February RASL meeting

Meet us in the SCILS faculty lounge tomorrow,
February 24th at 5:00 PM

You've heard all about Web 2.0,
but how is it going to help you in your LMC
or your youth services department?

Come on out for some free pizza, discussion
and demonstrations of Web 2.0 in the library.

Elections

Anyone interested in becoming treasurer or secretary for RASL should make sure to attend tomorrow's meeting, because we are going to have elections for both officer positions. I look forward to seeing you there!

At last... the RASL meeting update!

I enjoyed the first RASL meeting of the semester (my first ever!). I’m in the online program, so it was great to get to campus and meet everyone. Here’s a quick recap of the agenda and what we covered.

Origins of RASL - Check out the RASL website for a brief history of our organization.

NJ Department of Education requirements for School Library Certifications - The most up-to-date information can be found here on the SCILS website.

Plan of Study for SMLS and timing of classes - Did you know that the School Library Medial Specialist track allows only one elective? Did you know that some required courses are offered only in the fall semester or only in the spring semester? Several of our members have run into trouble with the timing of their classes, and strongly recommend faculty advising sessions as you map out your plan of study. We are working to include the timing of classes on the RASL website. In the meantime, the SCILS website lists required courses here.

SLMS jobs - Members talked about various websites that post job openings for school library media specialists. We have a list of job links on the RASL website that we are looking to update. If you know of a job website, please post it as a comment here, or email Renee.

NJASL and other library organizations - "Network, network, network!" was the advice from several of our members. Get involved in RASL and NJASL, NJLA and ALA. Student volunteers can often attend conferences for free or at reduced rates. Links to these and other professional organizations are on the RASL website. Be sure to look for discount student memberships when you join!

Forum: What do you want from RASL? - Everyone had lots of great ideas. Check out Kristie's post below, and please feel free to send your suggestions to us as comments on this blog, or via email.

Next meeting: Thursday, February 21, 5 pm SCILS lounge. Hope to see you then!

Mark your calendars!

Come out and see what RASL is all about, network, get involved, meet your new officers, or just come for the refreshments! ;-) Here is our Spring schedule of meetings. Hope to see you soon!

Wednesday, 1/30/08, 5:00 PM
Thursday, 2/21/08, 5:00 PM
Wednesday, 3/26/08, 5:00 PM
Wednesday, 4/16/08, 5:00 PM
Thursday, 5/1/08, 5:00 PM

Meetings are held in the 2nd floor SCILS lounge, unless otherwise noted. Check back here or on our website for programs, meeting notes and changes.

RASL

What do YOU want to see RASL do for you this year? Ideas? Let us know!!

First Meeting a Success!

A Thank you!
Hi everyone!

Thanks to all of you who came out to the meeting yesterday afternoon - we met a lot of new faces, saw some old ones, and had a great conversation (and some tasty fondue and pasta)!!

Some Points
- I know starting at SCILS IS overwhelming, no matter how old or young you are. Rest assured that EVERYONE is nervous - so it's ok!

- For those students who are looking to go into public libraries/childrens and youth services, it may have seemed like all we disussed yesterday about classes revolved around ed media. That's mostly because the ed media program of study is so exact and structured because of ceritfication in NJ. This structure is fairly new and, I think even the powers that be in Trenton don't exactly "get it" - hence the confusion and the discussion always leadng back to certification.

Do not despair, public librarians - we will have many more conversations about topics that are children's and youth service oriented across the board!

Pep Talk #1
It was GREAT to hear so many people speak up and give their opinions! There were lots of questions about classes, plans of study, certifications, etc. I hope we tried to ease some of your fears and stresses about the program. Trust me, it's all completely normal - I went home after the orientation and cried!

BUT the GOOD NEWS is that will go away! Starting a grad school program in ANY subject is stressful and takes some getting used to - so PLEASE don't let that get the best of you!! You CAN do this, you CAN get your studies done - just keep repeating that!

