Maintaining Professional Positions

Concern: Maintaining professional positions.

Action: The Affiliate Executive Committee did not approve this concern for submission to the Affiliate Assembly body.

Value of the School Librarian

Concern: The failure of teacher colleges to educate their potential graduates about the role of the SLMS and the many ways SLMS can help teachers achieve academic success.

Action: The Affiliate Assembly Executive Committee approved the Concern and sent it to the Affiliate Assembly for review. The Assembly chose to combine the concern with impact concerns from Regions 1, 2, and 4. The final concern passed to the AASL Board.

Revised Concern: Teacher and administrator training programs do no recognize the valuable role of school library media specialists and information literacy in teaching and learning.

Action: The AASL Board responded with the creation of a toolkit.

State School Librarian Associations

Concern: The encouragement of increased participation of school librarians in the state professional association by providing value specific to their needs.

Action: The Affiliate Executive Committee did not approve this concern for submission to the Affiliate Assembly body.

Oregon Teacher-Librarians

Concern: The process to become a licensed teacher librarian in Oregon, the loss of licensed teacher librarians in Oregon, and school library media specialists are not recognized at the state level as participants on the ongoing discussions about literacy.

Action: The Affiliate Executive Committee did not approve this concern for submission to the Affiliate Assembly body.

Position Classification for Federal Funding

Concern: The United States Department of Education’s federal accounting structure is outdated. Listing 'library services' as 'instructional support staff' instead of 'instructional staff' puts teacher librarian positions in risk of elimination due to the demand to increase classroom spending.

Action: The Affiliate Assembly Executive Committee approved the Concern and sent it to the Affiliate Assembly for review. The Assembly chose to combine the concern with funding concerns from Regions 2, 3, and 5. The final concern passed to the AASL Board.

Revised Concern: The United States Department of Education’s federal accounting structure is outdated. Listing 'library services' as 'instructional support staff' instead of 'instructional staff' puts teacher librarian positions in risk of elimination due to the demand to increase classroom spending.

Action: The AASL Board responded by contacting the ALA Washington Office for fact finding.

Analyzing Student Test Scores

Concern: School library media specialists need to take an active role in analyzing students' test scores, focusing on objectives being tested.

Action: The Affiliate Executive Committee did not approve this concern for submission to the Affiliate Assembly body.

Funding

Concern: Continued funding problems for school libraries in every state in Region 5.

Action: The Affiliate Assembly Executive Committee approved the Concern and sent it to the Affiliate Assembly for review. The Assembly chose to combine the concern with funding concerns from Regions 2, 3, and 7. The final concern passed to the AASL Board.

Revised Concern: The United States Department of Education’s federal accounting structure is outdated. Listing 'library services' as 'instructional support staff' instead of 'instructional staff' puts teacher librarian positions in risk of elimination due to the demand to increase classroom spending.

Action: The AASL Board responded by contacting the ALA Washington Office for fact finding.

Value of the School Librarian

Concern: Administrators don't understand the full value of their librarian.

Action: The Affiliate Assembly Executive Committee approved the Concern and sent it to the Affiliate Assembly for review. The Assembly chose to combine the concern with impact concerns from Regions 1, 2, and 9. The final concern passed to the AASL Board.

Revised Concern: Teacher and administrator training programs do no recognize the valuable role of school library media specialists and information literacy in teaching and learning.

Action: The AASL Board responded with the creation of a toolkit.

Association Voter Turnout

Concern: Despite efforts made in 2005 to encourage members of AASL to exercise their voting rights, low voter turnout by AASL members in ALA elections continues to be an issue.

Action: Both the Affiliate Executive Committee and the Affiliate Assembly body passed this concern. The AASL Board of Directors responded with the creation and implementation of the 'Get Out the Vote' campaign.

Value of the School Librarian

Concern: The position of school library media specialist is threatened by the failure of school levies and the greater dependence of school districts on dwindling state funds. Also, the perception among administrators that the job can be done by minimally trained staff.

Action: The Affiliate Assembly Executive Committee approved the Concern and sent it to the Affiliate Assembly for review. The Assembly chose to combine the concern with funding concerns from Regions 2, 5, and 7. The final concern passed to the AASL Board.

Revised Concern: The United States Department of Education’s federal accounting structure is outdated. Listing 'library services' as 'instructional support staff' instead of 'instructional staff' puts teacher librarian positions in risk of elimination due to the demand to increase classroom spending.

Action: The AASL Board responded by contacting the ALA Washington Office for fact finding.

Legislative Days

Concern: Preparation for and representation at Legislative Days is increasingly important to the survival of school library media specialists.

Action: The Affiliate Executive Committee did not approve this concern for submission to the Affiliate Assembly body.

Value of the School Librarian

Concern: Administrators and teachers are unaware of how quality library media programs can positively impact student learning.

Action: The Affiliate Assembly Executive Committee approved the Concern and sent it to the Affiliate Assembly for review. The Assembly chose to combine the concern with impact concerns from Regions 1, 4, and 9. The final concern passed to the AASL Board.

Revised Concern: Teacher and administrator training programs do no recognize the valuable role of school library media specialists and information literacy in teaching and learning.

Action: The AASL Board responded with the creation of a toolkit.

Database for Exemplary Programs

Concern: The lack of a central United States contact database for exemplary programs.

Action: The Affiliate Executive Committee did not approve this concern for submission to the Affiliate Assembly body.

Impact of Federal Funding Cuts

Concern: The impact on school library media programs by cuts to federal funding (Title V) and the total elimination of the Enhancing Education through Technology program (Title II-D, EEET).

Action: The Affiliate Assembly Executive Committee approved the Concern and sent it to the Affiliate Assembly for review. The Assembly chose to combine the concern with funding concerns from Regions 3, 5, and 7.

Revised Concern: The United States Department of Education’s federal accounting structure is outdated. Listing 'library services' as 'instructional support staff' instead of 'instructional staff' puts teacher librarian positions in risk of elimination due to the demand to increase classroom spending.

Action: The AASL Board responded by contacting the ALA Washington Office for fact finding.

Support for College Preparation Initiatives

Concern: School library collections, staffing, and perspective are not adequate to support the initiatives of college preparation for all students.

Action: The Affiliate Executive Committee did not approve this concern for submission to the Affiliate Assembly body.

Value of the School Librarian

Concern: Teacher and administrator training programs do not recognize the valuable role of library media specialists and information literacy in teaching and learning.

Action: The Affiliate Assembly Executive Committee approved the Concern and sent it to the Affiliate Assembly for review. The Assembly chose to combine the concern with impact concerns from Regions 2, 4, and 9. The final concern passed to the AASL Board.

Revised Concern: Teacher and administrator training programs do no recognize the valuable role of school library media specialists and information literacy in teaching and learning.

Action: The AASL Board responded with the creation of a toolkit.

Currency of Standards and Guidelines

Concern: The national information literacy standards for student learning and guidelines for school library programs need to be updated to reflect current practice, research, and vocabulary.

Action: Both the Affiliate Executive Committee and the Affiliate Assembly body passed this concern. The AASL Board of Directors responded with the creation of the Standards and Guidelines Review Task Force, charged to review standards/guidelines for school library media programs and determine the need for new, revised, or updated standards/guidelines.