2014 Greater CNY School Library System Annual Conference to be held Oct. 27

The 2014 Greater CNY School Library System Annual Conference will be held Monday, October 27, and will feature keynote speaker and 2014-2015 American Association of School Librarians (AASL) President-elect Leslie Preddy, the “Innovative Educator” Lisa Nielsen and a variety of workshops aimed to give librarians, teachers, administrators and students the tools and insights they need to meet the media and information needs of the next generation.

The event will run from 8:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 441 Electronics Parkway, Liverpool, New York.

This year’s conference carries the theme, “The Now Revolution in School Libraries,” and will also host information sessions on many topics including embracing the power of mobile devices, building a reading community, digital citizenship, apps for learning and creating augmented realities. School librarian poster presentations and more than 25 vendor tables and vendor presentations will also take place throughout the day.

Registration fees are $90 for current librarians, teachers and administrators, $50 for students. For more information and to register, visit: http://files.ocmboces.org/event/SLSconference/sls_conference.html.

The conference is sponsored by Onondaga-Cortland-Madison (OCM) BOCES, the Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation (formerly the Oswego County BOCES) and Syracuse City School Libraries, and co-sponsored by Central New York School Librarians (CNYSL) and the Central New York/Oswego County Teacher Center.

About Keynote Speaker Leslie Preddy

Leslie Preddy has been the school librarian at Perry Meridian Middle School in Indianapolis, Indiana since 1992. She is a past recipient of AASL’s Collaborative School Library Media Award and School Library Media Program of the Year. She is a former MSD of Perry Township Teacher of the Year and a 2010 finalist for Indiana State Teacher of the Year. She is a past president of the Association of Indiana School Library Educators (AISLE), a past general chair of the state’s Young Hoosier Book Award (YHBA) program and recipient of AISLE’s prestigious Peggy L. Pfeiffer Service Award. She has published more than 30 articles in professional journals, co-created online resources and has served as an adjunct professor at Indiana University, Indiana State University and IUPUI. Her book, SSR with Intervention: A School Library Action Research Project (Libraries Unlimited 2007), was named one of the Best Professional Books of 2007 by Teacher Librarian; and her book, Social Readers: Promoting Reading in the 21st Century (Libraries Unlimited 2010), was Highly Recommended by Library Media Connection. Her most recent book is School Library Makerspaces: Grades 6-12 (Libraries Unlimited 2013).

About Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES
For more than 60 years, Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services (OCM BOCES) has provided a wide array of services for its 23 component school districts in Onondaga, Cortland and Madison counties, and the Syracuse City School District. Program offerings include career and technical education, special education, alternative education and workforce preparation for adults. Instructional support offers professional development, science kits, library services and related programs for teachers and administrators. Our administrative services division offers opportunities for school districts to save money by working together through financial services, including cooperative purchasing and business office support as well as a regional energy services program, providing large-scale purchasing of natural gas and electricity for more than 160 school districts and municipalities. OCM BOCES District Superintendent J. Francis Manning works closely with the component districts as a liaison to, and agent of, the New York State Commissioner of Education.

OCM BOCES School Library System Honors 2014 Administrator/Advocate of the Year

On Wednesday, May 14, 2014, OCM BOCES presented their 2014 School Library System Administrator/Advocate of the Year award to two deserving individuals; Eric Larison, the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction with the Solvay Union Free School District and Thomas Piatti, a principal at Chittenango Middle School in the Chittenango Central School District. 2014 was the first year ever that the award was given to dual recipients.

The award is presented annually to an educational administrator/library advocate the OCM (Onondaga, Cortland, Madison) region who has made significant contributions to school librarianship.

Eric Larison (pictured above) is a seasoned educational administrator whose support of school libraries is noteworthy. He puts schools libraries front and center and encourages full integration of the school library into instruction. He sees school libraries at the center of research and career and college readiness for students. Eric supports the Library Learning Commons model and the libraries were the first places in the district’s schools to be wireless.

Tom Piatti has been at Chittenango Middle School for eight years; three as Vice Principal and five as Principal. He has used his leadership in both roles to promote the school library and to energize staff and encourage their collaboration and innovative thinking.  Tom supports common planning periods in the school library, has been essential in bringing new technology to the school in the form of iPads, Kindles, ebooks and also leads the school’s tech committee.

OCM BOCES School Library System Coordinator Marcie Mann is pleased to honor the two with the Administrator/Advocate of the Year Award. She said, “This is the first time the award was given to more than one person in the same year. But both of these nominees are so outstanding and have made huge strides toward advancing the school libraries in their district. It is an honor to recognize them both!”

For more information about the OCM BOCES School Library System or their Administrator/Advocate of the Year Award, contact Marcie Mann, School Library System Coordinator at 315/433-2665.

Tom Piatti with Chittenango Middle School Library Media Specialist Marilyn Natke.