Dickinson elected AASL president, 2013-2014

For Immediate Release
Tue, 05/08/2012

Contact:

Jennifer Habley

Manager, Web Communications

American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

800-545-2433 ext.4383

jhabley@ala.org

CHICAGO — Gail Dickinson, associate professor at Old Dominion University (Va.), has been elected as the 2013-2014 AASL president.  Dickinson will serve as president-elect during 2012-2013 under AASL President Susan Ballard.

Dickinson is currently the chair of the AASL research and statistics committee as well as a member of the ALA committee on organization.  She also serves as the ALA representative to the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).   In 2006, Dickinson served as co-chair of the learning standards rewrite task force, the working group responsible for authoring AASL’s learning standards, the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. She has conducted several workshops on using and teaching the learning standards, including “Teaching Responsibilities: It’s our Responsibility” a 2009 Learning4Life webinar. In addition, Dickinson has served as chair of the Educators of School Librarians section (ESLS) and of the Affiliate Assembly.  She has also been a member of the nominating, bylaws and organization and NCATE guidelines revision committees.

Dickinson has been a K-12 building level librarian, a library supervisor and is currently a library professor. Her research interests include learning standards implementation, school library preparation and issues of program administration.  She is co-author of "The Access Gap:  Poverty and Characteristics of School Library Media Centers" and author of “Achieving National Board Certification for School Library Media Specialists; A Study Guide.”

Upon learning of her election, Dickinson stated: “I am honored to be elected for this position.  Strong school library programs are central to the learning process of each student and I am inspired by the great work that school librarians do every day.   It’s a great time to be working in this field.  AASL provides leadership within ALA and partners with other learning organizations to ensure that all students have the school libraries they deserve.  I hope to continue the great strides made by the leadership of AASL to raise the bar for teaching and learning in the 21st century and I am enthusiastic about our future. ”

Full results for AASL elections can be found on the AASL website at www.ala.org/aasl/elections.

The American Association of School Librarians, www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), promotes the improvement and extension of library 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 field.