Scatena read Mercer Mayer’s There’s an Alligator Under My Bed to Wally, a 5-foot-plus female alligator, while hundreds of children looked on. Wally was handled by reptile trainer Erik Callendar. Callendar also taught the kids about how alligators live in the wild.

According to Queens Library, Scatena has a long history of motivating her young readers with wild challenges. She annually promises that if they meet their summer reading goals, she will perform an over-the-top stunt. Previous challenges have had her sitting in a tub of jello, dressing in a rabbit suit and kissing a bunny, and cuddling an enormous python.

Tens of thousands of children participate in Queens Library’s summer reading programs borough-wide.

All of the TSLAC grants—a total of 70 for this fiscal year being given to public libraries, institutions of higher education, and related nonprofit organizations and programs—are funded by the federal Library Services and Technology Act via the Institute of Museum and Library Services in Washington, D.C. The grant period runs from September 1, 2013, to August 31, 2014.

“These grants will help improve library programs and services in communities and institutions all over Texas,” says TSLAC Interim Director and Librarian Edward Seidenberg. “These federal dollars augment local funds and help local libraries fulfill their roles as valuable community resources.”

Several of the awards will fund digitization, community reading, and family and early childhood literacy projects, while others will enhance access to information and services.

Two of the largest awards are a $75,000 Library Cooperation Grant to the University of North Texas for its Denton for Inquiry 4 Lifelong Learning (DI4LL) program, which will focus on information literacy skills of pre-kindergarten through graduate school learners, and the grant to the Round Rock system.

Round Rock’s planned Innovation Station will be a collaborative effort between the city of Round Rock, its local school district, and a local nonprofit.

The new Teen Center, which will also house books, reference materials, and school work resources, is being built in the lower level of the library. Councilman Comrie allocated $1.342 million toward the project, which will create expanded areas for adults and children on the main level as the teens move downstairs, effectively enlarging the library area by 44 percent. The Teen Center will also have a separate entrance, so it can also be used as a youth community space during non-library hours.

“Queens Libraries remain a critical part of our communities, and I am grateful to have been able to allocate funds to make this expansion possible,” Comrie said.

Local teens Shalleca Broadbelt, Miguel Rodriguez, Shanea Moulta, and Philipia McNabwill presented Comrie with a Proclamation thanking him for funding the center.

“Queens Library joins the young adults of this community in thanking Council Member Comrie for his foresight and commitment to public libraries and teens,” added Galante. “With his support, the library will be the coolest place in Cambria Heights and we couldn’t be happier.”

The recommendations call for more investment in digital literacy, robust collaborations, and more access to digital literacy programming in educational settings. They also encourage school librarians to “identify opportunities to embed digital literacy skills in curricular and research activities.”

Digital Learn’s search engine tutorial.

Says task force member Wendy Stephens, a librarian at Cullman (AL) High School, ALA councilor-at-large, and YALSA’s blog member manager, the task force’s recommendation list “is a tool that people can use in their own local efforts” to gain support from patrons, parents, and community stakeholders. “We wanted to give librarians the weight of ALA behind them.”

Another goal of the guidelines will be in assisting school librarians in understanding issues such as the filtering requirements that impact K–12 learners, which sometimes hinder their access to literacy programs. “Many school districts filter far more content than the law actually requires,” says task force member Frances Jacobson Harris, librarian at University Laboratory High School in Urbana, IL. “This recommendation gives libraries a precise talking point to use when negotiating filter implementation.”

Digital Learn, meanwhile, consists of two main areas: “Teach” and “Learn.” “Teach” is where librarians can virtually gather, forming groups to share best practices and brainstorm. It is “the idea starter” area on the site, Jamie Hollier, the hub’s project manager, tells School Library Journal.

For school librarians especially, Hollier says Digital Learn hopes that they will visit the site and create groups on programs that they’d like to brainstorm about, such as Digital Learning Day or robotics. The goal is for teachers searching for resource—say, on how to create videos—can join a group on Digital Learn that’s geared to that topic. Or, if it doesn’t exist yet, they can start one and seek feedback.

