Table Of ContentAll materials in this journal subject to copyright by the American Library Association
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FEATURE usage requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions.
44 Knowledge Quest | AASL’s 65th Anniversary
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Building
t he
Strong
Foundation
J. Linda Williams
[email protected]
Volume 45, No. 1 | September/October 2016 45
All materials in this journal subject to copyright by the American Library Association
may be used for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement
granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address
usage requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions.
Looking back on my term as to best carry out the strategic plan. in 2007, shifted the focus from
AASL President 2005–2006, With renewed energy, the AASL what school librarians and other
I feel that particular year brought Board had the determination and educators should teach and do.
many things into focus for AASL road map to address the critical Instead, the focus became the
and school library programs and issues facing our association and our students and what they need to know
laid the foundation on which AASL profession. and be able to do to be information
built for the next ten years. As literate. This fresh approach has
school librarians, we have always What were those critical issues, and evolved into the current AASL
faced critical issues, and they often did the results of the efforts then standards and guidelines, which can
seem to be the same ones; slowly, accomplish a positive change and truly make a school library program
very slowly, if at all, did we get lead to future improvements? a model of excellence.
anywhere. We had achieved small
successes, but not nationally and
AASL’s Guidelines and Advocacy
not sustainably. Almost twenty years
Standards
after the publication of Information All stakeholders will understand and
Power: Guidelines for School Library Media The school library profession will recognize recognize that [the school librarian] and
Programs (ALA 1988) and almost AASL’s guidelines for school library media school library programs are essential to
ten years after the second edition, programs and information literacy standards teaching and learning (AASL 2005, 7).
Information Power: Building Partnerships for student learning as the model of excellence
for Learning (ALA 1998), we were for the profession (AASL 2005, 7). The area of advocacy needed a lot of
still dealing with many of the same attention because overcoming some
issues, in addition to new ones. Our For several years, the currency stakeholders’ outdated view of the
standards and guidelines were not and relevance of our national value of school library programs
widely accepted by the educational guidelines, Information Power: Building was a major hurdle for school
community, and the role of school Partnerships for Learning and the librarians. How could we change
librarians was often misunderstood “Information Literacy Standards the education culture so everyone
or given no credibility. for Student Learning,” contained would understand and agree that the
within Information Power, had been school library program and school
During the previous year, AASL sources of concern. The role of librarian are an essential part of the
had stepped back and had taken the school librarian was constantly instructional process?
a serious look at the issues then changing. A task force studied
facing us as we began working both documents to determine The AASL Advocacy Committee
with a consultant to develop a their relevance and whether they addressed this issue by providing
strategic plan that would address reflected the current practices and preconference and regional
our most-immediate concerns. vocabulary of the profession. No institutes on advocacy, training
The strategic plan was approved reference to technology had been members on how to be involved in
by the AASL Board of Directors included in those documents. Any national, state, and local advocacy
at the 2005 ALA Annual updates, though, would need to efforts and providing additional
Conference, just before my term address technology use, as effective educational opportunities in this
began. The plan provided focus use of technology was becoming important area.
by identifying goals for the next a major part of our evolving role.
three to five years. The goals were The need for change also caused An effective, long-lasting strategy
in five areas: Guidelines and writers to reflect on new methods for advocacy has been to gather
Standards, Advocacy, Professional of instruction and their impact on hard data to support a cause. In
Development, Influence within school library programs. response to this need for data
ALA, and Community. Objectives about the effectiveness of school
within each goal area were The recommendation presented library programs, the AASL Board
established, and strategies for to the AASL Board was to approved a longitudinal survey that
achieving each objective were rewrite—not just revise—the would create a process to collect, on
identified. The AASL Board document. AASL took a completely an ongoing basis, relevant national
looked at the association’s current new approach to developing our data points that members could use
structure and determined how we standards and guidelines. The new in national, state, and local advocacy
needed to restructure committees, standards document, Standards for messages. The survey would be
sections, and the Affiliate Assembly the 21st-Century Learner, published completed annually and provide
46 Knowledge Quest | AASL’s 65th Anniversary
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may be used for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement
granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address
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continuing data on the same topics.
