AASL National Conference closing session will inspire school librarians to look to the future

CHICAGO – Led by Dr. Joe Sanchez and Dr. Jennifer Moore, the closing general session during the 2021 American Association of School Librarians (AASL) National Conference will provide attendees an opportunity to reflect on their conference learning and contemplate the future paths of the profession. Full information on the conference, taking place October 21-23 in Salt Lake City, Utah, can be found at national.aasl.org.

"Dr. Sanchez and Dr. Moore will engage attendees in a provocative discussion about the future of school libraries” said Jillian Ehlers, conference co-chair. “At the same time, they will lead us through a reflection on our experiences at the conference, where we will identify innovative ideas to bring back to our school communities.”

"It’s 2021 and we are nearly a quarter of the way through the 21st Century,” said Dr. Sanchez. “It’s a century identified by a shift to mobile computing, a new wave of civil rights movements, global youth culture, social distancing, and distance-learning. What have we learned and where does the school
library or school librarian go from here?"

Dr. Sanchez is a Professor of Library and Information Studies at Queens College and a founder of the iSchool Inclusion Institute, a program that prepares students from underrepresented populations for graduate study and careers in the information sciences. His research is currently supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Dr. Moore is a Professor in the College of Information at the University of North Texas. She is a faculty fellow in the ALA and Google joint project, Libraries Ready to Code, as well as an invited judge in the 2019 and 2020 Congressional App Challenge. Her current projects, computational thinking in LIS curriculum and evidence-based practice in school libraries, are supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The AASL National Conference is the only national conference dedicated solely to the needs of school librarians and their roles as educational leaders. Those communicating about the national conference are encouraged to use the official hashtag, #AASL21.

The American Association of School Librarians, www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.