April meeting minutes

Dear RASL-blog readers,

First off, apologies for not posting the March (or um, February) meeting minutes yet. This post is coming to you live from our April Anime meeting. Stay tuned for previous meeting minutes- (I promise)!

Special guests: Jill Ratzan and Chris Centofanti

What is a manga?
Manga is a form of comics from Japan; 7 1/2 by 5 inches in size.
-characters generally have large eyes, crazy hair
-Pokemon originally based on a manga
-reads backwards (right to left)..reflects traditional Japanese writing
-on the page itself, written right to left, top to down
-often written in vertical style; columns are longer than they are wide
-manga is a FORMAT of book, not a genre in itself (there are lots of different genres represented in manga and graphic novels)

Genres of manga:
-Shonen: action/adventure manga; often "like a Jackie Chan film" (action but silliness to it too)
-Shonen Jump; Naruto
-Shojo: "high school musical" version of manga; appeals to girls; romance is big part of the genre; outlandish scenarios; Chinese zodiac and animal spirits come into play
-Shojo Pink; Little Butterfly; Marmalade Boy
-Yowie! manga:
-Seinan manga: artwork is very realistic; similar to well-drawn Western comics today
-Josie manga: realistic, appeals to girls; "like a Julia Roberts movie"
-re-tellings: ex. manga Hamlet; many different brands are turning Shakespeare's work into manga to appeal to teens; Star Wars manga
-Great way to get those who might not be into manga into it!
-Western original stories: written in manga style but not based on Japanese legends

Why do teens like manga?
-it's new; it's different
-parents don't understand it! (how to read it, etc.)--sense of pride in "getting it"
-doesn't take as much concentration and time as a novel--sense of accomplishment in finishing 1 or 2 per day is obtainable goal
-can connect to the stories
-visual appeal

Library considerations:
-fall apart very easily
-some publishers offer better versions (more expensive; often available at conferences)
-easy to steal because they're small
-many, many volumes in a series: buy first few in the series and see if they circulate or try to have some sort of inter-library loan agreement with other libraries
-Volume one is often the one that's never in the library (buy extra copies of first one, maybe)
-nudity


Content:
-often violent; lots of blood
-content often varies from volume to volume
-frequent nudity: female toplessness isn't a big deal in Japan
-characters look very young: nudity/sex might be controversial but Japanese standard of beauty sees youth as the ideal

What to Collect:
Tokyo Pop rating system: offers a ratings system and tells you WHY a book is rated that way (ie. nudity but not violent)

How manga supports curriculum:
-shows cultural diversity
-shows life in Japan; way house is set up, packing lunch, etc.: reading manga can teach you about Japanese culture
-inaccessible text is made accessible (ie. Hamlet)
-inspire an interest in medieval Japan, etc.; could be paired with "serious" non-fiction
-they're fun to read!!

Anime:
-video version of manga
-we also viewed scenes from the anime movie: "My Neighbor Totoro" directed by Hayao Miyazaki

For more information: email Jill Ratzan at jratzan@scils.rutgers.edu; or Chris Centofanti at ccento@eden.rutgers.edu



Check out Scott McCloud's book "Understanding Comics" for more information!
Other books to check out include: Stephen Krashen's "The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research" (2004).

**handout will be posted on the website!


Love,
(your very frazzled) RASL secretary

March meeting ... tomorrow!

Join us tomorrow evening, Tuesday March 31st at 5pm in the lounge for the March RASL meeting.

This should be a great meeting!
We are lucky to have Dr. Carol Gordon and Dr. Ross Todd coming to speak about the NJ revisions to the Core Curriculum Content Standards and the Celebrating Teaching and Learning conference they recently attended.

We also plan to discuss any scheduling questions for the upcoming Fall semester and of course there will be pizza. :)

1st meeting of the semester!

Hey everybody!

Come on out for some pizza and discussion of your youth services experience
at SCILS! Don't let the name of our organization deceive you, we cater our
meetings to both school librarians and public librarians in youth services.
Get the inside scoop on job offerings and tips and tricks while networking
with your peers!

The meeting is on Thursday, January 29th at 5:30 PM. We look forward to
seeing you there!

