New School Library Work Group

Encompassing the values of shared knowledge, equity, and improving schools, a School Library Work Group has been formed by the Department of Public Instruction. The vision for this group is to be a dedicated team that guides decision making on school library topics, develops strategies for creating a stronger field of school library professionals, and provides tangible evidence for how robust school library programs improve student achievement in Wisconsin schools. It will be led by Monica Treptow, the School Library Media Education Consultant.

To create this inaugural School Library Work Group, a call for applicants was done in March and April. From a pool of 36 applicants and additional recommendations, nineteen individuals were chosen. The selection criteria included a number of items intended to establish a diverse group of professionals. For example, as a whole, group membership needed to include individuals from different geographic locations, district sizes, levels of experience, positions or roles, and backgrounds. The new members will serve for two years and have committed to three meetings per year.

The first convening of the School Library Work Group was held on July 19, 2018. Some of the main topics of discussion were communication and guidelines regarding the Common School Fund, the development of library planning resources, how the new Wisconsin Information and Technology Standards, ISTE, and AASL National School Library Standards are influencing school library programming, and the use of Educator Effectiveness tools for library media specialists. After a long, productive day each member of the group found value in the discussions and is looking forward to future work.

Thank you to everyone who expressed an interest in this group. Congratulations go out to the 2018-2020 School Library Work Group members: