From the Conference Chair: Sue Lay
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 A HUGE thank you to the MAME 38 conference committee and all of those that helped. MAME is an organization of volunteers and you make it successful.
Speaking from experience, the more involved you become, the more you look forward to catching up with friends and making new ones. So, as you plan lessons throughout the year, please think about what you can contribute next year at MAME 39. Tom Stream will be the chair of that conference and will welcome your help.
I am happy to report that many of the sessions mirrored presentations we saw at AASL, so we are right on target. Don't forget to fill our your evaluation of the conference at:
And, if you want to relive the great time, check out our pictures at: http://mame38.shutterfly.com/. Thank you to the Big Guy (aka David Lay) for taking pictures and putting up the website.
Have a wonderful rest of November!
Sue Lay,MAME President Elect
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MAME Executive Director: Tim Staal
|  Thanks to all who made our recent conference,
MAME 38: Libraries@Future.Now
such a great success!
If you haven't seen them yet, or if you were not able to attend and wish to experience the conference just a little, David Lay posted some great pictures of the conference here. Please also take the time to fill out the evaluation form on the website, if you have not already done so.
Now the the conference is finished, the MAME board will continue to move forward with our work. We are working on the plans for the Spring Leadership conference as well as finalizing location for next years fall conference and partnering with other organizations on the Michigan Joint Education Conference. If you have any interest or willingness to help with those events, please let one of the MAME officers know. We are still looking for people to fill one or two positions on the board. Our next board meeting is on Saturday December 3 at 9:30 AM at the MAME headquarters in Lansing.
We will also be working on updates and changes to the MAME website, looking to add some more information of value to our members. If you have ideas as to features that you would like to see incorporated into the website, please let myself (tstaal@gmail.com) or Judy Hauser (judy.hauser@oakland.k12.mi.us) know. I would also encourage MAME members to take advantage of connecting with MAME through social media such as the MAME facebook group:
One of the best things that MAME provides for us all is a place to connect with friends and colleagues, both through the conference and throughout the year. If you weren't able to join us at the conference, please remember to renew your MAME membership and join us online as well. Thanks!
Tim Staal, Executive Director
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| Congratulations Winners! | |
MAME paid tribute to those who have made outstanding contributions to library media programs across the state at the Presidents' Gala and Awards Ceremony Thursday evening, November 3rd. This year's honorees include:
Marsha Lambert, Marshall Public Schools
PRESIDENT'S AWARD
President's Citation for Leadership
in MAME and to the Profession
The President's Award is given at the discretion of the current president of MAME, and serves to honor outstanding individuals who have made truly unique contributions to our profession.Marsha was recognized for her leadership in rejuvenating professional learning for MAME members and for advocating to work with other state and national organizations to promote school libraries and 21st century learning.
The mission of MAME is to Mentor All, Maximize Each. Marsha Lambert truly embodies the spirit of this mission. Marsha has served MAME in several different positions including but not limited to: President, ISTE Affiliate Rep and Conference Secretary. However, she is being honored not only for her willingness to serve but also for the gracious manner she brings to each role. Marsha is a great encourager, an attentive listener and an enthusiastic learner. She continues to seek out opportunities to both learn and share with others, whether that means traveling the world, exploring new gadgets or presenting at conferences or workshops. In addition to all of this, Marsha continues to seek out ways to engage her students and staff. She exudes a love of learning, a love of life, and a love of middle schoolers. Congratulations to Marsha on this well-deserved prestigious award!!
Mat McRae, Swan Valley High School
Service Award for School Administrators
Nominated by Kay Wejrowski. Kay notes that Mat, as principal of Swan Valley High School supports the school's library and believes it is the center of learning at the school. Mat supported keeping the library open when budget shortages threatened to close it. He told the school board and the superintendent that he was willing to cut secretaries, counselors, and administrators in order to save the library. He recommended "pay to play" for athletics rather than make cuts to the library budget. Mat scheduled students himself all summer because his school now only has one counselor and no assistant principal. Kay wrote in her nomination, "Many times the term philanthropy is reserved for those who have great funds of money to donate. A true phlianthropist, I believe, is one who gives everything they have to support programs that ensure the betterment of others. Swan Valley High School principal, Mat McRae, is a true philanthropist because he provides our students with an active library media center - and has vowed that - as long as he is he the principal of SVHS, the library program will never be cut." Cogratulations to Mat!
