AASL News November 5, 2008
Posted by mjones in : AASL News , add a commentDoes your school library media program have what it takes to be a NSLMPY winner?
Each year, AASL honors the best in the school library media world as National School Library Media Programs of the Year. Sponsored by Follett Library Resources, each winner in the category of school or district will receive a $10,000 award and the high distinction of being a NSLMPY Award winner. Each year, an award is given to two single schools and one district. The deadline to apply is January 2, 2009.
Join us at the AASL Premidwinter Institute
AASL will offer the School Library Advocacy Institute during the ALA 2009 Midwinter Meeting. Led by Deborah Levitov, the institute will be held Friday, January 23, in Denver, Colorado. AASL members can attend the institute for $189. In tough economic times, all will benefit from the resources and strategies to help launch your school library’s advocacy campaign.
Win a special screening of The Tale of Despereaux
SLJ is awarding one lucky winner a special pre-screening for 200 attendees of the holiday 2008 movie The Tale of Despereaux. The sweepstakes ends December 1, 2008.
AASL News October 29, 2008
Posted by mjones in : AASL News , add a commentAASL awards offer members more than $45,000
Do you work with a school administrator who provides exemplary support for the library media program in your school? Perhaps you have shown creativity in developing a program to motivate your struggling readers to read. Are you a new school library media specialist who would like assistance to attend an AASL conference or ALA Annual Conference for the first time? Or, maybe you have demonstrated vision and leadership through the use of information technology to build lifelong learners.
The AASL Awards program supports these situations and others through nine awards and grants totaling more than $45,000.
AASL institutes offered in Western New York region
Making professional development a priority for its school library media specialists, the Erie 2 – Chautauqua – Cattaraugus BOCES has contracted with AASL to offer multiple AASL Licensed Institutes on various topics across Western New York State. Funding for the institutes was made possibly by a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant. Twenty-seven Licensed Institutes will be offered over a six-month period to school library media specialists from multiple school districts. They will have the opportunity to attend three different professional development events. Find out more information on AASL’s Licensed Institutes. Read the full press release.
AASL Fall Forum endnote speaker praises AASL learning standards
Calling AASL’s Standards for the 21st-Century Learner “among the most brilliant of those I have seen,” endnote speaker Everett Kline praised AASL’s learning standards for developing excellence in teaching and learning, teaching students to value assessment in their learning process, and offering feedback to students to continually optimize learning. Kline challenged Fall Forum attendees to use assessment in their work in much the same way—to constantly improve or self-adjust. Read the full press release.
Did you miss the Best of the Best from the University Presses program on BookTV?
The 2008 Best of the Best from the University Presses program is available to watch online!
You must have RealPlayer in order to watch the video. View the complete list of books.
AASL News October 22, 2008
Posted by mjones in : AASL News , add a commentHave you joined AASL’s group on Facebook, yet?
AASL now has a group on Facebook. Are you a member? If not, be sure to look AASL up the next time you are there. Be sure to search for the “American Association of School Librarians.”
New Best of KQ available from AASL
AASL has a new publication available to members and advocates of school library media programs. School Library Services in a Multicultural Society, edited by Patricia Montiel-Overall and Donald C. Adcock, is now available at the ALA Bookstore. This is the second volume in the Best of KQ series. The publication will serve as a resource for school library media specialists as they seek to address the needs of students in an increasingly diverse, multicultural society.
The 2008 Best of the Best from the University Presses program airs on BookTV
Every year, the AASL American University Press Book Selection Committee reviews books from university presses and presents a selection of titles in a program at the ALA Annual Conference. This year’s program will be aired as “2008 Best of the Best from the University Presses” on CSPAN’s BookTV on Monday, October 25, at 10 a.m. (EDT).
South Dakota recognizes the importance of school library media specialists
Recently, Sioux Falls public schools made a $1.1 million investment in their students’ futures by approving the hiring of seven new elementary school library media specialists and monies for new titles in their elementary library media programs. The goal of the process is to get students into the library and interested in reading.
AASL News October 15, 2008
Posted by mjones in : AASL News , add a commentAASL launches national initiative, Learning 4 Life (L4L)
AASL has launched Learning 4 Life (L4L), a national implementation plan for the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. L4L’s goal is to increase awareness and understanding of the learning standards and to create a committed group of stakeholders with a shared voice. In addition to public awareness initiatives, AASL will create hands-on tools to assist in the implementation of the learning standards and program guidelines. Such tools include assessments, planning and discussion guides, toolkits, educational opportunities (conferences and webinars), best practice articles, and searchable online FAQs and resources. AASL members can download the L4L document for their school’s use in the Professional Tools section of AASL Web site. Read the full press release.
AASL sponsors two Emerging Leaders
AASL is pleased to announce that it will sponsor two Emerging Leaders for the class of 2009. Suzanna Panter, library information specialist at Dumbarton Elementary School, Henrico, Virginia, and Beth Patin, head librarian at Holy Cross School for Boys, New Orleans, will both receive $1,000 from AASL for travel expenses when they attend the ALA Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference in 2009. Learn more about the Emerging Leaders program at the ALA wiki. Read the full press release.
AASL News October 8, 2008
Posted by jwest in : AASL News , add a commentFall Forum Spectrum Scholar announced
Congratulations to Kathy Carroll, school library media specialists at Ridge View High School, Columbia, South Carolina, for receiving a Spectrum Scholarship for attendance at the 2008 Fall Forum, which will take place October 17-19, 2008, at the Oak Brook Hills Marriott Resort in Oak Brook, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. Read the full release. Registration for the Fall Forum is still open! Visit www.ala.org/aasl/fallforum for details.
School Libraries Count! longitudinal study 2008 results posted
The second year of AASL’s longitudinal survey, School Libraries Count!, received responses from 6,988 public and independent school library media specialists. A report on the results is available on the AASL Web site. Read the full release.
Standards in Action comments due October 15
The AASL Learning Standards Indicators and Assessment Task Force has completed the second draft of Standards for the 21st-Century Learner in Action (working title). The draft is posted on the AASL Web site for review and comment.
AASL to offer Premidwinter Institute on advocacy
At the ALA 2009 Midwinter Meeting, AASL will be offering a Premidwinter Institute, the School Library Advocacy Institute. Led by Deborah Lebitov, the institute will be held Friday, January 23, in Denver, Colorado. Read the full release. The ALA Midwinter Meeting site is available at www.ala.org/midwinter.
National Student/Parent Mock Election approaching
The National Student/Parent Mock Election seeks to turn the sense of powerlessness that keeps young Americans and their parents from going to the polls into a sense of the power of participation in our democracy. The Mock Election will take place October 30. Learn more about how to participate at www.nationalmockelection.org.