Every Picture Tells a Story: TLA Library Snapshot Day

 by Sharon Gullett

As we mentioned in our last post, we are nearing the next Texas library legislative session. Now is the time to speak up for Texas libraries. Of course, you should contact your legislator, but you can also increase the visibility of your library program by participating in Texas Library Snapshot Day.

 

Several years ago most Texas libraries faced budget cuts, and some librarians even lost their jobs. The whole library community was outraged that any legislator would dare cut funding to the bastions of free speech and thought. Had they not read the Library Bill of Rights? There is no better way to convince legislators what we do than to offer them a snapshot in words and images of a single day in the lives of libraries across the state - especially school libraries.

 

Sure, it takes a little time to plan for the activity, but once planned your students can do all the work. It occurs to me that Snapshot Day could become a “library lesson.” We teach about data collection, but you can do it with a real life application. You can designate official student photographers, data collectors, and number crunchers to fill out the short TLA report. Then you can use this work for a local advocacy effort by asking another group of students to compile the information into a Flipgrid, a Prezi, Google Slides, Thinglinks, Animoto, or at least a dozen other Web 2.0 tools and send the presentation to your Principal, Curriculum Director and/or Superintendent.

 

For information about the Texas Library Snapshot Day on October 31 (or any other October day), please check out www.texaslibrarysnapshotday.org for helpful resources (e.g., a sample press release, customer/student input forms, instructions for submitting final data and uploading photographs, video/photo permissions form, tips for using the information, and much more!).

 

Early in the 20th century, a popular advertisement said, “Every picture tells a story.” And don’t we know every picture is worth a thousand words? It’s time to tell the story of your campus library and its value to the students, teachers, and the community. A Library Snapshot can write volumes for advocacy. It is only through the involvement of librarians, media specialists and library staff that we can complete the portrait of Texas school libraries. Let's raise a thousand voices in advocacy!

Sharon Gullett is a library consultant, an adjunct faculty at TAMC-Commerce, and a co-founder of #txlchat as well as an active member of TASL.

What can YOU do to help School Libraries in Texas? Answer: SPEAK UP!

by Dorcas Hand

TLA’s Gloria Meraz has compiled a one page summary of the essential issues in the 2015 budget cycle, one that is extremely important for school libraries. We need every TASL member to write letters and to encourage others to write letters in our behalf.

Maybe you are nervous because you’ve never done this before - very understandable. However, what you NEED to be nervous about is legislative support of school libraries – any support. We need to convince our legislators that we appreciate them, that we are paying attention when they don’t support us, and that we VOTE them into (and out of) office. We need to change their opinion that we don’t do any of those things. You can visit them in their home office; you can write them a letter; or you can send them an email.

And there is an easy approach available today. You can THANK your state legislators – every single one – for TexQuest, because that support helps you offer your school campus and district stronger and measurable services.

So, your ACTION ITEMS include:

Step One

• Be sure your district is signed up for TexQuest.
• Advertise the access details (login username and password) to your students and families and teach students and teachers how to use the resources well.
• Find examples of student work that relied on database research to use in your letters to the legislators.

Step Two

• NOW you can write the letter. This checklist and templates are adapted from the TLA website.
• If you don't know who represents you, go to: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx . Type in your home address. You will get a list of your representatives, including state and federal officials.

• ASK your students to write letters using their own examples. It doesn’t matter if the database use occurred before TexQuest – the important thing is to convince readers of the importance of database access for strong student progress.
• Also ask PTA and teachers as well.
• Repeat throughout the fall to encourage repeat funding of TexQuest.

 

NOTE

• If you work in a private school, you need to tell the legislators that your families also pay taxes and also need access to these resources. Texas has many small non-public schools with very tight budgets who are currently excluded from TexQuest .because  Legislators need to be reminded how many students they have ignored and how many voters they could encourage by including private schools. Also, please join the TASL Private School Discussion Group - no additional membership fee involved.