Dear Advocates,
ACT4SL invites you to save the date for an upcoming professional learning event focused on advocacy and budgeting strategies for school libraries.
Please save the date!
Telling the Library Story: Advocacy Tools for Budget Season
February 11
7:00 PM EST
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82158977597?pwd=hb0EtEfBADhbsOzSemWYpUAhoziL4c.1
Meeting ID: 821 5897 7597
Passcode: 238952
ACT4SL Libguide : LINK
As school library budgets continue to face increasing challenges, this session will feature school librarians from across the nation sharing practical tools and strategies for effective advocacy during budget season.
Topics will include:
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Advocating for school libraries and librarian positions during budget development
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Understanding school library budgets, purchasing processes, and funding sources
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Building connections with district leadership and community stakeholders
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Using data as a storytelling tool to support advocacy efforts
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Framing and sharing library impact stories at the local, district, and state levels
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Understanding staffing considerations, including FTE, at the state level
We hope you will join us for this timely and empowering conversation.
Presenter Bios:
Heather Hornor has been an educator, librarian, and library administrator in public education for 24 years in Dallas, Texas and has recently moved back home after 24 long years away from the Pacific Northwest. She actively served in several leadership roles in the Texas Library Assocation and is the chair of the AASL School Library Event Promotion committee. She also served as a District 7 board member of the City of Dallas Municipal Library Board. As an American Library Association Law for Librarians Trainer and a dedicated advocate for intellectual freedom, she is passionate about empowering library professionals and educators through their work to serve their communities to the best of their abilities.
Barbara Johnson is an educator and library leader with more than 15 years of experience advancing school librarianship and instructional technology. She currently serves as the Instructional Technology Coordinator for Colchester Public Schools, following prior roles as a Certified School Librarian and Technology Specialist. At the state level, Johnson held leadership positions in the Connecticut Association of School Librarians (CASL), the Connecticut Educators Computer Association (CECA), and statewide educational technology and literacy advisory boards. Johnson has been a member of the American Association of School Librarians since 2013 after earning her MLIS from Mansfield University, she has served in national leadership roles, including AASL Board Director-at-Large and Chair of the AASL Chapter Assembly.
Sheena Kelly currently serves as the Digital Media Literacies Coordinator for Thompson School District in Colorado. She holds leadership positions on the Board of Directors for both the Colorado Library Consortium and the Colorado Association of Libraries. Throughout her diverse career in public and international school libraries, she has successfully secured funding through technology and innovation grants to fund critical library infrastructure and programs. Drawing on her Master of Library and Information Science, she specializes in transforming data into compelling narratives that advocate for robust school library budgets and future-ready educational spaces.
**A flyer with additional details will be released in the coming weeks.
Yours in librarianship,
ACT4SL TEAM : Christy Kaaland (WA), Deb Kachel (PA), Kathy Lester (MI), Tricina Strong-Beebe (NJ), Susan Yutzey (OH)
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Debra Kachel
Instructor, School of Education, Library Media
Antioch University Seattle
She/Her/Hers
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