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AASL NEWS
For Immediate Release
June 19, 2001
Contact: Steven Hofmann
Phone: 312-280-4389
Fax: 312-664-7459

AASL presents awards, grants and scholarships for 2001

The following awards, grants and scholarships were presented by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) at the AASL Awards Ceremony, June 18, 2001. The presentation was held during the ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco, California.

Marilyn Rothberg, Sugartown Elementary School (Malvern, Pa.), received the AASL Collaborative School Library Media Award, for their Ellis Island Reenactment Project for fifth grade students. The award, sponsored by the Sagebrush Corporation, recognizes collaboration and partnerships between school library media specialists and teachers in meeting goals outlined in Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning through joint planning of a program, unit, or event in support of the curriculum and using media center resources.

Jackie Gould accepted the ABC-CLIO Leadership Grant on behalf of the Educational Media Association of New Jersey (EMAnj), for their program, "Putting Action Research to Work!" The grant, sponsored by the ABC-CLIO Company, is given for an outstanding leadership program developed by an AASL affiliate organization. EMAnj will use the grant to expand their series of Summer Leadership Workshops for members, and include training on how to interpret data collected from the Information Power School Library Research Action Project.

The Distinguished School Administrator Award, honoring a school administrator who has made worthy contributions to the operations of an exemplary school library media center and to advancing the role of the school library media center in the educational program, was presented to Dr. Kathleen D. Smith, Cherry Creek High School (Englewood, Colo.). The Distinguished School Administrator award is sponsored by SIRS-Mandarin, Inc.

Dr. Hilda Jay (Bowie, Md.) received the Distinguished Service Award for her contributions to school library media scholarship and leadership roles in AASL. Sponsored by Baker & Taylor, the award recognizes an individual member of the library profession who has, over a significant period of time, made an outstanding national contribution to school librarianship and school library development.

The winners of the Information Technology Pathfinder Award are Beverly "Buffy" Smith-Edwards of Lakeview Elementary School (Norman, Okla.) in the elementary category and Ann Bell of Camanche High School (Camanche, Iowa) in the secondary category. The award honors school library media specialists demonstrating vision and leadership through the use of information technology to build lifelong learners. The Follett Software Company sponsors the award.

Dr. Dianne McAfee Hopkins, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Library and Information Science, is the recipient of the year's Intellectual Freedom Award. The award, sponsored by SIRS-Mandarin, Inc., recognizes a personal member of AASL who, through their work as a media specialist, has upheld the principles of intellectual freedom.

The National School Library Media Program of the Year (NSLMPY) Award was presented to Corbett Elementary School (Tucson, Ariz.) in the single school category and DeKalb (Ga.) County School System in the large school district category. The award, sponsored by Follett Library Resources, recognizes exemplary school library media programs that are fully integrated into the school's curriculum. More information about this year's NSLMPY Award recipients is available on the AASL Web site.

The AASL President's Crystal Apple Award, was presented by 2000-2001 president Harriet Selverstone to 3M Library Systems for donating $2.5 million worth of library detection systems to school libraries through the "3M Salute to School" program. The Crystal Apple Award is given at the discretion of the AASL president to an individual or group that has had significant impact on school libraries and students.

Not in attendance was Katherine Grant Cadden of Nathaniel Alexander Elementary (Charlotte, N.C.) winner of the Frances Henne Award, sponsored by the Greenwood Publishing Group. The award is given to a school library media specialist with five years or less experience who demonstrates leadership qualities with students, teachers, and administrators, to fund attendance to an ALA Annual Conference or an AASL National Conference for the first time.

Also not in attendance was Darlene Wilson of Forest, Ohio, who received this year's School Librarian's Workshop Scholarship, which provides financial assistance for the professional education of a person who plans to become a school library media specialist, sponsored by Library Learning Resources.

AASL is a division of the American Library Association.

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