AASL 2009 Election
Audrey Church
ELMSS Chair-Elect
Degrees and Certifications
Virginia Commonwealth University, Ph.D., 2007; Longwood College, M.S., 1993; Bridgewater (VA) College, B.A., 1980.
Current Position
Assistant Professor, School Library Media Program, Longwood University, 2000-present.
Previous Positions
Library Media Specialist, Lunenburg County (VA) Public Schools, 1980-2000.
ALA Activities
AASL: Chair, NCATE Coordinating Committee, 2008-Present; AASL: National Institute Planning Committee, 2007-Present; AASL: NCATE Coordinating Committee, 2006-08; AASL: Teaching for Learning Committee, 2006-07; AASL: School Librarians Workshop Scholarship Award Subcommittee, 2004-05; AASL: NCATE Coordinating Committee, 2002-04; AASL: Secretary, ELMSS, 2001-02.
Offices Held in State & Regional Library and Other Associations
Virginia Educational Media Association: Editor, Mediagram, 2008-Present; Virginia Educational Media Association: President, 2000-01; Virginia Educational Media Association: Secretary, 1997-99; Virginia Educational Media Association: Chair, Networking Committee, 1995-97; Virginia Educational Media Association: Chair, Leadership Committee, 1994-95.
Publications
"The Instructional Role of the Library Media Specialist as Perceived by Elementary School Principals," School Library Media Research , 2008; Your Library Goes Virtual (Linworth), 2007; Leverage Your Library Program to Help Raise Test Scores (Linworth), 2003.
Honors, Awards, Prizes, Medals, Citations
Virginia Educational Media Association Media Educator of the Year, 2004.
Links for Further Information
Professional Web site: http://www.longwood.edu/staff/churchap
Accomplishments
With my professional colleagues at Longwood University, increased enrollment in our school library media program from 18 students to approximately 200, partnering with school divisions across the Commonwealth of Virginia to offer our School Library Media Graduate Program on site, training teachers to be school library media specialists. Received Certificate of Commendation from the American Association of School Librarians, American Library Association, for "commitment to school library media specialists and school library media programs via your accomplishments as a school library media specialist, professor, president of VEMA, and author," November 1, 2003.
Statement
What a challenging yet exciting time for our field! As we embrace the new Standards for the 21st-Century Learner and anticipate publication of our new guidelines for school library media programs, we look to revise our Standards for Initial Programs for School Library Media Specialist Preparation. Library positions are being eliminated across the country, yet there is great advocacy and grassroots support for what we do. As professionals in our field, we must be proactive, showing that our libraries are places of learning and that what we do positively impacts student learning. As educators of school library media specialists, we must (1) prepare our candidates to help students become 21st century learners who have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to succeed, and (2) help professionals in the field retool to make the greatest contribution to student learning. It would be a privilege to serve as Chair of ELMSS.
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