AASL News
For Immediate Release
May 21, 2004
Contact: Keidra Chaney
Phone: 312-280-4381
Fax: 312-664-7459

AASL presents 2004 awards recipients

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) is pleased to announce the 2004 recipients of the AASL awards program.

The AASL Collaborative School Library Media Award of $2,500 has been awarded to school library media specialist Margaret Lincoln and teacher Scott Durham of Lakeview High School in Battle Creek, Mich., for the "Holocaust Education Project." The Collaborative School Library Media Award, sponsored by the Sagebrush Corporation, recognizes and encourages 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.

AASL/Highsmith Research Grant has been awarded to two projects for $2,500 each: Robyn Young of Avon High School, Avon, Ind., was awarded the grant for her proposed study "More than just Comics: Graphic Novels and their Effect on Student Achievement." Kathy Latrobe and Rhonda Taylor, Norman, Okla. were awarded for their proposed study "Survey of LMS's Attributes for Ongoing Program Assessment." The grant, sponsored by The Highsmith Co., Inc., was established in 1993 to conduct innovative research aimed at measuring and evaluating the impact of school library media programs on learning and education.

The ABC-CLIO Leadership Grant up to $1,750 is given to school library media associations that are AASL affiliates for planning and implementing leadership programs at the state, regional, or local levels. The 2004 grant, donated by ABC-CLIO Schools, has been awarded to the Colorado Association of School Librarians for their proposed program "Leaders @ Your School Library."

Dr. M. Ellen Jay, Silver Spring, Md., is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, sponsored by Baker & Taylor. The $3,000 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.

Dr. William Harner, superintendent of the Greenville County School District, Greenville, S.C., is the recipient of the Distinguished School Administrator Award, sponsored by SIRS/ProQuest. An award of $2,000 is given to 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.

The Frances Henne Award has been awarded to Cynthia Welsh of Jersey Shore Area Middle School, Jersey Shore, Penn. The award, sponsored by Greenwood Publishing Group, is awarded to a school library media specialist with five or fewer years in the field, to attend an American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference or AASL National Conference for the first time.

The Information Technology Pathfinder Award, sponsored by the Follett Software Company, was awarded in the secondary category to Rebecca Perklins of Belle Plaine High School in Belle Plaine, Minn. The $1,250 award recognizes school library media specialists demonstrating vision and leadership through the use of information technology to build lifelong learners. The elementary category was not awarded this year.

The National School Library Media Program of the Year Award is sponsored by Follett Library Resources. Winners receive a crystal obelisk and $10,000 ($30,000 total) in three categories. The award recognizes school districts and single schools for exemplary school library media programs that are fully integrated into the school's curriculum. The 2004 award has been awarded to Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, Tex. for the Large School District category. Boston Arts Academy/Fenway High School in Boston, Mass. and Lois Lenski Elementary School in Littleton, Colo. tied in the Single School category.

The AASL awards will be presented to each winner during a ceremony and luncheon held on Monday, June 28, during the 2004 ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla. Special guest speaker is Sibert Award Winner and Newbery Honor recipient Jim Murphy, sponsored by Clarion Books, a Houghton Mifflin Company imprint. For more information on the event, please contact the AASL office at 800-545-2433, ext. 4381.

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) is a division of the American Library Association (ALA). AASL 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.

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