This survey, in addition to specific
state surveys done by leaders in the
field, gave us the very valuable hard The new standards document,
data we needed. The longitudinal
survey also provided data for
comparison within and between
Standards for the 21st-Century
states and local districts. While the
survey has been discontinued, it did
bring to the forefront the need for
Learner, published in 2007,
data and research in the field and
has sparked many of the current
AASL research initiatives.
shifted the focus from what
Legislative issues were also included
within the Advocacy goal area in
the strategic plan. Immediate and school librarians and other
specific attention was needed; a
number of issues within the school
library community revolved around
educators should teach and do.
national policy and legislation.
These included:
Instead, the focus became the
• The non-instructional
classification of school librarians
by the National Center for
Education Statistics (NCES). students and what they need
• The “65 percent solution”:
regulations that required schools
to know and be able to do to be
to spend at least 65 percent of
their funding on direct classroom
instruction, which, under
currently prevailing NCES information literate.
definitions, did not include
spending on school libraries.
• No Child Left Behind (NCLB),
which did not include school
librarians in the “highly qualified”
teacher classification.
• The need for full funding for
the Improving Literacy through
School Libraries program.
These issues were interdependent.
The National Center for Education
Statistics classified school librarians
as instructional support; therefore,
as they were not identified as
instructional, no funding for school
libraries was available and school
librarians were not included in the
“highly qualified” teacher category
in No Child Left Behind.
Volume 45, No. 1 | September/October 2016 47
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may be used for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement
granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address
usage requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions.
Experience has shown that advocacy
cannot take place only when an issue
arises; advocacy must be constant, so when
the issues do arise, we already have an
established presence and decision makers
already have an understanding of the role
school librarians and effective school
library programs play in student success.
The AASL Task Force on Instruc- librarians as instructional support amendments for the 2007 reauthori-
tional Classification was formed to staff, as identified in the NCES zation of No Child Left Behind. The
develop a position statement in time financial accounting structure. The recommended changes would include
for states to use before the legislative reporting format in use at the time school librarians in the “highly
session ended. The statement clearly had required every state to spend qualified” teacher classification. As
defined the issues and clarified at least 65 percent of operational the only federal funding specifically
AASL’s support for the inclusion budgets on instruction expenses. designated for school libraries was the
of school librarians in the NCES But, as libraries were not considered Improving Literacy through School
“instructional” classification so that “instructional,” they could receive Libraries program, which was part
their purchases of library materials none of the money earmarked for of NCLB, the need for full funding
would be considered instructional instruction expenses. A proposed of this program was also included in
expenditures. The task force revised reporting format was the AASL draft and discussed. Full
also developed a toolkit for use presented by NCES; the revised funding was never achieved. However,
by state affiliates to address the format allowed instruction and we continued to work toward higher
issue. Additional support for our instruction-related expenses to be funding levels and increasing our
concerns was expressed by the ALA in the same category. The proposed advocacy efforts for school libraries
Council through the Resolution revised reporting format was and librarians.
on the Instructional Classification included in a future edition of the
of School Librarians, passed at the financial accounting handbook, and As we all know, the NCLB movement
ALA Midwinter Meeting in 2006. school librarians were classified as evolved into the Common Core initia-
instruction-related, but not before tive with a separate set of concerns.
With help from the ALA Wash- we battled these issues for several Experience has shown that advocacy
ington Office, during the 2006 years after 2006. cannot take place only when an issue
ALA Legislative Day the AASL arises; advocacy must be constant, so
President, the chair of the AASL The ALA Washington Office when the issues do arise, we already
Task Force on Instructional Clas- staff and the AASL President also have an established presence and
sification, and the chair of the met with the Deputy Secretary decision makers already have an under-
AASL Legislation Committee met of Education and staff of the standing of the role school librarians
with representatives of NCES and Improving Literacy through School and effective school library programs
the Department of Education to Libraries program. An AASL- play in student success. Without all the
begin a dialogue regarding the clas- generated draft document was training, knowledge gained, and hard
sification and definition of school presented; it identified proposed work, which began with advocacy for
48 Knowledge Quest | AASL’s 65th Anniversary
All materials in this journal subject to copyright by the American Library Association
may be used for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement
granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address
usage requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions.
these issues, and then used again to libraries within ALA. Several very and ALA leaders, gaining their
advocate for the 2015 SKILLs Act good strategies were discussed and support and an understanding for
and continued for the 2015 ESSA taken back to the AASL Board for our concerns.
