NJASL Members -

Welcome back to a new school year! I hope that you and your loved ones had a safe and healthy summer. As we begin a new school year in this “new normal” (whether that means remote, in-person, or a hybrid combination), I have no doubt that New Jersey’s School Library Media Specialists are stepping up to support our school communities.

It was my honor to be inducted as the 2020-2021 President in August and I want to thank all those who serve on the Board, especially Immediate Past President Jill Mills. Her guidance and friendship have been invaluable as I have transitioned into this role. She, and the Presidents before her, have done so much to move us forward as an organization and I aspire to continue their momentum.

On that note, I am excited to share new initiatives that will help us meet the strategic goals that were set for this year. In September, NJASL sponsored equity, diversity and inclusion training facilitated by William Paterson professor, Dr. LaShauna Dean. I was encouraged that so many members spent 6 hours during a very busy time of the year learning about and discussing diversity, bias, microaggressions, and cultural commonalities. This training will have a ripple effect on so many facets of our work - as a Board, within our school communities, and beyond.

Advocacy for our profession continues to be a strategic goal for NJASL and, as COVID-19 has impacted budgets in every sector, we wanted to expand our efforts. We have enlisted the support of Every Library to help us in this objective. The Board will be meeting soon with Every Library to discuss our organization’s mission, vision, and values and these initial meetings will help to create a framework for NJASL to bolster our advocacy work.

Finally, I want to give a shout-out to NJASL’s PD team. PD Co-Chairs Donna Swift and Caroline Geck have organized town-hall style “swap meets” that were so popular in the Spring they will be doing them again in the Fall. They also sent out a survey seeking members who would like to create screencasts to add to our library of on-demand PD videos on our YouTube channel. These can be quick how-to clips highlighting resources that you use. The survey is still open. Share your expertise - no topic is too small!

And don’t forget to mark your calendars for NJASL’s Fall Conference, Lean In To Leadership, which will be taking place on Friday evening December 4th and Saturday December 5th. Conference Chair Amy Gazaleh and the Standing Conference Committee have been hard at work planning a virtual event that is sure to enlighten, engage, and inspire you. Members attend for FREE so make sure you renew your membership by November 1 if you haven’t already.

Beth Thomas, President

Your membership is as important to us as it is to you! Don't forget to renew your NJASL membership for the 2020-2021 school year. All memberships, regardless of the month in which you joined, are due for renewal on August 1, but depending on how you plan to renew, it may be time to begin now. There are three ways to renew.

1) With a credit card or Paypal, using the online form:

• Sign in to the NJASL website, using the email address you used to join, and your password.
• Once you are logged on, select "View Profile" in the upper right corner under your name. If you are renewing at a different level for next year (e.g. you will be newly retired, you completed your graduate library program and are no longer a student, if your position has been cut to 20 hours per week, etc.) change your level *before* you renew!
• Visual directions for this process are here: How to Change NJASL Membership Level
• Click the "Renew" button on the right side of your profile in the Membership Details section, and continue.

2) By personal check or school district purchase order, using the printable membership form:

• Print the form, fill it out, and mail it with your check, or send completed copies to your school district's business office to attach to your purchase order. The purchase order process can take several months, and your renewal is not activated until it is paid. To avoid a lapse in your membership, if you are paying by purchase order, please submit your paperwork this month, if possible.

3) Membership can be bundled with Bookmark subscriptions through some periodical distributors. Please be aware that subscription services may add a handling surcharge to the Active Professional NJASL membership rate. NJASL receives only the amount of our membership fee ($65).

These are three companies that members have used for Bookmark subscription/NJASL membership:

• EBSCO
• WT Cox Information Services
• Discount Magazine Subscription Service.

Specific instructions to add Bookmark/NJASL membership to your EBSCO order, see the directions on NJASL's "Join Today" web page. For the others, you will need to contact your periodical distributor.

If joining NJASL through a Bookmark subscription, please make sure you do the following:

• Fill out and mail a printable membership application to NJASL with a note indicating which subscription service will be sending payment to NJASL.
• Tell your distributor to set the subscription dates from August 1, 2020 through July 31, 2021.

We will activate your renewal when we receive payment from your periodical service. As with district purchase orders, this method of renewal may take months. If possible, start the process today.

If you have questions about renewing your membership, please contact the Membership Committee

Mary Lewis & Nancy Meglio, Co-Chairs

membership@njasl.org

Update for Battle of the Books Participants!