“We’re creating the framework and you provide the content,” says Hollier. “The whole concept is that it will be crowd sourced.” Hollier also notes that entries in the “Teach” area of the site can be rated by others, which adds to the best practices discussion. “When you rate, we ask you to comment at the same time. If something is poorly rated, we want to know why.”

The “Learn” area of the site offers digital literacy tutorials to library patrons and students. Current features include an introduction to email, tips on performing a basic web search, and instructions on using a PC. Many more lessons are expected to be added, and Digital Learn is even discussing the option of partnering with some organizations for K–12 content, Hollier says.

Richard Kong, digital services manager at the Arlington Heights (IL) Memorial Library, sees a lot of potential for Digital Learn’s tutorials. “Our children’s department is definitely interested in offering more classes not only to kids but parents,” says Kong, a panelist in a June 30 ALA session about the hub.

Kong also says he envisions using the site for “partnering and having discussions with our local school district about what parents need to know and what to offer parents to stay up on technology.” And to supplement instruction offered in his library’s digital media lab, Kong would also like to see tutorials in Microsoft Office, Photoshop, Garageband, and iPad use.

What will make people gather at Digital Learn? “PLA is behind it and there are a lot of libraries it can reach,” says Kong. “It has a lot of potential to bring people together in one online forum.”

Stephens agrees. She notes that the new hub has the potential to become a central place for librarians seeking to build digital literacy in their schools and communities. It’s “like a clearing house,” Stephens says, a way to “connect with other librarians and see what they’re doing.” The site also aims to become, she says, “wonderful tool for library patrons and the people we support.”

Digital Learn is a partnership between ALA’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) and Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, and is instituted by the Public Library Association (PLA) with a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLA).

The report, “Younger Americans’ Library Habits and Expectations,” also finds that younger Americans—despite being heavy technology users overall—still believe, as do older adults, that print books should have a central place at libraries, with few young adult responders (only 23 percent) strongly supporting moving books out of public areas to create room for things such as technology centers, meeting rooms, and cultural events.

The report finds that—while nearly all of those surveyed aged 16–29 are actively online in their lives and are more likely than older patrons to use libraries’ computer and internet connections, access library websites, and use a library’s research databases—75 percent of young adults have read a printed book in the past year, compared with 64 percent for older adults.

Younger adults are also more likely than older adults to use libraries as quiet study spaces, and are just as likely as older adults to have visited libraries, borrowed print books, and browsed the stacks.

When it comes to new library services, young adults are more interested than older adults in technology-driven features, such as apps, for accessing library materials and for navigating library spaces, and in “Redbox”-style kiosks around town for convenient access to library materials. However, the report also shows that Americans under age 30 are strong supporters of traditional library services.

“Younger Americans’ reading habits and library use are still anchored by the printed page,” says Kathryn Zickuhr, research analyst at Pew’s nonprofit Internet & American Life Project and a co-author of the report. “Some of this stems from the demands of school or work, yet some likely lies in their current personal  preferences. And this group’s priorities and expectations for libraries likewise reflect a mix of traditional and technological services.”

Other major findings of the report:
• 85 percent of 16–17 year-olds read at least one print book in the past year, making them significantly more likely to have read a book in this format than any other age group.

• 60 percent of younger patrons say they go to the library to sit and read, study, or watch or listen to media, while only 45 percent of library visitors age 30 and older do this.

• 67 percent of younger Americans say they would be interested in a digital media lab for creating and uploading digital content; 27 percent say they would be “very likely” to use such a resource.

• 44 percent of library visitors under age 30 have used a library’s computers, internet, or a public WI-FI network, compared with just 27 percent of those age 30 and older.

