One Friday afternoon I returned home to find a large envelope waiting on my sofa. Inside was such a surprise and I didn't know how to share it with anyone. When I showed it to my sons, they simply said, "That's BIG!" but I think they were talking about the size and not the significance. I took it to school and showed it to a handful of teachers and administrators, but decided it was rather awkward to share with everyone. Those that have seen it tell me to frame it and put it up. I decided today to go thank Tennessee State Senator Joe Haynes for sponsoring this Senate Resolution. Senator Haynes is a strong advocate for school libraries and is always willing to come visit my school. I'm so glad I could catch him for a quick photo. Thank you, Senator.

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 647
By Haynes, Marrero

A RESOLUTION

to honor and congratulate Ms. Diane Chen on her election to the American Library Association Executive Board.

WHEREAS, it is fitting that the members of this General Assembly should salute those special citizens who, through their extraordinary efforts, have distinguished themselves as community leaders of whom we can all be proud; and

WHEREAS, one such noteworthy person is Ms. Diane Chen, who is most assuredly deserving of special recognition; and

WHEREAS, Ms. Chen was elected to the Executive Board of the American Library Association (ALA), a fitting recognition of her commitment to the ideals of library science; the Executive Board represents all divisions of the ALA and administers the programs and policies of the ALA; and

WHEREAS, Diane Chen attained her prominent position by first being elected to the ALA Council in May of 2007, and then being nominated to run for the Executive Board by ALA President-Elect Jim Rettig and the Council Committee on Committees; and

WHEREAS, at the ALA Mid-Winter Conference in January, 2008, Executive Board nominees presented speeches and answered panel questions regarding the ALA, its policies, and procedures before being elected by ALA members; and

WHEREAS, the Executive Board is comprised of the ALA President, President-Elect, immediate Past-President, Treasurer, Executive Director, and the eight elected members, who each serve three-year terms; and

WHEREAS, Ms. Chen’s election to the ALA Executive Board gives her the distinction of being the second Nashvillian currently serving on the ALA Executive Board; she joins Larry Romans, a librarian at the Central Library at Vanderbilt University; and

WHEREAS, the purpose of the ALA is to provide top quality library and information services to the public and has 65,000 members nationwide; and

WHEREAS, after earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education and modern languages/Chinese from Buena Vista University in 1988, Ms. Chen gained a Master of Arts degree in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Iowa in 1989; and

WHEREAS, for the past eleven years, Diane Chen has given unreservedly of herself to develop the literary and information skills of the children of Tennessee as the Librarian and Information Specialist at Hickman Elementary School; and

WHEREAS, a staunch advocate for all information specialists, Ms. Chen is not the stereotypical shushing librarian; she has worked tirelessly in several professional organizations for the betterment of the lives of her information colleagues, who labor with unparalleled dedication in their individual positions; and

WHEREAS, as a thirteen-year member of ALA, Diane Chen has served with acumen and alacrity as Councilor-at-Large , a member of the Committee on Organization, a Legislative Assembly member, a participant in ALA National Library Legislative Days, and attendee at the School Library Journal Leadership Summit each year since 2005; and

WHEREAS, additionally, she has worked as a distinguished member of the American Association of School Librarians, for which she stood as the Region Four Director-Elect and an Innovative Reading Grant Awards Committee member; and

WHEREAS, Diane Chen gives generously of her time and energies as a notable member of the Tennessee Library Association for which she serves as a Legislative Committee member and has participated in Tennessee Library Legislative Days; and

WHEREAS, the perfect example of the ideal librarian and information specialist, Diane Chen personifies the Charles Medawar quote: "Librarians are almost always very helpful and often almost absurdly knowledgeable. Their skills are probably very underestimated and largely underemployed;" and

WHEREAS, despite her busy schedule, Ms. Chen still finds time to participate as an active blogger for the School Library Journal and her own personal blog; and

WHEREAS, Diane Chen epitomizes the indomitable spirit and stalwart commitment that are characteristic of a true Tennessean; and

WHEREAS, this General Assembly finds it appropriate to pause in its deliberations to acknowledge and applaud Diane Chen for her ceaseless servitude to the field of library and information science and her dedication to the state of Tennessee and its citizens; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, that we hereby honor and congratulate Ms. Diane Chen on her election to the American Library Association Executive Board and extend to her our best wishes for every future success.

Adopted: February 11, 2008

Signed by Senator Joe Haynes
Speaker of the Senate Ron Ramsey
Speaker of the House of Representatives Jimmy Naifeh
Governor Phil Bredesen