We want to apologize for Battle of the Books 7th and 8th grade participants....as one of the committee members began to re-read Summer of My German Soldier, she realized that it had many problematic references to several cultures. There have been times that we have fond memories of a book, but when it is reread in the present, we realize that certain vocabulary and sections didn't even register with us when we read them years ago and now are quite glaring. We have replaced it with Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

Meanwhile, questions will be posted in the next few weeks.

Elizabeth Ullrich

NJASL Battle of the Books Chairperson

(Image via: https://blogs.douglascountylibraries.org/battleofthebooks/)

by Pat Massey

Please respond to surveys!

Fall 2020 is challenging for every school librarian whether your district is starting with in-person, hybrid, or remote learning or a combination. In order to show what has and is being accomplished you will receive surveys including a recent one for school librarians sent by Library Link NJ that seeks to collect data about Libraries in Lockdown from the time we went to lockdown to July 2. Another survey will be sent that covers what happened during the summer months and beginning of school. Please take time to complete the surveys so that data can be shared with legislators, administrators, and other stakeholders.

This is your opportunity to share what you have done and what you continue to do to meet the needs of your school community in these uncertain times. Please don’t be shy about sharing stories about how you have contributed during the pandemic.

Please continue to check the NJASL website for info related to COVID-19 and school libraries. In addition, TOPCATS, the Taskforce on Post COVID-19 Alignment, Trends & Strategies continues to offer valuable information.

Check out the 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) where SLMS are named specifically wherever selection and curation of resources are mentioned, and as providers of professional development for teachers and staff. In addition, Information and Media Literacy, Technology Literacy, and Digital Citizenship are now formal standards under Career Readiness, Life Literacies, and Key Skills. Remember to share this news with your administrators and staff.

Please stay safe and stay healthy and take time to submit surveys!.

As many of you know, with the updated NJ Student Learning Standards, there is now specific language that amplifies our value and vital need in the daily educational environment for our students. Skye Silverstein took this language and created a wonderful infographic for our membership to share widely on social media and with our school administrators. Please see a glimpse below and click to view the entire image. Feel free to download.

Thanks again Skye!

- Mary Moyer Stubbs

NJASL Advocacy Efforts

September 2020 Bookmark

State of American Libraries Report 2020

http://www.ala.org/news/state-americas-libraries-report-2020/school-libraries

School Libraries - Key Advocacy Points

• As literacy leaders, school librarians are positioned to elevate the importance of reading and reading proficiency to support all learners’ academic success. Decades of research (PDF) indicates that there is a positive correlation between learners’ attending schools with full-time, state-certified school librarians and higher scores on standardized reading tests.

• The need for school librarians to instruct students in information literacy is evident in the need for using data in decision-making. The perception is that youth growing up with access to ubiquitous technology can easily and effectively use data. Yet a recent report on data literacy found that “60% of US workers 16 to 24 years old—people who had been raised surrounded by technology—are overwhelmed by the data they must read and analyze as part of their jobs.”

However, even with the years of research and positive impact that school libraries have contributed to students’ academic success, as school districts face constrained budgets, all too many consider school librarians for potential cuts.

Schools Returning to In-Person Instruction

A compilation of articles related to students returning to in-person instruction including guidelines from the CDC, White House Task Force, NJ Department of Education guidelines, various NJ educational organizations. Additionally, guidelines specific to school libraries are included in this document. View document at: https://tinyurl.com/njasl-reopen.

NJASL Member Christina Cucci (Upper Saddle River) visits all Kindergarten classes to help students log in to their Chromebook and use Clever Single Sign on. Upper Saddle River Schools are following a hybrid model, but preparing in case they need to shift to a fully virtual model.

In June of 2019, my Emerging Leaders group presented our project for AASL, “Developing Inclusive Learners and Citizens”, an activity guide based on the Shared Foundation of Include. We also led a panel discussion with Ellen Oh, a founder of We Need Diverse Books. All in all, an amazing experience.

Flash forward to the Covid-19 Pandemic and high profile instances of police brutality. As school librarians, we felt strongly about coming together once again, this time to discuss how our toolkit might be used to talk about anti-racism. In the beginning of September, our blog post was published on Knowledge Quest. And, on October 6th we will lead a webinar to share our thoughts and ideas.

I am grateful to NJASL for affording me the opportunity to participate in the ALA Emerging Leaders program.

Beth Raff

Member-at-Large

Mt. Tabor Elementary School Librarian

by Ewa Dziedzic-Elliott

On August 19, 2020 Christina Cucci and I hosted a workshop for the New Jersey Parent Teacher Association. The premise of the workshop had many layers: from assuring that the school librarians are still working under the new school environment supporting students and educators to providing samples and examples of best school library practices.

We had around 20 people attending the workshop. Chrisitna and I did our best to show the audience how school librarians are ready to support the whole child on an academic, emotional, mental and social level. We spoke about our past and upcoming initiatives.

Having that platform to listen to us is crucial. Reaching out to parents outside of the school environment and showing them the types and level of involvement was eye opening for many. We opened up the presentation by asking them what they think that school librarians do and the responses were very typical: we read stories, encourage to read, and help find the right books. Christina and I felt that we need to show them how much we dive into the literacies: digital, media and information and more. While Christina focused on our youngest patrons and her work I spoke about college readiness and the work that we do crossing paths with our secondary school’s colleagues.

My biggest take away from the workshop is that we as library professionals cannot assume that our stakeholders know what it takes to be in charge of a school library program. It is our job to not only advocate but also educate them.

Hello Amazing Cohort,

Times sure are interesting right now. I don't know about you but I would love to hear what everyone is going through and how everyone is handling life in our role at the moment. I would like to invite you to a Virtual Roundtable. Please fill out the form if interested. Based on interest and responses I will then figure out a date/time!

Virtual School Librarian Roundtable Interest Form

Hope you can join me!

Samantha Bremekamp

School Media Specialist, Innovation & Enrichment Teacher
Shrewsbury Borough School

How would you like to help grow the next generation of school librarians? Here’s your opportunity! This fall, as we plan to reopen our school libraries, we can be sure that 2020 will be a year like no other with many changes to our schedules, practices, and traditions. Let’s show our newest professionals what effective practice looks like despite the crazy times.

To help ensure that Rutgers MI students will see beyond their “classroom” learning and the limits of one field experience we created the NJASL/RU School Library Bus Tour. For many of our School Librarianship Concentration students, this event was a highlight of their experience, a way to confirm their career choice and to discover settings where they best belong.

This year, our tours will go virtual!

In addition to our veteran toursters, we are looking for new hosts that represent a wide range of geographic, economic and demographic settings. We would love to spotlight the professional efforts of librarians of color.

Whether you have hosted students in the past, or simply you are eager to offer students the opportunity to learn from your expertise, we hope you will consider joining our tour as a virtual host this year.

What does hosting in 2020 look like?

Each host will create a short video using your favorite video tool--Adobe Spark, WeVideo, iMovie, etc. This should be a quick tour that highlights your space so that your visitors have context for what you will share via Zoom. (Please note, if you are unable to access your space due to the challenges of Covid 19, be creative. You might create a narrated slideshow or other strategy to show visitors what your library looks like.)

Videos should include, but are not limited to:

• A tour of your space

• Your vision for your program

• An explanation how you innovate or lead to better serve students and teachers

• How you “make it work”

• What tips/wisdom can you offer to new professionals?

All videos will be posted to Joyce Valenza’s YouTube channel for her Rutgers students so that students and colleagues might “tour” your space. We hope each librarian will also host visitors via a live Zoom session that will engage “visitors” in a question and answer session about your program.

Who can participate in the tour?

This opportunity is open to Rutgers MI students, as well as practicing school librarians and their principals and administrators, who are looking for an opportunity to see the bigger picture of school library possibilities. Your participation will also enable our hosts to develop and strengthen professional relationships and networks across the state.

What do I need to do to sign up as a host?

If you are interested in volunteering to host a virtual visit to your library, please email joycevalenza@sbschools.org or lisa.manganello@sbschools.org to confirm your interest in participating.

by Donna Swift

Your Professional Development committee has been hard at work this summer. We have created a schedule of offerings to come this year through youTube, social media and Swap Meets. We have a survey in the works to find out what topics you would like to see discussed and covered. We have also discussed a Technology Coaching system where members can get one-on-one training in various digital programs and platforms.

This month we had another Covid-19 Swap meet where we discussed ideas and thoughts about returning to school. We are all in the same boat about uncertainty about opening and how to do so safely. Be on the watch for more information to be disseminated through all channels.

