School Library Month - April 2013
On April 3, 2013 the NJ State Board of Education adopted a Resolution declaring April 2013 School Library Month in NJ.
From left to right: Arcelio Aponte, President of the NJ State Board of Eduction, Pam Gunter, NJASL Preident-Elect, Mary Moyer, NJASL's Legislative Chairperson, Luann Amodeo, NJASL's Liaison to the NJ Department of Education and Chris Cerf, Commissioner, NJ Department of Education.
Pam Gunter's remarks to the State Board of Education:
On behalf of the New Jersey Association of School Librarians, I would like to thank you, Mr. Aponte, members of the State Board of Education, and Commissioner Cerf for proclaiming April as School Library Month. Recognizing the school libraries and school library media specialists of NJ is an important step toward building awareness of the significant impact that we can have on a student’s overall education.
Reading and literacy skills are only the baseline of what school library media specialists promote. Today, school librarians collaborate with other instructional staff to teach information literacy and digital fluency within the curriculum in order to prepare students to be critical thinkers, problem solvers, and ethical digital citizens, skills that will ensure both college and workplace success.
The most effective school libraries offer an assortment of technology resources as well as books. School librarians instill in students an understanding of how to find, create, and evaluate information. We have come out from behind the circulation desk to assume leadership roles in our schools by training staff as well as students in the applications of technology to the curriculum and to daily life. School libraries are at the forefront of 21st century proficiency.
We invite you to contact NJASL and arrange to visit one of our libraries so you can learn firsthand how a school library impacts student learning.
Thank you once again for declaring April 2013 as School Library Month in New Jersey.
