The new SL 21 Measurement Benchmarks are here. The School Library Workgroup and the Library of Michigan staff have worked to ensure that the measures are relevant and appropriate for Michigan's school library programs. Schools that are working to meet the measures will need to use the new version for certification after July 1, 2013. Previously certified schools remain certified until the expiration of the certificate. Please contact Karren Reish at reishk@michigan.gov or 517-241-0021 with any questions on the SL 21 program.
• SL 21 Measurement Benchmarks for Michigan School Libraries for 21st Century SchoolsSL 21 is a tool to help measure the quality of School Library programs within
individual school buildings in Michigan.
To achieve Qualified and Exemplary Status for a School Library program, submit completed
measurement benchmark evaluations to the Library of Michigan, an Office of the
Michigan Department of Education.
School administrators are to evaluate their building's School Library program in conjunction with their
School Librarian and submissions require the signature of their District Superintendent.
Status earned are valid for three years.
SL 21 is a companion to the Michigan School Library Media Program Guidelines approved by the Library of Michigan Board of Trustees in January 2007.
• School Library WorkgroupThe School Library Workgroup is a group of school librarians who assist the Library of Michigan. Through two meetings a year, the group keeps the Library of Michigan abreast of current issues in Michigan school libraries and reviews the SL 21 measures annually.
• K-12 School Library/Media Center Community UpdatesTo stay informed about the SL 21 program and statewide resources, materials and events for use by K-12 students and staff, please join the School Library Community listserv. The listserv is for the Library of Michigan and the K-12 School Library Media Center community.
• 21st Century Media Center Video Download SiteThe Library of Michigan and the Michigan Association
for Media in Education offer this video to help you inform parent-teacher organizations, state legislators, school administrators, boards of education, and others about school libraries in Michigan.
• Act4SLA national advocacy group working "to ensure that every Pre K-12 student has access to a quality school library program and certified school librarian."
• "Ask Why" from MAMEMAME created PSA to raise awareness among parents and school administrators of the need for certified school librarians in public schools. Joe Staley of the San Francisco 49ers, the son of a Michigan school librarian, is the spokesperson. The PSA is 30 seconds in length. Please feel free to broadcast/distribute.
• Becoming and Being: Reflections on Teacher-LibrarianshipThis collection of writings demonstrates the critical role of the teacher-librarian in schools. Topics include the shift from teacher to teacher-librarian, the library as place and space, the instructional partner role, the technology leadership role, the literacy leadership role, the school leadership role, and the role of the teacher-librarian in collection management.
• Campaign for Grade Level Reading3rd Grade Reading Success Matters - The Campaign is a collaborative effort by dozens of funders across the nation to: close the gap in reading achievement that separates many low-income students from their peers; raise the bar for reading proficiency so that all students are assessed by world-class standards; and ensure that all children, including and especially children from low-income families, have an equitable opportunity to meet those higher standards.
• Highly Effective School Library ProgramColorado statewide program designed to bring recognition to the role that school library media programs and teacher librarians play in promoting student achievement.
• Horizon Report K-12 EditionNMC (New Media Consortium) annual report examining emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in teaching and learning.
• Informational Brief: Impact of School Libraries on Student Achievement; October 2011Report from the New York Comprehensive Center (NYCC)/RMC Research Corporation, the New York State Education Department, the New York State Library and the New York Library Association. This comprehensive brief provides a current and rigorous research analyses which demonstrates the positive impact that school libraries and school librarians have in advancing student learning.
• Learning Space ToolkitA Resource for Designing and Sustaining Technology-Rich Informal Learning Spaces from North Carolina State University, IMLS and others.
• Michigan Association for Media in Education - MAMEMichigan Association for Media in Education (MAME) is an association of library media specialists dedicated to excellence in library / media services in Michigan's schools.
• Project EnableSyracuse University project to provide high quality, comprehensive, train-the-trainer continuing education...for New York's school librarians to...deliver effective service to students with disabilities.
• Project Tomorrowroject Tomorrow is a national education nonprofit group.
The vision of Project Tomorrow is ensure that today's students are well prepared to be tomorrow's innovators, leaders and engaged citizens of the world....Activities include national research projects such as Speak Up.(Survey includes information on school libraries/librarians).
• School Libraries in Michigan 2010An August 2010 presentation by Lakeview High School Librarian Margaret Lincoln. Specific concepts include: How did school library media centers emerge and develop historically? What role does the school librarian fulfill today? You can view the recorded version here.
• School Library Research SummarizedA 2013 summary of school library research studies published by the
School Library & Information Technologies Department, Mansfield University, Mansfield, PA
• W-A-Y ProgramW-A-Y Program is a personalized learning experience for students who struggle with traditional high school. . . an alternative approach to education; one that encourages self-esteem, independence, and the development of 21st century skills . . .
Michigan Reads!What would happen if every parent, grandparent or caregiver read the same book to Michigan preschoolers at the same time? We're on a mission to find out! Michigan Reads! was launched in 2004 by the Library of Michigan in partnership with the Michigan Center for the Book to promote the value and benefits of reading early and often to preschoolers; to encourage family bonding through reading; and to increase awareness and usage of Michigan's libraries. Michigan Reads! is a program of the Library of Michigan and the Library of Michigan Foundation with generous support from Target.
Letters about Literature READ. BE INSPIRED. WRITE BACK.
The Letters about Literature 2014 information and entry coupon are up. You can also see our 2013 winners, Kathleen Carroll from Grosse Pointe Farms, Austin Langlinais from Mattawan, and Ana Mohr from Traverse City. To read their letters and learn more about participating in 2014, click More below.
The Michigan Center for the Book participates in the annual Letters about Literature program from the Library of Congress. This national reading-writing
contest invites readers in grades 4 through 12 to write letters to authors of books that have changed their lives.
