AASL 2009 Elections
Susan Lee Garvin
Director/Director-Elect Region VII
Degrees and Certifications
South Community College - Phoenix, AZ, Certificate in Storytelling, 2005; Arizona State University - Tempe, AZ, M.A. in Education - Major - School Library Science, 1988; Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff, AZ, B. S. in Education Major - Social Science, 1970.
Current Position
Substitute Teacher/Librarian, Roosevelt School District #66, 2007-Present.
Previous Positions
Teacher-Librarian, Kyrene School District - Phoenix, AZ, 2005-07; Teacher-Librarian, Roosevelt School District # 66 Phoenix, AZ, 1978-2005; Children's Librarian - Summer , Phoenix Public Library System - Harmon Public Library, 1982-82.
ALA Activities
AASL: Arizona Delegate, Affiliate Assembly, 1995-96.
Offices Held in State & Regional Library and Other Associations
Arizona Library Association: Sub-Chair, Intermediate Committee, Grand Canyon Readers Award, 2006-08; Arizona Library Association: President, Teacher - Librarian Division, 1995-96; Arizona Library Association: Secretary, 1982-83; Arizona Library Association: Elementary Chair, Teacher - Librarian Division, 1980-81.
Publications
Co-author, A is for Almanac: Complete Lessons to Teach the Use of Reference Sources in Grades K-6 (Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.), 2008.
Honors, Awards, Prizes, Medals, Citations
$2,300 ExCEL grant awarded to fund “Math in a Box” project at M. L. King, Jr. Elementary School (Roosevelt School District #66) to increase parent involvement in the math curriculum, 1998; The Progressive School Library Media Award presented by the Arizona Library Association, 1994.
Accomplishments
Chaired and coordinated Roosevelt School District's 21 professional librarians in matters of training, staff development, curriculum review, and special programs. Created, coordinated, supervised and budgeted the annual Roosevelt School District Poetry Recitation Conference which was started in 1982. Developed and implemented Puppet Power, a district wide Chapter Six project involving puppets and books, in order to improve the primary students oral language development. Designed and piloted, in cooperation with the State Department of Education, four innovative literature units for grades K-3 to increase cooperation between the library and the classroom. Developed and produced an orientation video on library services for new teachers entering the Roosevelt School District. In 1993, created and supervised the Superintendent's Reading Club, in order to increase our students' leisure time reading and thereby increase their academic achievement. Created a web page for Kyrene de la Colina Media Center http://www.kyrene.org/schools/ Presented 11 Workshops at AZ Library Association Conferences 1981-2005.
Statement
During a time of economic recession many school districts will try to balance their budgets by eliminating positions. Unfortunately a common position for districts to eliminate is teacher-librarian. In Mesa, AZ over the next three years, the district is eliminating all teacher-librarians. The school libraries will be staffed by aides. My concern is that many teacher-librarians will face a similar fate, unless students, parents, teachers, principals, superintendents, and legislators are made aware of the value, importance, and justification of having a certified, experienced, and professional teacher-librarian in every school. The process of advocacy for teacher-librarians has to start at the school level. Teacher-librarians need to collaborate with teachers, become technology experts, and integrate information literacy skills into the school curriculum. According to AASL, a major goal is to achieve universal recognition of teacher-librarians as indispensable educational leaders and working together we can achieve that goal.
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