SNL NEWSLETTER
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SNL consistently advocates on behalf of school libraries to the Elected Trustees, Board of Managers, elected officials, administration, library staff, and you, their community of stakeholders. Published monthly during the school year. |
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Welcome, SNL members. (Join our mailing list here.) Share with your friends so they can join as well. We promised you periodic information with suggestions of action you might take. Here you go. Reach out with questions/suggestions: [email protected]
Students Need Libraries supported Friends of HISD Libraries and Houston Association of School Librarians (HASL, the organization for HISD Library staff) to celebrate all HISD Library staff with a focus on the Library Program of the Year Finalists and Winner. All current librarians and media specialists in HISD schools were invited, as well as friends and elected officials. Library Program of the Year (LPOY) winner Roslene West of Cornelius Elementary brought a large group of colleagues, friends and family including Board of Managers member Rolando Martinez, whose son attends Cornelius. She received a plaque, a lovely engraved glass recognition. a small trophy that lights up, and a huge basket of goodies to celebrate her work. LPOY Finalists Kersten Hunt (Oak Forest ES), Gretchen Silva (Condit ES), and Barbie Miller (Barbara Bush ES) were recognized with clever trophies that light up and gift cards to recognize their achievement. All four winners are certified school librarians, further illustrating that librarian certification contributes to strong library programs.  Debbie Hall recognized winners of Elenora Alexander stipends to support professional growth:
IMAGE SOURCE: https://www.ebay.com/itm/277003892012  Mary Chance recognized this year’s retirees from HISD Libraries, including
 Kaitlyn Carpenter, a previous winner of LPOY, talked about the benefits of TLA membership. The conference will be in Houston next April, and we hope to see lots of HISD attendees and presentations. Representatives from HISD attended. City Council Mario Castillo sent a staffer with a commendation for FOHL. Our state representatives and senators are busy in Austin, but Chrisina Morales and Gene Wu sent staff. Elected HISD Trustee Placido Gomez came. City Council Mario Castillo sent a staffer with a commendation for FOHL.  LPOY Winner Roslene West is a certified school librarian at Cornelius Elementary who has led a strong library program for many years thanks to her passion for the whole library and every student. During her interview as part of the selection process, Roslene stated that, “The library is the heart of the school from which everything else flows.” Her portfolio told us that [she] “believe[s] a good library program is constantly changing to meet the needs of its patrons.” Part of building a strong library program that supports student learning is collaboration with teachers; Ms West keeps aware of what students are studying in the classroom and confers with teachers whenever possible to let them know library resources that might support classroom units. Roslene has focused on professional development in order to stay current to offer her students the best she can. This led her to the NCTE Black Caucus model for her African-American Read-In day that featured members of the community coming to read aloud to classes books by and about African American lives and culture. Readers included city council members and parents among others; some chose their own favorite books, and some asked Ms. West to select something new to inspire listeners. She also hosted a similar Hispanic Read-In day. Both efforts have been happening at Cornelius for about 10 years and will continue. She also holds a Student Legacy collection of books written by former students. These books were written in collaboration with Write Brain Books, and published in hardback to stay on the library shelves for future students to enjoy. The library Legacy collection remains popular, but does depend on funding that is no longer consistently available. Another way she inspires students to read widely is her Read Around the Library program which encourages them to explore new genres to expand their awareness of new books of interest. This year, Ms. West led the students in an infographic project. Students researched a person of interest and designed a digital poster to share what they learned. This engagement with technology relied on research skills to learn about their chosen subjects, and on online access to Canva and Adobe tools to show their knowledge to others.  Our LPOY Winner and the three Finalists are ALL Certified School Librarians. It turns out there is something to the certification process that shows in the work of a career!  LPOY Finalist Kersten Hunt is a certified school librarian at Oak Forest Elementary. When asked what she would like to tell the Board of Managers about school libraries, she replied that they need to be more aware of the data that supports fully staffed and fully funded libraries for all K-12 students. The data illustrates that students who grow through schools with effective library programs have stronger test scores and are more successful in higher education settings. The Oak Forest library has for several years featured a free-range library bunny who loved the students and being petted by them. He recently enjoyed a retirement party as he aged out of so much activity. Kersten recently genrefied the collection, which means that books are sorted by genre to help students find their favorites more quickly. It also facilitates participation in the Read Around the Library program which encourages students to read in 1-2 specific new genres each month, and turn their list in at the month’s end for recognition. Parents contact her often asking for recommendations to help their children have more variety in their reading material. This challenge was a group effort to meet the needs of the community, in a way the kids found fun and engaging. In her efforts to offer a technology component in support of library skills and the schoolwide focus on writing, she led some coding projects that involved 3D printing as well as Bee-Bots and Kubo robots; after the coding was completed, students wrote a creative story about their robot or product. Ms Hunt has definitely created the “comfortable, welcoming environment where all Oak Forest Elementary community members can enjoy literature, learn through reading, and engage with technology” that her library philosophy specifies.  LPOY Finalist Barbie Miller, certified school librarian at Barbara Bush Elementary, sees the library as essential to literacy and life-long learning. “Libraries provide readers with the freedom of choice, an immersion into other worlds, and a gateway to information.” Ms Miller leads Genre Book Clubs after school. Students choose their own title, meet weekly for 6 weeks to discuss their book with others reading the same genre, and finish with a project about their book. The 6 week duration allows more students to participate during the year - and the clubs are always full. This year would have been the school’s namesake Barbara Bush’s 100th birthday. The library challenged classes to read 100 books each as a fun way to celebrate the Literacy Champion. The library also celebrates Go Texan Day, the Book Character Parade, and themed reading challenges.  LPOY Finalist Gretchen Silva, certified school librarian at Condit Elementary, loves the outdoors. Her library is closely identified with the school garden, where the students often go. Ms Silva also loves chickens, and oversees the incubator every spring. There is a chicken coop near the garden, where students love to assist. Ms Silva chooses books that explain chickens and other parts of the world; read aloud time might happen in the garden where the observation is simultaneous to the story. Condit is also a Leader in Me school, which means there are jobs the students apply for: Garden Gnomes, Chicken Care, and many others. The Condit Library is a Learning Commons, and exists without walls at the center of the school. Students cross through the Library throughout the day, and stop for a minute to hear part of a story being read to a class or investigate if the chicks have hatched yet. The 3D printer is always of interest, too. The Library includes a Makerspace as well. The 3D printer is only one element of this STEAM focus; Bee-Bots, Kubo robots, legos and even art supplies are others. As you see, these four exemplary and certified HISD librarians demonstrate what a strong school library can be as well as why EVERY HISD student should have these same opportunities. SNL is glad there is again some leadership from HISD Central Office to support the libraries that do serve our students. We hope those numbers will expand as district leadership is reminded how much impact library access can have, especially for students who have no books of their own at home.
 
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AuthorThis newsletter is primarily authored by Dorcas Hand, with support from others active in SNL. If you have an idea to share, please contact our email below. Dorcas is a retired school librarian who remains active in advocacy for HISD libraries and more. SNL supports increased access to school libraries across all HISD students and campuses. Archives
November 2025
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