OEMA Newsletter
  
An Electronic Newsletter
of The Oregon Educational Media Association
Volume 16 No. 6
February, 2004

FROM THE E-PRESIDENT

The opinions flowed hot and heavy at the January OEMA Board meeting as we pondered who runs the libraries in our schools and what connection OEMA should have with any and all of them. President-Elect Martha Dechard and her committee did a great job examining all the issues and finally determining that it is to our benefit and the benefit of the students in Oregon to find ways to include and support any and all folks in charge of the libraries at the same time we work hard to make sure every library has librarian.

It is a tricky discussion and in the end one that will probably mean looking at job descriptions, acknowledging the quirks of certification, not to mention the complicated nature of our jobs. Remember when someone else handled the projectors and TV's and trouble-shooting technology wasn't a 24/7 job? Remember when nobody questioned the need for aides to do circulation, book repair, and place orders because librarians were busy teaching the fine points of research, the fine art of pondering and literature appreciation?

Now we are challenged to figure out where we fit in all of that. This will be our philosophical task and our professional agenda. The dominant voice at the board meeting placed the greatest concern to making sure students get access to the library resources they need, and the instruction necessary to make intelligent use of information. It's time to add your voice to the conversation while you ponder how the heck it got to be February already!

SPRING REGIONAL CONFERENCES

OEMA Regional Reps are planning exciting, information-filled spring conference. These conference are a great way to learn new ideas and to spend a few hours with some of the world's greatest people, school librarians. Watch for information from hour regional rep, and put these dates on your calendar.

BUILDING INFLUENCE . . . INFLUENCE BUILDING

Summer Institute Returns

Gary Hartzell comes to Oregon

Mark your calendars for July 12th and 13th on the coast in Newport. Dr. Gary Hartzell will challenge us to build influence for ourselves and our school library media programs.

Who is Gary Hartzell?

Program Building Influence…Influence Building

Location: Best Western Agate Beach Inn

North Coast Highway Newport, Oregon
Spectacular panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, Agate Beach and the Yaquina Head Lighthouse.
$109. single/double $119. ocean view
541-265-9411

Registration: $125.

conference fee includes 3 meals
For registration info contact JoAnn Klassen klassenj@dialoregon.net
If you have other questions or would like to help with the summer institute, email conference chair Mary McClintock marymc@teleport.com

SCHOOL LIBRARIES: THE NEW CORPS OF DISCOVERY

With the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial quickly approaching, the OEMA Fall Conference theme is more than appropriate. Keynote speaker Wayne Free, an Indiana educator, will be sharing his ideas on integrating technology into the classroom/library. On Friday night, Dorothy Hinshaw Patent will be sharing slides of her Lewis & Clark research in preparation for her three Lewis & Clark themed books. Nancy Farmer, author of the House of the Scorpion, will give a dynamic presentation at Saturday's Author Banquet. Conference chair Gregoy Lum heard Nancy speak at the Printz Reception at ALA Toronto last June.

If you are interested in tracing the path of Lewis & Clark, spend your Friday traveling down the Columbia River on a Lewis & Clark Eco-tour. During a Saturday concurrent session, discover what is inside a Fort Clatsop traveling trunk, or transport yourself back 200 years through a living history presentation of two men who portray members of Lewis & Clark's Corps.

Save October 8 & 9, 2004 for another spectacular, learning-filled conference. Friday's extended sessions will be at Astoria High School; all other conference events will be at the Seaside Convention Center. You won't be disappointed!

OEMA WEBPAGE HIGHLIGHTS

Don't forget to check out the Professional Resources section of OEMA's website at http://www.oema.net. It is like a one stop, find it Oregon school library resource. There are great library quotes, links to the State Library, the Library of Congress, Oregon Department of Education, Northwest Regional Lab, information about NW Accreditation, Information Literacy Standards, Copyright, ALA, OSLIS, Oregon's Virtual Reference Service, School Library Research, Internet resources, and much more.
Also be sure to check out information about spring, summer and fall conferences as they are updated online.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS!!! DISTINGUISHED LIBRARY SERVICE AWARD FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS

Do you have a great administrator? Make a nomination!

Deadline: June 20, 2004

Award: This award is a citation made by OEMA annually to an administrator of a school or group of schools for developing an exemplary School Library Media program and for having made an outstanding and sustained contribution advancing the role of the School Library Media Center as an agency for the improvement of education.

Criteria: The administrator should demonstrate:

Eligibility: Eligible for nomination are county or district administrators who are directly responsible for a school or group of schools at any level. Also eligible are district administrators who are responsible for broad instructional leadership. Nominations may be made by School Library Media Specialists, District Library Media Supervisors, and district or local Library Media organizations who are current OEMA members.

Nomination: Please submit:

Guidelines: Nominations should be submitted by June 20, 2004

Please mail the nominations to:

2004 LIBRARY MEDIA TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Letters are going out to all Oregon schools to ask for nominations for this year's Library Media Teacher award. They should appear in your school's mailbox the first week of February. Letters are aimed toward the building administrator, but we ask that they post the information so that other staff have a chance to nominate their Library Media Teacher as well!

Want to make sure this information gets to your staff? Download the information from the webpages listed at the bottom of this article and post it yourself....we want to make sure that all qualified contenders are able to be considered, and we can only consider those nominated!

In order to be eligible, nominees must be certified and currently teaching at elementary and/or secondary levels, or working in a district-level media position.

