any of you at the Symposium?

Back to School

I report back to work today.  The students don’t start until the day after Labor Day (thanks to what many call the Kings Dominion law, and I’ll reserve my opinion on that for another time) and teachers aren’t back until August 30th.  Our county contracts the library staff to start a week and 1/2 before the faculty to give us time to get the library ready since so much of that teacher week is taken up with meetings and things.  I really appreciate that our county does this since it does mean they start paying us a week and 1/2 early, but the time is enormously helpful in getting new books ready for the students and staff, getting organized, putting in orders, etc.  I also have to admit that starting with a half week helps ease back in to the work routine after the summer.

I’m excited to be going back for a new school year.  I’m not sure what the year has in store for us with a new principal in place.  He’s been an assistant principal for a few years so we know him, but a new principal is still a new principal, so I know some things will change.  This is my fourth year, which means the students who started in our school when I started will be graduating this year.  There is something exciting about being seeing my first freshmen go through their capstone year.

It’s been a busy summer, though, and I don’t really feel rested and refreshed.  It’s also going to be a busy school year.  I’m attending the YALSA Young Adult Literature Symposium, ALA Midwinter, and ALA Annual.  I’ll be turning 35 next month.  We have a wonderful wedding to attend in Syracuse in October.  My mom is scheduled for surgery in December.  We hope to get a new dog.  My husband hopes to move forward on more house projects.  I am on 3 YALSA committees.  Just thinking about it all makes my head spin a bit, but I’ll take it all one day at a time.

For today, it’s my first day back.  I’ll pull out my favorite pens, set my computer up, water the library plants, and go from there.

It’s the Testing Center, Not the Library Media Center

The past couple weeks have been really busy.  One reason is because I am taking an agility class with Brinkley.  I had taken one several years ago with Jake, so I thought now would be a good time to try it with Brink.  He’s doing okay so far.  He finds some things a bit scary, but I can tell he’s having fun!

This past Friday was the last day our library will be open, pretty much for the rest of the school year.  AP testing starts today, and that is followed by our state mandated testing (Standards of Learning or SOL).  We conduct all our SOL testing on-line instead of on paper, and we get these done in seven days, rather than stretch them out.  There are many benefits to this method, but the downside is that all our computer labs and large rooms are filled with laptops in order to get the students in and out of their test.  AP classes are highly encouraged in our school, so we have a lot of students who must take an AP test come May.  While AP uses paper tests, the large numbers of students requires that the library be used.  So we operate out of our office/workroom for the rest of the year.

SOL testing ends after Memorial Day, but senior exams start that week, followed by the other exams.  Special Education and ESOL use the library during exams for testing accommodations, so we never really open back up.

The need for all this library use is completely understandable, but it is still frustrating to me.  One recent month, we had over 3,000 students sign in to use the library before, during, and after school.  Of course, these are not unique visitors as we only have 2,700 students, but this does not include scheduled classes because students do not need to sign in when they are with a class.  So that 3,000 number is a lot of different individual needs that need to be met outside the classroom environment.

3,000 is a large number of students who lose access to a variety of resources for the remainder of the school year.  Some of these students do not have computers at home and rely on school computer access to complete assignments.  We have a solid number of “frequent fliers” who are voracious readers and come in more than once a day to check books out.  We do continue to check books out via our workroom door and keep a few carts of new and popular books available back there, but the students miss the browsing experience.  The fast readers have already plowed through a lot of the new stuff and whenever they hit the dry spell in between new orders, that is when they browse the shelves to find older books they have not read yet.  If they know what they want, we can go pull it, but often the students rely on the serendipity of discovery, which is not an option during all this testing.

Our space is also popular before school and during lunches.  Before school, we have anywhere from 100 – 200 students sitting at tables finishing last-minute homework and socializing with friends between 7:00 am, when the school opens, and 7:25, when the warning bell rings.  We do not require these students to sign in as the line would never end before the bell rings; they only sign in if they need to use a computer.  Once we close, these students must relocate into the halls and find space that is not already staked out by other groups.  A lot of students come in during their lunch (they do sign in so they fall under that 3,000).  Some come to use our resources, but some come seeking the solitude of 20 library minutes.  Students sit in our reading area with the comfy chairs to decompress with a book or a magazine.  Students find quiet corners where they can sit on the floor, away from eyes.  Others come in to study, work on a library puzzle, or play a game while they eat their bagged lunch.  We have many students who are sensitive to noise and crowds and need that time in the library to get through their day without feeling overstimulated.

Starting today, these students lose this constant in their school day.  They are forced back into the loud cafeteria, where other students have had the full year to claim their tables.  I sympathize for the stress students find themselves under when the end of the school year arrives; class grades and all this high stakes testing brings pressure.  Loss of the library, whether it is just the space or all the resources in the space, cannot make that pressure any easier.

