One of the highlights of the trip was the  AASL Awards Ceremony. We got to meet our digital leaders, grant winners, and librarians of the year. This year, the AASL Distinguished School Administrator award went to Mike Daria , Superintendent of Tuscaloosa City Schools. Last week I was at ALA in the humongous conference center in New Orleans! Always a great event. Although the conference center was so very large, that I didn't see many folks from NC. I wouldn't have even known they were there except for Facebook. Dr. Daria understands the value of school libraries to the culture of classes, schools, and districts at a level that is rarely seen. Please read what he says in a recent edition of  Knowledge Quest . I talked with him for a few minutes after the awards ceremony. I repeated what he already knew - that so many in the upper ranks of education have no idea what a difference a good librarian can make in a school. He told me that he didn't either, until he li...

My principal wants me to level our school library. What's the best way to do this? I see this question way more often than I should. I want to share my views on why leveling isn't the answer to any academic woe. Before I start, I do understand the reasons to level a library. I just don't think they are any good. I understand how intense pressure from administrators can be for increased test scores and programs (like AR) in which they've invested a boatload of money. With that said, the rest is my thoughtful opinion on the why it's not a good idea to level any library. The number one argument I hear in support of leveled libraries (classroom and the main one) is that children become better readers when they read in a range close to their current reading levels. Why do we even have levels? For years, we had readers (at grade level) and trade books. While it's true they were simpler for younger grades and more complex for older ones, they were not leveled. Levels w...

Representatives from NCSLMA joined with other NC librarians on Capitol Hill . Our main goal was to share funding needs for 2018 since 2017 is pretty much set. We had several things we asked for: Funding of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). Re-authorization of the Museum and Library Services Act which is run by the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences. Appropriate funding for  Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL). E-Rate & Net Neutrality. We heard amazing stories about what  libraries are doing in their communities. I'll be sharing more with you over the course of the next couple of weeks about the things we learned, the stories we heard, and the kinds (and levels) of support we received from those that represent us in the Capitol.

Today, Sedley Abercrombie (NSCLMA President) and I head to Washington DC for a few days to participate in  National Library Legislation Day .  We will do our best to keep you posted through our twitter accounts  @sedley1  and  @bitsygriffin . Here is the  schedule for Monday if you are interested in seeing what we'll doing. Ours is a little different, so you may see us off-schedule as the day goes on. You can join us virtually by registering here . # NCSLMAadvocacy