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Contact: Andrea Parker
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For Immediate Release
November 5, 2004
"Reading Rainbow" star to speak
at AASL 12th National Conference
CHICAGO - Actor LeVar Burton, host and co-executive producer of the highly acclaimed, long running PBS children's television series "Reading Rainbow," will be the keynote speaker for the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) 12th National Conference and Exhibition, 'Every student succeeds @your library,' October 6-9, 2005 in Pittsburgh. Burton will address thousands of school library media specialists during the Opening General Session on October 6.
Burton, who has won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Television series, has been quoted as saying he is most proud of "'Reading Rainbow's' ability to create human beings who are passionate about literature."
"LeVar Burton and "Reading Rainbow" have been working together for years to inspire kids to read. Together they are an unbeatable team," said Rosina Alaimo, co-chair of the AASL 2005 National Conference Committee. "For millions of elementary school teachers, students, parents and school librarians, Burton and "Reading Rainbow" are standard bearers for quality and creativity in children's literacy instruction. We're thrilled that he will be in Pittsburgh for the 'Every student succeeds @your library' conference."
Although very popular because of his work with children, Burton also is well known for his portrayal of Lt. Commander Geordi LaForge in both the box office hit "Star Trek: First Contact" and the TV series, "Star Trek: The Next Generation." He is also the author of "Aftermath," a science fiction novel.
In addition to Burton, the AASL National Conference will feature six preconferences, more than 100 concurrent sessions, more than 200 exhibiting companies, 12 school/educational tours and special appearances by award-winning authors Chris Crutcher and Jerry Spinelli.
For more information on the AASL 12th National Conference and Exhibition in Pittsburgh, visit www.ala.org/aasl/pittsburgh.
The American Association of School Librarians (www.ala.org/aasl), 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.
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