Mat McRae's Award Acceptance Speech
Editor's Note: I was at the MAME Awards Night and thought that Mat McRae's speech was very moving. We need other administrator's like him. I asked Mr. McRae if I could share his speech. I thought that MAME members who were unable to be at the award ceremony would like to read it. Thanks to Kay Wejrowski & Mat McRae for sharing!
Good evening,
I would like to begin by mentioning that, although I am very humbled by this recognition, public acknowledgement for doing what I consider to be expectation is somewhat uncomfortable for me.
In addition, I am not fond of speaking in front of large groups, but as any student or staff member at Swan Valley would tell you...if Mrs. W. says you need to do it, then you had better comply.
I would like to just a few moments to thank those who are responsible for bringing this recognition to Swan Valley High School.
First, I thank the Michigan Association for Media in Education. As everyone in this room is keenly aware, your organization has great challenges as you seek to ensure that schools have the appropriate media and technology resources to educate students in the 21st century.
Recently, I surveyed the other twenty two schools in our conference regarding their library media services and this is what I discovered:
4 have essentially closed their media center,
3 schools open the media center only for teacher access to technology,
6 schools have a district wide media specialist,
7 use a paid paraprofessional with little to no training in library media,
...and only three schools, including our own, have a full time library media specialist.
I understand that with this award, you sought to recognize administrator(s) for their role in the implementation of a successful school library/media program, and I proudly accept the honor.
However, the real recognition goes to Kay Wejrowski, our library media specialist. Kay is a one woman show who has transformed a mediocre library, indicative of the 1970's, into a hub of active learning. Among all of the recognition she has worked tirelessly to bring to our school, are the MAME SL 21 Exemplary Award, and the Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Award.
She is correct when she says that I have taken risks to protect our media center. I am willing to sacrifice other services, because I realize the far reaching impact this woman's work has on building wide literacy. Her ability to help teachers integrate a variety of media and technology into their classrooms is second to none.
However, I would like to also take the chance to say publicly that I take that risk because of Kay's extraordinary abilities. She is not only a library media specialist, but also a teacher who knows no boundaries when it comes to helping our students. Thank you Kay for all you do for our school and community.
Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank my family...especially my wife. I give far too many hours to my career and her patience and understanding have been my backbone for the past 23 years.
Once again, I thank you for this recognition and enjoy the remainder of your conference.
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Follett 100K Challenge - MI Winner!
|  It's official... the voting is over and the judges have picked the winners! The six winning schools were announced at the AASL 15th National Conference and Exhibition in Minneapolis on Thursday, October 27th. The Follett Challenge was developed by Chuck Follett, CEO and President of Follett, to encourage librarians around the world to be their own cheerleaders and advocates for their profession. 123 schools took the Follett Challenge showcasing innovative ways that librarians around the world are using their space to enhance learning. These entrants promoted library advocacy and incorporated 21st century learning into their school and library programs.  MAME's own Kay Wejrowski, library media specialist at Swan Valley High School received the 4th place - for her program "Mastering the Art of Literacy at SVHS".
This year's Master the Art of Literacy program from Swan Valley High School celebrated literacy and the arts. The program involved community reading of four different novels, conducting clay workshops, group painting of murals, and the creation of art calendars to benefit shelters and soup kitchens. The program evidenced the spirit of community and cooperation that is their culture by providing support for individuals as learners. Swan Valley High Schools uses the Destiny library system which is web based and can be accessed twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The Michigan Electronic Library is also available to students virtually. By enabling their students with web based tool and creative programs Swan Valley High School is able to actively advocate and foster literacy. It's no wonder that more than 98% of their students graduate, and over 90% of their graduates enroll in higher education. See all the Follett challenge winners and their videos here. |
Congratulations to Recent Retirees!
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Region Corner
|  In October, Region 17 (Oakland) hosted a great evening of fun and learning at Mercy High School (Weeding for Fun and Profit). We laughed with Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly of Awful Library Books fame, and shared some of our own "gems." (A copy of their presentation can by found on Slideshare.) Dr. Robert Holly gave us ideas how to buy and sell books on the Internet. It was a great evening of socializing and motivation to go weed those shelves!
