AASL Research Grant

Sponsored by ABC-CLIO

Monetary Amount: Three papers will be selected and each author will receive a $350 grant

Deadline: February 1

APPLY NOW

The application is behind an AASL member wall.  You must log in (upper right-hand corner of page) and be a current AASL member to access the form.  Please email acline@ala.org if you are having issues accessing the application. For questions regarding your membership please contact membership@ala.org or call 1-800-545-2433 (option 1). 

Overview

The AASL Research Grant recognizes excellence in manuscripts addressing a persistent and recurring challenge in the field of school librarianship. The American Association of School Librarians (AASL), through the Educators of School Librarians Section (ESLS), will invite submissions of papers on original research with this focus. Full papers submitted can either be:

  1. Articles published in a peer-reviewed journal with a publication date no earlier than January 1, 2019; OR
  2. Completed research papers ready for submission to a peer-reviewed journal, or currently under review.

Eligibility

Submissions may include, but are not limited to, the following themes:

  • Technology Leadership
  • Instructional or Curriculum Design
  • Shared Foundations as outlined in the 2018 AASL National School Library Standards
  • Digital Literacy Skills Integrated in Content Learning
  • Inquiry Learning
  • Technology-Enabled Learning
  • Collaborative Learning in the School Library
  • Inclusiveness and Respect for Diversity
  • Literacy

Criteria

The paper must:

  • Describes a significant issue OR unique topic in the field of school librarianship
  • Presents a clear rationale, model, and/or theoretical framework
  • Includes a thorough literature review providing an overview of existing research and evidence
  • Offers a complete and thorough synthesis of a body or research to develop an argument OR provides a detailed methodology and results from an original empirical study
  • Illustrates how research findings may be applied to the field

Additional Requirements

  1. If selected, at least one author must be able to attend the AASL National Conference or ALA Annual Conference (dependent upon year) to present.
  2. If selected, at least one author per paper must be willing and able, upon request, to author a practitioner-friendly article on their research for publication in School Library Connection.

Download Copy of Application 

* Please note: This downloadable version is for informational purposes only. All applications must be submitted online, via the Apply Now button that will appear at the top of the page when the next award season opens in early September.

Questions

Allison Cline email icon
Deputy Executive Director

2023
  • Joyce Kasman Valenza, Associate Teaching Professor, Rutgers University, Heather Dalal, Gihan Mohamad, Brenda Boyer, Cara Berg, Leslin H. Charles, Rebecca Bushby, Megan Dempsey, Joan Dalrymple, Ewa Dziedzic-Elliott, “First years' information literacy backpacks: What's already packed or not packed?”

"We are deeply honored by this award and hope that our exploration of differences in information literacy preparation among first-year college students reveals critical issues of equity and information privilege. Our findings suggest that prior experience with a high school librarian matters and that students who benefit from exposure to high school information literacy instruction and library resources feel more prepared to face the rigor of academic inquiry. This is an equity issue."
 
  • Katie Klein, Doctoral student at University of South Carolina, “What Library? A Survey of Charter School Leaders About School Library Services.”

"I am honored to receive the AASL Research Grant for my article “’What Library?’ A Survey of Charter School Leaders About School Library Services.” I hope my research helps to make school libraries better and more universal across K-12 schools."

 
 
  • Mary H. Moen, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the School Library Media Program, University of Rhode Island, “1:1 Computing: A Case Study Examining How a Large District Leveraged School Librarians to Improve Teacher Practice, Learning Environments, and Digital Content.”
 "I am thrilled and honored to be a recipient of the 2023 AASL Research Grant for my paper, 1:1 Computing: A Case Study Examining How a Large District Leveraged School Librarians to Improve Teacher Practice, Learning Environments, and Digital Content. My hope is that the findings provide school administrators, technology specialists, and school librarians a refreshing view of the role of school librarians in 1:1 computing initiatives."
2022
  • “Enabling School Librarians to Serve as Instructional Leaders of Multiple Literacies" by Melanie Lewis Croft, Assistant Professor in Media, University of West Georgia
  • “A Content Analysis of District School Library Selection Policies in the United States," by April Dawkins, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Emily Eidson, School Library Media Coordinator, Ledford Middle School, Davidson County Schools
  • “Librarian-Teacher Co-Teaching and the Role of School Librarians in Facilitating Inquiry and Maker Learning," by Kyungwon Koh, Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Xun Ge, Professor, University of Oklahoma, and Julia Burns Petrella, Doctoral Candidate, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2021
  • “Place Consciousness: A Narrative Inquiry of the Advocacy Practices of Five Rural/Frontier School Librarians” by Ann Ewbank, Professor and Head, Department of Education, Montana State University
  • “Collaborating with Teacher Librarians to Support Adolescents’ Literacy and Literature Learning” by Margaret Merga, researcher and author in libraries and literacy, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia
  • “Factors Influencing Intention to Introduce Accessibility in Makerspace Planning and Implementation” by Heather Moorefield-Lang, Associate Professor, UNC Greensboro, and Ana Dubnjakovic, Head of Music Library, University of South Carolina

2020
  • “School and Public Library Collaboration: A Phenomenology of Working Together” by Jenna Kammer and Denise Moreland
  • “Rethinking Curation in School Libraries and School Library Education: Critical, Conceptual, Collaborative” by Jenna Spiering and Kate Lechtenberg
  • “Application of the Teacher Citizenship Behavior (TCB) Theory to the Extra-Role Work of School Librarians” by Karen Reed

2019
  • “Does ALA Ban Books? Examining the Discourse of Challenged Books" by Sue C. Kimmel and Danielle E. Hartsfield
  • “E-Book Collections in High School Libraries: Factors Influencing Circulation and Usage” by April Dawkins and Karen Gavigan
  • "Lessons Learned: Intentional Implementation of Second Makerspaces” by Heather Moorefield-Lang