November 6th meeting minutes

In case you missed our November meeting, here's what happened:

I. Welcome!
-Recap of collaboration panel (check out the collaboration post on the blog)
-Recap of Children's and Youth Services Forum
-Recap of Showcasing Information Literacies: New Dimensions 2008

II. Job Postings:
-Metuchen: Middle School Position (http://www.metuchenschools.org/metuchen/)
-Bloomfield Public Library: children's librarian (http://www.bccls.org/buckles/jobs.shtml)
-Clifton Public Library: Children's librarian (http://www.bccls.org/buckles/jobs.shtml)
-Tenafly Public Schools- Elementary (www.tenafly.k12.nj.us)
-Upper Freehold Regional- K-8 (www.ufrsd.net)

III. NJASL Conference
-Thursday, Nov. 13-Sat. Nov 15: early registration for this year's conference has passed.
-Hilton, East Brunswick
-On-site registration is $95 for students (all three days) or $90 for one day
-Review of Programs: Lots of great programs; check out the schedule here: http://www.njasl.org/Conferences.htm

Alicia, Kristie, and Jess will all be attending, so contact RASL if you are looking for some company at the conference!!!

IV. Spring Registration: began on Sunday November 9
-If you haven't done so already, meet with an adviser! Even if you already know what courses you are taking, this is a good idea because of the structure of the SLM program...make sure you're on track so that you can graduate on time! Carol Gordon will be happy to meet with you to discuss course registration. Her office is in SCILS room 332 and her email is cgordon1@rci.rutgers.edu
-We passed out our handy scheduling planning sheets.

V. Next meeting: Thursday, December 4 at 5pm
-Election of new co-president
-Holiday celebration/celebration of graduates

Collaboration Panel, Thursday 10/16

The Rutgers Association of School Librarians (RASL) Presents a Collaboration Panel!

You hear a lot about collaboration in your classes, but what does it take to make it happen?

Join us for a panel discussion on the challenges & benefits and strategies for successful collaboration.

Participants on the panel include school and public librarians and teachers who work with students of all ages.

Bring your questions on how to make collaboration and quality communication a reality, or just come to listen.

Thursday, October 16th
SCILS Student Lounge
Refreshments at 6pm, Panel at 6:30pm

Hope to see you there!

9/11/08 meeting minutes

Greetings RASL members,
Welcome to our new RASL friends and thanks for attending (even if you only came for the pizza..). In case you couldn't make it this week, here's how we kicked off the semester:

I. Welcome to SCILS/RASL and Introductions all around

II. Informal discussion regarding scheduling and the "myth" of graduating in 3 semesters
-We have an official discussion regarding scheduling in November before registration for spring classes, so stay tuned!

III. schedule of events for the semester
-Wed. October 15: Youth Services Forum @Monmouth County Library, 9-3; $12.50 students; visit www.njla.org for more info
-Wed. October 22: Showcasing Information Literacies: New Dimensions 2008 @ Newark Public Library; 9-3:45; $55; visit www.njcenterforthebook.org
-Thurs. November 13-Sat. Nov. 15: NJASL Fall conference; Hilton East Brunswick; $60-95 for students; www.njasl.org

IV. RASL plans for the semester
-Collaboration panel to be held sometime in October; the focus will be both on collaborating with teachers in a school setting, as well as from a public library perspective. Collaboration is vital to the role of SLMS (and really, ALL librarians), so make sure to attend! (date TBA)
- Possible shadowing TBA...option to be placed in either a school or public library
- NJASL: possible guest speaker from the organization or from an MLIS student who has attended in the past to give tips on what to expect at conferences

V. Organizations
-introduction to some of the important organizations to be aware of
-ALA: American Library Association
-AASL: American Association of School Librarians; part of the ALA; focuses on policy; information literacy standards for the 21st century learner; Information Power; Guided Inquiry
-CISSL: Center for International Study of School Librarians; began at Rutgers: Carol Gordon, Ross Todd, Carol Kuhlthau
-only international organization of school librarians
- if you're interested in teaching/being a librarian abroad, check it out!
-offers scholarships
-NJASL: NJ Assoc. of School Librarians
-fall conference; job postings; scholarships and awards
-voluntary mentoring program for first year SLMS
-will be unveiling a new website in the near future
-current debate: a K-8 school in Millford, NJ was awarded a $10,000 grant for "rolling libraries" containing subject-specific reference books. These have been maintained by teachers and students, who have also done all of the cataloging of materials. NJASL is working to uphold the reputation of school librarians and demonstrate that students/teachers are not qualified to maintain and should not be in charge of cataloging library materials. NJASL has led the push for only certified school librarians from accredited universities to serve as school librarians.

VI. Carol Gordon dropped by
-Professor Gordon teaches MLIS courses, oversees the school library media program, and is a founder of CISSL
-she encouraged students to stop by for advising (Room 332 in SCILS); she also suggested that if you are "on the fence" regarding pursuing school library media, to stick with the school library track because it will be easier to switch careers later than to return to school to get your certification later.