At MAME 38, our SIGs met to support and learn from one another. Thanks to Mary Johnson, Teri Belcher, Mary McCarthy, Karen Becknell, Michael French, Bill Swartz, Sandra MacPherson & Lois Smits for leading each shoptalk. |
Cheers & Tears
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 | From left: DelGuidice, Kelly Johns,
Warren-Gross, Stephens, Miller, Jones.(photo from SLJ online)
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Laura Warren-Gross, middle school librarian at Maple Street Magnet School for the Arts in Kalamazoo, MI presented at the session "Creating Tomorrow's Leaders Today: A Guided Conversation about Leadership Programs" at the AASL conference in Minneapolis along with Margaux DelGuidice, Gwyneth Jones, Shannon Miller, and Wendy Stephens. Laura was selected as an ALA Emerging Leader in 2008 and has since served on several AASL committees. Laura and the AASL conference leadership session were featured in a School Library Journal Article. You can read the article here.
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 Kristin Fontichiaro (MAME member) and Buffy Hamilton have edited a new ebook School Libraries:
What's Now, What's Next, What's Yet to Come. Over 50 authors contributed to this ebook including MAME members, Kathleen McBroom, Rachel Goldberg, Karen Villegas, Margaret Lincoln, Beverley Rannow, and Jeanna Walker.
You can download the free eBook here:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/96705
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 Due to changes in the Library of Michigan's MeL support contract, MeL Databases Librarian Kelly Bayee is leaving MCLS, and her last day was Friday, September 30. Kelly writes, "I am currently looking for another position, and I hope to find something closer to my family. The thing that I will probably miss the most is working with all of the libraries throughout the state. I enjoyed working with everyone, and it always brought me joy and satisfaction when I was able to help resolve their access problems with the MeL databases or any other questions they contacted me about."
Kelly has been an excellent source of information and support for MAME members. We will certainly miss her work at MCLS and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.
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App of the Month!
| The new Apple iPhone includes a personal digital assistant called Siri. Android phones are trying to get up to speed with Siri and there are some possibilities; however, they are not quite there yet. But, in the meantime here are two Android apps that are trying to be Siri-like at least in regards to answering questions and providing information.
 Iris by Dexetra
Free
Android
Iris is a free Android app that is a Siri wannabe. It isn't as good as Siri, of course, and it still has some kinks in it but it's fun and sometimes actually useful. Simply touch the button and ask Iris a question. She is sometimes correct, often misunderstands the question and is kind of a smart aleck. But, Iris, is fun and when she is correct it is helpful.
 Speaktoit by Speaktoit
Free
Android
Speaktoit is another Beta Siri-like app. You simply push the mic button and ask a question. You can also type in a question but that's no fun! Speak your question and the avatar on Speaktoit will try to answer your question. The success rate for these free apps is ok but iffy. However, they do seem to be able to answer some straightforward questions accurately. Both apps pull from various resources on the Web.
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Send Us Your News!
Tell us about your successes, your struggles, your amazing discoveries.
Email your newsletter editors, Kathy Lester with stories that should be shared.
I'd love to hear from you!
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| Media Matters! Editor
Database Manager
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Successful
MAME 38 Conference!
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Libraries@
Future.Now
Nov 2-4, 2011
Thanks to:
Keynote Speaker
Carl Harvey
Featured Author
Tanya Bolden
Closing Keynote
Gail Bush
A special THANK YOU to Sue Lay and the entire MAME 38 Committee!!
*Sue Lay-Chairperson
*Hilery Cash & Barbara Jones Clark-Author Liaison
*Christine Swanson-Awards
*Liz Lewis-Database Manager
*Laurie Olmsted-Evalutations
*Lynn Gordon-Ex-Officio
*Tim Staal-Ex-Officio/Local Arrangements
*Bruce Popejoy-Exhibits, Treasurer, & Local Arrangements
*Katy Koskela-Gift Sales
*Dee Gwaltney-Headquarters
*Jo Kirkbride & Julie Harris-Printed Program
*Karen Becknell-Program/Pre-Conference
*Julie Harris-Program/Pre-Conference
*Jo Kirkbride-Program Authors/Storytellers
*Lori Veurink-Publicity
*Phyllis Cornwall & Annette Peterson-Registration
*Cynthia Kleinheksel-Roundtables
*Rachel Markel-President
*Marsha Lambert-Secretary
*Tom Stream-SB-CEUs
*Karen Lemmons-Special Events
*Gwenn Marchesano-Volunteer Coordinator
*Judy Hauser-Website
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MAME 38 Handouts Online!
