President’s Message

I hope everyone had a great School Library Month. It was an opportunity to showcase our libraries and plan some exciting events. It was also a time to “shout” for our school libraries, whether locally in your own school or on the national level by participating virtually in School Library Legislative Day. At the start of the month on April 4th, Amy Rominiecki, Judy Everitt , Peg Lawlor and I accepted a plaque from Commissioner Cerf and the State Board of Education. While at the meeting, I had a chance to answer a few questions about school libraries, especially pointing out the differences between school and public libraries. Each time we go to the State Board, we make the case for the work we do in educating our students. I am hopeful we are building a better understanding of school libraries with those at the state level.

Our other big news is that we are now an affiliate of the International Society of Technology Educators. (ISTE) What does this mean for you? As a member of an affiliate group, you are eligible for a $10.00 discount on your ISTE membership fees. ISTE has a Special Interest Group for Library Media Specialists which also might interest you. You can network and collaborate with member library media specialists all over the US. Membership also entitles you to discounts on webinars and books. This year the ISTE annual conference is June 24 - 27 in San Diego. Although it is far, I am told the conference is amazing.

You can find a complete list of member benefits here: http://www.iste.org/membership/join-iste/member-types-and-benefits/member-level-comparison.aspxs. Take some time to familiarize yourself with ISTE and its programs and benefits. I am sure you will find much to interest you. ISTE is one way you can keep up with the latest technology initiatives and web tools as well as collaborate with like-minded individuals. Our affiliation with ISTE will strengthen our mission to support high standards for library media programs.

Speaking of technology, have you had a chance to see NJASL’s new website? If you haven’t visited it lately, take a look. The website went live in March, and it now offers even more information for you. All the regular info is still there, but we have several new additions. There is the News From Trenton page where you can keep abreast of what is going on at the state level. In the Hot Stuff, you will find many resources such as grants, freebies, webinars, and other professional development opportunities. Also, The Webworm - A Librarians Technology Blog will keep you informed and thinking about technology. Thanks to our association manager Elizabeth McArthur and webmasters Bruce DuBoff and Alice Yucht for their hard work in making this new website a reality.

bookmarkNewsletter of the

New Jersey Association of School Librarians

Vol XLI, Number 9 PO Box 610, Trenton, NJ 08607 609-394-8032 http://www.njasl.org

Calendar2012

May 5 - Annual Spring Membership Meet- ing at Ocean Place Resort and Spa, Long BranchMay 19- Letters about Literature celebration at PrincetonNov 29 - Dec 1 - Annual Conference at Long Branch, “Inspiration, Motivation, Participation”

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Lastly, I’d like to thank all those involved with the Unconference held on March 24th at Middlesex County College. We had a great time sharing information and learning from each other. Thank you to the committee; Alice Yucht, Janice Cooper, Dee Venuto, Sophie Brookover, and Andy Woodworth. Special thanks go to Cheryl O’Connor and LLNJ for co-sponsoring the event with us. What an awesome day!!!!Until next month,Fran

Fran King NJASL President , president@njasl.org Library Media Specialist Lincoln Middle School Passaic, NJ

2012 Conference PreviewIf last month’s conference preview began to

tantalize you, this month’s article should further inspire, motivate, and get you ready to participate! Robert Sabuda, pop-up artist extraordinaire, has agreed not only to be our banquet keynote presenter, but also to offer two hands-on workshops on Saturday morning!

Robert credits his parents with nurturing his love of reading and creating with his hands. His mother read to him every night and his father, a mason and carpenter, transformed rough pieces of wood into “graceful objects of knotty beauty.” As a child, Sabuda helped create scenery for the shows at his mother’s dance school and bulletin boards for his teachers. It was a trip to the dentist, however, that planted the seed of his vocation…he discovered his first pop-up book!

Robert attended Pratt Institute and, over the years, has worked in publishing, package design, and various illustrative techniques including mosaics and stained glass. His gift is in transforming flat lifeless pieces of cardstock into intricate, three dimensional, moveable structures that literally bring stories to life. Robert is a two-time recipient of both the Golden Kite and Meggendorfer Awards, and his books are frequently included on notable booklists compiled by ALA, The New York Times, Bank Street Books, and more. Just this past February, Chanukah Lights, inspired by a poem by Michael J. Rosen, received the 2012 Sydney Taylor Book Award from the Association of Jewish Libraries.

