Don't miss early bird registration rates for AASL national conference

CHICAGO – The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) encourages members planning to register for the AASL 16th National Conference & Exhibition to do so before the Aug. 22 early bird registration deadline by visiting national.aasl.org. On Aug. 23, registration rates will be raised $50, and after Oct. 17, AASL members can expect to pay $100 more for registration. The conference, themed “Rising to the Challenge,” will be held Nov. 14-17, 2013, in Hartford, Conn. and is the only national conference dedicated solely to the needs of school librarians and their roles as educational leaders.

Scheduled programming includes opening general session speaker Tony Wagner, Harvard Education Fellow and author of the recently published, “Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World;” and closing general session speaker Peter Bregman, leadership consultant and author of “18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction and Get the Right Things Done.” Other events include eight half- and full-day preconferences; multiple author events, including a chance to meet and mingle with some of today’s most popular authors; the IDEAxCHANGE, a best practices showcase and exhibits filled with the latest resources and technologies for the school library program.

The conference will feature more than 130 concurrent sessions designed to position school librarians as the core component of 21st century teaching and learning. Session topics include implementation of the AASL learning standards and program guidelines along with the Common Core State Standards, promoting school librarians as partners in the teaching process and addressing the needs of a new generation of students. This year, a new series of author sessions will be available for conference goers at no additional cost. These sessions, led by authors, focus on hot topics in school library programs today.

Included with full conference registration is access to the opening and closing sessions concurrent sessions, the IDEAxCHANGE, the exhibit floor and the Closing Celebration. A full list of rates and deadlines can be found at national.aasl.org/registration. A full list of conference hotels can be found at national.aasl.org/housing.

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.