publications

=**Publication Strategy**=

**Goals**
1. Unify and maximize the communications efforts of SSLA publications and networks 2. Provide resources and tools, in a variety of formats, to promote awareness and the value of the SSLA 3. Position school librarianship as a desirable career opportunity 4. Further the professional development of teacher-librarians and their impact on student achievement 5. Present engaging, interactive, relevant, and current resources in a continual, rather than episodic, manner 6. Establish a learning network in which teacher-librarians can begin to participate

**Publications**
1. Web Site 2. Newsletter 3. Email notifications 4. Professional Journal 5. Blog 6. Wiki

**Discussion**
//Carlene// – Web site : prof learning environment; articles; timely little thing; add in mentoring; place where you can learn something; current; relevant; interactive; needs to be easily accessible

//Loretta// - email is important; poking people to go to the web site; try to be as inclusive as possible (but we still need to be able to collect money/membership fees);

//Charlene// – important to inform membership of what is going on – but with the email link – what is the importance of the newsletter? Need a new role description

//Donna// - web site should be more interactive - allow for others to update without always going to a web master. We should be keeping a blog and linking to current info in Sask and else where. We still need a professional journal.

How can we have the //Medium// and not make it so onerous for others to take on the responsibility? Good Question!

Need to solicit from our members. Need to address the amount of work the exec members are doing? But not lose our own voice as an association.

Loretta – newsletter and professional journal can they be melded together? There is so much over lapping now

No full journal – articles 4x/year specific deadlines – president’s message quarterly

Newsletter and email notifications – say the newsletter is for specifics: awards, pd opportunities;

Eliminate of the role of newsletter editor

**Recommendations**
1. **Web Site:** a. Explore the technical knowledge needed to set up and maintain a data-base web site b. Explore how a data-based web site could benefit the organization c. Examine the pros and cons of Joomla and Drupal as two possible applications d. Determine how such a transformation would take place – moving from our current site to a data-based site e. Re-examine web site hosting options***

2.** Newsletter 1. Regular updates to the membership via email 2. Posting updates about executive activities on the website b. Combine newsletter and the current networking responsibilities
 * a. Eliminate the newsletter as it now exists and replace it with

3.** Networking **(email list) a. Flow the current networking responsibilities into the newsletter responsibilities b. Reconsider this role within the context of communication with other associations and external bodies***

4. **Professional Journal, //The Medium//** a. Eliminate the journal as it now exists 1. Replace it with a series of four articles from Saskatchewan Teacher-librarians which are published on the web site (specific deadlines established at the beginning of the year) b. The president’s message be published quarterly under a separate link on the web site c. Special events highlights become a responsibility of the designated committee e.g. Learning Events, The Annual Conference***

5.** Blog b. Regularly updated by members of the executive c. Focus on current articles, web sites and news relevant to the Saskatchewan Teacher’s Association.
 * a. Include on the front page of the web site

6.** Wiki** a. Continue to use the wiki as an executive collaborative planning tool b. Link on the web site


 * afterthought by Donna