New licensed institute kicks off at Annual Conference

NEWS

For Immediate Release

April 1, 2008

Contact: Melissa B. Jones

AASL Communications Specialist

(312) 280-4381

mjones@ala.org

New licensed institute kicks off at Annual Conference

CHICAGO – The American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is pleased to announce its newest licensed institute, "Reading and the Secondary School Library Media Specialist," which will premier as an AASL Preconference at the 2008 ALA Annual Conference, which will take place June 26 to July 2 in Anaheim, Calif.

The preconference will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 27,  and will be presented by Pam Berger. "Reading and the Secondary School Library Media Specialist" was designed to address critical topics in reading for library media specialists serving grades 7 to 12. During this full-day session, attendees will be given a brief overview of current research on reading instruction, discuss how reading instruction informs school library programs, explore reading strategies and explain what library media specialists can do to strengthen their role as literacy leaders in their school. After being presented at the Annual Conferences, the program will become a regular part of the group of licensed institutes offered by AASL.

Preconference presenter Pam Berger is an educational technology/library consultant and trainer with more than 20 years of library experience. Currently, Berger is publisher and editor of Information Searcher and author of Internet for Active Learners (ALA Editions). She has conducted workshops and seminars and presented in more than 35 states and seven countries. Berger's recent work includes national school and public library development initiatives and university research projects. Pam is also the chair of the AASL Best List of Internet Sites for Teaching & Learning Task Force and a member of the AASL 2.0 Task Force.

AASL licensed institutes are eight-hour, one-day workshops licensed to school districts, state-level library organizations and regional service centers. The purpose of the institute is to successfully engage library media specialists in thoughtful and meaningful activities to strengthen their leadership skills in collaboration, partnerships, communication and action planning. Other institutes include the Advocacy Institute for School Librarians, Collaborative Leadership, and Reading and the Elementary School Library Media Specialist. These institutes are presented by highly knowledgeable experts in the field, including Betty Bankhead, Veanna Baxter, Christina Dorr, Deborah Levitov and Dawn Vaughn. For more information on the licensed institutes, visit http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aasleducation/aasllicensedinstitutes/licensedinstitutes.cfm.

The fee to attend  "Reading and the Secondary School Library Media Specialist" during Annual Conference is: AASL members: $179, ALA members, $219, non-members, $269. For more information on this particular program or other AASL Preconference ticketed events, visit http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/conferencesandevents/aaslannual/aaslalaannual.cfm.

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.