Contact: Melissa B. Jones
AASL Communciations Specialist
(312) 280-4381
mjones@ala.org

NEWS
For immediate release
August 5, 2008

AASL offers more than $45,000 through awards program

CHICAGO – The American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) prestigious awards program will offer more than $45,000 in awards in 2009 to AASL members.

AASL's nine awards recognize excellence and showcase best practices in the school library media field in categories that include research, collaboration, leadership and innovation. The 2009 applications can be viewed and downloaded at http://www.ala.org/aasl/awards.

"Awards recognize a job well done, and AASL has various categories of awards that validate the impressive work members do every day in their library. AASL awards are available to acknowledge excellence in multiple areas of school librarianship, so as you focus on goals for the new school year, plan to apply for one of these noteworthy awards," AASL President Ann Martin said.

The 2009 AASL awards include the following:

• The National School Library Media Program of the Year (NSLMPY) Award, sponsored by Follett Library Resources, recognizes school districts and single schools for exemplary school library media programs that are fully integrated into the school's curriculum. Winners receive a crystal obelisk and $10,000 each in two categories (one District award and two Single school awards). 
• The AASL Collaborative School Library Media Award, $2,500, sponsored by Highsmith Inc., 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.
• The ABC-CLIO Leadership Grant, up to $1,750, sponsored by ABC-CLIO, 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 Distinguished Service Award, $3,000, sponsored by Baker & Taylor, 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 Distinguished School Administrator Award, $2,000, sponsored by ProQuest, 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, $1,250, sponsored by Greenwood Publishing Group, enables 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, $1,000 to the school library media specialist and $500 to the library, sponsored by Follett Software Company, recognizes and honors a school library media specialist who demonstrates vision and leadership through the use of information technology to build lifelong learners. There are two categories: Elementary and Secondary. 
• The Innovative Reading Grant, $2,500, sponsored by Capstone Publishers (Capstone Press, Compass Books, Children’s Library Resources, Picture Window Books, Stone Arch Books and Red Brick Learning), is designed to fund literacy projects for grades K-9 that promote the importance of reading and facilitate literacy development by supporting current reading research, practice and policy.
• The Intellectual Freedom Award, $2,000 to the winner and $1,000 to the school library media center of the winner's choice, sponsored by ProQuest, is given for upholding the principles of intellectual freedom as set forth by AASL and the ALA.

Janice Ostrom, 2009 AASL awards chair, said, "Do you work with a school administrator who provides exemplary support for the library media program in your school? Perhaps you are a beginning school library media specialist who would like to attend an AASL or ALA annual conference for the first time but need financial assistance. The AASL Awards program exists to recognize and support both these situations. Please visit http://www.ala.org/aasl/awards to see what the AASL Awards program has to offer you!"

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.