Introduction

EDIT 6300
Exhibition of Professional Organizations and Journals

Hi, you'll be learning a little bit about the AASL (American Association of School Librarians). Hope you enjoy it!

Location and Contact information

Website: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/index.cfm

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
50 E. Huron
Chicago, IL 60611

Phone number: 1-800-545-2433

History and Purpose

“The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has been a division of the American Library Association (ALA) since 1951. Prior to that, school librarians were served by the School Library Section of ALA founded in 1914 which itself emerged from the Roundtable of Normal and High School Librarians which met first in 1913".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Association_of_School_Librarians

Mission and Goals

Mission

The mission of the American Association of School Librarians is to advocate excellence, facilitate change, and develop leaders in the school library media field.

Goals

AASL works to ensure that all members of the school library media field collaborate to:

provide leadership in the total education program

participate as active partners in the teaching/learning process

connect learners with ideas and information, and

prepare students for life-long learning, informed decision-making, a love of reading, and the use of information technologies.

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aboutaasl/missionandgoals/aaslmissiongoals.cfm

Awards and Grants

The AASL offers a number of awards and grants annually. For detailed information on the current ones listed below, see the website at the bottom of this slide.

AASL Collaborative School Library Media Award
ABC-CLIO Leadership Grant
Distinguished School Administrators Award
Distinguished Service Award
Frances Henne Award
Information Technology Pathfinder Award
Innovative Reading Grant
Intellectual Freedom Award
National School Library Media Program of the Year Award
AASL President's Crystal Apple
Beyond Words

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslawards/aaslawards.cfm

An example of an award

The AASL Collaborative School Library Media Award

This reward gives 2500 dollars to a media specialist who demonstrates outstanding collaboration with teachers in meeting goals (a wide range of specific content related goals is listed).

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslawards/collaborativeslmaaslcollaborative.cfm

Tools

The AASL, along with providing information on promoting your media center program in its journals, also provides a number of tools, such as special blogs, that allow media specialists to promote or expand their media center.

For example, there is an electronic discussion lists that allow media specialists to ask questions and receive answers from media specialists around the country.


There is also a special blog tool that is geared for the needs of a media center.

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslproftools/aaslprofessional.cfm

Position and Professional Statements

The AASL, along with guide books and advocacy papers, provides statements on controversial issues and discusses a wide variety of topics.

There are a number of guide books and advocacy papers, but, for instance, the position statement on flexible scheduling provides the official AASL views on flexible scheduling, arguing: “The responsibility for flexibly scheduled library media programs must be shared by the entire school community” and not just the media specialist.

You can see this statement at: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslproftools/positionstatements/aaslpositionstatement.cfm

Advocacy

The association, in conjunction with the ALA, lobbies in favor of freedom of information access and against censorship.

Services

The AASL publishes a number of information pieces in order to advocate the views of the AASL. For instance, the Intellectual Freedom Brochure, available free from the AASL, acts as a guide for the media specialist with regard to freedom of information. Included are ways to prevent problems from arising in media centers and why intellectual freedom is important, among other controversial issues.

Here is a link to the brochure: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslissues/issuesadvocacy.cfm

Publications

AASL publishes a number of journals and newsletters.

AASL Hotlinks is the monthly email newsletter of the AASL. Archives are available on the website for members.

Knowledge Quest: this is the AASL's print journal. Articles are aimed at helping media specialist and administrators create the best media center possible. New trends in education are also presented.

Resource Guides for School Library Media Program Development
Bibliographies of resources are arranged alphabetically by frequently used topics in the professional literature.

School Library Media Research

This is AASL's online research journal. According to the AASL website, School Library Media Research publishes original research papers designed to help manage and evaluate media centers in schools.

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/aaslpublications.cfm

Conferences and Meetings

The AASL holds a number of conferences periodically, they also promote events supported by local librarians in different regions of the U.S.

The AASL also holds a number of institutes that offer education workshops.

Also, the National Conference and Fall Forum are held by the AASL.

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/conferencesandevents/aaslconferences.cfm


YOU CAN ALSO CHECK OUT THIS CLIP FROM YOUTUBE.COM WHICH FEATURES THE 2007 AASL CONFERENCE:
2007 Annual AASL Conference in Nevada

Membership Benefits (from ala.org)

•

• Discounts on registration fees at AASL national conferences, preconferences and regional institutes.

• A subscription to Knowledge Quest, published bi-monthly during the school year and AASL Hotlinks, a monthly e-mail newsletter.

• A 10% discount on all AASL publications.

• Awards, grants and scholarships -- thousands of dollars are available each year to AASL personal members.

• E-mail news and discussion lists -- providing you with access to professional information and networking opportunities.

• Access to AASL "Members Only" Web content.

• ALA Conference discounts up to 50%

• A subscription to American Libraries -the magazine of the American Library Association.

• 10% off of ALA Editions titles and items from ALA Graphics

HOPE YOU ENJOYED LEARNING ABOUT AASL!