School Libraries

Writer Patricia Owen discusses AASL’s newest publication, A 21st-Century Approach to School Librarian Evaluation. In this workbook, Owen uses the AASL Empowering Learners program guidelines as a basis for a school librarian evaluation rubric—one that can be adapted or duplicated by school librarians and shared with school administrators. In this webinar, Owen walks participants through the workbook’s suggested readings, action tips, and evidence collection to help school librarians engage in rigorous self-evaluation and to shape school administrator evaluations.

AASL's eCOLLAB: Your eLearning Laboratory! This resource is provided as a feature of AASL membership or to subscribers of eCOLLAB. Browse different topics to find webcasts, podcasts, and resources from various AASL professional development events. Members and subscribers will also get a read-only version of the latest issue of AASL’s journal, Knowledge Quest.

Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions pertaining to advocacy issues at their library, as well as learn what resources are available to help make the case for libraries.

Parents are faced with ever-expanding media options to share with their children, and many children’s librarians are beginning to incorporate apps and eBooks for young children into their collections and programming to satisfy the growing need for reader's advisory in the app space ("Appvisory"). This webinar will explore why and how incorporating digital media into our collections and programming is now an essential part of children’s librarianship, and tips and tricks for translating traditional storytelling techniques into the digital realm.

The Common Core is asking teachers to move from rote and recall to rigor and relevance, and the librarian can play a vital role in this paradigm shift. This three module course on the common core, will help librarians understand how they play a vital role in repackaging content for higher level thought, providing imperative resources for the classroom, and connecting digital citizenship, technology and collaboration into the content.

The course is designed to introduce participants to the Understanding by Design Curriculum framework. Known as the Backward Design model, this framework is unique in that it begins with the end in mind. Rather than planning from an activity-centered focus, the school librarian first identifies the Big Ideas behind content standards. From these Big Ideas, the school librarian develops Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions to guide student inquiry. The school librarian then designs assessments that provide evidence of student learning.

Diane McNutt and Jane Light, Silicon Valley Reads, will describe this library’s "one book-one community" program in Santa Clara (Calif.) County. Its 2012 program, "Muslim and American -Two Perspectives," featured two books written by American Muslims, ("The Muslim Next Door" by Sumbul Ali-Karamali and "The Butterfly Mosque" by G. Willow Wilson). More than 100 programs were presented, including author readings, panel discussions, films, an open house evening at a local mosque and an art exhibit.

In this webinar, learn how to leverage observation skills to “see” how students interact while working, what tools they choose to use, where they enjoy spending time and what activities naturally lead them into exploration. Learn how to observe people’s behavior and appreciate their comfort zones then use those observation skills to direct you in planning your school library. This webinar is open to all viewers.

Frontline library advocates work at all levels in all types of libraries—public, academic, school and special—and are the internal/external face and voice of the library. They can tell the library’s story and deliver the library’s message at their comfort level and with people they know best. Because every staff member is the face of the library to his/her respective community, each infl uences what the community knows and thinks about the library; and all librarians and library staff are perfectly poised to inform people about their library’s value and needs.

Navigating the world of eBooks has been a difficult but rewarding journey for the North East Independent School District. There are many eBook vendors looking to provide content to school libraries, but how do you know which one is best for you? This course will focus on implementing an eBook collection for your campus/school district in order to meet the needs of your students and staff. With a foundation in understanding eBooks as resources, participants will learn how to incorporate these resources into lessons and units of study.

A free, online learning session hosted by the ALA Public Programs Office featuring Ronda Hassig, school librarian of Harmony Middle School, Overland Park, Kansas, and winner of the 2011 Sara Jaffarian Award.

Inquiry and literacy – are they one and the same or complementary processes? Participants explore different inquiry models and how literacy can be instilled throughout.

American Libraries Live, a free, streaming video broadcast that you can view from your home, library or on-the-go, returns on at 2 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, Mar. 14 with a new 60-minute episode.

The webinar focuseson two snapshot days, Washington Library Snapshot Day and Snapshot Day: A Day in the Life of Ohio Libraries. Ashlee Clark, Executive Secretary to the State Librarian, State Library of Ohio, Marsha McDevitt-Stredney, Marketing and Communications Director, State Library of Ohio, and Craig Seasholes, President, Washington Library Media Association presents the session.

Featuring Peggy Cadigan and Rob Banks

When is a read-aloud more than a great story? When it also ties in critical thinking skills. In this course, participants will learn how to infuse literacy skills while continuing to share the passion and power of a great read-aloud. The culminating project will be a collaborative lesson plan that incorporates nonfiction read alouds with critical thinking strategies into a content area while also including indicators from AASL’s Standards for the 21st-Century Learner.

A Day in the LIfe of Ohio Libraries

“Passing the Community Engagement Baton: A Conversation with ALA President Molly Raphael and ALA President-elect Maureen Sullivan,” hosted by ALA 2013-2014 ALA President Barbara Stripling, features an unprecedented conversation among ALA leadership, focusing on the transition of presidential initiatives and a continued focus on civic engagement. It takes place on Friday, June 8 at 11:30 a.m. Central time.

In a difficult economy, the citizen voice is more important than ever. Learn how two community organizations, the Sustainable Library Citizens Coalition of Indianapolis-Marion County (Ind.) Public Library and Urban Librarians Unite of New York City, have used their voices to impact library funding. Laura Johnson, deputy director, public services, of the Indianapolis Public Library and Tara Seeley, senior grants officer, Central Indiana Community Foundation, will share their story of engaging the Indianapolis community to successfully advocate on behalf of libraries and librarians.

You want your users to have more confidence, be more independent, and be able to find the right book. By rearranging your children's collections you will be able to accomplish this and more. We can show you where to start, point out possible potholes and give you a map to the future. Join the library team from the Ethical Culture School which 2 years ago began to look at alternatives to Dewey and chose to implement the Metis Classification System to great success increaseing both circulation and patron satisfaction.

FREE TO ALSC MEMBERS. You may not have been able to read almost everything published in 2012—but this group did! Join members of the 2013 Notable Children’s Book Committee for this special webinar where they will book talk through part of this year’s Notables list. Covering twenty books in ninety minutes, you will discover new titles and gather information to help frame your own book discussions. Original Notable discussions took place at the 2013 ALA Midwinter Meeting, but now you can relive those moments through this one-time webinar taking place free to ALSC members.

This course is designed to help school librarians identify and analyze the factors that contribute to successful collaboration with teachers. Topics covered include: the culture of the school, the role of the school librarian, qualities of successful leaders, and the various facets of the collaboration process. School librarians will learn what to bring to the collaboration table and how to develop and initiate an action plan to encourage teachers to join them.

The Power of Data analyzes the types of data available to school librarians and how the data can be used to support school library programs. Dr. Sandra Andrews explores with participants a variety of datasets at the local, state, and national level that include information on schools and school libraries. Participants compare local and national data to determine how it can help in making decisions at the school level. The concept of benchmarking is reviewed and demonstrated. Topics will also include using data for advocacy and communicating needs and successes.

Visionary professor R. David Lankes, author of the award-winning “Atlas of New Librarianship,” and Barbara Stripling, Co-Chair of ALA President Molly Raphael’s Empowering Voices, Transforming Communities initiative, presented a free webinar on Thursday, March 8, 2012 designed to stimulate conversation about harnessing the evolving role of libraries and strengthening the librarian’s voice to help shape community perception.

A list of upcoming webinars presented by the American Association of School Librarians.