When queried about what library services and resources are “very important” to offer:
• 80 percent of young Americans name librarians to help people find information they need
• 76 percent name research resources such as free databases
• 75 percent name free access to computers and the Internet
• 75 percent name books for people to borrow
• 72 percent name quiet study spaces
• 72 percent name programs and classes for children and teens
• 71 percent name job or career resources

Deb Delisle, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, and Richard Gonzales, Senior Advisor for Early Childhood Development, Department of Health and Human Services, joined Ralph Smith, Managing Director of the Campaign for Grade Level Reading, and Susan H. Hildreth, Director of IMLS, for a joint press event today highlighting the report.

“This report issues a call to action: Now is the time for policy makers and practitioners to fully use the capacity of libraries and museums in their early learning efforts,” says Hildreth in her introduction to the report. “Libraries and museums reach millions of children each year. It is exciting to bring that capacity into focus so that libraries and museums can more effectively engage in early learning strategies at the community, state, and national levels.”

For IMLS, the report is only the first step in a deeper and expanded commitment to the youngest and most at-risk children in the United States, Hildreth says. She notes, “We will be pursuing special efforts to assure that libraries and museums can reach under-served children and provide opportunities that can make a difference that will last a lifetime.”

According to the report, libraries and museums support learning are by increasing high-quality early learning experiences, engaging and supporting families as their child’s first teachers, supporting development of executive function and “deeper learning” through literacy and STEM-based experiences, creating seamless links across early learning and the early grades, positioning children for meeting expectations of the Common Core State Standards, addressing the summer slide, linking new digital technologies to learning, improving family health and nutrition, leveraging community partnerships, and adding capacity to early learning networks.

The report also outlined areas and questions that deserve further impact study, and specific recommendations for improving early learning outcomes and increasing school readiness through federal, state, and community efforts.

Federal policy makers, for example, should include museum/library grants in funding priorities, support research to identify best practices for early learning in museums and libraries, and invest in professional development for museum and library staff.

Communities, the report recommends, should include museums and libraries in initiatives designed to increase family engagement in school readiness, examine ways to help vulnerable, underserved families access museum and library services, and launch public information campaigns.

For districts and schools, the report calls for joint professional development to teachers and museum and library staff, and the establishment of partnerships between schools and local museums and libraries that support building content knowledge.

The report also highlights and details current successful programs in New York (the Children’s Museum of Manhattan); Idaho; Texas (Children’s Museum of Houston); Washington; Virginia (Richmond Public Library, Arlington County schools); Pennsylvania (the greater Pittsburgh region); Florida (Miami Science Museum); Massachusetts (Boston Children’s Museum); Maryland (city of Baltimore).

How big of a problem are STDs for U.S. youth? The Center for Disease Control statistics show that current STD prevention tools aren’t working. Young adults ages 15-24 make up just over one-quarter of the sexually active population, but account for half of the 20 million STDs a year (CDC). Forty-seven percent of high school students have had sexual intercourse (CDC). Only 13% of high school students have been tested for HIV (CDC). The National HIV/AIDS Strategy recommends educating youth about HIV before they engage in sexual activities. About 1 in 3 sexually active high school students did not use a condom the last time they had sexual intercourse. Approximately 60% of adolescents aged 15-19 have not had a conversation about HIV prevention with their parents.

In related news, Qpid.me, an HIV/STD prevention technology and the first sex education tool of its kind, was recently released. Qpid.me is a free app which helps students learn how to find a teen-friendly place to get tested, access their results online, and then confidentially share their status, if they choose. Qpid.me has been made available to health teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), providing a resource they can share with students in grades 7-12. Twelve year olds can get tested for a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and receive results without a parent’s consent in some states.

While ISTE applauds Obama for ConnectEd, which sets a goal of broadband access for nearly all U.S. students within the next five years, the organization stresses the same issue raised by the American Library Assocation: that E-Rate has been woefully underfunded since its inception.

ISTE also notes that the discrepancy between what schools and libraries need and what can be funded with E-Rate’s current budget has only grown wider over the years as technology has advanced.