Right now, I do not know what the answer is to all of this.  I have asked about us staffing a classroom to give students the quiet space, but because our school is so full, there is not a classroom that stands empty during a whole lunch period, so I would have to move to different rooms depending on the lunch shift.  I would then have to take responsibility for the teacher and student belongings left in the classroom while they go to lunch.   We borrow laptop carts from elementary schools for SOL testing, so we do not have the option of opening a lab for students to use during their lunch shift.

I know that all this testing is not going away for the foreseeable future, and now is not the time for me to climb on another soapbox to talk about the questionableness of these state-mandated, multiple choice tests.  But when I look at the students and all their various needs, is it really benefitting our school population to take away library access the last month and 1/2 of the school year?  It is a question we ask every year, but it falls on the deaf ears of those who must coordinate testing that is so important to the future of the school.

Free E-Book Suggestions?

Even though we’ve been off all week, I’ve been trying to get some real work done from home.  I have been feeling bad about my students who read voraciously not having books this week.  I thought I’d post a list of free e-books on our library webpage. I know Little Brother is one that is always available, but I’d love suggestions on what else is out there right now!  Any thoughts?

Photo Friday

My box of books from ALA Midwinter finally arrived!  Hurray!

I’m so glad they arrived before the snow we had this past Wednesday and the Snowmageddon that is supposed to come today.  Between the Oscar movies I need to see and all these books, I have more than enough to keep myself busy.

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Random story:

I recently found one of my students looking up the following statement in Google, “when is dec 21, 2012 going to happen.”  I stopped and asked him, “Do you mean what day of the week?”  He replied, “No, I want the date it will happen.”  Really?

ALA Midwinter – Boston

I attended ALA Midwinter in Boston last weekend and had a great time.  It was a short trip due to everything going on at home, but I was able to squeeze in a fair amount.

Friday, I attended an hour long session – YALSA 201 – about becoming involved.  It was interesting to hear the variety of things available.  I dropped in at the YALSA Happy Hour but didn’t stay long as I knew no one and couldn’t bring myself to let go of my shyness and approach groups of strangers.  So I visited the exhibit hall and was able to score a few ARCS, including the two I was really hoping for: This World We Live In and The Dead-Tossed Waves.  After the exhibit hall, I attended at one of YALSA’s ticketed events: Games, Gadgets, and Gurus.  I was able to check out some card and board games that would be great for my school library and meet some awesome people.

Saturday, I attended a YALSA leadership development for committee chairs.  It was a very positive experience and I came away with ideas for my committee, motivation for myself, and the feeling that YALSA cares about the members and their involvement and wants to make leadership within the organization a positive experience.

After that was YALSA’s all-committee meeting where I met with my fantastic local arrangements committee for Annual and we brainstormed.

I returned to the exhibit hall where I was able to pick up many more books and peruse possible library purchases.

I dropped in at the Kidlit Tweet-Up in the lobby bar of my hotel.  It was great to meet fellow bloggers and others in the Kidlit/library world.  It was particularly exciting to meet a couple people who read my name tag and said, “I read your blog!”  Sometimes I forget that there are readers out there!

That evening I went to dinner at the Union Oyster House with Susan from Wizards Wireless and PBS Booklights.  Susan and I met in grad school and it’s always great to catch up with her.  Dinner was soooo good!

Sunday I attended a Web 2.0 session, which was informative, and gave me an opportunity to meet other YALSA people.  I checked out of my hotel, grabbed some lunch, and attended the teen feedback session on this year’s BBYA list.  It was great to get teen opinions and I was able to post my thoughts on Twitter throughout the session thanks to the free wi-fi in the convention center.

I flew home that evening.  This was my first trip using Jet Blue and I was very happy with my experience.  On the way to Boston, I paid an extra $10 for a seat with additional leg room, which was worth it.  On the way home, I was able to use the TV to watch the red carpet arrivals at the Golden Globes.  (My favorite moment was George Clooney pointedly referring to himself and Billy Bush as idiots before making his escape from Billy.)  The plane landed (early!) just as Ricky Gervais was starting the actual show, so I had to rely on my DVR to catch up.  I will definitely use Jet Blue again!

It was a great weekend and so inspiring to me as a librarian.  I have attended non-ALA-related conferences (which shall remain nameless) where I come away with nothing after spending my day listening to people use the day as a bitch-session or receiving basic training on working the AASL standards into library-oriented lessons (said conferences are NOT related to AASL).  I imagine those types of things are helpful to some, but two of my grad school professors were on the team that wrote Information Power so every school library class I took was centered on that book, making it easy to adapt to the new standards.  Do other school library programs not teach the AASL standards?

I also enjoy the ALA conferences because I seem to come across more people who became librarians because they wanted to be a librarian, whereas at these other conferences I tend to meet people who became school librarians because they wanted to get out of teaching but still have summers off.

I love being a part of YALSA and hope I can continue working on committees in the future.  The members are creative, energetic, and passionate about their careers.  School librarians seem to be in the minority, so I encourage other middle and high school librarians who love working with teens to get involved!