Q & A!
Soooo, the pep talk now being out of the way, I had mentioned what a help posting your questions and comments and answers that were brought up in the meeting (and whatever came up AFTER the meeting in your heads) will be helpful to us, you guys, and any students who couldn't make it to the meeting.

Here's the deal. I've broken up the categories of what kinds of questions we were asked into separate blog posts. Comment with your question or remark to the appropriate category. If we don't know the answer, we'll find someone who does. After a week or so, I'll post ALL the questions and answers in its own post - this way you'll have an "unofficial guide to the Ed Media/SCILS program at RU" to refer to, and we can use it for future SCILS students as well!

Feel free to post thoughts too, that aren't exactly questions - those are a help as well!

Sooooo, start thinking about those questions - post 'em to the right topics - and next week, I'll compile them all with the answers and post them! PLEASE sign your name though!

Still In a State of Confusion? Pep Talk #2!
I just want to mention that being confused is normal. I came from an undergraduate background that was very structured and told you, each semester, exactly what to take. Rutgers doesn't always tell you everything about everything - a lot of times, unfortunately, you have to find answers out yourselves - about programs of study, about ids or loans or whatever. Fellow students and professors are THE BEST resource for finding out information that isn't laid out in black and white (and red) on the website.

What we hope to do with the next few posts is answer your questions and comments about the programs and general "stuff" at Rutgers so you feel a little more secure. I know it's tough - my undergraduate program at The College of New Jersey was much more straight forward. And it's a double edged sword with education media - there are rigid guidelines to follow but at the same time, HOW to follow those guidelines is not always straightforward. That's where RASL comes in - we can talk to other professors, administrators, and even members of NJASL (the New Jersey Association of School Librarians) to find answers for you and for ourselves.

So I guess what I am trying to get at is - DON'T WORRY!

Thanks again for coming out yesterday - keep checking this blog back for more information, and get to posting your questions!

Thanks!!
Chrissy George, Co-Pres

Welcome!!

Hello everyone, and WELCOME to RASL's blogspot page!!!

This blog is being used by the Rutgers Association of School Librarians (RASL) to update students and members of events and issues in the young adult and children's library world - school or public. We'll post information about our meetings, current events that might affect you, stuff in the news and industry, etc.

Note that we've been having some problems with our Rutgers website, so be assured that this site will carry the most current information.

The library and information science field is constantly changing with new issues and technology. and blogs are becoming mainstream and a great way to stay informed. We here in RASL are proud to explore this new vehicle for discussion. While we only have meetings once a month, the blog will be constantly monitored and updated - so please know that you HAVE support throughout your program at Rutgers, online or on campus, and on the job after graduation.

While the officers of RASL are the only ones with the password to the site, we've enabled it so that ANYONE can leave comments - with or without a Blogspot account (which is free, btw, if you'd like to join). We just ask that you please leave your full name at the end of each comment if you sign in anonymously so that we know who is posting.

Have a topic that you'd like some feedback on? Email to us, and we'll post it as an entry - this way you can receive advice, comments, and info from your fellow students!

And, please - don't be shy! We're ALL here to help and support each other!

We're also pleased to have a way to meet and talk with the online students. The Rutgers online program has students from all reaches of the world - some as far as China - and a commute to New Brunswick every month for an in person meeting isn't always easy! So we'd like to give a special welcome to the online students who are reading this - know that while you may not be on campus, the support of a student organization is still at your fingertips!

With all that being said, I'd like to remind you all of basic netiquette - http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html - please visit them at the link above before posting. While this is not a website supported by Rutgers, we all still need to abide by the basic rules of respect and manners.

So grab a cup of coffee, take a seat, and start reading and scrolling! Every opinion and thought is a valid one, and we're all friends here - so don't be shy or nervous to post! We're all here to support each other throughout this journey and after graduation!

Thanks for reading,
Chrissy George
Co-Pres of RASL
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RASL Officers:
April Bocchino, Co-President: aprilbo@eden.rutgers.edu
Chrissy George, Co-President: cgeorge2@eden.rutgers.edu
Emily Weiss, Secretary
Darren Heiber, Membership & Marketing