“We forget that it was only in 2010 that the iPad has burst onto the scene. Our view of technology has shifted as it has become more ubiquitous in our lives, so access is critically important. Times have changed. Technology has changed,” ISTE CEO Brian Lewis says. “The issue of not only equity of access but efficiency of access and speed of access and functionality of access—these issues have evolved over the years, so the notion of what the president is doing makes sense.”

However, “the second half of the conversation is the resources,” Lewis says.

For 2013, school and libraries have requested nearly $5 billion from the E-Rate program—although the available funds in the program total only about half of that amount.

“If we’re going to set expectations on schools, and we recognize that educational technology is there to support learning, and we believe that there needs to be equity of access to high-speed internet, and we know that’s a critical tool…how do we as a society [do this],” Lewis says, “but by the same token…turn a blind eye to the $2.5 billion dollar demand that exceeds resources currently?”

Ultimately, it’s about political will, and that begins with the president, Lewis says, dismissing recent criticisms that Obama’s initiative does not go far enough because it lacks specific legislative directives for funding. “I think what the president is trying to do is…to push this issue, to shine a light on it, to share best practices, and call attention to the broader [concerns],” Lewis explains. “He can’t by the stroke of a pen raise the money to meet that $2.5-billion-dollar gap, but he’s doing all he can to call attention to the need in the way that he has authority [to do].”

The duty is now on others, Lewis says, to fully commit to equipping students with what they need at the same time they are demanding that schools be held accountable for meeting learning objectives. “It’s like telling a student, ‘we want you to go get an “A” on this test, but we’re not going to provide you with any resource materials, electronic or otherwise, to help you prepare for that test.’ It’s the same thing.”

Still, Lewis says ISTE is mindful of E-Rates many successes since the program was introduced in 1996. “The good news has been what E-Rate has accomplished over the years, in terms of providing equitable opportunities for each and every student,” he says.

Adds Lewis, “One of the things we know is that every district is different, and every formula needs to be tweaked—whether that’s the formula for pedagogy or technology or budgeting—and what’s great about what the president is doing is the administration is shining a spotlight on best practices where it is working. What can we learn from where it’s working?”

ISTE also remains hopeful of what’s to come, and plans to continue to work with the White House, the FCC, and other educational stakeholders in helping to guide the conversation at the same time it advocates for increased support in funding, Lewis says.

“It’s a combination,” Lewis says. “We want to do what the president is suggesting and support the development and promulgation of sharing of best practices and that’s great. That’s a lot of what ISTE is philosophically about—creating a space and time, virtual and real, where people share best practices. And that’s critical. But the other piece is, always, the issue of resources.

Adds Lewis, “We have to take advantage of the fact that the president made a very conscious choice to focus his attention on this issue that we all care about. Our job now is to take that opportunity and continue to work it, continue to push it, and argue successfully for the financial piece that’s necessary to finish this puzzle.”

Thus, defining the issue’s new “leverage points” in the face of ConnectEd is the organization’s next step, Lewis says, adding, “we’re still having that conversation.”

In the meantime, ISTE will be broaching the issue in full force at its annual conference and expo in San Antonio later this month, when FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and Richard Culatta, acting director of the Office of Educational Technology for the Department of Education, will both be featured speakers. ISTE is also hosting a 12-minute “speed panel” on E-Rate, plus a sponsored “Advocacy Lounge” where attendees can write to their representatives, sign White House petitions, and learn more about standing up for students’ access to resources.

“It’s the first time in a long time that that any interest in E-Rate specifically has come from the White House, and it’s all wrapped into education technology and student success, in and out of the classroom,” Marijke Visser, associate director of the ALA Program on Networks, tells SLJ. “So it’s a different focus than just the regular connectivity, which is really what E-Rate is all about. You need this kind of connectivity because you want to provide students with this ability…to do whatever they need to do, and not have the bandwith be the limiting factor. And I think that focus has now come to the fore.”

