<div dir="ltr">FYI,<div><br></div><div>Please read this, then contact your senators and members of Congress.</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks,</div><div><br></div><div>Suzanne L. Sager</div><div><br></div><div><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Don Wood</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:dwood@ala.org">dwood@ala.org</a>></span><br>Date: Fri, Sep 4, 2015 at 7:34 AM<br>Subject: [alacro-l] Support School Libraries! We Need Your Help Now<br>To: "<a href="mailto:alacro-l@lists.ala.org">alacro-l@lists.ala.org</a>" <<a href="mailto:alacro-l@lists.ala.org">alacro-l@lists.ala.org</a>><br><br><br>
<div lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">All across the country, millions of children are returning to school. For many of those students, their education
and success are being threatened. <u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In some communities, we see that testing pressures and budget decisions have led to the elimination of school
libraries and school librarians. In some districts, we see that school libraries are seen as a “frill”—nice to have but not essential to student learning.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Yet school libraries and school librarians are among the most effective and efficient resources to boost student
academic achievement. More than 60 education and library research studies have produced clear evidence that school library programs staffed by qualified school librarians have a significant positive impact on academic achievement.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Schools with an effective school library program and a certified school librarian teach students how to learn
and help teachers drive their pupils’ success. When school libraries and school librarians are eliminated, students suffer.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Unfortunately, much of the blame lies at the federal level. No Child Left Behind, the 2001 reauthorization of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), reduced targeted funding for school libraries and eliminated language that recognized school librarians as an integral part of the school’s instructional program. Federal dollars used to support library activities
under the act dwindled until they were eliminated altogether over five years ago.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Library supporter Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) did manage to designate funds for school libraries, first through
Improving Literacy Through School Libraries, then the Innovative Approaches to Literacy. But these are small grant programs and don’t adequately support the critical role school libraries play in a student’s education.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">This year, Reed, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) worked to bolster federal
support for libraries through S. 1177, the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 (the Senate bill that would reauthorize ESEA).<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Because of their efforts, the Senate bill includes several new provisions in support of libraries, including:<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">state and local planning requirements related to developing effective school library programs and digital literacy skills under Title I<u></u><u></u></span></li><li class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">professional development activities for school librarians<u></u><u></u></span></li><li class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">partnership opportunities for libraries<u></u><u></u></span></li><li class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">competitive grants for developing and enhancing effective school library programs<u></u><u></u></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">As the House of Representatives and Senate prepare to compromise on their differing versions of ESEA reauthorization,
we need your help now to ensure that we can maintain the library provisions already included in the Senate bill. Please contact your senators and members of Congress and ask that they contact members of the conference committee (Sens. Lamar Alexander and Patty
Murray and Reps. John Kline and Bobby Scott) to encourage them to maintain library provisions from S. 1177 in the conference agreement to reauthorize ESEA.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">We have a historic opportunity to win back federal support. But we need all hands on deck. All libraries—academic,
public, and school—are part of an ecosystem that supports literacy and lifelong learning for all. Wherever we work, we must support one another.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In October, ALA will be launching its new
<a href="http://www.librariestransform.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">Libraries Transform</span></a> public awareness campaign. At its heart is the message that libraries transform the lives of individuals and transform communities. It is hard
to think of anything that has more impact on the lives of students than a good school library. For millions of children, libraries make the difference between failure and success.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">For more info on the campaign, see
<a href="http://cqrcengage.com/ala/home" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">cqrcengage.com/ala/home</span></a>.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>By <a href="http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/authors/keith-michael-fiels/" target="_blank">
Keith Michael Fiels</a> | </span><span>September 4, 2015</span><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">Don Wood<br>
Program Officer<br>
<a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/cro/index.cfm" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">Chapter Relations Office</span></a><br>
American Library Association<br>
50 East Huron Street<br>
Chicago, IL 60611<br>
<a href="mailto:dwood@ala.org" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">dwood@ala.org</span></a><br>
<a href="tel:1-800-545-2433%2C%20ext.%202429" value="+18005452433" target="_blank">1-800-545-2433, ext. 2429</a>; <a href="tel:312-280-2429" value="+13122802429" target="_blank">312-280-2429</a><br>
<a href="tel:312-280-4392" value="+13122804392" target="_blank">312-280-4392</a> (fax)<br>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ALAChapters" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">Become a Fan of ALA Chapters</span></a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><a href="http://twitter.com/ALA_CRO" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">Follow CRO on Twitter</span></a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><a href="http://cqrcengage.com/ala/home" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">Take Action for America’s Libraries</span></a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”—Albert Schweitzer</span><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
</div>
<div style="background:transparent;border:none;clear:both;display:block;float:none"><br><br>If you no longer wish to receive information via this e-list, here are the instructions on how to unsubscribe:<br><br>UNSUBSCRIBE INSTRUCTIONS:<br> * Go to <a href="http://lists.ala.org/sympa/info/alacro-l" target="_blank">http://lists.ala.org/sympa/info/alacro-l</a><br> * Log in on this page; first time users will need to get a password by following instructions<br> * Choose Unsubscribe from the left-hand column and follow instructions<br><br><br></div></div>
</div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Suzanne L. Sager</span><div><span style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Oregon ALA Representative</span><div><span style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Portland State University Library</span><br style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">PO Box 1151</span><br style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Portland, OR 97207-1151</span><br style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Phone: </span><a value="+15037258169" style="color:rgb(0,0,204);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">503-725-8169</a><br style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Fax: </span><a value="+15037255799" style="color:rgb(0,0,204);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">503-725-5799</a><br style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">email: </span><a href="mailto:sagers@pdx.edu" style="color:rgb(0,0,204);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" target="_blank">sagers@pdx.edu</a></div></div></div></div>
</div></div>