edWeb.net/emergingtech session 8 (Feb. 2, 2011 at 4PM Eastern) - Visibility & Advocacy

Times are tough for school librarians. Even the most exceptional practitioners are facing attrition and cutbacks. Last year, on the Connecticut Association of School Librarians’ (CASL) list serve, a member posted a response to an inquiry about cut library positions, “Ironically, the same day I got my “letter” regarding my “employment status”, I received a letter from CASL saying I was the winner of the 2010 CASL Collaboration Grant Award. Geesh, go figure…”

What can we do about this? How can we capitalize on available technology to promote our indispensability? What tools will best feature our roles as leaders, instructional partners, and best-practitioners? Emerging technology is instrumental in our campaign to preserve jobs, our profession, our libraries.

In session 7, we talked about the power of social media as an educational tool. In this next session, we will expand that discussion to include its power in showcasing the librarians’ impact on student learning. The visibility and advocacy conversation will extend over next the few months. Session 8 is our launching point. Join our professional learning community, Using Emerging Technology to Improve Your Library Program at edWeb.net. It's free! And it’s just around the corner! Save the date: February 2, 2011 at 4PM Eastern.