From the President's Desk...

By: Kate Dutro, OASL 2026-27, President

A Message from Your President:
This month’s column is a bit of a hodgepodge. We have so much happening in our profession and our organization in the coming months. I appreciate you all showing up for your students and our profession. I know we just got back to school, but let’s get to it!

First Day of School

Baseball players have opening day. Businesses have ribbon cuttings. Ski instructors have the first day on the slopes. But we have the best, most chaotic, most joyous experience - the first day of school. It’s hard, it’s exhausting, it’s stressful, there are tears (from students and sometimes teachers), but we all get through it to keep spreading kindness, reading, and curiosity! Thank you again for all that you do for our students and educators!

A few weeks ago at the Oregon Library Association Board Meeting, president Bryan Miyagishma said a few lines from a Wendell Berry piece. The gist was about planting for the future, and I needed to hear that as I geared up for another year. That’s what we are doing every day. Planting seeds of kindness and curiosity, and many of us never get to even know the full impact we have. But as Bryan reminded us, and as I am going to remind you all, we’re making an impact every day, whether it comes to fruition this week or in 10 years, we’re doing it. Keep up the amazing work!

OASL Conference

The start of school also means the OASL Annual Conference is upon us! October 9-10, we’ve got an amazing bus tour, a fun Friday night social, a phenomenal lineup of authors and sessions, vendors with prizes, and so much more planned for you all. And, along with seeing all your friends and making new connections, AASL President April Dawkins will be joining us! Early bird registration ends Friday, September 18, but we’ll still have room for you after that.

OASL is run by volunteers, and the conference is our biggest event. Every member of the committee truly wants to put on a meaningful event for school librarians and staff. They want you all to leave with an idea or connection or inspiration. I have never left an OASL conference without all three, so please join us!

I also want you all to know the amazing team behind the conference. These members have taken so much time out of their already jam-packed schedules to make this conference happen. Please give them a high-five or a thank you next time you see them.

2026 Conference Committee: Amy Page, Courtney Peterson, Lori Lieberman, Karen Babcock, Kate Weber, Jessica Lorentz Smith, Laura Axon, Jean Gritter, Ayn Frazee, Molly Sloan

Advocacy

At an advocacy workshop, I heard the term “micro-transaction.” These are the everyday little ways we advocate for libraries. This is meeting another parent at the park and explaining what you do. This is giving book club recommendations to the person sitting next to you on the airplane. This is explaining to the random electrician that you are, in fact, more useful than a Google search. This is still smiling big when a stranger finds out you are a school librarian and tells you that’s a dream job, even though they have no idea how much you have to hustle to develop the collection, weed, process books, fundraise, and still find time to teach 13 classes in two days all while you justify your existence to administrators. (I clearly do a lot of these micro-transactions.)

I often hear people say about themselves that they don’t do enough. You do! Will we still ask you for more? Yes, but it is only because kids in Oregon need you, and we cannot do it without you! 

When we call upon you this year, it is going to matter. We need people to reach out to legislators, write to their newspaper, speak to their school board, talk to the PTA - something a little more than our micro-transactions (though, those are still important - don’t stop those). In 2027, the Oregon Legislature will have a long session, and it is going to matter a great deal. 

In the meantime, if you’re looking for advocacy resources, OASL has you covered! Like with our work with our students, all this advocacy is planting seeds to hopefully make positive changes for our students, both big and small. 

If I don’t see you at the conference, I hope you all have an amazing school year, and please reach out with any questions or ideas!