VII. If you are interested in reviewing children's books (some with an economics spin) contact Yana Rogers at yrogers@rci.rutgers.edu for information. This is not a paying job, but you will be allowed to keep the books that you review.

Members in attendance:
Alicia Blowers
Kristi Revicki
Jess Emili
Steph Mikitish
Robert Thompson
Rachel Bavolar
Dawn Hoesterey
Ariel Franklin
Helen Prichett
Rosemary Sherry
Adriane Gash

Tuesday, May 6 meeting minutes

In case you couldn't make it to the final meeting of the semester, here's what happened:

a recap of NJLA

Job Opportunities:

Clearview Regional High School (www.njasl.org/JobOpenings)
Caravel Academy Middle School (SCILS job board)
Holland Township School, K-8 (njhire.com)
Villa Victoria, 9-12 (njhire.com)
Cranford High School FT SLMS (Cranford BOE)
Ewing Elementary Schools FT SLMS (SCILS job board)

Discussion for next year:

panels, guest speakers, best practices sharing, shadowing current SLMS, field trips

Carol Gordon led a discussion regarding collaboration between teachers and SLMSs; points included:
-teachers often don't see librarians as "real teachers"
-teachers often don't know about all of the technology/resources available: use this to your advantage to encourage collaboration with them!
-collaboration between SLMSs and teachers should happen EVERY DAY! teachers are the lifeline to the student population
-Erin proposed putting together a pamplet of FAQs regarding collaboration for graduating MLIS school media students (maybe next semester?)
-someone else brought up the idea of collaborating with the graduate school of education
-International Association of school librarians in August (Berkeley, CA): Professor Gordon has attended in the past; she says international libraries view school libraries as an important source of information/reading materials for the entire school community (including parents); international school libraries focus on multilingual/cultural materials more than US schools; more advanced collaboration between libraries and teachers in international schools

Upcoming:

May 20th: SCILS Awards Ceremony; 1:30-3:30, Voorhees Hall 105
May 20th: SCILS Convocation; 5 pm, College Avenue Gym: THIS IS THE ONE TO GO TO!
May 21st: University Commencement; 1:30 pm, Voorhees Mall
NJASL Fall Conference: November 13-15, Hilton East Brunswick- Anyone interested in doing a poster presentation?

Congratulations to our graduates!!
See you next semester!!

Last minute announcement (Sorry!): Meeting tomorrow 5/6/08

It's our final meeting of the year! Tuesday May 6, 2008 at 5 pm in the SCILS lounge.

On the agenda this week: Celebrating our graduates, electing new officers, and planning for next semester.

Pizza will be served. Hope to see you there!

Meeting minutes from 3/26/08

Opening Announcements
1. Discussed scholarships available for MLIS students:
- Carol Gordon brought up a scholarship not on the agenda: CISSL scholarship includes working about 5 hours per week as a research assistant for her or another professor in the department- email her if interested in applying (cgordon@scils.rutgers.edu)
-Al Saley Memorial Scholarships- 3 for $750; apply by May 1
(http://www.emanj.org/Awards.htm)
-Phi Beta Mu: check website (www.beta-phi-mu.org/scholarships.html)
-Executive Women of New Jersey (http://www.ewnj.org/scholarships.htm)

2. Fun Events
-NJ Children's/YA Author Panel: register online (http://www.njstatelib.org/News/news_item.php?item_id=932)
-NJLA conference: April 29-May 1; early registration ends on April
4 (then the price goes up!)
-April is School Media Month: check out the ALA website
(www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslissues/aasladvocacy/schoollibrary.cfm)

3. Elections
- Jessica Emili was elected secretary
- Treasurer position is still open

4. Scheduling and advising
-RASL Advisor Carol Gordon offered the following advice: Plan backwards! plan your last semester first so that you have less trouble distributing course work; save your elective for summer session- you will have more options because additional classes are offered through the WISE consortium; suggested electives for the school media concentration are collection development and social networking
-2 professional development courses are offered in the summer- these are online courses: 575 "Management of School Library Programs" and
592 "Field Work" are CO-requisites- plan on taking them together!
-575 is only offered in the spring- there's a possibility of getting into the online class in the fall, but don't count on it as online students have first priority in scheduling
-List of required School media courses was made available at the meeting, as well as a list of when courses are offered
(fall/spring/summer) [This will be posted on the website.]

RASL meeting this week!

Wow! It's that time again already. :-) We're meeting before the colloquium, this Wednesday at 5 pm in the SCILS lounge.

