SE Oakland News

The Birmingham Public Schools Board of Education recognized the West Maple Elementary School librarian for her new role during a recent Pontiac School District board meeting.

The principal of the school, Jason Pesamoska, honored Carrie Betts for her recent acceptance of the position of president of the Michigan Association of School Librarians (MASL). Betts serves as an elementary library facilitator for the district, along with her West Maple position, and will continue in these roles as she serves on the board.

"Beginning in January of 2023, I will enter a three-year leadership role with the Michigan Association of School Librarians," Betts said at the board meeting. "This organization serves school librarians and school library workers by organizing a professional learning community that provides a forum for sharing of library ideas, best practice and curriculum. We host an annual conference providing three days of professional learning, a spring workshop and summer institute and library topics. We also curated the Myself and Books List, which is a list of diverse books by authors who have lived the experience that they write about."

Carrie Betts | West Maple Elementary

Betts also recently represented the state at the American Library Association conference in Washington, D.C., where she joined a team of Michigan librarians to present Michigan’s Model School Library Program. Maple West Elementary school was also named school library of the year last year by the state of Michigan.

“I began serving with MASL seven years ago because of my concern with the reduction of school libraries staffed with school certified librarians across the state of Michigan," Betts said at the board meeting. "Currently, less than 50% of K-12 students across the state have access to a school library managed and curated by a certified librarian. I have served with MASL on the general board as parliamentarian, on the executive board, as the vice president of continuing education and as the chair of the Summer Institute. In my role as president-elect, I will chair the annual conference committee this year for 2023 and represent MASL at the American Library Association Conferences and the American Association of School Libraries Conference.”