Name Change for the Organization
By President Kathy Lowe
Exciting changes lie ahead for the Massachusetts School Library Media Association!
At the June Executive Board meeting, the Board passed a motion approving a name change for our association from MSLMA to MSLA, the Massachusetts School Library Association. A constitutional amendment is necessary to change the association's name, and the Executive Council of the MSLMA Board has approved a process that will include an online membership meeting and email vote within the next month.
History: In 1992, the name of our association was changed from Massachusetts Association for Educational Media (MAEM) to Massachusetts School Library Media Association (MSLMA).
Reasons for changing the Association's name to Massachusetts School Library Association (MSLA):
- The word "Media" in our current name is a relic from the days when audiovisual materials and equipment, and later computers, were first introduced into school libraries. It is an out-of-date, confusing term that does not effectively communicate who we are.
- To achieve a "21st Century" image that goes along with our teaching of "21st Century Skills", we are redesigning the Association's logo and web page, so this is a logical time to update our name and make it an integral part of our new image.
- This is a simple change that will lead to minimal confusion.
- MSLA parallels other professional library organizations like ALA, PLA, and MLA.
- The new name was chosen specifically because it describes the place we where all work - the school library - but does not include any of our disputed job titles (Library Teacher, School Library Media Specialist, Media Specialist, Librarian, or School Librarian).
- It is important to keep the word "school" in our name to be clear about what kind of librarians we are.
For more information, please visit www.mslma.org/whoweare/namechange.html
