Murray State University Library Media Program

The MAED in LIbrary Media has been revised and reduced! Now the program is 33 credit hours, the same as other, similar master's degree program. The 2 tracks are still the same: initial certification for those who are not already certified and the endorsement track (new title!) for those who are certified. There is also an alt cert option available. See the presentation Becoming a School Librarian at MSU for more information! https://slides.com/joh6000/becoming-a-school-librarian-at-msu

KY Association of School Librarians’ First District is hosting a workshop on OPGES on September 25th at Calloway County Middle School from 8:30 until 3:00. Please let Kristin Sickling know if you plan to attend. There will be space for a limited number of participants.

Last week was the Kentucky Library Association/Kentucky School Library Association's Fall Conference. Among the events was the so-called Speed Geek session, where we presented The Geek's Guie to Banned Books Week. The presentation is now available with commentary on Brain Shark at http://my.brainshark.com/A-Geeks-Guide-to-Banned-Books-Week-822459971

Check out Murray State University Libraries' new Information Studies Minor. See http://on.fb.me/RF9Qb5

As an outgrowth of National Library Week, the American Association of School Librarians has been celebrating April as School Library Month since 1985. http://www.ala.org/aasl/slm

What is a school library? Is it simply a collection of books that just happens to be housed at a school? A school library is more than just books, and it’s more than just a place to come to read. A school library is a vibrant center of learning, where students come both physically and virtually to access sources in print and online. The school librarian is the crucial cornerstone of the program, both manager of the collection and the teacher who interacts with all the students and staff in the school, empowering each one to become lifelong learners, able to find the information they need and apply it in new contexts. Research studies in over 21 states have shown that certified, full time school librarians and well-managed school libraries are vital to high student academic achievement. See http://bit.ly/1eAxREm

School librarians collaborate constantly with college librarians and with public librarians as integral components in the knowledge network that supports our economy and society. School libraries are our first encounter with that knowledge network, laying the foundation. School libraries truly do change lives. If you agree with this statement, sign the Declaration for the Right to School Libraries! http://bit.ly/1eCLiJS

Murray State University has had a program that prepares school librarians for certification for many years, first in the university library, and now in the College of Education, and we were able to offer a Master’s of Education in Library Media from Fall 2012. Find out more about the program at http://bit.ly/1kqdwaJ

April is School Library Month! The American Association of School Librarians has been celebrating this month for school media specialists and school librarians since 1985. The website is at http://www.ala.org/aasl/slm

AASL's parent organization, the American Library Association, is celebrating National Library Week next week, April 13-19. That website is at http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek

Look for some more announcements about these celebrations soon!

Chasity Wilson, first MAED graduate of the MSU Library Media Program.

Murray State University has been educating librarians for many years, first through the university Library, and then through the College of Education. From an undergraduate degree that closed down, the program rose again as an online Rank I graduate program in 2004, and celebrated our first graduate, Nina Hendricks (see picture) in December 2005. She is the librarian at South Marshall Middle School. A new milestone was celebrated in the fall of 2012, with the influx of our first master's degree students. Our first MAED graduate was Chasity Wilson in December 2013. She is now the librarian at Page School Center in Bell County, Kentucky.