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Handouts from many of the great sessions presented at the MAME 38 conference are available for download here.
Whether you missed the entire conference or just missed a particular session, the handouts provide some excellent information for all. |
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Thank You to Conference Volunteers!
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A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered their time at our conference. Things ran smoothly and efficiently because of your participation.
Kudos to our intrepid MAME4Ever SIG for all their help. You allowed other members to attend more sessions, and your enthusiasm was contagious!
Gwenn Marchesano
MAME 38 Volunteer Coordinator |
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Hidden Champion
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MAME's annual fall conference is the result of the efforts of many dedicated members over the course of the entire preceding year. The printed program includes a list of the conference committee members to acknowledge the contribution of these individuals. This year's program inadvertently missed the name of a person who has made a major contribution to the last two conferences. I would like to publicly thank one of MAME's hidden champions.
Julie Harris and I have worked together for two years as conference Program Co-Chairs. For those of you unaware of the time involved, we begin in February with Calls for Programs, we accept conference proposals, we communicate with prospective presenters, and after the submission deadline, we work to establish the program and work for a balance of interests. We also work with the Conference Chair and amend the program as directed. When the program has been approved, we communicate with the selected presenters. We work with other members of the Conference Committee to assure that everything is taken care of in a timely manner.
A month before the conference, we create signage for the conference. For the past two years, Julie has worked to create signs with the new logo and print the presentation announcements for the signs. This year she also arranged for easels for the signage as the hotel did not provide them to MAME.
After the conference we send out Thank You messages to the conference presenters. The entire task is a rewarding, although time consuming, effort.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Julie for all her hard work and dedication to MAME. She is a joy to work with and deserves recognition for her commitment.
Thank You, Julie!
Karen Becknell
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MAME Membership
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| IT'S TIME TO JOIN MAME OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP!!
If you weren't able to attend the fabulous MAME 38 conference, we missed you! But please don't allow your MAME membership to expire...stay connected with other school librarians across the state. MAME needs your support now more than ever and YOU need the support provided by MAME through its advocacy on the state and national levels. So please take a few minutes to complete the membership application and send or fax it to MAME Headquarters. You can print out the application and volunteer to send it in for them.
If you or your colleagues need 5 Good Reasons to Join MAME, please visit this MAME's website at:
Hope to see your membership form soon! Liz Lewis
MAME Database Manager
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Election Results
| Results of the
MAME 2012 Officers ElectionPresident Elect: Tom Stream VP of Continuing Education - Julie Harris Secretary - Jeanna Walker They will be joining these current officers in providing our leadership: President - Sue Lay Past-President - Rachel Markel Treasurer - Bruce Popejoy |
White House Petition
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President Barack Obama and his administration have created a site to assist citizens in writing and "signing" petitions that can, if all thresholds are met, make it to the President's desk. This is how recent changes in student loans came about.
California School Librarian, Seanean Shanahan has created a petition to support school libraries. 25,000 signatures are needed by Nov 27th. PLEASE READ & SIGN the petition and ask your friends and family to do so as well. You can find the petition here. |
Upcoming Events
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December 3, 2011
MAME Board Meeting
MAME Headquarters in Lansing
9:30am
January 20-24, 2012
ALA 2012 Midwinter Meeting
Dallas, Texas
Dallas Convention Center
March 7-9, 2012
MACUL Conference
Grand Rapids, Michigan
DeVos Place
March 9-11, 2012
MRA Conference
Grand Rapids, Michigan
DeVos Place
June 21-26, 2012
ALA 2012 Annual Conference Anaheim, California
June 24-27, 2012
iste 2012
San Diego, California
San Diego Convention Center
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| What's on Your Mind? |
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What great things are going on in your media center?
Has a journal article or book recently inspired you?
Found a shortcut, great website, new and improved techie tool?
...Or just have a funny story to share?
We love to hear from our readers! | |
Send your newsletter contributions to
Kathy Lester
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Have a safe and enjoyable holiday! |
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