Letter+Writing

Letter Writing
I have included an email that I am sending to Kim Wheeler at the Channel 3 News in Cleveland. Won't you email her as well? Please use my letter as a start.

kimwheeler@wkyc.com ** Dear Kim; ** I am writing to thank-you for the very informative education report about the “Plagiarism School” at Kent State University that aired on Tuesday, February 19th. Increasingly, plagiarism has become a problem in our society. In 2011, the German Defence Minister had to resign after news reports of plagiarism on his doctoral dissertation (http://bit.ly/fGVqNg). An August 2011 Pew Internet report on plagiarism in colleges found that over 50% of college presidents have seen an increase in plagiarism during the past ten years (http://on.today.com/XwpNPH). Turnitin.com, provider of plagiarism detection software, found that the most common type of plagiarism was one in which students copied word-for-word the ideas of another without giving attribution (http://turnitin.com/assets/en_us/media/plagiarism_spectrum.php). The stories in regard to plagiarism are numerous. I am a secondary school librarian currently employed at Kenston High School in the Kenston Local School District. I am also an executive board member of the state school library organization, the Ohio Educational Library Media Association (OELMA), having served in various positions, most recently as President (2012). I am concerned about stories like the one you recently reported and I am passionate about the value of a strong school library program staffed by a certified librarian. ** I specifically would like to urge you to do an education report about the decline is school libraries throughout the state of Ohio and the dire consequences this is having. Plagiarism at the college level is just one of the consequences. There is a solution to this problem. This problem could be eradicated prior to students entering college __IF__, all public schools had a robust library program with a certified school librarian. School librarians are uniquely qualified to teach important information literacy skills; the ability to locate, access and ethically use information. Sadly, in the state of Ohio over the past 10 years, there has been a 30% decrease in school librarians to staff a program that is so vital and necessary in this digital age. Children in low performing schools seem most vulnerable. Poverty in the homes of these students means fewer books and educational resources are available. The school library staffed by a qualified, professional librarian would be able to provide the necessary educational resources for these students. Our state school library organization OELMA would be more than willing to provide any information and assistance you might need. ** ** With the advent of the new Common Core Standards and an emphasis on “research to build and present knowledge” and more nonfiction reading, certified school librarians should be at the “core” of the Common Core! Ironically this not the case as school districts are eliminating the one program that can make a difference in these skills. ** ** I am including my contact information and would be willing to talk or meet at your convenience. Thank-you for your time. ** ** Sincerely, ** ** Sue Subel ** Immediate Past President   Ohio Educational Library Media Association   Sue.subel@kenstonlocal.org   phone

~*Angela W.'s letter to Kim: 3/5/13*~ **Dear Kim; ** I am the district librarian at Nordonia Hills City Schools and I wanted to thank-you for the very informative education report about the “Plagiarism School” at Kent State University that aired on Tuesday, February 19th. I also wanted to let you know that the report you featured just reinforced to me that while universities are saying our students are lacking in research and other college readiness skills, the reasoning for that may just lie in the fact that our certified school librarians are being cut across the state as well as the nation. I am a younger school librarian (28 years old), graduated from Kent State University’s Library and Information Science Masters program in 2009, and absolutely love what I do. I will always be a teacher first and a librarian second and strive to make my students better prepared for the jobs of the future that they will need to fill. I am always surprised when adults (and students too) do not realize to be a certified school librarian a Masters degree is required, along with a Bachelors in education. That in itself shows the lack of knowledge about our field. I was very fortunate to find a job right out of library school and every day I help students with a variety of skills including the ever-necessary problem solving and reasoning skills which is vital for lifetime student success. My position with Nordonia has me traveling to all six schools in the district, mainly working in the high school. Our school libraries are staffed with two full time library resource (classified) positions and five part-time media resources positions. That means most students only have access to the library’s resources half of their school day. In addition, I help the media resource positions with ordering materials for their libraries as well as provide guidance on what the library time will cover (please note-they are not permitted to teach, as they are not teachers). It is a busy career, which is fulfilling and I have the support of my administrators which I am very fortunate to have. I would love to see a story on Channel 3 news about the life of a school librarian in NE Ohio (or in many local districts the extinct life of a school librarian). I also feel that the plagiarism story you did a few weeks ago reiterates the need for teachers whose main job is to help students be information and media literate, which is part of the job of a certified school librarian. I strive every day to make sure my students realize the importance of giving credit where credit is due, and knowing how and where to find the best, reliable, and current resources for research. Colleges require this, yes, but so does life. I stress that people that believe everything they read online and in print are often easily misinformed and we really need to do our research before we form opinions and ideas about the world around us. It is crucial to raise students who know why they believe what they believe and have the history and facts to support that opinion. Google just will not cut it since anyone can say they are the expert at something. State education leaders are cutting school librarians and believing that a classified person can do the job we do, when in reality, they cannot and it is affecting our students’ success. Unfortunately, if the state says librarians are not vital, then our local districts follow suit to save on personnel costs. Something needs to change.

