|
 NEWS
For Immediate Release
April 21, 2006
|
Contact: Kathy Agarwal
AASL Communications Specialist
312-280-4381
kagarwal@ala.org
|
2006 NSLMPY District Award goes to Hilliard City School District
CHICAGO - The American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), selected Hilliard City School District in Hilliard, Ohio to receive this year’s prestigious National School Library Media Program of the Year Award (NSLMPY) in the School District category.
Established in 1963, the NSLMPY Award honors school library media programs whose mission is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information, as well as exemplify implementation of Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning, the publication of AASL’s standards and guidelines for dynamic, student-centered school library media programs. Sponsored by Follett Library Resources, the award, comprised of two categories: school district and single school, recognizes exemplary school library media programs that are fully integrated into the school's curriculum. Each winning program, one in the district category and two in single school category, receives a $10,000 prize ($30,000 total).
The 2006 School District award goes to Hilliard City School District in Hilliard, Ohio, with 20 schools serving over 14,000 students. The library media specialists of Hilliard City School District are true curriculum leaders, and have assumed primary responsibility for the implementation of the school district’s focus on "Understanding by Design." With district-wide flexible access to elementary libraries and a strong budget, the Hilliard School District school library media programs are central to teaching and learning.
“Interviews with teachers, students, and administrators revealed pride in the district’s media program and a general acknowledgement of the successful integration of the school library media program into the curriculum,” said Gail Dickinson, chair of the NSLMPY Award Subcommittee.
The expectations for teacher-librarian collaboration begins for all new teachers during Induction Week, where training in the UBD concept includes training in working with the library media specialists. The long-range plan for the library media program, aptly named “Powerful Partnerships,” is a guiding focus for the district.
“The Hilliard City School District’s K-12 library media program is an integral component of the learning community in our school system,” said Dale A. McVey, Superintendent of Schools for the Hilliard City School District in a letter of support to the application. “In today’s global society, we believe it is essential that students become effective users of information to increase their opportunity for success. Moreover, current research indicates that there is a direct correlation between quality library media programs and student achievement.”
The AASL National School Library Media Program of the Year Award will be presented to Hilliard City School District at a ceremony and luncheon held on Monday, June 26, during the 2006 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. Special guest speakers for the event are young adult non-fiction authors Ann Bausum and Sue Macy. For more information about the event, please visit the AASL web site at http://www.ala.org/aasl/annual
The American Association of School Librarians www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), promotes the improvement and extension of library media services in elementary and secondary schools as a means of strengthening the total education program. Its mission is to advocate excellence, facilitate change and develop leaders in the school library media field.
|
