The Chicago Ninety

Sixteen years ago, I was the sole librarian at a suburban Chicago elementary school, teaching 24 classes a week to 450 students. I was overwhelmed and alone, and there was nobody in the building who really understood what I was going through. Although I regularly met with 15 fellow district librarians to review broad topics such as automating our libraries, we never had time to discuss important day-to-day issues such as how to best collaborate with teachers and motivate kids to read.

At one of our districtwide meetings in 1989, I finally mustered enough courage to ask if anyone was interested in visiting each other’s libraries and sharing ideas. Four hands shot straight in the air—and soon after the Chicago Area School Library Network (CASLN) was born. News about our group spread quickly by word-of-mouth, and we’ve grown to 90 media specialists from 25 Chicago area school districts who meet each month to exchange our best programs and experiences.

Our members include new and veteran K–8 librarians, as well as public librarians, student teachers, and Gail Bush, the department head of the graduate school of library science at nearby Dominican University, whose library students attend our meetings. Our induction a few years ago into the North Suburban Library System (NSLS), a consortium of more than 600 school, public, and academic libraries in Chicago, helped boost our membership—and with the help of NSLS’s school liaison, Sharon Ball, CASLN has become an invaluable resource for media specialists in our area.

The key to our success is the support and knowledge we give each other by e-mail, through our password-protected CASLN electronic discussion list, and especially in person. Some of our most valuable CASLN sessions involve very basic but crucial subjects. “Technology Trends—What Do We Buy?” was a huge hit with fellow librarians, who are always hungry to learn about the latest tech news. Members were asked to bring their school’s tech guru, and we discussed the advantages of DVDs; how to incorporate video streaming into lessons; and the benefits of various databases, including EBSCO’s NoveList, a Web-based resource with more than 92,000 fiction titles, including picture books, chapter books, and titles for young adults.

Three years ago, we invited public librarians to discuss how we could work together. After listening to their comments, CASLN members were able to tell our students about the wonderful databases available at their public libraries that some of our school libraries can’t afford, such as EBSCO and Grolier’s America the Beautiful, which contains up-to-date information about states. “CASLN helps public librarians see the obstacles that school librarians face and provides us with an opportunity to see where we might be able to help out,” says Peg Ciszek, the Niles Public Library’s youth librarian.

One of our members, Julia Martin, the executive director of the nonprofit charity Bread for the Head, created after-school reading rooms for disadvantaged Chicago schoolchildren after being inspired by one of our sessions. Martin’s 2,678-item collection was created from suggestions found on our annual “Best Books of the Year” list, and she has received many new and used books from fellow members.

Apart from our monthly meetings, which are held at different school libraries, our online discussion group has become our main source of communication. Librarian Marcia Banzuly at Lake Forest County Day School, for example, recently received advice from dozens of members on how to make her library more attractive to students. The online list is also a great way to advertise job openings, often posted by a librarian who’s retiring or moving. So far, we’ve limited our membership to K–8 librarians. However, two high school networking groups were created after high school librarians attended one of our gatherings.

Believe me when I say that strength comes in numbers. One of our greatest achievements was in 2002, when we helped prevent nearby School District 65 from firing 50 percent of its media specialists by sending a letter to the board of education signed by all of our members. The letter presented some of Keith Curry Lance’s studies, proving that well-staffed and well-stocked school libraries have a significant impact on student achievement. Our write-in campaign was a huge victory, because Illinois doesn’t mandate full-time certified librarians in any public schools.

Our Chicago area school librarians are now part of a wonderful alliance, and we no longer feel isolated in our schools. You too can share our experience—just reach out and get connected.