Los Angeles School Librarians Association
Spring Luncheon Info!
April 25, 2023
Spring is here and so is our annual Spring Luncheon!
Join us in celebrating our retirees as well as our 2023 awards recipients.
Please check the LASLA Google Group for full invitation/details.
Hope to see you there!
Services for Dr. Esther Sinofsky
February 3, 2023
It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of our district administrator, Dr. Esther Sinofsky, who passed away on Thursday, February 2nd, 2023.
Below is the information for her funeral services:
4334 Whittier Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90023
Sunday, February 5th at 11:00 am
In lieu of flowers, people can donate in Dr Esther's memory to Tomchei Shabbos L.A., a charitable organization that provides food and financial assistance with dignity to those in need.
Spring Luncheon Information!
April 7, 2022
Spring is upon us and that means our annual Spring Luncheon will arrive before we know it!
This year, we will return to an in-person luncheon, honoring not only our retirees (2021 and 2022!), but also the recipients of the Friend of the Library, Joan Kramer Advocate, and Phyllis Bennett awards.
Please check the LASLA Google Group for full invitation/details. Hope to see you there!
LASLA Awards 2022 Edition
April 6, 2022
Joan Kramer
Advocate Award
Please click on Joan's picture below to read the information on how to apply for this award.
Picture courtesy of Glen Brown.
Phyllis Bennett School Library Award
Please click on the flyer below to access the link to apply.
Picture courtesy of the Bennett Family.
LASLA Friend of the Library Award 2022
Please email your nomination to Tammie Celi (her email is located on the flyer to the left - please click on the flyer to enlarge).
Graphic Novels & Manga in the School Library
March 23, 2022
Way back in 2019, I attended the CSLA Southern Region Fall Workshop. I was a new TL, enrolled in a masters program, and one of my class requirements was to attend workshops and write about them. One workshop in particular stood out to me: using graphic novels to drive instruction. I was blown away by the information and took quick and copious notes. I immediately purchased several of the titles the workshop presenter mentioned and squirreled them away so I could eventually add them to my library. Whenever I was able, I found interesting, diverse, and relevant titles for my students to read.
Then, COVID hit and everything went on hold. I changed schools, finished my program, and still had a pile of graphic novels and young adult fiction to add to my school's collection.
I attended this year's CSLA virtual conference and attended all the workshops that focused on using graphic novels and manga in classrooms and in libraries. Since I didn't know as much about manga, I was determined to learn more. I started adding manga to my collection, and suddenly, titles like Demon Slayer , Naruto, and One Piece started flying off my shelves. The circulation statistics for my library went up so high, it's rivaling past years by 500%.
Graphic novels and manga help students read! The text is more sophisticated than people think, the accompanying pictures support critical thinking skills, and most of all, emerging readers and students learning English read them! Win Win for all!
Banned Books in the News
January 28, 2022
On January 10, 2022, a school board in Tennessee voted to remove "Maus", a Pulitzer prize-winning graphic novel by Art Spiegelman from its eighth grade language arts curriculum, claiming concern for profanity and female nudity in the text.
This graphic novel depicts the Holocaust, one of the most vile and terrible acts ever committed against human beings. To censor this book is to take away our children's need to learn and understand what happened during this time.
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum tweeted how important it is to use books such as "Maus": "Teaching about the Holocaust using books like Maus can inspire students to think critically about the past and their own roles and responsibilities today."
In a Washington state school district, a school board voted to remove "To Kill a Mockingbird" from its required reading list due to "racism."
This recent push to censor and ban books is concerning, but not surprising. What many of these parents and organizations who are pushing to ban books don't realize is, when a book is censored, it's like telling a kid not to push that BIG RED BUTTON. What does the kid do? The kid pushes the button! Censored books are like Big Red Buttons: kids want to read what adults tell them they can't.
The day after I heard "Maus" was banned in Tennessee, I pulled my copy from the Graphic Novels/Manga section in my library and faced it out so it was on display for all to see. My next order of business will be to gather all the banned books I have in my library and put them on a special display.
Happy New Year 2022!
January 1, 2022
We wish all of you the happiest of new years! May 2022 bring a breath of fresh air to our libraries and a renewed energy to do great things. These last two years have been tough on so many and it is our hope that we will soon be able to gather in person and share ideas to continue to make our libraries a great place to be for our students.
Whether it be updating a tired and outdated collection and renewing it with updated titles of diverse authors, genrefying to help students find more books they love, or collaborating with teachers to incorporate exciting ways to research information, we wish you much success in all your new endeavors this year.
Fall Social Fast Approaching
November 7, 2021
Our first planned social is fast approaching! After being in a virtual environment for over a year and a half, it will be nice to get together with our LASLA colleagues. Lunch is provided and there will be a raffle! Woo!
Please check the LASLA Google Group for details and Evite. Hope to see you there!
Proposed Constitution & By-laws Pass!
September 30, 2021
After spending over 100 hours throughout the summer revising and updating the old Constitution and By-laws, and writing new Standing Rules, the CBSR Committee presented the proposal to the Association. The CBSR passed with a 93% vote! Thank you to the committee members who worked tirelessly to give LASLA a solid foundation to stand on: Tricia Churchill, Lori Broger-Mackey, Suzanne Osman, Sherri Whitham, and Dana Saavedra.
To view the Approved CBSR, click here or click on the Constitution & By-laws tab in the toolbar at the top of the page.
Teacher of the Year 2021
August 18, 2021
Blair Carroll
Robert A. Millikan Affiliated Charter and Performing Arts Magnet Middle School
Written by Kimberly Balala, ILTSS, Specialist
Blair has always been eager to support all students of LA Unified, not only the students at the school she serves, Robert A Millikan Affiliated Charter and Performing Arts Middle School.
During the initial months of the pandemic, Blair worked tirelessly to make that transition from the physical school library to a virtual school library. She created video tutorials on how to access various portals in an easy to follow, student-friendly way. When asked if ILTSS could post a link to the video on their webpage to share, she was more than happy to say yes.
Recently, Blair was invited to collaborate with the Parent Community Student Services Branch on a campaign to create awareness for our various digital library apps and databases, focusing on our e-book platforms, Sora and myON. The first call Blair shared the successes she has had with the annual Robert A Millikan Affiliated Charter and Performing Arts Middle School Family Literacy Night. She shared with the group, the success of the family literacy night and family participation. Parent Community Student Services Branch on a campaign to create awareness for our various digital library apps and databases, focusing on our e-book platforms, Sora and myON. The first call Blair shared the successes she has had with the annual Robert A Millikan Affiliated Charter and Performing Arts Middle School Family Literacy Night. She shared with the group, the success of the family literacy night and family participation.
This past Spring Blair is co-facilitating with Dr. Susan David from Personalized Learning Systems in several professional developments sessions focused on those same digital library apps and databases to create awareness for the K-12 teachers. These PD sessions will inevitably support all students, not just Millikan students which is at the heart of all that Blair does. It’s about all students achieving, all students reading, all students becoming lifelong learners.
Well done, Blair! We are so proud of you and how much work you have put into advocating for the Teacher Librarian Profession.
Weekly PD Workshops (postponed... for now)
August 13, 2021
Join us for weekly Professional Development meetings hosted on Zoom!
Each week covers different topics integral to the Teacher Librarian profession, as well as book talks, workshops on technology apps, and trainings on the various digital platforms we use daily.
Please see the PD Workshops tab in the toolbar above for past workshops and check the Google Group for the link to attend the meetings. Hope to see you soon!