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History
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HISTORY “On a snowy night in April, 1918, when an unexpected storm blew in from the sea, a small group of people interested in the welfare of school libraries met around an open fire in the Children’s Room of the Brookline Public Library. Among them were public librarians, teachers of English, school principals, representatives of teacher and library training institutions, and two who bore the title of ‘school librarian’---actually, ‘public library assistants assigned to certain hours at the school library’ according to Miss Mary H. Davis, who was one of the two. Out of this meeting came the decision to organize, the appointment of a committee to draw up a constitution, the selection of a place for the first meeting, and the start of a list of people who might be interested in joining the association. Although this meeting marked the first attempt at a New England regional organization of school librarians, the need for improvement in the school library situation had been expressed at the national level at the 1910 meeting of the National Education Association when ‘a group met at the Boston Public Library with the idea of campaigning for better high school libraries’ ---as recalled by Miss Mary E. Hall, Librarian, Brooklyn (New York) Girls’ High School, who attended that meeting. On May 18, 1918, at Simmons college, the first formal meeting of the New England School Library Association was held. As hostess and organizing spirit, Miss June Richardson Donnelly, Director of the Simmons College School of Library Science, presided at the meeting. The proposed articles of the constitution were read by the Chairman of the Committee on Constitution, Miss Louisa M. Hooper, Librarian of the Brookline, Massachusetts, Public Library. The Constitution was discussed and adopted.” Pike, Mary M. and Mary. D. Bair. NESLA---A History of the New England School Library Association 1918-1968. Salem (MA): Lavender Printing Company. 1968 A FEW FIRSTS 1918 Annual meeting, May 18, at Simmons College. Constitution adopted 1919 School library standards approved 1920 Book Lists published 1922 Use of AV materials at a meeting---four slides 1925 Meeting with the All-New England Library Conference, later to be the New England Library Association 1929 Exhibit by book publishers at a meeting, April 1931 Member from Vermont 1933 State school library association formed (Connecticut) 1936 Questionnaire on the cooperation of school and public libraries. Representation by school librarian from New Hampshire on the Executive Board. 1939 Student book review programs 1940 Conference and workshop at Simmons College (on Guidance through the School Library) Mimeographed newsletter 1943 Elementary School Library Committee appointed 1944 State School Library consultant in New England (Connecticut) 1945 Use of acronym NESLA (in News Letter) 1946 Recruiting pamphlet published 1947 Life membership written into the Constitution (twenty dollars) 1950 NESDEC-NESLA Joint Library committee appointed. Committee to promote demonstration libraries in at least one teacher training institute in each state 1952 NESDEC-NESLA Joint Library Committee publication (“Every School Needs A Library”) 1953 Presentation at a meeting of the Massachusetts Teachers Federation (library correlation exhibit and workshop) 1961 Legislative Committee appointed 1963 Scholarship Committee appointed Completely Audio-visual meeting (Woodstock, VT) 1979 Elizabeth T. Fast Service Award established 1980 First edition of NEEMA Views 1982 NEEMA’s first annual Book Examination Day, Wesley United Methodist Church, Worcester MA 1996 publishes membership brochure 1997 NEEMA is awarded the AASL/ABC-CLIO Leadership Grant to offer a leadership retreat for all state level board members and open NEEMA board participation through virtual meetings 1999 NEEMA Task Force developed Competencies: Questions for Evaluators and Indicators of Quality for the School Library Media Program Registered neema.org for the association web page 2001 Last Book Examination Day 2002 NEEMA White Paper by Dr. Carol A. Gordon The Place of the School Library Media Program in the Accreditation Process of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges 2003 Developed a 3 year strategic plan for the @Your Library Campaign for New England 2005 Created a Future of School Libraries (FOSL) Task Force to develop an Action Plan Leadership conference at the Harvard Club of Boston prior to ALA Midwinter meeting 2008 Established the Hall of Fame Votes to change name to New England School Library Association at annual meeting 2010 NESLA retreat for all of the New England school library association boards NESLA establishes a Facebook page 2013 Margaret A. Hallisey Exceptional Service Award established 2014 NESLA transitions to the Wild Apricot online association management system 2018 100th anniversary of NESLA, the oldest school library association. |