AASL News May 28, 2008
Posted by mjones in : AASL News , add a commentAASL seeks applications from Spectrum Scholars to attend AASL 2008 Fall Forum
AASL will sponsor the attendance of up to two Spectrum Scholars at its 2008 Fall Forum. The 2008 forum, entitled “Assessment, Part II: Constructing and Interpreting Viable Tools for Effective Student Learning in the Library Media Center,” will be held October 17-19 in Oak Brook, Illinois (Chicago area).
Applicants must be currently pursuing a library science degree with a concentration in school library media, or working as a school library media specialist. Each of the selected scholars will be provided with complimentary registration to the AASL 2008 Fall Forum and a $750 travel stipend to offset travel and housing expenses. Spectrum Scholars will be paired with a mentor for the duration of the conference and will receive special recognition at key events. The travel stipend is generously provided by Capstone Publishers.
Those who wish to apply can find a copy of the criteria and application guidelines in the Spectrum page on the ALA Web site. Applications are due on September 12, and winners will be announced on September 18.
ALA is now accepting applications for the 2009 class of Emerging Leaders
The Emerging Leaders program is designed to enable more than 100 new librarians to get on the fast track to ALA and professional leadership. Participants are given the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, network with peers, and get an inside look into ALA structure and activities.
An ALA division, round table, ethnic affiliate, state chapter, or AASL Affiliate will sponsor approximately one-third of the selected applicants. However, sponsorship is not required for participation in the program. In order to be eligible for participation in the program, those selected must meet the following criteria:
- Be under 35 years of age or be a new librarian of any age with fewer than 5 years post-MLS experience, and
- Have a recent MLS degree from an ALA or NCATE accredited program or be in an MLS program currently, and
- Be able to attend both ALA conferences and work virtually in between each,
- Be prepared to commit to serve on an ALA, Division, Chapter, or Round Table committee, taskforce, or workgroup upon completion of program, and
- Be an ALA member or join upon selection if not already a member.
Applications can be found at http://cs.ala.org/hrdr/emergingleaders. The deadline to apply is July 31. Program information will be available and updated at wikis.ala.org/emergingleaders. For questions or more information regarding the program, contact Beatrice Calvin at bcalvin@ala.org.
Volunteer with AASL
Appointments are currently being made for the 2008-2009 committee year. If you have ever considered volunteering for your national organization, now is the time to fill out a volunteer form.
Currently, AASL has openings for two-year appointments on the Appointments, Bylaws and Organization, Legislation, and Publication Committees. There are also one-year terms on two task forces, Best List for Teacher Resources and School Library Media Month. Descriptions of all AASL committees can be found on the About AASL section of the Web site.
The volunteer form will ask for three AASL committee preferences, but it is also extremely important to be specific when you list your major areas of interest in school library media services. This information will help AASL as new task forces and special committees are formed. If a short-term assignment is something that interests you, please be sure to check the box at the bottom of the form.
Deadline near for comments on AASL Standards in Action May 26, 2008
Posted by Kathy Lowe in : Check this out!, Standards , add a commentDear Colleagues,
June 6th is the deadline for submitting your comments on the first draft of the AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action. This document provides support for school library media specialists and other educators in teaching the essential learning skills defined in Standards for the 21st Century Learner. It presents Action Examples for putting Standard 1: Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge, into practice in Benchmark Grades 2, 5, 8, 10 and 12+.
Visit http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/standardsinaction/standardsinaction.cfm to view the draft.
We have had very few comments submitted so far, but hope that many of you will take the time in the next two weeks to scrutinize this draft and offer your input before our task force resumes its work on the remaining Standards. Please don’t miss this opportunity to contribute to what will become the new “handbook” for our profession and make it the best it can be.
We look forward to receiving your commnets soon at StandardsInAction@ala.org
AASL Learning Standards Indicators & Assessment Task Force:
Katherine Lowe, Chair, Massachusetts School Library Association
Cassandra G. Barnett, Fayetteville High School Library, AR
Melissa P. Johnston, Silver City Elementary, Cumming, GA
Barbara K. Stripling, New York City Department of Education
Dr. Violet H. Harada, University of Hawaii
Frances Glick, Baltimore County Public Schools, MD
Trademark and Fair Use May 25, 2008
Posted by Debbie Stafford in : Copyright , 1 comment so farLM_NET often has reoccurring topics on issues of Copyright. These posts are focused either on our role as school library media in teaching and informing students and teachers or questions about fair use, as we try to be role models.
Concerning copyright we all know the 4 rules of fair use and attempt to educate students and teachers about fair use, even when they are reluctant to hear that what they want to do is a copyright violation.
A recent LM_NET thread concerned use of trademarks specifically the use of the ALA READ logo in making posters to encourage reading. Many expressed amazement that a word could be trademarked. After following the debate I decided to do a little research. A disclaimer, my research is certainly not exhaustive and I have no legal training.
First, in considering what a trademark is and what can be trademarked I found the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office web site to be very helpful. There I found a definition - ‘A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others.” There were also pages about what trademarks do and why someone would need a trademark. This site also proved useful - Registering a Trademark.com
Basically, I believe that ALA registered the READ celebrity poster in order to protect that service both for ALA and for the celebrities who volunteer to pose.
In further searching I found reference to “fair use” of trademarks since we all use the word read daily, but I did not find a set of neat rules. Wikipedia lists these two rules From my admittedly limited research it would be my understanding that if I wanted to put something in the school’s parent newsletter encouraging students to READ over the summer that would be fair use. But putting a graphic in the newsletter mimicking an ALA READ poster without “license” from ALA would not.
Fortunately ALA does give librarians a way to use the READ trademark. You can buy the READ CD set and use any of the images, or you can go to the ALA store and order individual READ logo images. Then you can create your own READ celebrity posters and bookmarks.
