Research Grant

About the AASL Research Grant The purpose of the AASL Research Grant is to serve as a model for future school library media research aimed at measuring and evaluating the impact of school library media programs on learning and education.

Established in 1993, AASL Research Grants in the amount of $2,500 are given to up to two school librarians, library educators, library information science, or education professors to conduct innovative research aimed at measuring and evaluating the impact of school library programs on learning and education. The study should have the potential to serve as a model for future school library research, and researchers should furnish documentation of the results of their work.

(Not sponsored 2007-9)

Administered by:

American Association of School Librarians (AASL) logo

2012 Recipient(s)

Ann Dutton Ewbank

assistant division director for graduate programs in Arizona State University’s teachers college

 

Ewbank’s project, “The Role of Teacher Unions in School Library Advocacy: A Case Study of the British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association and the British Columbia Teacher’s Federation,” will investigate the unique relationship between the two organizations and how they work together to advocate for strong school library programs in the Canadian province.  To meet the project’s research goals, Ewbank will travel to Vancouver, British Columbia, to interview association and federation board members and also review their association governance documents. From this material, she will explore what impact the association’s combined advocacy efforts have made in the province.
 
“Ann Dutton Ewbank’s proposal is unique," said Ann Marie Pipkin, award committee chair. "She is looking through a different lens and researching from an original perspective the interactions needed to create strong school library programs.  This research has the potential to serve as a model for future school library advocacy. A great deal of work was done beforehand to allow for the success of the project."

Daniella Smith

assistant professor in the department of library and information sciences at the University of North Texas

 

“An Examination of the Impact of Resiliency and School Organizational Structures on the Self-Perceived Leadership Behaviors of School Librarians,” Smith’s project, is designed to determine the impact of resiliency and school organizational structure on the leadership behaviors of school librarians.  Smith, assistant professor in the department of library and information sciences at the University of North Texas, will design a survey to evaluate the impact of school library programs on student learning.  Using the survey data collected, Smith will determine what relationships exist among school organization structure, resiliency, and leadership behaviors.
 
“The committee feels that Daniella Smith’s research will help evaluate how leadership, resiliency, and school structure impact the school librarian and in turn, how that school librarian impacts student learning and education,” said Pipkin.  “The research is relevant to librarianship and its impact on student achievement in today's world. Both the detailed timeline and the applicant's experience and current job position make her qualified to see the research to completion.”