Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/214242
Know&Tell Resources A NEW ROLE: CTA helped prepare library advocate B Y T I F FA N Y H A S K E R Renee Swank, a secondgeneration teacher librarian for 13 schools in the Sylvan Union School District, has been an integral member of CTA's Read Across America Committee for three years, acting as the liaison to the California School Library Association. Recently, Renee was selected to be the California Department of Education's school library consultant, and we are thrilled to have such great representation at the state level. 22 Educator 11 Nov 2013 v2.1 int.indd 22 What will you do as a library consultant? What will you miss most? Finding just the right book for reluctant readers and talking excitedly with kids about what they are reading (and getting shushed by my assistants for getting too animated talking with kids). Help districts understand how school library programs can play an integral role as Common Core State Standards are implemented, and promote access to print and electronic collections for all California students. Title I students should have the same opportunities as students in more affluent schools. How will your new role differ from being a teacher librarian? What are you most nervous about? Throughout my career as an educator, I have always advocated for quality education, especially for strong school libraries. Now I will be advocating on a much larger scale. The greatest difference is that now a large focus of my job will be advocacy, and I will no longer have to juggle trying to manage 13 school libraries while trying to teach information literacy. NOVE M B E R 2013 Honestly, coordinating my commute to work from Oakdale to Sacramento, and being away from my husband and beagles. The other thing I am nervous about, or am having difficulty coming to terms with, is I will no longer be a CTA member. In my opinion, the training I have received through CTA's liaison program has prepared me to take on this new role. Renee Swank LT051113 11/13/13 6:31 PM