We had a webinar about MackinVIA and all that is available through that platform. Thank you Jessica Gottlieb and team for bringing that to us.

Please feel free to reach out to the committee through pd@njasl.org with any questions, topic suggestions or to find out more about joining us on this active and vital committee. All are welcome.

Check out the flyer below for more Book Club opportunities coming up!

Please note: Due to concerns related to COVID-19 , the NJASL Conference Committee has decided that it is prudent to postpone our annual conference until Fall 2021. However, we are excited to continue to provide members with opportunities for professional development, collaboration, and inspiration, including a special virtual event in December.

More information and a call for proposals will be coming soon. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

Please see the flyer below.

Amy Gazaleh
Njasl20@njasl.org

Hello Morris County Media Specialists!

Well, here we are ready to start another school year. Whether you're nervous, scared, excited, in person, virtual, or a little bit of all of the above, let's make it a great year. I'm sure the start of this school year is unlike any other start any of us have ever had, but let's remember that we are strong, and smart, and we can make it right for so many of our students. Let's be there for them, but let's especially be there for each other.

To that end, we are here for you. We will continue to hold professional development sessions, but until we can do them in person, we will do them virtually. Our first general meeting will be in October. Watch for our newsletters with more information.

We continue to need your support to run our programs. You can pay your yearly $15 dues one of two ways at this link: https://www.mcsma.info/membership

1. Old School: Use this option if you would like to write a check. Please fill out the form and mail it to:
• Roxana Caivano
• Roxbury High School
• 1 Bryant Drive
• Succasunna NJ 07876
2. Digital Method - Click on this link to pay via PayPay. If you are new to our organization or if any of your information has changed (new school, new address, etc.), please click on the Google Form link to update your information. If nothing has changed, simply click on the Buy Now button and you will be directed to PayPal.

If anyone has any questions, ideas, or if you would like to be involved, please email us and we'll get back to you. Thank you for your support and let's make it a great year!

by Hilda Weisburg

The beginning of the school year is an appropriate time to review what AASL, the only national organization solely focused on school librarians, offers to member and non-members. With this being the most unusual school opening ever, we need all available resources to help us chart our path. AASL has that in abundance as a brief review of the website reveals.

Pandemic Resources – This is a great site to check regularly. You can find out the latest on virus life on circulating materials from the REALM (REopening Archives, Libraries and Museums). Results of the several school surveys AASL conducted are posted. This will help you see how you are doing in comparison to other school libraries.

One of my favorite resources here is the School Librarian Role in Pandemic Learning Conditions. This chart is something you might want to share with your administrators. It’s short enough that your harried principal can quickly see the multiple ways you are contributing to the school community.

Equity Diversity Inclusion – We have all become aware of how important this is – and how our own unintended bias has affected our students and others. As we work to become anti-racist and learn how to include our diverse students and their needs, AASL provides free archived webinars and Town Halls to meet our needs.

Standards – The National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries was published in 2018. The standards portal includes a wealth of information on how to incorporate them into your teaching – and your advocacy. I know a number of you have not purchased the book because you have been put off by the price, but you can’t continue to base you lessons on standards published eleven years ago.

I do hope you have been taking advantage of the free material on the portal. I particularly like the Crosswalks with the Future Ready Framework, ISTE Standards for Students and Educators, Next Generation Science Standards (How to Read), and Code with Google’s CS First Curriculum (Statement of Alignment). The Evaluation Checklist is another helpful resource. Use it for yourself and share this also with your administrator.

The portal also has EDI resources. Be sure to download Defending Intellectual Freedom on LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries. Also see Developing Inclusive Learners and Citizens with Activity Guide, Applied Framework, and Infographic.

There is so much more. I encourage you to explore the website. If you have any questions about AASL be sure to contact me at aasl@njasl.org

As we all know, the past six months have been unusual! AECT has been busy doing what many organizations, like NJASL, have been doing – Planning their Fall Convention. AECT first had to get thru the annual Summer Leadership Conference! On July 20 & 21 about 70 people, including NJASL members Bruce DuBoff, Beth Willoughby, Amy Gazaleh and myself, met online. Each day was broken into two sessions each 2.5 hours.

