Volume 38 Nº 2: July 2002

Ross Todd's letter from America

Ross Todd

I'm delighted to be Orana's American correspondent and to report on significant events happening across the USA and Canada. At this time, as spring gives way to summer, and as universities and schools hold graduations and closing ceremonies, there seems to be no diminution in the rate of events that focus on school libraries and the work of school librarians / school library media specialists (as teacher-librarians are called here). One aspect that comes across quite clearly as I travel around the country and talk to many school librarians is this: while Australia is seen as this distant, almost unreachable, yet forever beckoning country, there is a pervasive view that Australian teacher-librarians are doing great things and leading the way in so many dimensions of the work of the school library. Of course I agree with them. What constantly amazes me is the sheer scale of activity and events here. I had the wonderful opportunity to give the opening address of the annual conference of the Educational Media Association of New Jersey (our local teacher-librarian association) and just in my home state alone, 1000 school librarians met together. Professor Carol Kuhlthau and I ran a workshop at the biennial conference of the American Association of School Librarians in Indianapolis where some 4000 school librarians attended. Our workshop was small - we had 250 participants. For this report, I will focus on three important events.

Formerly of the University of Technology Sydney, Dr Ross Todd is currently associate professor in the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies at Rutgers University, New Jersey USA.