Maureen Sullivan, ALA president, agrees. “ALA is encouraged by President Obama’s announcement of the ConnectEd initiative to ensure that libraries and schools have access to robust, affordable high-capacity broadband for many years to come,” she said in a statement released Thursday. “As the digital revolution continues to unfold, libraries and schools will need substantially more powerful network capabilities. Inadequate bandwidth must not be the weak link in student success.”

Visser, who works closely with the FCC on E-Rate issues and policy, and Sullivan both note the importance of more funding for the program, which they say is dramatically oversubscribed.

“For 2013, there’s about $2.38 billion available in the fund—and schools and libraries have requested close to $5 billion. So you can see the discrepancy,” Visser tells SLJ.

Visser also notes, “The fact that the White House [recognized] that [E-Rate] is underfunded and that they’re looking for a way to infuse more money into the fund? That’s huge. That’s something that ALA has been talking about more or less from the beginning of the program [in 1996].”

Is the ALA confident that ConnectEd will finally meet the needs of U.S. schools and libraries? “We’re hopeful,” Visser says. “We were very pleased that the president actually said schools and libraries in his remarks. That’s a big plus for us, because within the E-Rate program, (school) libraries are pretty small fish; they don’t apply by themselves. They benefit because the school applies. So often with the FCC, the conversation starts with public libraries, and then we take the opportunity to talk about the good work and the relationship of the school library to the classroom setting.”

Visser also says she believes ConnectEd is on a fairly fast track. The ALA is expecting the FCC to issue a notice about the proposed new rules—which is the public forum portion of the process in which school and library stakeholders such as ALA; individual districts, schools and libraries; and even citizens are invited to comment and add questions to the public record—very soon, followed by a comment review and an eventual FCC order, Visser explains.

In the meantime, Visser’s policy team is continuing to work with ALA’s task force on E-Rate, helping to work through some issues and questions so they will be ready to add to the public discussion just as soon as the FCC calls for comment.  “It’s an active process,” she says.

“I think everybody recognizes that students need this kind of connectivity and schools and libraries need it,” Visser adds. “So we’re in a good place to move forward. And it’s exciting to think about.”

Bramer and Gentile—who both chair council committees on library services—were joined by Thomas Galante, president/CEO of Queens Library; Anthony Marx, president/CEO of the New York Public Library; and Linda Johnson, the  president/CEO of Brooklyn Public Library; as well as representatives from advocacy group Urban Librarians Unite (ULU) and the DC37 municipal employees union.

The children in attendance spoke from a mini-podium, in the role of journalists, asking the council members questions about library funding, according to Joanne King, director of communications for the Queens Library in Jamaica, NY. Queens alone is facing a proposed cut of $29.6 million, which would force the closure of 36 libraries and the layoff more than 420 staff, King says, noting that citywide, more than a thousand library employees would lose their jobs.

“More importantly,” King says, “millions of New Yorkers would lose access to the valuable free services of their public libraries. More than 75 percent of New Yorkers use their public libraries; yet the libraries…account for less than on half of 1 percent of the city’s budget.”

Adds Galante, “Free public libraries are more critical to the fabric of our democratic society than ever before. We are a digital bridge, a community hub, a center of lifelong learning, and the place where new opportunities are realized every single day.”

More information is available via ULU’s Save NYC Libraries site or Queens Library’s Speakup campaign.

Rose and Margaux with Sara Kelly Johns at the NYLA SSL 2012 conference, after presenting a session together with Sara on advocating for your libraries by making a community connection.

In addition to their part-time positions at Freeport Memorial—where DelGuidice is a  youth services librarian and Luna is a bilingual reference librarian—these two powerhouses of the profession also hold full-time teacher librarian positions at Garden City High School and Freeport High School, respectively.

Since meeting in 2004 at a monthly meeting for school district librarians, the two have become close collaborators in their efforts to advocate for school libraries and for the public library in their community, and, more recently, to take their advocacy to the national stage through conference presentations, free webinars for their colleagues, and continued professional development.