On Day One, was the AECT Board Meeting. The usual monthly topics were on the agenda with the extras topics that are reported at Summer and Fall Board meetings. There was the announcement of the 2020 Interns, full Budget discussion (AECT is in the Black), updates from each Journal and Book publications (5 journals, 4 books all free with membership), committee/task force updates, Communications, AECT Foundation, and announcement of the candidates for the election of President (who will become President in 2022).

After a lunch break, the discussions continued beginning with each division giving their report. Then we were put in breakout rooms and given a question to discuss and then report out. We did this 3 times with questions that related to the governance of the Organization. The resulting comments ranged from comments heard before to some eye-opening comments. These comments will be passed to the Divisions for them to discuss while planning their 2020-21 activities. This ended Day One!

Day Two was very full! It was again broken into two parts: discussion on Social Justice and then a discussion on the AECT Social Media Policy. We were put in our breakout groups, given a question, 25 minutes to discuss and then report out. This happened 3 times. The questions were:

1. How are these issues reflected in AECT? (In governance, activities, leadership, policies and practices).

2. As a leader, what is your thinking and perception about these issues?

3. How can AECT address the ideas of equity and inclusion? (long term, short term, immediate).

The results of these questions were extremely informative. Such answers were: Survey membership on how AECT is doing on diversity, equity & inclusion; act on decisions/results and don’t just gather data – do something; define the terms so everyone is on the same page when discussing; do self-reflection; important to be respectful of others when discussing; organization should be transparent as to members of committees and should be available to membership; when having discussions on this topic create a “Safe space”; be open to learn from others; be a leader in developing curriculum on the topic; partner with other organizations – not just academia or your specific area – look to public space, cultural, etc; things can become “messy or uncomfortable” don’t worry about it and just continue to talk it out; review mission statements to include this topic and most important – keep the conversation going. As you can see, it was a very interesting, enlightening conversation. Divisions will also be looking at these comments and I am suggesting to NJASL leadership to do something similar, at least to do a survey. NJASL has already begun to revise their mission statement (Thanks NJASL)!

As for the Social Media session in the afternoon, the groups reviewed the present Social Media policy and the proposed revisions for the policy. Remembering that AECT is an International organization and it was said, believe it or not, that not all platforms like Google are not available world-wide. Also, we are looking at speaking to an international relations officer to look at our policies in relation to different cultures. It was stated that not everyone uses social media so email has to still be used extensively. Again, know the terms so not to be offensive and all the AECT Communications officers be trained. Lastly, so that all members can be reached the organization needs to have a conversation on how to “connect the dots” so all our information is reachable to our members. This conversation will be continuing.

This is a long report but as the liaison, I feel you need to know what is happening within this affiliate. AECT is willing to be there for us as it has been when we asked for support. The organization is working on their first virtual Convention and I am watching closely as part of the Planning Team to hopefully get pointers for our Virtual Event in December.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, let me know.

Be Safe and stay Well!

Leslie Blatt

NJASL Liaison to AECT

aect@njasl.org

In this time or crisis there have been a multitude of resources shared for educators. Here are a few that may help you or your staff.

• NJEA's website has both remote learning resources and asks for our stories. Share away!
• NJ COVID-19 Information Hub
• NJASL's Remote Learning Resources Wakelet

Have you been asked to remove a book from your library?

Do you have a challenge and selection policy?

Are you prepared for a challenge?

The NJASL Intellectual Freedom Subcommittee is here to support you! Contact Anne Piascik at if@njasl.org if you have any questions or need help with any of the above.

Did you know, when you subscribe to Bookmark, the official newsletter of NJASL, a one-year membership to NJASL is included? If you are getting ready to renew periodicals through EBSCO, now is the time to add your Bookmark subscription (and 2020-2021 membership).

Here's how it works:

• Call EBSCO at 1-800-633-4604, or email April Harrison:
• aharrison@ebsco.com
• Request Bookmark: Subscription #625-904-701
• April will generate an updated renewal pro forma
• Your Bookmark subscription is $80/year (EBSCO adds a processing fee)
• NJASL Membership is included!
• The term will be from August 1, 2020 - July 31, 2021

Don't forget that we are always looking for entries from ALL membership. Deadlines for the year are on the 15th of every month. Check out more information about our deadlines here. Please share articles with me at the bookmark@njasl.org email address by sharing a Google Document or PDF.

Check out more information about deadlines and submissions on the Smore linked below!!

Follow us on all social media including Instagram! @officialnjasl

Email: bookmark@njasl.org
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Twitter: @njasl