The Georgia Library Media Association (GLMA) is the largest professional organization serving school library media professionals in Georgia.
Adequate funding is one of the tools that contributes to student achievement. Unfortunately, Georgia faces uncertain times so there is no assurance of an increase in funding for media centers. With that in mind, GLMA offers the following legislative priorities.
Georgia Library Media Association 2010 Legislative Priorities
Expenditure Controls
GLMA supports efforts to maintain expenditure controls for media funds and promotes the reestablishment of site-based expenditure controls.
Enactment of expenditure controls for media funds is a method that helps ensure students have materials and resources in the form of books, computers, internet and online database access, and more.
The school library, or media center, is the hub of learning at each school and provides resources to all students and teachers. The media center is the largest classroom in the school, with the media specialist, all of whom have a masters degree, as the teacher and learning facilitator.
Media center resources support the curriculum for all grades and must have resources available to all grade levels when the state changes curriculum requirements.
Georgia Library Learning Online -
GALILEO GLMA supports funding initiatives for the GALILEO databases and encourages the General Assembly to continue funding the K-12 GALILEO databases in the FY2011 budget.
An initiative of the Board of Regents, GALILEO provides access to multiple information resources, including secured access to licensed products. Participating institutions may access over 100 databases indexing thousands of periodicals and scholarly journals. Over 2000 journal titles are provided in full-text.
Other resources include encyclopedias, business directories, and government publications.
Through collaboration and resource sharing, GALILEO seeks to provide equal access to information for all Georgia citizens.
Media Center Support Staff
GLMA supports continued QBE funding for media center clerks and paraprofessionals.
In addition to the management of school library resources, media specialists spend a large part of each school day teaching students. Students and media specialists rely upon support staff to assist with school projects and routine maintenance of the media center.
National Board Teacher Certification -
NBTC GLMA supports legislation and appropriations that recognize the importance of nationally certified teachers and the positive impact these teachers have on student performance.
GLMA requests funds for national board certified teacher supplements be reinstated in the amended FY2010 budget and fully funded in the FY2011 budget. These funds help keep the highest qualified teachers with exceptional backgrounds in the classroom.
Betsy L. Razza, M.Ln., Ed.S., NBCT
GLMA President-Elect
