[Michlib-l] Fwd: [Mamelist] FW: Bills Require Library in Every Michigan Public School

Fri Apr 27 10:59:53 EDT 2018

Big news in the school library world today!  I just wanted to share with
our public library partners so that we can get the word out.

Best-
Klaudia

Klaudia Janek, MLIS

*School Librarian*

*IB Extended Essay Coordinator*

*Michigan Association for Media in Education - 2018 President*

*AASL Region #3 MI Delegate *

248 341 5925

http://iamediacenter.blogspot.com

International Academy

1020 East Square Lake Road

Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Lester, Kathy via Mamelist <mamelist at mcls.org>
Date: Thu, Apr 26, 2018 at 10:56 PM
Subject: [Mamelist] FW: Bills Require Library in Every Michigan Public
School
To: mamelist <mamelist at mcls.org>

Please see the forwarded message.
Michigan House Reps Darrin Camilleri, Adam Zemke, and Christine Greig
introduced bills *today* to require libraries and school librarians!

MAME President, Klaudia Janek, asked me to pass this on to everyone.

The MAME Advocacy Committee will be sending out a call to action soon.  We
will need everyone's help to support this!

Feeling excited and blessed...

All my best to everyone!
--Kathy

Kathy Lester, MLIS, MA
*Advocacy Chair, Past-President 2014*
Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME)
*SIGLIB Steering Committee*
Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL)
*School Library Media Specialist / Technology Coach*
*SL21 Model Library, 2017-2018*
*SL21 Exemplary Ranking - Michigan School Libraries for the 21st Century
2016-2019*
East Middle School, Plymouth-Canton Schools
*ISTE Making IT Happen Award Winner*
*2017 MAME Michigan School Library Program of the Year*
*2012 **State Librarian's Excellence Award Winner*
kathyL at mimame.org
810.333.5873

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Date: Thu, Apr 26, 2018 at 3:15 PM
Subject: FW: Bills Require Library in Every Michigan Public School
To: "Lester, Kathy" <kathyl at mimame.org>

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

*Thursday, April 26, 2018*

*Contact: Samantha Hart*

*Phone: (260) 413-4882*

*Bills Require Library in Every Michigan Public School*

*Legislation comes in response to literacy crisis facing Michigan schools*

LANSING — State Reps. *Darrin Camilleri *(D-Brownstown Township) and *Adam
Zemke *(D-Ann Arbor) and House Democratic Floor Leader *Christine
Greig *(D-Farmington
Hills) introduced a package of bills to require staffed libraries in every
public school in Michigan in response to the state’s staggering illiteracy
rates and in honor of April as School Library Month.

“Every student has a right to read, yet not every public school is required
to offer students a library to help them grow and develop,” said Rep.
Camilleri, a former high school social studies teacher. “Even our state’s
prisons are required to have a library with a certified librarian.[1]
<#m_-7322103574138432815_m_2215500087779574091__ftn1> If we can ensure our
state’s prisoners have a library available, surely we can work to provide
our state’s young minds with access to this vital resource.”

Over the past decade, support for school libraries has fallen throughout
the state, with many public schools opting to use library space for other
purposes. Michigan is ranked 47th in the nation
<https://mea.org/loss-of-librarians-hurts-literacy-efforts/> for its ratio
of students to certified librarians or media specialists. As of 2012, only
8 percent of public schools in the state have at least one full-time
certified media specialist. At the same time, however, the need for
services provided by school libraries with certified media specialists is
growing. In 2017, 56 percent
<https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/03/06/michigan-third-grade-reading-decline/111128344/>
of third-graders failed the reading test included on the state’s
assessment.

“Michigan is no doubt experiencing a literacy crisis, and it is clear we
need to be more creative in our efforts to reverse this trajectory before
it is too late,” said Rep. Zemke, Democratic vice chair of the House
Education Reform Committee. “We are at a critical moment in our state when
we must choose whether to take significant steps to improve our schools, or
face the consequences of continued educational decline. It is crucial we do
all we can to help put our state’s students on a path to success.”

Specifically, the three-bill package would do the following:

·      House Bill 5909: Require every public school in Michigan to offer a
library beginning in the 2018-19 school year that meets certain criteria.
(Rep. Zemke)

·      HB 5910: Require a school district board to employ at least one
certified media specialist for each school library operated by that
district beginning in the 2018-19 school year. (Rep. Camilleri)

·      HB 5911: Require a principle or other appropriate administrator to
designate an individual to supervise students in a school library when a
certified media specialist is not present. (Rep. Greig)

“In honor of Reading Month, my colleagues and I spent all of March
traveling throughout our districts sharing our love of reading with
students,” Rep. Greig said. “Rather than focusing on reading one month of
the year, we must recommit ourselves to providing Michigan’s students with
the best literacy resources and instruction possible all year long. We hope
our colleagues will understand the necessity of this legislation and the
crisis Michigan’s students are facing, and support this important set of
bills.”

“Certified school library media specialists provide vital services to their
students and school communities. They are integral to reading, technology
integration, and information literacy and have a high impact on student
achievement,” said Kathy Lester with the Michigan Association for Media in
Education. “I commend Representatives Camilleri, Greig and Zemke for
recognizing that our students deserve equitable access to this essential
resource.”

###

[1] http://www.michigan.gov/documents/corrections/05_03_110_337354_7.pdf

------------------------------

------------------------------

[1] <#m_-7322103574138432815_m_2215500087779574091__ftnref1>
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/corrections/05_03_110_337354_7.pdf

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