New edition of Weisburg and Toor’s best-selling guide for school librarians now available

For Immediate Release
Tue, 10/21/2014

Contact:

Rob Christopher

Marketing Coordinator

ALA Publishing

American Library Association

312-280-5052

rchristopher@ala.org

CHICAGO — As if transitioning from library school or a different type of library job into the role of a school librarian wasn’t challenging enough, just factor in today’s straitened funding environment for the position itself. Librarians new on the job need expert advice on what to expect and how to thrive, and since its publication in 2006 Hilda K. Weisburg and Ruth Toor’s “New on the Job: A School Librarian's Guide to Success,” published by ALA Editions, has served as an invaluable resource for the new school librarian. From job search strategies and discovering work philosophy to the nitty-gritty details of creating acceptable use policies, this revised and updated edition, which includes a new foreword from Sarah Kelly Johns, shares the joys and perils of the profession along with a wealth of practical advice from decades of experience in school library programs. The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Standards for the 21st-Century Learner, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and Common Core State Standards are also thoroughly discussed. With this guide as a roadmap, new school librarians can:

  • tackle the job search with confidence, with tips on everything from polishing a résumé and acing a job interview to ways of handling any potentially negative Google results and other digital footprints;
  • learn the secrets to successfully collaborate with teachers;
  • navigate new roles and responsibilities through orientation and organization;
  • create dynamic interactions with students to deepen their learning experiences;
  • master the art of communicating with the principal, IT experts, and vendors;
  • become familiar with school library technology, including e-book collections, online databases and library management systems;
  • receive field-tested guidance on daily matters, from budgeting and purchasing to advocacy and programming.

Weisburg “retired” after 31 years as a school librarian. Currently she is the chair of AASL Advocacy Committee and is on the ALA Committee on Literacy. She gives numerous presentations in New Jersey and at state library association conferences. Together with Toor she has written 13 books (and a recent solo work for ALA Editions, “The School Librarian’s Career Planner”) and became sole publisher and editor of School Librarian’s Workshop.  Toor retired after 29 years as an elementary school librarian in Chatham, New Jersey. She is a past president of AASL and a past member of ALA Council. During her AASL presidency, she was its representative to the National Forum for History Standards as well as a member of the Implementation Committee for Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning. She taught graduate courses at Rutgers and Montclair State Universities. A past president of NJASL, she received its President’s Award.

ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. ALA Editions publishes resources used worldwide by tens of thousands of library and information professionals to improve programs, build on best practices, develop leadership, and for personal professional development. ALA authors and developers are leaders in their fields, and their content is published in a growing range of print and electronic formats. Contact us at (800) 545-2433 ext. 5052 or editionsmarketing@ala.org.