Michigan School Library Coalition
Although there has been an increase in the number of certified school librarians in our schools, Michigan still ranks 47th in the nation in the ratio of students to certified school librarians. All students in our state deserve to have access to the services provided by a teacher-certified school librarian.
School librarians:
- Improve student achievement, especially reading achievement
- Lead and support technology integration
- Improve college and career readiness by:
* Teaching research and information literacy skills
* Teaching digital citizenship skills
School Librarians Critical During Distance Learning
The Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME) curated lists of storytime, eBooks, and other online resources as well as information about distance learning tools for Michigan Schools. These resources can be found at http://www.mimame.org/learning-at-a-distance.html.
In addition, Michigan School Librarians provided critical services to their school communities during distance learning. Based on a survey of MAME members, Michigan school librarians:
Delivering instruction through a variety of platforms to reach all students
Promoting reading in multiple ways to keep students engaged and learning
Providing digital citizenship lessons and tips for students and families (aligned with the MITECS)
Meeting with student clubs virtually to maintain community connections
Holding ‘office hours’ to support both staff and students
Curating and providing access to eBook collections and other learning resources
Providing resources, lessons, and activities to support student and community well-being and social-emotional learning
Collaborating with public libraries to expand access for students
Leading and supporting integration of innovative technologies
Providing professional development to teachers on distance learning technology tools
Assisting administrators, curriculum specialists, teachers, and others with specific resources as needed
Updating their library websites to provide information and resources to their communities
Answering copyright questions and providing copyright guidance
Advocating for equity and privacy issues in their schools and communities
And more!
What Students and Parents Lose if School Libraries and Librarians Are Cut
School librarians help provide all of these items within their educational communities. When school libraries and school librarians are cut, students and parents lose all of the teaching and services provided by the school librarian. This document provides the details of this loss: bit.ly/WhatLoseLib.
Road Back to Student Success Through Your School Librarian
The infographic found at bit.ly/MIslroadmap illustrates the multiple ways that school librarians can help you to support your school community as we move forward. These include:
- integrating social-emotional learning,
- teaching information literacy,
- promoting information equity,
- curating and maintaining education resources and tools,
- providing tech-rich support, and
- linking students and staff to literacy.
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Video: Administrators Partner with School Librarians
In this new video from the American Association for School Librarians, district superintendents and school principals reflect on their strong partnerships with school librarians and the critical roles school librarians play in every student being successful.
Mitigating the COVID-19 Slide
Do you know that certified school librarians are critical in mitigating COVID-19 learning loss?
There are many studies that point to access to books as a method of mitigating the Summer Slide. (Jump down to "Book Based Summer Reading Programs" in this resource to see links to research: https://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-37818_53456_100064-529151--,00.html) If we translate this to COVID-19 slide as well as the current #BlackLivesMatter movement, the need for certified school librarians to provide access to diverse literature for our school communities is greater than ever.
There are concerns that COVID-19 will widen achievement gaps (https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/04/17/why-covid-19-will-explode-existing-academic-achievement-gaps/). Yet, studies show that access to a certified school librarian is even more important for students who are economically disadvantaged, black, Hispanic, or have disabilities. (http://bit.ly/sljstudy)
There will be a need to differentiate and accelerate learning to mitigate the COVID-19 slide (https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/06/12/5-tips-for-measuring-and-responding-to.html?cmp=eml-enl-tu-news3&M=59598764&U=2110885&UUID=dc1c84bb8bc9e3145b1bf16aac5784c1). Our teachers will need even more support from certified school librarians to collaborate with them to meet students' needs and to provide resources for differentiation.
There will most likely be a continued need for blended and/or distance learning. Certified school librarians continue to be critical in supporting professional development for teachers in distance learning tools; supporting technology issues for the entire school community; and curating e-resources to best support learning.
In addition, there will be a need to provide social-emotional support and a need to support inclusive learning. This infographic provides some details on how school librarians support this in their schools.
Draft Plan to Reopen Michigan School Libraries
MAME Willing to Present at Your Association Event or Conference
Previous Versions of This Newsletter
You can find previous versions of this newsletter at the following links:
Michigan Association for Media in Education
Email: mame@mimame.org
Website: www.mimame.org
Location: 1407 Rensen Street, Lansing, MI, USA
Facebook: facebook.com/mimame.org
Twitter: @michiganmame