Decisions

Many times we find ourselves at a school board meeting, and a budget decision has to be made. Should we put money towards a new football field or should we use the money to purchase more books and materials for our public school library? Many times the new football field wins. I searched podcast by using the google search engine, and I found one interview that was incredibility inspiring. The interview is with Laura Beltchenko, who is an assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for a school district in Illinois. After the reorganizing of different grade levels, Laura felt that it was extremely important for the school libraries to receive new materials. She did not let the football field win. She has won the advocate of the year award. Some suggestions she made for more funding is trying to obtain grant money, and to really determine the needs for new collections. Another great idea she had was their public library and their school libraries are very much connected. All libraries in the community work together and support each other. The libraries often hold meetings together to try to find ways to promote literacy in the community. I found this podcast to be encouraging and inspiring in knowing that there are school professions who think the library is a key element in school success. Here is the link to listen to the podcast.

http://www.librarybeat.org/longshots/play/154