Robert will present “Travels Through Time and Space,” a Powerpoint slide show during the Friday evening banquet. He will cover “a bit of the history of movable and pop-up books for young people as well as a section on how I create my own work.” We will have an opportunity to try our hands at creating an actual pop-up during the workshop “Mountains, Valleys, and in the Gutter” on Saturday. Pre-registration will be required in order to have enough supplies on hand. Each participant will be asked to bring their own pair of scissors. Get a sneak preview on Robert’s website, robertsabuda.com, where he has directions for making a variety of simple pop-ups.

If you have any suggestions for the 2012 conference, please email me at: 2012confchair@gmail.com. Please visit NJASL’s newly redesigned website where you will find updated conference information and forms for program and poster session proposals. The deadline has been extended to May 31, 2012. Pam Gunter, Vice –President 2012 Conference Chair

Bookmark is published monthly September through June by The New Jersey Association of School Librarians, PO Box 610, Trenton, NJ 08607.

October through May are online editions. Deadlines are always the 15th of the month. Editors: Pat Morris, Bev Siti. Email to <justbev@juno.com>

and please put NJASL or Bookmark in the subject line.

Check It Out!

Check out the new NJASL website, with easy-to-navigate tabs, lots of resources, a variety of blogs, and useful members-only content after you’ve logged in. Go to http://www.njasl.org. Log in with your current email address and your NJASL ID number (on your membership card) as your password. If you can’t remember your NJASL ID #, send an email to membership@njasl.org for info.

Point to Ponder:

If we fail to speak up about the value of school library programs and state certified school librarians, who will?

May, 2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 3

AASL and More at ALA Midwinter, Part IIIHilda K. Weisburg

AASL Liaison, AA Delegate

It’s hard to realize you will be reading this in May, one month before ALA Annual in Anaheim,

but as Affiliate Assembly (AA) continues to take an important role in AASL, reporting on the proceedings of its meetings takes more time. Shortly after writing this, I will be at the Region II meeting in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where we will prepare our Statements of Concern and those of Commendation to bring to AA in June. Meanwhile, I just finished Past-President Nancy Everhart’s report on how the AASL Board responded to last year’s Concerns. Nancy also reported that the approved Commendations are posted on ALA Connect for all to see at http://www.ala.org/aasl/aboutaasl/affils/commend. (If you want to see the exact wording and disposition of the concerns, go to: http://www.ala.org/aasl/aboutaasl/affils/concerns.)

Fall Forum – Julie Walker, Executive Director of AASL, spoke about the upcoming Fall Forum (aka AASL National Institute). She explained it is held every other year in rotation with the AASL conference. One new element added this year is the retreat-like setting in Greenville, SC; there will be a free shuttle from the airport. The Fall Forum will be held October 12-13, 2012, and available at remote sites around the country. The Forum is entitled “Transliteracy and the School Library Program,” and the keynote speaker is Henry Jenkins, a renowned media studies scholar and author. More information is available at http://www.ala.org/aasl/fallforum. (I strongly recommend you do what you can to attend. It’s not that far—you can drive it if you like—and the professional development in this setting is intense. If you are not secure in understanding what Transliteracy is and how to incorporate it into your teaching, you absolutely need to be at this Institute.)

Regional Caucus – We had time to caucus as a region, but, as I will be reporting on our Region II meeting, which will include what is happening in our neighboring states, in my next column, what was discussed is now old news. We were all urged to sign the petition AASL President Carl Harvey started. He informed us that, as of that moment, there were 10,574 signatures. As you know by now, we reached and surpassed the required 25,000 signatures needed by February 4th so that it would have to go to President Obama’s administration--- and we got a response. (Fran King posted a link to it on the NJASL Facebook page.)

AASL President-Elect Report - As always, the President-Elect of AASL, Susan Ballard, is looking for members to serve on committees. Sue directed everyone to two websites. The first informs you about the various AASL committees, task forces, advisory groups, and editorial boards-- http://www.ala.org/aasl/committees. The second is where you can find out how to get involved even if you feel you cannot serve on a committee--http://www.ala.org/aasl/getinvolved. Both have links to the volunteer form (just in case you decide you really do want to be on a national committee). You can pick up to three committee choices, and the AASL president will try to find a committee for you to join. Committees can be short term—Task Forces especially so. You also can be a virtual member of most committees. ALA President-elect Molly Raphael will appoint committees for ALA, and there are committees to address concerns, loss of jobs, etc. Many are broad-based and have representatives from all divisions of ALA.

AASL Executive Director Report -Julie Walker spoke of the new partnerships AASL has formed. We are now partners with (or in): • National STEM Video Game Challenge http://www.stemchallenge.org • Digital Learning Day http://www.digitallearningday.org • The Whole Child http://www.wholechildeducation.org • Partnership for 21st Century Skills http://www.p21.org (an ongoing partnership)• National Center for Literacy Education http://www.ncte.org/ncle

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This last is our newest external relationship. Their focus is literacy in every classroom and every PLC and includes collaboration and vignettes for websites. They are looking for outstanding and exemplary models of schools.

