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!
Showing posts with label summaries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summaries. Show all posts
Friday, February 8, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
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
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
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
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
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
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