June 8, 2009 - Hobnobbing

(Why do most of my blog posts talk about where I've gone and where I'm going?)
This week I attended two media functions. One advantage of doing the things I do mean that I get invitations to some of these events. The first was the press conference held by People For Education to announce the release of their annual report on Ontario's Public Schools for 2009. I was really pleased to see the attention they gave to school libraries, although neither pleased nor surprised to hear about their findings. Their four subheadings on pages 12-13 speak volumes: Acces to libraries is uneven among schools and across the province / reading enjoyment [is] on the decline / teacher-librarians make a difference / books and materials for libraries [helped but not perfect]. My favourite fact is that kids at schools with TLs enjoy reading more than kids at schools without TLs. P4E recommends "the Ministry of Education develop policy and vision for students that includes supported, functioning school libraries, accessible throughout the school day and staffed by trained teacher-librarians and library staff".

The second shindig was a launch for Kids Can Press' new specific collection, CitizenKid. To quote the press release, CitizenKid contains books "that explains complex global issues and inspires young readers to become better global citizens". I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the titles in this collection already a part of OSLA's Be The Change website (www.accessola.com/osla/bethechange).

At both events, I had the chance to speak to people who weren't teacher-librarians but had a keen interest in school libraries. We need to hobnob, to socialize with people other than fellow library staffers, so that when things get cut or threatened, it's not just the ones working in those spaces that speak up.

There's two more weeks of school left (9 days not counting weekends). I'll try to continue posting throughout the summer (although most reflections may be anxious posts about my course on Educational Research that I'm taking this summer with the U of A). No attachment today, but I'll make up for it next time.