SSL Member Update

As I write this last newsletter, I am a little sad. I am truly honored and humbled to have been your leader for these past 11 months, but my presidential term ends after the NYLA Conference in November. I will turn the reins over to a brilliant and capable individual whom I have worked very closely with, Maureen Squier. I look forward to moving into the role of past president with many behind-the-scenes roles.

This organization has been my jam, my source of inspiration. I have met THE most incredible school librarians residing in New York State. I am thrilled to have gotten to know you, and I'm sorry I didn't connect with everyone. YOU are what fuels my fire. You inspire me and keep me informed by sharing all you do in your library, with administration, and with your affiliate organizations within SSL. This year has been challenging, but every president has to deal with one issue or another. Please know there is much time, energy, and meetings being completed behind the scenes to help ensure the SSL is the best it can be and that we represent school librarians across the state.

As you know, I recently had a recent pre-censorship issue with an administrator (see previous newsletter for details). This issue is not over, but I must be careful what I say. I have support from many co-workers, administrators, teachers, and former students. We all agree to not only fight for the rights of marginalized students, but all students. The tough part about this is its’ an administrator, not a parent.

On a positive note, we'll be starting a Library Advisory Committee in each building in my district, woo-hoo! Thanks to the fabulous Donna Gray, Library Operations and Instructional Coordinator for the NYC School Library System, for this fantastic idea. I already have several students and faculty who want to volunteer for this committee. It's amazing when you create a spark in how your world can change. While my world was rocked significantly by this turn of events, I see hope in the future and change for the better. Students should have the right to read, and learn about different ideas. No parent or administrator should have that power to limit a students’ right to read.

Another inspirational event, AASL 2023 in Tampa, was all that and more. Sitting in the hall surrounded by over 2,000+ attendees, I was in awe of our magnitude and belief in the right to read. I heard horror stories from others, especially one high school librarian in Florida. She shared that she is solely responsible for her students (2,700), weeding the library collection, AND every classroom teacher's library according to state regulations. Additionally, she has to vet every additional piece of curriculum a teacher plans on using in their classroom (videos, lesson plans from outside organizations, etc.). I asked her about teaching, and she stated she had no time to teach! She leaves her building at 7 or 8 pm every night. And she has no book budget. Wow! Those are unbelievable working conditions. She was so stressed but came to the conference for support and free books!

I was grateful to chat with other school librarians across this nation while in Tampa. I attended many workshops, but several were exceptional: Curating Your PLN: Supercharge Your School Library Practice, with Amanda Jones, K.C. Boyd, Courtney Pentland, Steve Tetreault, and Amy Hermon. They are brilliant at supporting one another through social media, texting, and phone calls. And that's something we need to do for each other, and I felt that at this conference. Relationships matter, not only amongst our profession, but in our buildings and with our professional organizations (here’s looking at you affiliates & SSL😉).

There are many reasons for attending conferences, but support, knowledge, and understanding are key components with all school librarians. I came back with great ideas for promoting our library, sharing AI info from an instructional technology coach, and the Best Digital Tools for Teaching & Learning for 2023. Tampa was unique and beautiful, the trolley was fun, the food was incredible, and you must check out a new book, Elevating the School Library, by Susan Ballard & Sara Kelly Johns. The book sold out at the ALA bookstore!

I'll share some newsworthy articles and links I’ve discovered:

• I love the article our AASL President 2023-20247, Courtney Pentland, wrote, School Librarians: One of a Student's Best Resources posted on the US Dept of Education website on October 18, 2023.

• Building Relationships is a Marathon, Not a Sprint is another great piece of advice from By Courtney Pentland, AASL President 2023-2024 On 09/14/2023

• Another article caught my attention. Written by Ella Lathan, titled Philadelphia Students Navigate School Without Access to School Libraries: The School District of Philadelphia has just one school librarian for the 2023-2024 school year contained this quote: " A 2022 study by Rutgers University found that first-year college students who had prior high school research experience, especially those from schools with certified librarians, felt more confident in their academic research skills and performed better in using research tools and strategies, such as information and digital literacy, and the difference between a primary and secondary source of information. "

• This can be helpful especially if your to-do list is unmanageable (yup, it happens to everyone!): 10 Task Management Tips, Tricks, And Techniques written by Dr. Bruce Ellis October 24, 2023

• Another worthy share: I can't remember the book's title, but it had a pink cover… Talpa Search; Talpa is a magical, AI-powered library search backed by true and authoritative data.

Thank you all for your support and love. I am grateful for this opportunity and look forward to having more with my SSL peeps!

Yours in solidarity,

Madelyn Haussner

SSL President