On the agenda this week: Registering for Fall 2008 and Planning Your Course of Studies. Also, Carol Gordon will be speaking with us, and we'll be sharing info re: scholarships and upcoming events.

Pizza will be served. Hope to see you there!

RASL meeting this week!

Join us on Thursday, February 21st at 5pm in the SCILS lounge. We'll be doing a craft and sharing lesson plans and program ideas for school and public libraries.

If you have a tried and true lesson or activity that you would be willing to share, please e-mail Alicia at ablowers at eden.rutgers.edu. Attach your plan and any associated documents to the e-mail. Be sure to indicate the age level (we need everything from babies to teens!). We'll compile all submissions and distribute the packet at our meeting.

Hope to see 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!

Forum Results

Sorry to post twice in the same night, but I wanted to get this information on the web in case I misplaced the sheet, forever loosing the data gathered at the meeting!! For those of you who were unable to attend the meeting, we surveyed the group to see what people wish they could get from RASL. Below is a bulleted list with the suggestions that people contributed. Didn't go to tonight's meeting? Don't worry, you can still be heard! If you think of something else, just post it here and we shall find it!

The list

• More social events
• Opportunities to network with professionals in the field
• Children's education coupled with museums and artistic environments
• A trip to the Zimmerli
  
• Liberty Science Center

• Field trips and tours of school libraries
• Information on services for children with disabilities
• Program Ideas
• Techniques for controlling large groups of children
• Storytelling techniques and festival information
• Arts and crafts for libraries
  
• Bridge-building between public and school libraries
  

You're invited!

All MLIS students are invited to attend our first meeting of the semester. The first colloquium of the semester, featuring Librarian of the Year Norma Blake (NJ's state librarian), will begin at 7 pm, so we encourage you to come to the meeting and stay to hear Norma speak.

Here are the details:

Date:Wednesday, January 30th
Time: 5pm
Place: SCILS Lounge
Topics: Forum on what you'd like to get out of RASL, Scholarship/Award Opportunities for MLIS students
Other: Dinner (baked ziti) will be served.

Hope to see you there!

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.

Updates

Hi everyone!

Ahh yes, it's been awhile - can I blame it on the hectic-ness of the school year getting into full swing? Hope everyone's classes are going well so far! Please remember, if you have any questions or anything we can help with, feel free to email us!

Anyways, we're working on getting things together for the Oct. meeting. We're hoping to make the focus of this meeting "Professional Development & Certification", and answer some of the questions you all (and us too) had about getting certified, the PD courses, and field work. We're trying to see if Ross Todd, Carol Gordon (our 2 faculty advisers) and someone from Prof. Dev. can stop by to give a little chat. This is all tentative, so as we get confirmation, we'll let you know!

We're looking for a new secretary for RASL as well - the secretary is primarily responsible for recording meeting details - if you are interested or have questions on the position, PLEASE email us! It's a great way to boost your resume!

Also, as discussed, here is a link for the NJASL (New Jersey Association of School Librarians) conference for 2007 - it's Nov 14-16 - they are looking for volunteers, so if you're interested at helping out, please see the following link: http://njasl.org/Conferences.htm

This is a GREAT opportunity to meet a lot of the movers and shakers in NJASL, make some great contacts, and find out some vital information, so take advantage of it if you can!

That's all for now - we'll keep you posted about the meeting details as they unfold to us!

Chrissy George
Co-Pres

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

First Meeting of the Year (and other meetings)!!

Hey guys!

Make sure you stop by to RASL's first meeting of the year!

Monday, September 17, 2007 at 5 PM in the SCILS lounge on the 2nd floor - we're going to meet the officers and our faculty advisor, Carol Gordon, and our new members! Come to the meeting with an appetite and some ideas for what YOU want to see RASL do - we'd like to discuss some events for the upcoming year, and hear from you guys too!!

And, as always, food and refreshments will be provided - this meeting, we're going to have a FONDUE POT with warm cheddar fondue and dipping items - YUM!

So come by early, late, stay for the entire meeting or leave early - it's up to you! We're very informal, so don't stress about not being able to make it for the whole time!

The meeting schedule for the rest of the year is as follows - all meetings will be held in the 2nd floor SCILS lounge, unless otherwise noted:

Monday 9/17/07, 5:00 PM: Semester Meet & Greet

Tuesday 10/16/07, 5:30 PM

Monday 11/12/07, 5:00 PM

No December Meeting
Holiday Party in Dec./Jan. to be announced

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: Year End Get Together

We have plans for other events throughout the year, also!

Thanks for stopping by!
Chrissy George
Co-Pres