AASL members attend planning retreat for

@ your library™, The Campaign for America's Libraries, will launch the school library component of its national initiative in the early fall. In preparation, members of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) recently gathered in Minnesota for a strategic planning retreat.

Approximately 30 school library media specialists were invited to participate in the strategic planning and marketing retreat hosted by 3M Library Systems. The focus was “Every Student Succeeds @ your library.” Participants discussed key issues concerning school library media center marketing and publicity efforts, including how to identify key users or “customers,” how to develop appropriate messages, what vehicles of communication should be used to promote school library media centers, and how to prepare long-term marketing plans. Attendees also had the opportunity to critique a marketing manual developed by 3M that will train school library media specialists around the country in how to develop an effective marketing plan for their school library media program. 3M is a founding partner of The Campaign for America’s Libraries.

Developed in connection with AASL, the campaign will focus on increasing public awareness of the significant contributions that school library media programs make in K-12 education. The school library campaign will be launched Saturday, October 25, 2003 at the AASL National Conference in Kansas City, Mo., at Union Station. The event, “Taste of Kansas City,” will include an @ your library™ campaign introduction followed by music, local cuisine and much more.

An AASL Special Committee chaired by AASL Past President Harriet Selverstone has kept the project focused and on target since the work began six months ago. Extensive research utilizing focus groups that consisted of library media specialists, administrators, parents, students and teachers was conducted around the country last year with the help of KRC Research, a Washington, D.C.-based public opinion and market research firm. Before the campaign is launched, a toolkit also will be developed that will include key messages, sample press materials, programming ideas, outreach strategies and more.

The dedicated 3M and the spectacular environs of the Wonewok Conference Centre in Northern Minnesota provided a culture that fostered camaraderie, commitment and creativity among the participants. Each participant shared his/her efforts for promoting their school library media programs in their buildings and/or districts and on a statewide level," Selverstone said.

Participants in the 3M retreat included: Susan Ballard, Director of Library Media and Technology Services, Londonderry School District (N.H.); Katherine Bassett, Developer/Facilitator, Educational Testing Service (N.J.); Veanna Baxter, Retired Library Media Specialist (Pa.); Catherine Beyers, Library Media Specialist, Southern Bluffs Elementary School (Wis.); Connie Champlin, Consultant, Media Tech Consulting (Ind.); Lee Gordon, School Librarian, Sierra Vista High School (Nev.); Kim Grimes, Teacher-Librarian, Corbett Elementary School (Ariz.); Peggy Hallisey, Retired Library Media Specialist (N.H.); Marie-Ann Harkness, Camelot Elementary School (Wash.); Carl Harvey, Library Media Specialist, North Elementary School (Ind.); Jill Hofmockel, Library Media Specialist, Prairie High School (Iowa); Barbary Jeffus, School Library Consultant, California Department of Education (Calif.); Doug Johnson, Director of Media and Technology, Mankato Public Schools (Minn.); Carrie Kienzle, Director of Library and Media Services, Irving Independent School District (Texas); Terri Kirk, Library Media Specialist Reidland High School (Ky.); Keith Lance, Director, Library Research Service (Colo.); Deb Levitov, Coordinator, Library Media, Lincoln Public Schools (Neb.); Jeanne Martinez Component Director, Education Service Center (Texas); Bonnie McCune, Library Community Program Cons., Colorado State Library (Colo.); Judi Lynn Moreillon, Library Media Specialist, Sabino High Schoool (Ariz.); Ann Marie Pipkin, Library Media Specialist, Hoover High School Media Center (Ala.); Barbara Rooks, Supervisor of Elementary Media and Technology, Hillsborough County Schools ISC (Fla.); Fran Roscello, Library Consultant, New York State Department of Education; Harriet Selverstone, Adjunct Professor, Pratt Institute (Conn.); Rocco Staino, Director, North Salem Middle High School (N.Y.); Debbie Stone, Library Media Specialist, Fair Oak Elementary School (S.C.); Barbara Stripling, Director, Astor Center for Public School Libraries New Visions for Public Schools (N.Y.); Hilda Weisburg, Library Media Specialist, Morristown High School (N.J.); J. Linda Williams, Director, Library Media Services, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (Md.); and Terry Young, Library Media Specialist, West Jeff High School (La.).

The Campaign for America's Libraries is a multi-year public education effort sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) to speak loudly and clearly about the value of libraries and librarians in the 21^st century.

The American Association of School Librarians, a division of the ALA, promotes the improvement and extension of library media 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 media field.