CSLA (The California Campaign for Strong School Libraries) - Connie Williams and Jessica Gillis – (Each year we get a presentation of a strong program somewhere in the country. With California’s school libraries experiencing even worse challenges than we are seeing in New Jersey, this was particularly illuminating.)

The California Campaign for Strong School Libraries started as an effort to strengthen California’s school library programs. When the initiative started, California was 51st in their library programs. Advocacy is the campaigns strong suit, and it is changing the story of California school libraries. They worked on the presumption of four principles (or Ah Ha! moments) to start their campaign.

• 1st Ah Ha!

Action Advocacy - In the spring of 2007, Connie and Jackie co-lead web 2.0 tutorials. This specially tailored course was for K-12 teacher librarians and staff and led to a number of web 2.0, assistive technology, and other digital literacy tutorials including the newest ones that specifically address digital citizenship: Digital Citizenship for Educators: http://ecitizenship.csla.net, and Tools2Create for Teens: (http://library.iusd.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=287:tools2create4school&catid=136:wikis&Itemid=135).

• 2nd Ah Ha!

CSLA decided that the first thing that needed to be done was to tell the story. • The Old Story: Books (literacy) • The New Story: Books + tech Tools (digital literacy and cyber safety)

They began to gather and share stories about school libraries entitled “Circulate This: Stories from the School Library” They also created http://www.circulatethis.posterous.com

• 3rd Ah Ha!

SELL IT! It was time for CSLA to market their story. They began by creating a new theme: Strong School Libraries Build Strong Students (http://www.csla.net/index.php/foundation/strong-school-libraries). They began a public awareness campaign and developed a “back story” so that the “facts and figures” people would have data to use. They created press releases and a library store. They sent e-mails to educational and ed. tech media leaders. CSLA writes letters and makes calls. They began by targeting and sharing information with parents. Letters and e-mails were sent to organizations and ad agencies, and the story was circulated widely outside of education. • 4th Ah Ha!

All this could also be used with any MLIS student who wants or needs internships or real-life projects that can take advocacy to a new level. Encourage them to develop a tangible “product” or program to promote which would capture the public’s imagination and urge action.

Next month, for my last column of the year, I will report on our always interesting Region II meeting. As always, if you want any information about ALA/AASL, including membership and committee appointments, or if you want further information about anything relating to AASL, contact me at 732-566-1995 or e-mail to: hildakw@gmail.com.

May, 2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 5

Alice DinizoNJASL-R Reporter

We school librarians do not sit around in retirement. We keep going! For the next several months we will be featuring a retired school librarian whose life is an inspiration.

Madeline Ianni“My Profile” – Let’s see now...where do I begin?....I graduated from Douglass College in 1950 with a BSc in Chemistry – one of only four with that major

in my class. On returning from a summer vacation trip to Europe with my grandmother, I had a letter waiting from a college friend who had graduated a year ahead of me and was working for the DuPont Co. in Gibbsboro. She informed me of an opening at Burnside Lab in the company’s Carney’s Point plant, which included Burnside Lab, a research lab, in addition to their production facility, and was located adjacent to my hometown of Penns Grove. I applied and began work there shortly after. As fate would have it, the job was in their library, and I was hired as a “Translator and Literature Searcher.” With lots of encouragement from our Director there, I worked to become “Registered” as a Patent Agent, which allowed me to prepare reports for new developments to be submitted to the company’s Legal Department to use in drafting their applications for patents on new methods and products developed by our chemists and engineers. Fast forward 6 years...I married my husband, Ernie, and, soon after, moved with him to Alexandria, Va., where he worked for the Federal Government. Our daughter, Carolyn, was born in 1956. After a few years, we moved back to New Jersey, first to Penns Grove with my family, then, after our 2nd daughter, Patricia, was born, to Cherry Hill. When both girls were in elementary school, I became the PTA “Library Chairman.” In those days, all Cherry Hill elementary schools had libraries, but their librarians worked at two different schools, alternating weeks, which meant they had to rely on volunteers to keep their libraries open full time.

Eventually, when both our girls were in high school and with the support and encouragement of our local school librarian and my family, I decided to enroll in the Master’s program at Rowan (Glassboro State College at the time). My mother, who had by then moved nearby, pitched in to help with our family. About five years later, I managed to get that degree and state certification as a school librarian. Meanwhile, I began looking around for a job. One day, while checking out the bulletin board at Glassboro’s Savitz Library, I saw an ad for a school librarian at Eastern High School in nearby Voorhees, NJ. I was just completing my last course at GSC, it was the middle of the school year, and they had just lost their librarian and were anxious to fill the gap! I interviewed with the School Superintendent and was hired.

