School Library System council welcomes new members, sets agenda for 2022-23
The School Library System council met in person for the first time since the remote period, welcoming several new members and setting its agenda for the year ahead.
Among the first orders of business was to elect a new chair, as Eleanor Schuster of Eastchester took the gavel from Chairwoman Kelsey Cohen of Mamaroneck.
School Library System Supervisor Jennifer Cannell oversaw her first council meeting since joining Southern Westchester BOCES earlier this year. Nearly half of its 16 members are new to the council as well. The council’s role, she explained, is to develop policies, goals and long-term plans as well as a required five-year plan of service. The council also votes on the system’s budget and annual report.
“The way I think of a library council is you’re like the board of education of the library system,” Dr. Cannell said.
More than that, however, Dr. Cannell said she envisions the council’s role as supporting member librarians in increasing their capacity and educating districts about the proper role of school librarians. “A big part of what we do here is advocacy,” she said.