If all school libraries were staffed with a teacher who also has a Masters in the Library and Information Science field, I can only imagine the impact we would have in terms of helping our 21st century students know the difference between plagiarism, valid sources, and how to research online and in print before they enter college. Did you know in the state of Ohio there has been a 30% decrease in school librarians in the last 10 years alone? What if we decided to cut 30% of a certain field in another educational area? That would undoubtedly make a difference in our students’ education as this already is (but many people simply remain unaware of this). Thank you for reading this email and please contact me if I can be of anymore assistance.

Thank you for your time, Angela Wojtecki Nordonia Hills City School District Librarian

**Letter to Governor-elect, John Kasich**

Dear Governor-elect Kasich:

On behalf of the Ohio Educational Library Media Association (OELMA), I am writing to congratulate you on your recent election as Governor of the state of Ohio. OELMA represents school library media specialists, professionally trained library educators, that are interested in meeting with you to discuss education and the important role school libraries play in student achievement.

During your campaign you spoke about "putting dollars in the classroom" and, as educators, we certainly would applaud such a move. The school library is the largest classroom in every school building. In a 2002-2003 study undertaken by OELMA with Dr. Ross Todd and Dr. Carol Kuhlthau of Rutgers University, over 13,000 students in 39 "effective" school libraries were surveyed about the help they received in their school library. An amazing 99.44% of students "...indicated that their school library and it's services, including the roles of school librarians, have helped them in some way...with their learning".According to Ross and Kuhlthau, the "...effective school library, led by a credentialed school librarian...plays a critical role in facilitating student learning for building knowledge".

Unfortunately, today, we find that budget-cutting moves by schools include the elimination of the school library and/or school librarian. Across the state, students in the state of Ohio attend schools that either have no one in the library to guide and teach information literacy skills, or have a non-certified untrained aide that keeps the library "open". This means that key strategies in research, information and technology use--so important to the future of our workforce--are not being addressed.

The effects of not having a strong school library with a credentialed teacher-librarian is fast becoming apparent. News stories abound about students using information irresponsibly with dire consequences. In a 2005 investigation into plagiarism by Ohio University engineering students, the university revoked the master's degree of one student and 12 others were asked to rewrite their theses. In 2008 an Ohio high school valedictorian was stripped of the title after admitting he lifted two-thirds of his speech from a YouTube video. In 2003 it was revealed that New York Times reporter Jason Blair had copied and made-up dozens of stories he submitted to the Times. In 2007, a New Jersey superintendent gave a speech to the National Honor Society that was lifted, almost verbatim from the web.

With so much information at their fingertips, students have become complacent, believing that if the information is out there in the public domain then they have a right to use it in their papers. A credentialed school librarian provides instruction in academic integrity, teaching students how to use information effectively, efficiently and responsibly. We ask that you consider this important information when making tough decisions about school funding, and urge Ohio's school superintendents to do the same.

Again, we congratulate you on your election. We look forward to meeting with you to share the work of our students through school library programs in Ohio.