Let’s Celebrate Conference! October 28, 2009
Posted by Jay Bansbach in : Check this out! , add a commentWhat is Celebrate Conference?
Celebrate Conference: First-Timer’s Orientation
Thursday, November 5, 12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m.
Is this your first AASL National Conference? Are you a new AASL Member? This session is especially designed for new AASL members and first-time attendees to the AASL National Conference. AASL member-leaders and others will share helpful tips and strategies to help you get the most out of an AASL National Conference. First-timers will receive a box lunch, sponsored by ABDO Publishing Company if you checked off that you were a first-timer when you registered for conference.
In addition, we are still looking for long-time conference attendees to drop by and provide your valuable insights. If you are willing, please drop me an e-mail at: cjbansbach@yahoo.com to let me know you are coming.
James Patterson Opens the AASL Conference Day on Friday November 6th October 28, 2009
Posted by Jay Bansbach in : Check this out! , add a commentInternational bestselling author JAMES PATTERSON opens the AASL 2009 conference Friday, November 6, at 8:00 AM. Mr. Patterson has thrilled, chilled and romanced readers of all ages for over two decades. His MAXIMUM RIDE and DANIEL X books are teen favorites around the country and have been nominated for state awards from coast to coast. Mr. Patterson is a champion of reading and his new readers’ advisory website, www.ReadKiddoRead.com is a great resource for librarians, parents, and teachers alike in helping kids find the perfect book. As a special gift, the first one thousand attendees at Mr. Patterson’s address will receive an advance readers copy of his next great action adventure for teens, WITCH & WIZARD. Don’t miss out on this wonderful chance to hear one of America’s favorite authors.
b there @ the AASL Conference in Charlotte October 26, 2009
Posted by Ann Pipkin in : Check this out! , 1 comment so farb there – Your Virtual Track Pass
Don’t miss your chance to be a part of virtually the biggest event for school library media specialists outside of Charlotte.
You may also wish to earn up to 3.0 graduate credits while you “Rev up learning @ your library.”
Explore b there today!
Registration levels designed to keep you in the driver’s seat:
Spectator (Lane 1): For non-members and non-conference registrants who just want to have a look around, AASL has designed access to for you to join the community and network with your peers.
Pit Stop (Lane 2): For AASL members, b there special benefits have been created to allow members to not only network with peers, but also gain access to select conference content and discussions.
Track Pass (Lane 3): Gain full access to b there. National conference registration automatically gets you a Track Pass. Can’t make it to Charlotte? b there from anywhere and register for a track pass today!
Go to http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/conferencesandevents/national/charlotte2009/forattendees/bthere/bthere.cfm for more information and pricing.
Acclaimed Author Linda Sue Park – Awarded the Empire State Award – Presenting at AASL Author Breakfast! October 22, 2009
Posted by Jay Bansbach in : Check this out! , 1 comment so far*News Flash*
Internationally acclaimed author, Linda Sue Park, is the recipient of this year’s Empire State Author Award—a New York state award celebrating a living author’s collective contribution to young adult and children’s literature. Linda Sue joins the distinguished ranks of past award winners, that include, Maurice Sendak (first time recipient in 1990), Madeline L’Engle, (1991) and Richard Peck (1997).
Linda Sue nabbed the 2002 Newbery Medal for her unusual historical novel, A Single Shard, set in 12th century Korea. With twelve published novels to her credit, she is also the creator of picture books, poems, short stories and the on-going chapter installments to, “A Long Walk to Water,” published by Breakfast Serials and printed in newspapers nation-wide.
Well known for her lyrical literary style, Linda Sue’s stories recreate time and place, lacing the past with tangible conflicts and humane emotions.
We look forward to hearing Linda Sue present at the AASL Author Breakfast on Sunday, November 8th, from 8:30 – 11:00. She shares the podium with notable novelist Richard Peck.
October Is National Information Literacy Awareness Month October 13, 2009
Posted by Wendy Stephens in : Check this out! , 1 comment so far“Over the past decade, we have seen a crisis of authenticity emerge. We now live in a world where anyone can publish an opinion or perspective, whether true or not, and have that opinion amplified within the information marketplace. At the same time, Americans have unprecedented access to the diverse and independent sources of information, as well as institutions such as libraries and universities, that can help separate truth from fiction and signal from noise.”
With that message reinforcing the value of information agencies and professionals in an era of ubiquitous access to online sources of ranging quality, President Barack Obama proclaimed National Information Literacy Awareness Month at the requests of Senator John Kerry and the late Senator Edward Kennedy, who noted in their August 1 letter of support that that information literacy was particularly critical “at a time when more and more information comes from the Internet and media.” The annual focus on information skills is a project of National Forum on Information Literacy (NFIL), an organization established by the American Library Association in 1989 “dedicated to mainstreaming information literacy and practice worldwide.”
The month-long national spotlight on these essential skills provides an ideal opportunity for re-tooling our own professional toolkits. For more print and online resources, consider the AASL Essential Links wiki for Information Literacy and, for high school librarians, the ALA INFOLIT discussion list and the ACRL Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education provide useful frameworks for preparing out students for what’s next. As the NFIL notes, the month-long focus can remind “every American, every employer, every government agency and every institution, in every community across this land, that having an information literate citizenry will help pave the way to 21st century economic prosperity, wider educational opportunity, fairer social equity, stronger national security, and an enhanced quality of life for every American.”