So......20 years later, both of our children had graduated from college and were working and on their own, and my husband had retired after 30 years with the Federal Government. I, too, finally retired from Eastern, and we moved to Linwood in Atlantic County (just down the road from Somers Point and about a 20 minute ride from Ocean City, where we had always loved to vacation.) I almost immediately volunteered at our local public library (filing catalog cards – remember those?) and was eventually asked to work “for pay.” Of course, I jumped at the chance and stayed there, part-time, for approximately sixteen years, also working for nearly 4 ½ of those years (just 1½ days a week) in the Reference Department at the Atlantic City Public Library. After finally retiring from both those jobs and dreaming of lazy days sitting on the Ocean City beach reading all those books I never had time for before, I still managed to get (and stay) busy with our local Garden Club, the Atlantic County Retired Teachers group, a three-times a week Exercise Class, all those household chores, and caring for my husband and our 13-year-old dog... you guessed it, there’s still not a lot of time left to “curl up with a good book!” (Sigh!!)

Retired? Retiring? Contact Elspeth Goodin at jsmgoodin@gmail.com.

Page 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . May, 2011

NJ Center for the Book - We have a National Honor Winner The judging for Letters About Literature is done and our first place winners’ letters for each level (Level I= 4-6 grades, Level II = 7,8 grades, Level III - grades 9-12) were sent back to Washington for national level judging. Our Level III winner had been designated a National Honor Winner and we congratulate

Ida Behreini of High Tech High School in North Bergen. Ida is a freshman and wrote to Suzanne Collins and Katniss Everdeen of Hunger Games fame. Our firt place winners for Level I, Daniel Biimyrzaeva, Grade 6 from Hamburg Public School, and Level II, Jennifer Park, of Demarest Middle School, were also in the final tier of judging at the national level. That’s the final 12 or 13 out of 59,000 letters nationally. All evidence that the teachers in New Jersey are doing a fantastic job. The complete list of our winners and honorable mentions will be published next month. They all will be feted at an award celebration at Princeton University on Saturday, May 19, from 2 to 4. Target honors every first place state winner with a $50 gift card; for the National Honor Winners, each will receive $100 gift card and will designate a library to receive $1000 from Target. Ida has chosen her high school library to receive the $1000 grant from Target.

2012 Conference Preview With our annual fall conference just six months away, the time has come to really focus on what will be presented and how the program will take shape. The conference committee is looking to our NJASL members for input. We heard what our previous conference attendees had to say in the follow-up survey. I have been listening to comments, ideas, and discussions at other conferences, meetings, and events and would really like to tailor this and future conferences to your needs and preferences.

The proposal forms for program and poster sessions were included in the April Bookmark and are now available on the NJASL website under News & Events/Fall Conference. Please note that the deadline has been extended to August 1. This should provide plenty of time to consider what you can share with your peers and how best to share it. We are looking for fresh, new, relevant ideas and are open to different session formats. A poster ses-sion offers first time presenters a great opportunity to share your most successful idea informally one to one or with a very small group. I would like to set up a poster session on Thursday evening when attendees can relax, browse, and network with colleagues while enjoying dessert and previewing the vendors. Simply create a poster board display with photos and samples of your idea. Be sure to include your contact info and website. Many people at AASL simply photographed the posterboards with their handhelds so they had all the informa-tion at their fingertips.

Also new to the NJASL website is a Conference Blog, thanks to Alice Yucht. Simply log in to access the Members Only section of the website where you will find the blog. All NJASL members are invited to post ideas for consideration and discussion for upcoming conferences. Please keep in mind this is a positive forum for suggestions that will be given honest consideration. Because we represent and serve a diverse community of librarians and schools, we are looking to create a variety of experiences so that everyone will find something of relevance. This is your chance to really help shape the conference. Please consider sharing your strengths and expertise through the blog, a poster session, or a panel discussion. We are open to new ideas and want to hear from you!

Pam Gunter, Vice–President2012 Conference Chair

May, 2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 7

Annual Fall Conference

Inspiration, Motivation, Participation!November 29 - December 1st, 2012

Ocean Place Resort and Spa1 Ocean Blvd

Long Branch, NJPam Gunter, Conference Chair

Conference Program Proposal Form

Please email your proposal by AUGUST 1, 2012 to 2012confchair@gmail.com . Add any additional comments in your email. Thank you for your interest.

