GLMA

Georgia Library Media Association (GLMA)
====**__Brief History and Purpose Statement __**==== 1930 - Department of School Libraries of Georgia Education Association formed. 1947 - Children's & Young People's Section of Georgia Library Association and Georgia Education Association (GEA) formed. 1951 - Librarian's Section of Georgia Teachers and Education Association (GTEA) formed. 1958 - Student Library Assistants (SLAGS) of GTEA formed and Georgia Association of Library Assistants (GALA) of GEA formed. 1961 - Library Department of Georgia Education Association and Children's and Young People's Section of Georgia Library Association formed. 1970 - Georgia Library Media Department (GLMD) of Georgia Association of Education (GAE) formed. (After merger of GTEA and GEA) 1975 - Georgia Educational Media Association and Georgia Library Media Department merged. 1976 - Georgia Association of Media Assistants (GAMA) formed (merger of GALA and SLAGS). 1988 - Georgia Library Media Department became Georgia Library Media Association (GLMA) (No longer a department of GAE). 1993 - GLMA, Incorporated to become GLMA. Inc., establishing a Board of Directors and an Executive Committee. Today - GLMA, Inc. continues as the largest professional organization serving school library media professionals in Georgia. GLMA, Inc. is affiliated with GAE and is the state affiliate to the Amercian Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

GLMA is a professional organization serving school library media professionals in Georgia. Its members are dedicated to the advancement and empowerment of school library media specialists and to quality education in Georgia's schools. GLMA, Inc. is the state affiliate to the American Association of School Libraries (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

AASL/GLMA, Inc. Mission Statement <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To Advocate Excellence, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To Facilitate Change, and <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To Develop Leaders.

**__Basic Guidelines/Policies__**
1. Organization (See Bylaws Article IV, Membership) 1.1 Membership Types of membership: 1.2 Districts (Bylaws, Article IX, District and Committee Organization) 1.3 Board of Directors (Bylaws, Article VI, Board of Directors) 1.4 Committees (Bylaws, Article IX, District and Committee Organization) A. COORDINATORS Coordinators for each Standing Committee shall: B. SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRS Chairs for each Subcommittee shall: C. STANDING COMMITTEES AND SUBCOMMITTEES GLMA Handbook --Bylaws, Policies, Procedures, and Exhibits Nominating Membership District Chairs Organizational Partners 2. Finance Standing Committee 3. Communication Standing Committee GLMA Website Publications Publicity Intra-organizational Communication 4. Advocacy Standing Committee Government Relations Community Relations 5. Awards and Grants Standing Committee GLMA Mable Wyche Underwood Grant Library Media Specialist of the Year (LMSOTY) Award Intellectual Freedom Award William E. Patterson Award Other Awards/Grants 6. Professional Development Standing Committee Summer Institute 7. Special Projects Standing Committee Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers Georgia Association of Media Assistants (GAMA) Curriculum Projects
 * Regular – any person eligible who desires regular member status, even if eligible for special category.
 * Student – a pre-service and/or full-time student preparing for a career in the library media profession.
 * Retired – a retired educator or library media professional, or other, who was eligible for membership while employed.
 * There shall be a maximum of sixteen (16) Districts and a minimum of eight (8) established geographically to best represent the membership.
 * The Board of Directors is the official representative body of the association, which consists of the Executive Committee (elected officers) and the appointed Coordinators, Subcommittee Chairs and District Chairs (District Chairs may be elected by the Districts). As such, it is the governance authority (voting members) of the association.
 * Some duties may be delegated to individuals and/or Committees, but duties normally reserved to the governance authority by parliamentary law are the responsibility of the Board of Directors.
 * Communicate regularly with their Subcommittees Chairs and act as the Committee representative on the Board of Directors.
 * Present quarterly reports of the activities and function of their Committees to the Board of Directors.
 * Communicate regularly with the Coordinator of their Standing Committee
 * Present quarterly reports of the activities and function of their Subcommittee to the Board of Directors.
 * 1) Organizational Maintenance Standing Committee

**__Legislative Agenda__**
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">GLMA’s Legislative Agenda is most impressive. The photos and accompanying captions depict the GLMA base’s devotion to advocacy on behalf of GA library media specialists. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Due to the funding inadequacies as far as state budget allotments for media center programming, GLMA has set as its legislative agenda the following: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Expenditure Controls** GLMA is in support of monies remaining under the control of the media specialist at the building level. Expenditure control measures are there to ensure that funds are spent towards materials and resources in the way that they were intended by the LMS. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Georgia Library Learning Online - GALILEO** GLMA is in support of the state continuing its funding of these 100+ databases for the FY2011 budget. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Media Center Support Staff** GLMA supports continued QBE funding for media center clerks and paraprofessionals. Support personnel are central to carrying out routine management and maintenance of the media center. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**National Board Teacher Certification - NBTC GLMA supports legislation that recognizes the importance of nationally certified teachers** GLMA specifically requests funds for national board certified teacher supplements be reinstated. These funds help keep highly qualified teachers in the classroom.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is a nice history of GA Library Media Center Allotments dating back five years. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The 2010 Legislative Session is particularly troubling, for that is where the Governor outlined his support for a ‘flexibility bill’ which in essence allows local school systems to re-direct school library media funding. What is more, HB 906 also passed, giving school systems the flexibility to wait as late as May 15th to issue teacher contracts for the following year. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is a downloadable Word document that serves as a blue print for getting involved as a library advocate, including links to the state legislators in the House and Senate.

__**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Membership Requirements and Contact Information **__
Membership dues are $30 for a year.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">GLMA Executive Office <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2711 Irvin Way, Suite 111 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Decatur, GA 30030 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">404.299.7700glma@jlh-consulting.com

There is also an online form you can fill out to contact GLMA.

**__Conference Schedule__**
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Georgia COMO (Council of Media Organizations) Annual Conference <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">October 5-7, 2011 - Athens

__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Review of Website** __
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The GLMA site is chock full of resource links which one can access using the tabs over to the far left hand column. Right in the center is a link to their popular blog, where library media specialists can stay abreast of hot button topics. For a further web presence, GLMA is on Twitter and Facebook. It is interesting to note that GLMA, along with GAIT are co-sponsors of the GA School Library Media Specialist of the Year Award. Judy Serrittela, the current coordinator for Library Media Services for the State Department of Education, was the 2001 GA School Library Media Specialist of the Year.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Their membership application is downloadable in PDF format. There is also a link to a generic LMS Evaluation Tool.