A library media specialist should be considered for nomination if he or she has demonstrated exceptional performance as a teacher, an instructional consultant and an information specialist. The nominee should show wise judgment, integrity and an ability to get along with others.

Nominations may be made either by an administrator or by a teaching colleague who works in the same building as the nominee and should be mailed to:

Nomination forms must be postmarked no later than March 15, 2004. The nominee will be sent an application form and instructions listing the information the committee will need from him or her.

Information about the award may be found online as well as application forms are available at http://www.oema.net/awards/library_media_teacher.html.

OEMA 2004 SCHOLARSHIPS

Two scholarships of $800.00 each are being offered by OEMA to undergraduate students working toward an educational media endorsement or individuals studying at the graduate level in the fields of educational media/instructional technology.  The scholarship grants may be used to assist the recipients to further their education in a summer session or academic year of study at any accredited college or university in Oregon.  Scholarship money must be used between July 1, 2004-June 30, 2005.

Deadline for submission of all application forms and letters of recommendations is May 1, 2004.  Application forms are available on the OEMA website at http://www.oema.net/scholarships/scholarship2004.htm. Requests for application forms may also be made by e-mail to Jenny_Takeda@beavton.k12.or.us or by calling 503-591-4165 (work), or in writing to Jenny Takeda at the address listed below.  All forms and letters should be sent to:

IT WORKS FOR ME - Meg Miranda - Corvallis

Students often forget to return CD ROMs to the circulation desk when they are finished. We now ask for their student ID card which we place in a pocket on the CD case. If they don't have their ID card with them we ask for one of their shoes. They still walk out without returning the CD and forget their ID but we can track them down. No one has ever left without their shoe!

If you have tips that make your job a bit easier please send them to Meg.Miranda@corvallis.k12.or.us

OREGON CONNECTIONS TO ALA AWARD WINNERS

Beloved Oregon author Ursula K. LeGuin is the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her lifetime contribution to young adult readers. The award is administered by YALSA and sponsored by School Library Journal.

Cuba 15 by Portland author, Nancy Osa, was one of two Pura Belpre Author Award Honor Books. The Belpre Awards are administered by ALSC and REFORMA.

Ruth Allen of the Multnomah County Library was a member of the 2004 Michael L. Printz Award Committee and Nell Colburn, Multnomah County Library, and MaryKay Dahlgreen, Oregon State Library, were members of the 2004 Caldecott Medal. Martha Keough Flotten of Portland was a member of the Mildred L. Batchelder Award Committee.

2005 LIBRARY SERVICES & TECHNOLOGY ACT GUIDELINES

The application packet for FY2005 grant proposals has been mailed out and is also available on the web at http://www.osl.state.or.us/home/libdev/lsta.htm.
The LSTA program uses a two-step grant process. Short proposals are due April 16. The LSTA Advisory Council will invite some applicants to develop the proposal further in a grant application that will be due August 13, 2004. Ideas need to support the Oregon Library Services and Technology Act Five-Year State Plan 2003-2008, available at http://www.osl.state.or.us/home/libdev/lsta.htm. The State Library welcomes calls to talk over grant ideas, or find out about similar grants that may have been made in previous years. Contact Ann Reed at (503) 378-2112 x.254.

READING PROMOTION @ YOUR LIBRARY

Teena Seckler, a George Fox student working on her secondary practicum this spring writes about a reading promotion at she's doing at Briggs Middle School in Springfield that looks like a fun way to draw in teens, especially boys. It's ALA/Hershey's Get on Board and Read @ Your Library. The website at http://www.hersheysmilk.com (under Happenings) has all the information, including downloadable artwork and press releases and short spots for radio or school announcements. Interested librarians can register and create their passwords for access to all the promotional items to help them get started. The promotion runs until April 23, 2004, so there's still time to get it up and running.

Teens that enter read their favorite book and write an essay or create a project about the book with written explanation of how the book's message was meaningful to them. They fill out the entry form and have their sponsoring librarian sign it. They then send it in for judging. The grand prize is a chance to visit with Tony Hawke while he's out on tour. First prize is a Tony Hawke skateboard, second prize is a copy of Tony Hawke's autobiography, Hawke: Occupation: Skateboarder and third prize is a one month's supply of Hershey's Milk and Milkshakes.

Sponsoring librarians can win, too, by sending their teens' entries in altogether as a batch. 5, 15, or 25 entries sent in gets the LMS coupons for free Hershey's Milk products, t-shirts, or even an autographed poster of Tony Hawke. Another incentive is offered (a chance at a $100. book gift certificate), if the LMS writes an account of how he or she promoted Get on Board and Read @ Your Library and their name is drawn.

I was preparing materials for our display case to start spreading the word with our students, and our student aide (and friends) were interested right away and wanting more details. I told them about it as I worked and they could hardly wait to get their books and start reading. It feels like a promotion that will easily catch the imagination of young adults all over and I hope it spreads among school and public libraries just as quickly.
 
CALENDAR

OEMA Newsletter -- Editor: Sheryl Steinke

Published monthly on the 5th of the month September through May
To receive the OEMA Newsletter by email, subscribe to the OEMA mailing list using the form at http://www.oema.net/telecommunication/list.html

Send news items for the Newsletter to:
* Email: sherylsteinke@comcast.net
* Mail: Sheryl Steinke at 2405 Blacktail Dr. Eugene, OR 97405

Deadline: 1 week before publication, except 2 weeks for the January issue.