I have been "lurking" on this listserv for 10 years. I do occasionally post, but
mostly I learn from members or reply directly to a member if I have a contribution.
Rebecca Vasilakis's post is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT POST I have read on
LM_NET, and we all need to pay attention to it. The literacy issue may not be up
your ally or your forte, but I believe it will have the most impact on our jobs in
the next few years. Rebecca has already lost her library budget. This will not be
uncommon if media specialists do not become part of the literacy team within their
schools, districts, and beyond.
While the AASL has been busy writing standards that few outside our own profession
will pay attention to, the findings of the National Reading Panel have affected
school administers across the country and in turn, teachers. Reading coaches and
specialists now command the attention of those who make policy and control the
spending. The AASL standards are so general, so broad, as to be unhelpful.
I saw a chart recently in the AFT's monthly magazine, I think, but I've read
similar findings elsewhere, that only a handful of states have rigorous standards
that are very specific in the skills and knowledge students should be learning.
Those kinds of standards should be a model for us as we recreate our own. (Indiana
is always one of those states singled out for outstanding standards, go here for an
example: http://www.lessonlocator.org/Details.asp?Subject=eng&Grade=3&Stand=7. If
you go here, your brain will churn with all the ways you, as a media specialist,
support these standards, whether you are in a fixed or flex schedule!) Carol
Simpson discussed this same topic in the April/May 2007 issue of Library Media
Connection: "are our standards too general? The reading and math standards have
very specific objectives, whereas information literacy standards are more goal-like
in their scope...our standards must follow other national standards in scope and
depth, or they will be set aside as insignificant." I'm not sure that our reading
standards are specific enough and I also see a strong connection between reading
and information literacy... reading for information/reading to learn. If we could
make this connection known to other educators and let them know exactly how our
profession helps students to be both better readers and information literate,
perhaps we'd have an audience.
We need to take measures now so that the literacy movement doesn't continue to take
over schools while the library media specialist is ignored. Literacy has always
been a key concern of library media folk. This is nothing new to us. But the
language might be. So our individual school mission statements might need to be
reexamined and rewritten to reflect the current vocabulary. Our national standards
must incorporate the terminology used by the National Reading Panel. I know some
cringe at this (I am not a reading teacher!) but we must recognize that all
teachers are reading teachers, no matter the grade level or content area specialty.
Other teachers are learning this, right now, too. We already know that we need to
sit on curriculum committees but whenever the issue of literacy/reading comes up,
we must be part of the discussion. There is a little gem of a book recently
published called Reading is our Business: How Libraries Can Foster Reading
Comprehension by Sharon Grimes (ALA, 2006). It will give you the vocab and tools
to tweak your lesson plans and activities and conversations with other
professionals so you are right on target with the "literacy movement." If the
administrators at our schools and school districts see us as part of the team, we
have a better
http://webmail.avon.k12.in.us/gw/webacc?User.context=gpcqs2Wg2jp4lg0Hm9&action=Compose.Action&Compose.id=1&Url.Enclosure.type=&merge=xsend&x=1175861252556&Item.modifiedEx=#
Send chance of being a go-to person when questions about budget, resources, best
practices arise instead of being pushed aside.
Obviously I feel a little passionate about this. I have total respect for media
specialists and the work we do and have always done. I just think we gotta join
'em and be part of the team so others can see how much we have to offer. We can't
have our own, separate standards or agenda. I think Becky Vasilakis's post needs
to impel the agenda of AASL right now.
Catherine Trinkle
Media Specialist
Hickory Elementary
907 South S.R. 267
Avon, Indiana 46123
ctrinkle@avon.k12.in.us
317-272-8400 ext. 2636
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