AASL 2009 Elections
Leslie Forsman
Director-Elect Region III
Degrees and Certifications
Indiana State University, Master of Science, 1985; Indiana State University, Bachelor of Science, 1983.
Current Position
K-12 Librarian, Triopia CUSD #27, 1991-Present.
Previous Positions
Librarian, Vincennes Rivet Catholic High School Vincennes IN, 1988-89; Librarian, Edison Park Elementary School Miami FL, 1985-86.
ALA Activities
AASL: Member, 2009 Nominations Committee, 2008-Present; ALA: Member, Committee on the Status of Women in Libraries, 2008-Present; AASL: Recording Secretary, Affiliates Assembly Executive Committee, 2008-08; AASL: Chair, Awards Committee, 2007-08; AASL: Illinois Delegate, Affiliates Assembly, 2002-06.
Offices Held in State & Regional Library and Other Associations
Illinois School Library Media Association: Liaison to Illinois Reading Council, 2008-Present; Illinois School Library Media Association: Store Co-Chair, Conference 2009 Committee, 2008-Present; Illinois School Library Media Association: Chair, ISLMA/LBSS Endowment Fund, 2007-Present; Illinois School Library Media Association: President Elect/President/Past President, 2002-07.
Honors, Awards, Prizes, Medals, Citations
Jacksonville Journal Courier Newspapers In Education Teacher of the Year, May 2006; Who's Who Among America's Teachers inclusion, 2004-05, 2005-06.
Statement
As school librarians, our profession is in somewhat of a "chicken and egg" syndrome; universities are somewhat limited in providing coursework since jobs are not always available to their graduates--schools are limited in hiring candidates when they search because universities are not producing certified applicants. The certification requirements are another issue entirely since they vary drastically from state to state. We need to work together to encourage states to require school librarians and to encourage universities to provide training for people new to our profession. Another issue that we face is the inequality of materials available to our students. We need to encourage our state education agencies to help provide resources to our schools. I do not want to eliminate textbooks, but some of the funds spent on updating texts could be reallocated to provide databases, etc. that could be more current information and would be accessible to all.
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