Advocacy @ SLJ Summit October 9, 2009
Posted by jfreeman in : Advocacy, Spokane Moms , 2commentsLisa Layera Brunkan, one of the “Spokane Moms,” recently gave the keynote speech at the SLJ Summit. Here is a 4-minute YouTube video showing Lisa talking about advocacy and showcasing our students and library programs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6ZyUDqbZf8
Nominate Your Favorite School Librarian September 23, 2009
Posted by Melissa Jacobsen in : Awards , add a commentContact: Megan Humphrey
Manager, Campaign for America’s Libraries
There’s Still Time to Nominate a School Librarians for 2009 I Love My Librarian Award
Nominations are still open for the 2009 Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award.
The award invites library users to recognize the accomplishments of librarians in public, school, college, community college and university libraries for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community. Nominations will run through October 9 and are being accepted online at www.ilovelibraries.org/ilovemylibrarian.
Up to 10 librarians will be selected. Each will receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and a $500 travel stipend to attend an awards ceremony and reception in New York, hosted by The New York Times in December. In addition, a plaque will be given to each award winner’s library.
Each nominee must be a librarian with a master’s degree from a program accredited by the ALA in library and information studies or a master’s degree with a specialty in school library media from an educational unit accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Nominees must be currently working in the United States in a public library, a library at an accredited two- or four-year college or university or at an accredited K-12 school.
Nominees will be judged by a selection committee based on quality of service to library users, demonstrated knowledge of the library and its resources and commitment shown in helping library users.
In 2008, Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded the American Library Association (ALA) $489,000 to support the award, which will continue annually through 2012. The award continues in the tradition of one The New York Times presented from 2001 to 2006.
Last year, more than 3,200 library users nationwide nominated a librarian, and 10 librarians received the award. For more information on last year’s winners, visit ilovelibraries.org/ilovemylibrarian.
The award is administered by ALA’s Public Information Office and Campaign for America’s Libraries, ALA’s public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians.
Carnegie Corp. of New York was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote “the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.” For more than 95 years, the foundation has carried out its founder’s vision of philanthropy by building on his two major concerns: international peace and advancing education and knowledge. Each year, the private grant-making foundation invests more than $100 million in nonprofit organizations to fulfill Mr. Carnegie’s mission, “to do real and permanent good in this world.”
The New York Times Company, a leading media company with 2008 revenues of $2.9 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers, WQXR-FM and more than 50 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.
Search Literacy via Google September 23, 2009
Posted by jhurd in : Check this out!, Technology , 3commentsGoogle is committed to helping teachers. Their latest iteration of that is the recent release of a search curriculum, including lesson plans, multimedia power point presentations and a webinar explaining how to teach search in the classroom.
The presentations can be viewed online or downloaded, and once downloaded they are editable should you, for example, decide you don’t need to teach your 8th graders how to search patents.
Tied to the ISTE technology standards the lessons are broken into three modules: understanding search engines, web search strategies and Google features. For obvious reasons, the modules all focus on the Google search engine; the tech-savvy librarian would want to add information on other search engines, web portals, etc.
Similarly, check any presentations for bits of information that may not be relevant to other search engines. For example, the “Search Toolbox” presentation states on slide six, “Quotations are rarely needed. Use them only when necessary.” Now, that is arguably true with Google or Yahoo, both of whom use AND as their default operator; Alta Vista, however, uses OR which could make quotation-less phrase searching more problematic.
Nevertheless, these are not only a good resource for librarians, but also a wonderful resource for classroom teachers who may not have access to trained library staff. They could also be used as catch-up tutorials for those students who missed class during your search strategies lesson. Best of all, as with all Google tools, the plans and presentations are free. It’s hard to beat that.
Conference registration deadlines loom September 22, 2009
Posted by Wendy Stephens in : Conferences , add a comment
- AASL divisional members have until October 6th to register at the advance rate of $290, a $50 savings over late or on-site registration.
- For attendees arriving in Charlotte on Wednesday or Thursday, almost all preconference workshops and symposia — including topics ranging from graphic novels to project-based learning to advocacy and law for school librarians — still have some availability.
- Tickets are still available to author events, which are fast becoming my own favorite part of conference, including Friday’s banquet with Laurie Halse Anderson and Sunday’s author breakfast with Linda Sue Park and Richard Peck.
- School librarians seeking course credit for AASL conference attendance have the opportunity to register through the University of Colorado – Denver ’s School of Education and Human Development. The number of credit hours available range from 0.5 to 2, with each credit hour representing a tuition cost of just $60 and 15 contact hours. Attendees must keep an attendance log and provide a personal reflection to meet course requirements.
Bundled Registration for ALA Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference
- September is the only month for bundled registration for ALA Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference. AASL divisional members pay $300 for registration for both conferences, representing a 20% savings over advance registration rates.
- Members who bundle will be able to make midwinter hotel reservations simultaneous with or after registration, giving them ‘first pick” at the ALA hotel conference hotel block.
- Special events ticketing will not be available until later, but can easily be added to your bundled registration.
Sign Up to Present at the AASL 2009 Bloggers’ Café September 20, 2009
Posted by bhamilton in : AASL2009 , add a commentAre you attending the 2009 AASL National Conference in Charlotte, NC? If so, please consider being part of the bloggers’ café!
What is a bloggers’ café?
Have something to share, but for whatever reason you are not scheduled for a concurrent session? Consider signing up to present your stuff at our Bloggers’ Café! Presentation equipment and Internet connection will be available.
Want to take a comfortable break from the conference hubbub? Stop by and listen as your colleagues share their ideas at the Bloggers’ Café.
Use the time to:
- Host a discussion
- Create a Birds of a Feather session
- Present your best ideas
- Expand on your Exploratorium poster
- Expand on your concurrent session
- Teach a skill
- Other?
Sign up now by visiting http://aaslbloggerscafe.wikispaces.com/.
Buffy Hamilton, School Library Media Specialist
Creekview High School
Canton, Georgia