PERSON SUBMITTING PROPOSAL:Name (please include title):Institution Affiliation:Position and/or Title: Mailing Address:Telephone (Home): Telephone (Work): Fax: Email: NJASL / NJLA Member: Yes NoPlease include a short biography for the program. Limit length to approximately 75 words. List awards, recognitions, etc.

PROPOSED CO-PRESENTER(S): Name (please include title): Institution Affiliation: Position and/or Title: Mailing Address:Telephone (Home): Telephone (Work): Fax: Email: NJASL / NJLA Member: Yes NoPlease include a short biography for the program. Limit length to approximately 75 words. List awards, recognitions, etc. Name (please include title): Institution affiliation:Position and/or Title: Mailing Address: Telephone (Home): Telephone (Work): Fax: Email: NJASL / NJLA Member: Yes NoPlease include a short biography for the program. Limit length to approximately 75 words. List awards, recognitions, etc.

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PROPOSED PROGRAM INFORMATION:Program Title exactly as it should appear in program: Intended Grade Levels: Workshop time: 60 minutes 90 minutesProgram Format: Panel Lecture Demonstration Program Description: In fifty words or less, please describe your proposed session.

Program Objectives: What three things will participants learn from this session that can be implemented?1.2. 3.SPECIFICATIONS: (We will try to accommodate your needs as the schedule permits.)Would you consider presenting twice? Yes NoIf Yes, Same Day Two Days

Preferred Day/Days: Friday Saturday FlexibleAUDIO VISUAL EQUIPMENT: Please note that each workshop room will be equipped with a screen and table at the front. Wireless internet access is available in each room, but can take some time to access. Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your session time for set-up.

Please note that Workshop Speakers are requested to provide for ANY additional AV needs.

INTERNET ACCESS: Does your presentation require Internet access? Yes NoAdditional Notes:

Program Handouts: All presenters will be responsible for providing their own handouts during the conference. Due to the cost, we suggest that you limit the number of pages in your handouts and consider providing web access to your handouts where your materials are available for review and printed by the conference attendees. We will provide these links via the NJASL website.

URL(s) to online handout(s):

Acknowledgement of this proposal will be made via e-mail and will constitute your adherence to the information provided in this document. Thank you.

All proposal forms and questions should be e-mailed to 2012confchair@gmail.com by AUGUST 1, 2012. Thank you.

Pam Gunter, 2012 Conference Chair

May, 2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 9

Annual Fall Conference

Inspiration, Motivation, Participation!November 29 - December 1st, 2012

Ocean Place Resort and Spa1 Ocean Blvd

Long Branch, NJ 07740Pam Gunter, Conference Chair

Conference Poster Session Proposal Form

Please email your proposal by AUGUST 1, 2012 to 2012confchair@gmail.com . Add any additional comments in your email. Thank you for your interest.

PERSON SUBMITTING PROPOSAL:Name (please include title):Institution Affiliation:Position and/or Title: Mailing Address:Telephone (Home): Telephone (Work): Fax: Email: NJASL / NJLA Member: Yes NoPlease include a short biography for the program. Limit length to approximately 75 words. List awards, recognitions, etc.

PROPOSED CO-PRESENTER(S): Name (please include title): Institution Affiliation: Position and/or Title: Mailing Address:Telephone (Home): Telephone (Work): Fax: Email: NJASL / NJLA Member: Yes NoPlease include a short biography for the program. Limit length to approximately 75 words. List awards, recognitions, etc.

Name (please include title): Institution affiliation:Position and/or Title: Mailing Address: Telephone (Home): Telephone (Work): Fax: Email: NJASL / NJLA Member: Yes NoPlease include a short biography for the program. Limit length to approximately 75 words. List awards, recognitions, etc.

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PROPOSED POSTER SESSION INFORMATION:Poster Session Title exactly as it should appear in program: Intended Grade Levels: Poster Session Description: In fifty words or less, please describe your program.

Program Objectives: What three things will participants learn from this poster session that can be implemented?1.2. 3.SPECIFICATIONS:

Preferred Day/Days: Thursday evening Saturday Additional Notes:

Program Handouts: All presenters will be responsible for providing their own handouts during the conference. Due to the cost, we suggest that you limit the number of pages in your handouts and consider providing web access to your handouts where your materials are available for review and printed by the conference attendees. We will provide these links via the NJASL website.

URL(s) to online handout(s):

Acknowledgement of this proposal will be made via e-mail and will constitute your adherence to the information provided in this document. Thank you.

All proposal forms and questions should be e-mailed to 2012confchair@gmail.com by AUGUST 1, 2012. Thank you.

Pam Gunter, 2012 Conference Chair