In this ninth of a dozen planned interviews with the youth services librarians named as Movers & Shakers this year, DelGuidice and Luna share their inspirations and passions, their best practices for constructive collaboration, and their goals for the future of library advocacy.

How did you know that librarianship would be a good fit for you?
Margaux: Growing up I spent every free moment of my weekends and summers at the library. In college, I used to cut the classes to hole up in the library and read for hours on end. The library has always been a comforting place for me and continues to welcome and nurture me like the supportive arms of a best friend. After following my friends down a career path into the business world I realized that corporate America was not the place for me. I needed a job that had substance and soul, where my work would really help others and make a difference.

Rose: I have always been involved with and drawn back to the library…I actually attended my first ALA conference in NYC as a child, with my cousin, Mary Oppman. Mary was an amazing, pioneering librarian who exuded energy and excitement about the positive difference libraries could make in the world. I was also in the library club in fifth and sixth grade and my first job in high school was a page at our public library. While I was in college studying opera I was placed in a work study program in the college library. But I wasn’t convinced that I could be myself and be happy in a lifelong library career until I attended a REFORMA conference in Austin, TX. The REFORMA librarians were the coolest librarians I had ever met. They welcomed me, introduced me to people, and made me feel right at home.

Margaux holds a copy of her book with Rose, Make A Big Impact @ Your School Board Meeting, in her school library.

How do you take advantage of your dual positions to serve the kids in your community?
Margaux: One of the first things I did at Garden City High School was to reach out to the young adult librarian at the public library. Four years later, that same librarian has become a good friend and ally, as we fight for students to have the access they need to succeed in high school and beyond. This past October, she reached out to me and [my colleague] Lois Kuster to present at a joint Summit on the Common Core at the Garden City Public Library. This event never would have happened if there was not an organic and natural collaborative relationship in place between the two institutions.

Rose: I am better able to help our students and staff access information between both locations. I am also able to share school projects with the public librarians and share with our students and staff the great resources for them to use from the public library and online. It makes collaborating much easier. We have provided all incoming 9th grade students with library orientations—the public librarians come to our high school and make sure students have a public library card and recognize a familiar face so they are comfortable going to the public library. I can assist the public librarians in feeling comfortable at the high school and give them tips for presenting that information to our school.

Margaux and Rose deliver the keynote presentation at a recent joint conference at the Cervantes Institute in NYC. The conference was organized by REFORMA,s Northeast chapter.

What is a typical day or week like for you at your respective schools?
Margaux: I’m always juggling something; there is always meaningful work to be done. Each day brings new opportunities to make my role and my library visible: A teacher to collaborate with, a student to conference with on a paper, a research project to pull and create resources for, a college student’s paper to edit and an information literacy lesson to teach. On an average day, nearly half of the school passes through the physical walls of my library and numerous others connect via 24/7 access to our online resources. For a school that houses only 1150 students we have an astounding number of students that use the library on a daily basis. During the 2012–2013 school year we had over 12,000 students use the library during study halls and senior “off” periods and over 35,000 students sign-in to the library during their lunch periods, that is more people than the population of my town!

Rose: My high school has approximately 2000 students and on any given month we have 3500 to 4000 walk-ins plus another 1500 to 2500 for scheduled classes. So from the moment I walk into my library, I’m bombarded by requests and I must be able to deftly switch between the competing priorities. One minute I may be helping a student with a research project and the next setting up a temporary lab space with laptops for a full class lesson on our online databases. In order to meet the needs of our students I have taken the time to train library interns with running the circulation desk and clerical tasks while I teach. After school, I stay to keep the library open for students through a 21st Century grant. This has been a very successful program that really seems to help students complete their work and improve their level of overall achievement. At the public library, I also conduct an adult Spanish book club, called Grupo de Conversación de Libros Latinos, with native and non-native Spanish speakers.

