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

Fri Apr 27 13:40:20 EDT 2018

This is great news!!! This would be a huge step forward to helping improve the literacy rate of Michigan’s children.

I have one question. Are there any provision in the bills to help schools pay for their new certified librarians or media specialists? Also, will the State provide the funds needed to rebuild the collections of school libraries that have been closed, in some cases for years? Passing these bills would be wonderful, but if there is no financing to support the mandates, many schools will find it nearly impossible to pay for these important services.

I hope all of this will be taken into consieeration as these forward thinking Representatives move forward to try to remedy a situation that has needed attention for too long.

Sincerely,

Peggy Hemerling
Library Director
Hastings Public Library
227 E. State St.
Hastings, MI 49058
(269) 945-4263

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From: Klaudia Janek [mailto:kjanek at bloomfield.org]
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2018 11:00 AM
To: michlib-l at mcls.org
Subject: [Michlib-l] Fwd: [Mamelist] FW: Bills Require Library in Every Michigan Public School

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

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Lester, Kathy via Mamelist <mamelist at mcls.org<mailto: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<mailto: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<mailto:kathyL at mimame.org>
810.333.5873
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---------- 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<mailto: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] 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.”
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[1] http://www.michigan.gov/documents/corrections/05_03_110_337354_7.pdf

________________________________

________________________________

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

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