PA School Library Project   Tags: institute of museum and library services, pennsylvania, school libraries, school library advocacy, school library research  

Th following pdf of the briefing PowerPoint will be used at the Philadelphia briefing on October 25.

Join the Pennsylvania School Library Advocates Network PSLAN

A new, moderated, announcements-only listserv has been created for the general public called the Pennsylvania School Library Advocates Network (PSLAN)--PSLAN@hslc.org. Designed for interested school library supporters who are not already on the school librarian listservs, you will receive information about what is happening in Pennsylvania to school library programs. These emails will not be excessive, but will update you on state legislation needing your support concerning school libraries, share media coverage about PA school libraries, and provide links to relevant, new research on school libraries and their impact on student learning.

To join, go to https://mail.palibrary.org/mailman/listinfo/pslan or you can email the list moderator, Deb Kachel at dkachel69@comcast.net. 

On October 15, 2012, the first of three briefings was held in Harrisburg at the WITF-TV Media Building. Presenters included: 

• Sandra Zelno, School Reform Associate, Education Law Center
• Dr. Mary Kay Biagini, Associate Professor, School of Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh
• Dr. Keith Curry Lance, researcher, RSL Research Group, Louisville, Colorado
• Debra Kachel, Project Director, and Co-Chairperson, Legislation Committee, Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA) 

Three participants on a Respondent's Panel included:

• Eileen Kern, President, PSLA
• Graig Henshaw, library media specialist, A.D. Goode, Phineas Davis, and Jackson, K-8 Schools, School District of the City of York
• John Emerick, former Director, Division of School Library Services, PDE

On October 25, 2012, the second of three briefings was held at the Sheraton Downtown Hotel, Philadelphia, preceding the School Library Journal Leadership Summit. The project staff wish to thank the School Library Journal's editor, Rebeccca Miller, and Summit organizer, Rocco Staino, for securing a room and for facilitating this presentation to reach school librarians from other states, in addition to Philadelphia area advocates. Presenters included: 

• Sandra Zelno, School Reform Associate, Education Law Center
• Dr. Mary Kay Biagini, Associate Professor, School of Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh
• Debra Kachel, Project Director, and Co-Chairperson, Legislation Committee, Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA) 

Three participants on a Respondent's Panel include:

• Carol Heinsdorf, President, Assn. of Philadelphia School Librarians (APSL)
• Eileen Kern, President, Pa. School Librarians Assn
• Ludy Soderman, Director, Multilingual Family Support Office, School District of Philadelphia

On November 15, 2012, the final of three briefings was held at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit #3, Homestead, PA. Presenters included: 

• Sandra Zelno, School Reform Associate, Education Law Center
• Dr. Mary Kay Biagini, Associate Professor, School of Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh
• Debra Kachel, Project Director, and Co-Chairperson, Legislation Committee, Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA) 

The Respondent's Panel included:

• Donora Craighead, Community Activist, Wilkinsburg School District
• Kelly Gustafson, Principal, Bower Hill Elementary School, Peters Township School District
• Myra Oleynik, Librarian, Bower Hill Elementary School, Peters Township School District

Dr. Mary Kay Biagini authored this report that presents an overview of school library research and explains why school libraries and librarians are essential to student academic success. The report compares the status of school library programs in Pennsylvania with the research findings of a 2012 Keith Curry Lance IMLS-funded research study.  [pdf version]

The IMLS National Leadership Project contracted with RSL Research Group, Colorado, to study Pennsylvania's school library programs to learn what components--staffing, collections, digital resouces and technology, library access, and funding--most impacted student learning as determined by PSSA Reading and Writing test scores of students. [pdf version]

The following fact sheet was researched by the Education Law Center of Pennsylvania, July 2012, in order to determine what other states are requiring in school library services for public K-12 school students. Pennsylvania mandates libraries in many educational settings, but not in public schools. For example, the state mandates libraries in private, not public, elementary and secondary schools, hospitals, clinical laboratories, practical nursing programs, barber schools, cosmetology schools, the General Assembly, institutions of higher education, and juvenile facilities and adult prisons (based on court orders).