Margaux and Rose at “ImaginOn,” the closing celebration at AASL’s conference in Charlotte, VA, in 2009, after presenting a concurrent session on advocacy.

How have you shaped programming over the years to reach your communities?
Rose: Prior to working in the school district I worked as an outreach librarian at Freeport. We had a lot of great programs, but I felt we needed to diversify them. Not everyone is interested in classical music, so I suggested we get a Mariachi group, gospel, etc. We also began to offer classes on the Internet in Spanish. We now have many wonderful programs due to the contributions of many people at the library. We also just had our first Spanish Language Resource Fair, which I collaborated on by connecting with our school district to bring in student performers and alumni. I even sang bilingual children’s songs to entertain children and their parents.

Margaux: Garden City High School is in a very exciting place right now. We have planned activities that help students combine their love of all things digital with reading for pleasure and self-expression. The purchase of 25 Nook eReaders has added to our programming options as we now have a Nook Book Club that consists of both students and teachers. When there is a high profile title that students are clamoring to read (like The Hunger Games) we meet as a group to discuss and debate. We have been fortunate to have some very gifted authors pass through our school [but] this year, the loss of instructional time due to Superstorm Sandy halted our options to host a big author assembly. We opted for an informal author chat and writing workshop hosted by Jen Calonita in the library after school. The coziness of that intimate meeting has remained with the students long after her visit.

What are each of you most proud of at Freeport? At your schools?
Margaux: I am so proud of the role that the library plays in this diverse community, my hometown. The entire village of Freeport was decimated by Superstorm Sandy, yet when I showed up to work two nights after the storm, the library was open, alive and buzzing. It was the literal calm in the middle of the storm. Additionally, the library has a truly wonderful, collaborative relationship in place with all of the K–12 schools and school librarians in the district. The school district librarians and many of the public librarians maintain constant communication. This type of an open relationship is unfortunately rare in the library world, yet it truly works to serve the students in this diverse community. At Garden City High School, I am extremely proud of the work that we have been doing to teach research and information literacy skills using content from almost every area of the high school curriculum.

Rose:  I am most proud of the progress we made in our school over the years. The library at the high school used to be closed often for various meetings and testing, but over the years we have communicated the importance of the library to our administrators. The library is now rarely used for testing or administrative meetings. The students get upset if we close! Our library has become an important place for research and collaboration.

Can you tell us more about your webinar series and your presentations?
Margaux and Rose: After presenting at three national conferences, giving one national preconference presentation and speaking at numerous state and local library associations on how to successfully advocate for your library position and program, we recognized that there was a need to reach even more librarians on this important topic. Webinars are a great way to reach librarians that cannot afford to travel or do not have the time to leave their jobs or homes for days at a time. We worked with the team at EasyBib and used their platform and contacts to give our first webinar and share our tools, tips and tactics. Since then we are working with Follett Software to give webinars on advocacy and the Common Core, and with other local BOCES organizations. We also know how important it is to reach those that are in a leadership position as administrators in school buildings and districts across the country.. we have plans to bring these advocacy webinars on the link between certified school librarians and student achievement directly to those key decision makers.

Margaux and Rose after presenting at a pre-conference session at AASL 2011 in Minneapolis, MN.

Do you have any advice for librarians seeking to improve outreach in their communities?
Margaux and Rose: You need to love what you do and have it show when you communicate with others. It is the one-on-one contact that makes the difference. A flyer or a newsletter will never be enough to draw people in without that personal touch. I find when doing outreach that so many do not realize all that great services provided by school and public libraries. We need to make people aware of the amazing resources available to them. It is important, as a school and public librarian, to make sure that you are getting out there and actually showing people. There have been many occasions where we have volunteered our personal time during the evening, and on weekends, to conduct outreach by speaking at community group meetings, or running programs. The benefits will be the payoff in the long run.

