MSLA President Jen Varney is the Librarian at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr School in Cambridge, MA.
Hello and welcome to a brand new school year! My name is Jen Varney and I am the new MSLA President. I’m looking forward to serving you and making sure that MSLA is all that it can be. As a new school librarian 15(!) years ago, MSLA was a lifeline for me, connecting me to other people that had my job and could answer my questions. It was nice to know that I wasn’t alone.
Last year, many of us felt alone. It’s isolating enough to be the only person in your building doing your job. It takes isolation to a whole other level when you are doing your job alone in your house, or in a nearly empty building. Or, in a full building, having to stay away from others, wondering if you might get sick. Whatever your situation was, all situations were undeniably difficult and utterly unexpected.
We’re back in our schools now and doing the best we can. But nothing will be exactly the same as it was before. MSLA should not be exactly the same as it was before either. We do not know what school will look like in six months, or a year, or five years. We do not know what MSLA will look like either. But it’s clear that we should examine closely our efforts and our impact, keep what works, and change with the times to make sure that our organization continues to provide us with information, knowledge, support, and strong advocacy.
Luckily, I don’t need to do that work alone. There are 24 members of the Executive Board, including seven brand new faces who have agreed to take on this work because they are passionate about the importance of school libraries and the effects they have on students. At our Board Retreat on September 18th, the enthusiasm was contagious. We are looking forward to a great year, even while we know we will have to be flexible and nimble to change with the times.
And: we are still looking for volunteers! We need liaisons for Independent School and Voc/Tech Schools. The conference committee is looking for members— many hands make light work! If you’re interested in helping but aren’t able to make a year-long commitment, the Awards and Advocacy committees will be sending out requests for short-term volunteers throughout the year, so keep a look out for those.
If you are interested in any of those positions or just have thoughts about where MSLA should be headed, don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected].
MSLA is what we make it!
We’re back in our schools now and doing the best we can. But nothing will be exactly the same as it was before. MSLA should not be exactly the same as it was before either. We do not know what school will look like in six months, or a year, or five years. We do not know what MSLA will look like either. But it’s clear that we should examine closely our efforts and our impact, keep what works, and change with the times to make sure that our organization continues to provide us with information, knowledge, support, and strong advocacy.
Luckily, I don’t need to do that work alone. There are 24 members of the Executive Board, including seven brand new faces who have agreed to take on this work because they are passionate about the importance of school libraries and the effects they have on students. At our Board Retreat on September 18th, the enthusiasm was contagious. We are looking forward to a great year, even while we know we will have to be flexible and nimble to change with the times.
And: we are still looking for volunteers! We need liaisons for Independent School and Voc/Tech Schools. The conference committee is looking for members— many hands make light work! If you’re interested in helping but aren’t able to make a year-long commitment, the Awards and Advocacy committees will be sending out requests for short-term volunteers throughout the year, so keep a look out for those.
If you are interested in any of those positions or just have thoughts about where MSLA should be headed, don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected].
MSLA is what we make it!