AASL News May 21, 2008
Posted by mjones in : AASL News , add a commentCassandra Barnett named 2009-2010 AASL president
Cassandra G. Barnett, school library media specialist at Fayetteville High School in Fayetteville, Arkansas, was elected president-elect of AASL in the 2008 elections. Barnett’s term as president-elect starts in July 2008. Barnett obtained her Bachelor of Science in Education and later a Master of Science in Education/Instructional Resources from the University of Arkansas. As an AASL member since 1986, Barnett has served many roles, including an AASL Bylaws & Organization Committee member; member of the Learning Standards Indicators and Assessments Task Force; Learning Standards Rewrite Task Force co-chair; member of the NSLMPY Award Committee; AASL Publications Committee member; co-chair of the AASL National Conference 2003 committee; chair of AASL Non-Conference Year Programming Task Force; and Member-at-Large of the AASL Board of Directors.
Of her goals as AASL president, Barnett says, “We live in exciting and scary times for school library media programs. The new Standards for the 21st-Century Learner offer guidance to school librarians in collaborating with teachers to engage students in learning situations that are meaningful and relevant. The learning environment of the library has expanded beyond the physical walls through access to Web-based informational resources.
“At the same time, school library media programs are threatened as districts trim their budgets by eliminating certified school library media specialist positions. It is our task to increase awareness of the link between a well-stocked school library with a qualified school library media specialist and improved student academic achievement. We must help the larger learning community realize that a dynamic school library media program is in the best interest of all.”
Read the full press release.
Complete AASL Election results are available on AASL Elections page.
New publication available in AASL bookstore
The new AASL publication, Leadership for Excellence: Insights of the National School Library Media Program of the Year Award Winners, offers advice to school library media specialists who hope to achieve student-centered teaching and learning within their school community. Edited by Jo Ann Carr for AASL, this book promises to help school library media specialists who would like to play a leading role in student achievement in their schools. Buy your copy today at the AASL bookstore.
Volunteer at the AASL booth in Anaheim
During the ALA 2008 Annual Conference in Anaheim, AASL will have a booth on the exhibit floor. The booth will be stocked with materials to help share all the great things happening in AASL. The most effective way for us to make connections with those walking the exhibit floor is to have personal contact. Can you help us make those connections by volunteering at the AASL booth?
Volunteer duties include:
- restocking the materials in the booth
- answering general questions
- sharing your reasons for being an AASL member
The schedule is below. AASL asks that volunteers sign up for an hour increment between the times listed.
- Saturday, June 28th from 9-4
- Sunday, June 29th from 9-4
- Monday, June 30th from 9-4
- Tuesday, July 1st from 8-11
Please send Carl Harvey <carl@carl-harvey.com> an email with the date(s)/time(s) you are be able to work. Please consider donating some of your time in Anaheim by working at the AASL booth.
AASL News May 14, 2008
Posted by mjones in : AASL News , add a commentAASL announces 2008 NSLMPY Award recipients
The recipients of AASL’s 2008 National School Library Media Program of the Year (NSLMPY) Award are Luella Elementary School in Locust Grove, Georgia, and Simsbury High School in Simsbury, Connecticut. Luella Elementary School is a four-year-old K-5 public school whose staff recognizes its library media program as the center of the school and community. The Luella program uses a strong collection of books and materials to support the curriculum, professional development of the staff, parenting skills, and pleasure reading. Simsbury High School is home to the Joe Townsley Library and Media Center. Simsbury’s primary focus is implementing the school’s academic expectation that students use creative and critical thinking to conduct inquiry-oriented research. The award, sponsored by Follett Library Resources, will be recognized with a $10,000 check given to each school at the AASL Awards Luncheon on Monday, June 30. In addition, staff from Follett Library Resources will travel to each school site sometime in the fall to present the crystal obelisk, the symbol of the highest achievement in school library programming. Read the full press release.
School Librarian’s Workshop Scholarship winner announced
AASL is pleased to announce that Charisse Nicole Byers has been awarded the 2008 School Librarian’s Workshop Scholarship. Currently a library science student at the University of Southern Mississippi as well as a kindergarten teacher with Atlanta public schools, Byers has held intern positions with the Peace Corps and the University of Michigan Population Fellows Program, studying and reporting on the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS prevention programs overseas. The Kappa Delta Pi – International Honor Society member has also held various volunteer positions with Teach for America, Hands on Atlanta, and SisterLove, Inc. The scholarship is donated by Jay W. Toor, president of Library Learning Resources, and will be given to Byers during the AASL Awards Luncheon during the 2008 ALA Annual Conference. To learn more about the Awards Luncheon and AASL at ALA Annual Conference, visit www.ala.org/aasl/annual. Read the press release.
Online registration for AASL preconferences ends Friday, May 16
AASL invites you to join us in Anaheim, California, on Friday, June 27, for preconferences during the ALA 2008 Annual Conference. The four preconferences—Reading and the Secondary School Library Media Specialist; Standards for the 21st-Century Learner; Eating Elephant 2.0 One Bite at a Time: Using the Read-Write Web in Classrooms and Libraries; and E-Books, E-Kids, E-Flat! Three trends schools and libraries will ignore at their peril—are designed with the school library media specialist in mind and offer the opportunity for learning and sharing in a fun and collaborative environment. Join first-class presenters and other school library media specialists for the ultimate opportunity to gain knowledge, network, and share, and leave with guaranteed tools to help your school reach its goals in education and literacy. Depending on membership, tickets range from $79 to $269. It is not required that you register for the ALA Annual Conference to attend the AASL preconferences. To learn more about these and other AASL events at the ALA 2008 Annual Conference and to register, visit the AASL @ Annual Conference Web page at www.ala.org/aasl/annual.