School Libraries Need Your Support!

You would have to be living on another planet right now not to know what a dire financial state our public education and school libraries are in in the United States. In my state of California, which should be among the very most prosperous, education in general, and school libraries in particular, are at dire risk. Many of our best teacher librarians could be joining me in the classroom next year, leaving their libraries without adequate staffing. Our students are our future, and they cannot afford to lose their library programs and information literacy instruction!

Please support the campaign launched by CSLA members Marie Slim, Tom Kaun, and Pat Nelson to fight for the survival of school library programs. Buy or make and wear buttons, and visit Jackie Siminitus' Library Advocate blog posting for ideas of what you can do. And, if you are in or can get to Southern California, be sure to attend the CSLA Southern Section Workshop on March 27 at Palms Middle School. We need you there, and I promise you will come away enriched with all the practical ideas that will be shared by keynote speaker Stephen Krashen, our great lineup of concurrent sessions, our exhibitors, and at our first-ever Web 2.0 Tools Smackdown. Check the workshop wiki for all the details, then register today.