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When the Monterey Bay Aquarium sought to expand its environmental education efforts, it found a good match in the Watsonville area near the northeast coast of Monterey Bay. The new Pajaro Valley High School was located in what has become a rarity in coastal California: A wetlands area called a slough. The Aquarium worked with school faculty to develop the WATCH (Watsonville Area Teens Conserving Habitats) program, which uses a three-week summer field exploration session to get students interested in environmental science projects that they continue throughout the school year. Read more.

In my son’s personal archives is a school library license, a tiny cardboard rectangle that states that the bearer “knows how to use the library carefully and courteously and is welcome to be there.” David received his ‘license to learn’ from Bernice Williams, the school librarian at Barcroft Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, back in 1984 when he was just nine years old. His elementary school experience included regular library visits to study the Dewey Decimal system, conduct research as a cub reporter on the “Barcroft Newsbag,’ and receive Mrs. Williams’ helpful advice and guidance on all his subjects.

When he entered H B. Woodlawn Secondary Program in Arlington, Virginia, in the seventh grade, school librarian Judy Mayeux joined the ranks of MIP (most important people) in David’s education. “You could ask her anything,” he says about this universally-beloved member of the Woodlawn faculty. She fostered David’s love of learning and encouraged him to apply for a summer job at the Arlington Central Library. In high school, he worked in the county library’s talking book program for the blind and manned the central library’s reference desk during summers and on weekends. David’s information-seeking and information-finding skills, fostered at the school and public libraries, were complemented by his passion for geography and his acumen with foreign languages. Today, he uses this portfolio of skills (fully supplemented with a raft of more recently-acquired digital competencies) as an advanced information specialist, cataloguing and digitizing maps and atlases from around the world. He absolutely loves his job.

I’m reminded of my son’s school library experience because it’s August and ‘back to school’ time. Just as school librarians played pivotal roles in my son’s education, today’s school librarians are indispensable resources for students, teachers, and parents. They hone young people’s reading abilities and instill an appreciation for books. They serve as invaluable partners to teachers and school administrators, working to integrate and provide resources across the entire curriculum. In today’s media- and information-rich global knowledge society, it’s not only about the Dewey Decimal system: today’s school librarians are the experts in the all-important 21st century skills of information, media, and digital literacy. They help students and teachers navigate the full spectrum of printed, online, and digital resources, teach students how to find, analyze, and evaluate trusted sources of information regardless of media, and move fluidly across disciplines and subjects. Many of today’s school libraries are sophisticated learning environments that foster the knowledge-seeking, knowledge-sharing, and knowledge-understanding skills that serve young people throughout their lifetimes.

Despite their increased importance, many school librarians face tough times. In Oregon, for example, the number of library and media specialists across the state has dwindled from 818 in 1980 to 376 in 2008. The number of students per library and media specialist has correspondingly grown from 547 in 1980 to 1,500 in 2008. [Source: Oregon School Directory, Oregon Department of Education.] Data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that, nationwide, there is just one FTE librarian per 906 pupils in US public schools.

These cutbacks are occurring just when our nation is being urged to “integrate digital and media literacy as critical elements for education at all levels” [The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy, Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age, Washington, D.C.: The Aspen Institute, October 2009]. At a time when finding trusted information sources and digital and media competencies are “new forms of foundational learning,” we need our school librarians more than ever [The Knight Commission report].

The look, feel, and experiences of the school library have changed significantly in the 24 years since my son was a child. At the vanguard of these changes is the American Association of School Librarians, which last year issued Standards for the 21st-Century Learner to help school library media specialists bring 21st-century skills into the heart of the learning process. School librarians today continue to provide vital connections across all grades and subjects, foster a love of learning, and nurture a set of skills that stay with students for the rest of their lives. As my own son’s experience indicates, school librarians can make all the difference in a child’s life.

—Marsha L. Semmel, Acting Director, IMLS

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Materials from August 16 Webinar on Digital Inclusion RFP Now Available
On August 16, IMLS hosted a webinar on its Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking a cooperator to develop a framework of the principles, elements, or characteristics of organizations and communities that foster digital inclusion. Link to the webinar PowerPoint and answers to questions raised during the presentation. The RFP deadline is August 30. Read more.

Webinar Available Online: Helping Job Seekers: Using Electronic Tools and Federal Resources
The August 11 webinar, Helping Job Seekers: Using Electronic Tools and Federal Resource, is now available online at http://tiny.cc/d6fjb. In the presentation, Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA) staffers Lauren Fairley-Wright and Tracie Hamilton provide an overview of the public workforce system and share electronic tools most helpful to library staff who assists unemployed workers. Read more.

Online Radio Interview: How to Use Your Local Library and Museum to Transform Your Neighborhood
On August 11, IMLS Acting Director Marsha L. Semmel shared with Adam Greenfield, host of the Neighborhood Empowerment Network FM radio station, how local library and museum branches can help transform your neighborhood. To hear the 25 minute interview, please go to http://tiny.cc/idn1z.

IMLS Welcomes Justin Estoque as New Chief Operating Officer
Justin Estoque has joined IMLS as chief operating officer. In this new position, Estoque will oversee the offices of finance, administration and contracting, human resources, and information technology. Read more.

IMLS Awards National Leadership Planning Grants to 13 Institutions, $763,715 Distributed
Thirteen institutions received National Leadership Collaborative Planning Grants totaling $763,715. These grants provide opportunities to conduct research and develop the framework to support future projects that have the potential to generate new tools, research, models, services, practices, or alliances that will positively impact museums, libraries, and the communities they serve. Read more.

IMLS Announces Recipients of 2010 Museum Grants For African American History and Culture
IMLS awarded $1,485,000 to 14 organizations committed to preserving and sharing the history of African American life from the period of slavery to the present day as part of the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture program. The next deadline for the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture program is January 18, 2011. Read more.

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“North Carolina Congressional Workshops,” Kevin O’Connell, congressional affairs officer, Kevin Cherry, senior program officer, North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh, NC, August 18; Levine Museum of the New South, Charlotte, NC, August 19.

“Invitational meeting on digital inclusion,” Mary Alice Ball, senior program officer, Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA, August 19.

“Commencement address,” Kevin Cherry, senior program officer, University of North Texas Graduate School of Library and Information Science distance education graduation ceremony, Atlanta, GA, August 21.

Marsha Semmel, acting director, Mary Chute, deputy director, Kevin O’Connell, congressional affairs officer, Kevin Cherry, senior program officer, Helen Wechsler, senior program officer, and Tim Carrigan, program specialist, Making the Learning Connection: Museums, Libraries, and 21st Century Skills Community Workshop, Columbia, SC, August 20.

“China-North America Meeting on Library Cooperation,” Joyce Ray, associate deputy director for libraries, Beijing, China, September 8-11.

“IMLS Funding for Zoos and Aquariums,” Christopher J. Reich, associate deputy director for museums, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Houston, TX, September 11–16.

“Moving toward HBCU Cathedrals,” Schroeder Cherry, Counselor to the Director, The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities National Conference, Crystal City, VA, September 13- 14.

Official site visit, Michele Farrell, senior program officer, New Jersey State Library, Trenton, NJ, September 13-15.

Official site visit, James Lonergan, senior program officer, Mississippi Library Commission, Jackson, MS, September 14-16.

“Visions of the Future from IMLS: Opportunities and Resources,” Steve Shwartzman, senior program officer, and Tim Carrigan, program specialist, Mountain-Plains Museum Association, Rapid City, SD, September 13–17.

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