[CALIBK12] Defending/explaining our positions

[Jane Lofton]

Dear CALIBBERs,

I'd like to add two things to my original post on this topic:

First, please accept my apologies for attaching two word files. Just go with
the LVUSD Library Budget Issues file. The Board Presentation file is an
earlier version I accidentally included as well. I guess I shouldn't do
these things when I'm tired :) 

Second, I think Blanche Woolls is right that we should be saving any work we
do in hopes that it can help others. At least until October, I have a "Gold"
wiki I won at an AASL session last year that allows 2 GB of storage. I
started it with the idea of using it to post presentation handouts and links
I got at conference sessions and encouraging others to also. I'm afraid I
didn't publicize it properly to my friends and colleagues, so I'm the only
one who has used it so far. I just added a page to it on this topic, and put
the LVUSD's materials I shared in my original posting there. Everyone is
invited to check them there and to add their own. The password for editing
the page is "libraries" Here is the url for the page: 

http://weloveschoollibraries.pbwiki.com/Defended+Our+Positions+from+Budget+C
uts

With 2GB of storage, we shouldn't have any trouble running out of space.
This way, you can post to CALIB, but add your materials to that page so they
will be collected in one spot. So, please join me in sharing your good
ideas. I hope this may prove helpful.

Best wishes,

Jane 
__________________________
Jane Lofton
Teacher-Librarian
Lindero Canyon Middle School
5844 Larboard Ln.
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
(818)889-2134 x230
email: jane at lofton.com or jlofton at lvusd.org 

-----Original Message-----
From: bwoolls at slis.sjsu.edu [mailto:bwoolls at slis.sjsu.edu] 
Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2008 10:56 AM
To: Jane Lofton
Cc: CALIB
Subject: Re: [CALIBK12] Defending/explaining our positions


The last discussions about what to do if you have to teach something and the
other suggestions for justifying our positions are too good to lose. Jane
has placed hers so they can be found easily. The three who talked about how
to teach and run a center very clearly. These need to be collected into a
CSLA survival kit. Maybe one of you who is in a current credential program
could ask to do an independent study.

It might even have some publication possibilities for a real publisher. If
anyone is interested in this, I find manuscripts for Libraries Unlimited and
Dave Loertscher has Hi Willow Research and Publishing as a possibility, too.

Blanche

> Dear CALIB people,
>
> As is the case for so many of us, the Las Virgenes USD teacher 
> librarians are all on the possible cut list this year. Last week, we 
> attended a school board study session, where they discussed the 
> possibility of significant cutbacks in TL positions. We asked to have 
> the opportunity at a subsequent meeting to explain better what we do, 
> and, as a result, were invited to meet
> with our assistant superintendent this week. For the meeting, we prepared
> a
> set of "talking points" we handed her as the basis for our discussion that
> included the replacement value figures for our collections; staffing
> ratios
> - national, California, and our district; what TLs do; what would go
> without
> us; what we do versus classroom teachers; and what we do versus library
> clerks. Fortunately, the meeting went really well! She was definitely
> impressed with the information we put together. Our Board's message has
> been
> that, while they need to make cuts, they will keep them as far from
> students
> as possible. We felt that we proved that cutting us would be seriously
> detrimental to our students. We are optimistic based on her responses at
> the
> meeting and her follow up email the next morning that our administration
> is
> committed to finding at least an interim, if not ideal, way to avoid
> cutting
> our positions this year.
>
> While our "talking points" were definitely put together in a hurry and 
> I am sure could be improved, I am sharing them (in the attached "LVUSD
> Libraries
> Budget Issues" file") with the group in case they may help any of you as a
> starting point. I figure that we will help each other best if we share
> everything we can to avoid "reinventing the wheel." Feel free to adapt and
> use any of what we wrote, and to share any improved versions to help all
> CALIBBERs.
>
> Along with giving our assistant superintendent the "LVUSD LIbraries 
> Budget Issues" doc file, we also gave her several articles, including 
> the Topsey Smalley study I learned about on the AASL forum from Sara 
> Kelly Johns (also
> attached) and the Scholastic article you can access at this link: 
> http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3748779 .
>
> Optimistic that we'll survive, and wishing everyone the best in these 
> difficult financial times :) ... __________________________
> Jane Lofton
> Teacher-Librarian
> Lindero Canyon Middle School
> 5844 Larboard Ln.
> Agoura Hills, CA 91301
> (818)889-2134 x230
> email: jane at lofton.com or jlofton at lvusd.org
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