(Every Student Succeeds Act), ESSA follow-up and implementation.
would never have been passed. Main-
Looking Forward
taining the support and hard work AASL began to track the involve-
took a lot of effort, but the effort ment of its members in ALA While these were critical challenges
certainly paid off. through appointments to ALA at the time, they do not seem so sig-
committees, election to Council, nificant when compared to some of
and nominations for office. The the challenges faced today. Twenty-
Influence within ALA
AASL volunteer form was revised first century students have an
ALA will understand and support the issues to include ALA committees to ever-increasing need for the skills
important to [school librarians] and school determine members’ interest, and that school librarians bring to the
library… programs. a database was developed for the school setting. As always, to ensure
AASL President-Elect to use when that the school library remains an
Our major concerns were: suggesting people for appointment integral part of the educational
• Low voter turnout in ALA to ALA committees by the ALA process, school librarians must work
elections President-Elect. collaboratively with teachers and
administrators. School librarians
• Insufficient involvement of AASL
The AASL representative to ALA must also continue to take action to
members in ALA
Council identified councilors who further stakeholders’ understanding
In response to the AASL Board and were school librarians and created of school librarians’ roles, actively
Affiliate Assembly’s concern over the an e-mail list to provide support advocate for their profession within
low voter turnout in ALA elections, and encourage the number of their school communities, as well as
AASL developed a “Get Out the Vote” postings regarding school libraries at the state and national level.
campaign, designed in response to on the ALA Council’s electronic
the strategic plan to increase the discussion list. These efforts were
number of AASL members voting intended to create an awareness and
J. Linda Williams
and AASL members’ involvement in understanding of school library
was coordinator of school
ALA leadership. concerns and gain support for issues
affecting school librarians and their library services for Anne
There was a significant increase students. The efforts succeeded. Arundel County (MD)
in the number of AASL members
Public Schools prior to
voting in the 2006 election: an AASL identified the three most-
her retirement. She served as AASL President
increase of 39 percent from the influential ALA committees to
previous year. Though voting which we wanted an AASL member 2005–2006 and is also a past president of
percentages do vary by years, AASL appointed. Within the first year we the Maryland Association of School Librarians.
members’ voting rate has remained had a member appointed to two of
Active in the University of Maryland Alumni As-
better than it was prior to the those committees, and the following
sociation, she is currently a member of its Board
campaign. Another result of the year a member was appointed to the
campaign was that, of the fifteen third committee. It is no longer of Governors, has been president of the iSchool
AASL members running for ALA unusual to have an AASL member Alumni Chapter, and continues to serve on the
Council in the 2006 election, serve in any ALA capacity: on
chapter’s board. She also previously served on
eleven were elected. Council, an ALA committee, or
the ALA Executive Board and ALA Council.
the ALA Executive Board. Several
At the 2006 ALA Midwinter times in the past ten years we have
Meeting, the AASL President, had three AASL members on the
Work Cited:
Immediate Past President, and ALA Executive Board at the same
President-Elect met with the time, and in the past eight years American Association of School
Librarians. 2005. “AASL
ALA President-Elect to discuss we have had three AASL members
Strategic Plan.” <www.ala.org/
our concerns regarding how ALA nominated to run for president of aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/
committee appointments were made ALA. We have made our presence content/aboutaasl/aaslgovernance/
aasldocuments/aasl_strategic_plan.
and the need to have a balanced known and forged partnerships with
pdf> (accessed June 11, 2016).
representation of all types of the other divisions, roundtables,
Volume 45, No. 1 | September/October 2016 49