What are the big issues and challenges for youth services right now?
Margaux and Rose: Of course funding and public support are always the two biggest challenges to any library program, but I think it especially is important with regard to the support for youth library services and youth services programming. There is a misconception out there that just because children, tweens and teens can login to Facebook, or check their e-mail on a smartphone that they no longer need information literacy guidance or educational instruction. School librarians and youth services librarians are needed now, more than ever, to guide our students and patrons to be good digital citizens and to teach them how to effectively analyze, assess and utilize all forms of information.

We are both also frustrated by the pervasive amount of filtering that happens in schools, along with the policies in many school districts that do not allow students to use mobile devices for learning in the classroom. As librarians we are always looking to work with administrators to find feasible ways to rectify these situations. [For example, Margaux was recently appointed to a district-wide technology committee that is looking to address Social Media and BYOD policies and other technological issues.]

What do you think youth services should look like going forward?
Margaux and Rose: Youth services need to constantly adapt to the changing needs of our younger patrons to remain relevant in an increasingly digital society.  For example, delineations between “Children’s Rooms” and “Young Adult/Teen Areas” are so important. Young adults need to know that they have their own physical, and virtual, space at the library and that they will be respected for their unique ideas and perspectives as they move towards finding their way into the adult world.

A teen might come off the street and into the library because he heard that Friday night was XBOX Gaming Night and then may (as a result of this exposure), pick up a new book to read, gain some new acquaintances, and check out some of the other programs the library has to offer. Youth services should be the portal for tweens and teens into a safe world where they are able to express themselves, learn about new technologies, explore their hobbies and connect with others.

Rose and Margaux take a time-out at the 2011 Book Festival in Washington, D.C., after attending the 2011 School Library Journal Leadership Summit in Arlington, VA.

What’s on your career wish list? What would you love to do that you haven’t done yet?
Margaux: My dream is to write a New York Times bestseller, live off of the royalties, and pursue a career as a personal trainer or yoga instructor. However, if that does not work out, I think there may be a doctoral degree somewhere in my future. I currently work as an adjunct professor of academic writing and research; however I have always longed to educate aspiring teacher librarians and public librarians by teaching full time on the university level while also pursuing my other dream of writing.  I am an active member of SCBWI and have had some creative short stories published I hope that in the future I will be able to carve out even more time to devote to writing a novel.

Rose: A personal goal on my checklist is to put together a cabaret vocal performance at a venue in NYC, such as Don’t Tell Mama’s. I have taken cabaret performance classes with the 2013 MAC Award Winner for Major Duo-Barbara Fasano and Eric Comstock. I want to focus on improving my technology expertise and continue to help others integrate technology. On my wish list is attending ISTE, which I am very excited to be attending for the first time in June. I look forward to continuing to advocate for libraries, especially by communicating our message to administrators. We may do a webinar for School Leadership 2.0 in the near future.

What are the best professional development experiences that you have ever had?
Margaux: Mentors have always helped to pave a successful path for me and I have learned by their examples. I have been very fortunate to have some fabulous mentors over the years from my district provided mentor at my very first school library job (thanks Nancy!), to Sara Kelly Johns, who was my mentor when I was chosen as a GALE/Cengage SLJ  “New Leader” back in 2010. In 2011, I was a selected to be a member of the ALA “Future Perfect” Task Force. Through that appointment I was able to learn from the committee chair Brett Bonfield on how to make big changes happen in a meaningful and impactful  way. And of course Rose, who has been my unofficial mentor since that first district librarian’s meeting all those years ago.

Rose: I took an incredible course called “School Leadership and Human Relations Skills for the Proactive School Library Media Specialist” with Michael Keany, who is now the co-founder of Leadership 2.0, a site dedicated to providing/sharing the best practices in school leadership. This course played an essential role in my taking increased initiatives in advocating for school and public libraries and strategically thinking about the way I could gain a seat at the decision-making table. I have also followed Joyce Valenza’s blog for years and have learned so much from her.  I feel as if she is a virtual mentor and more recently I have also presented with Sara Kelly Johns. Singing in cabaret classes has also helped with presenting—another form of performing.