Sara Kelly Johns elected AASL president 2007-2008
Contact:
Kathy Agarwal
AASL Communications Specialist
Phone:
312-280-4381
For Immediate Release
May 23, 2006
Sara Kelly Johns elected AASL president 2007-2008
CHICAGO - Sara Kelly Johns, school library media specialist at Lake Placid (N.Y.) Middle/High School, was elected president-elect of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) in the 2006 election.
Johns will serve as president-elect starting in July 2006 and will assume the AASL presidency at the end of the 2007 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.
Cassandra G. Barnett, a school library media specialist at Fayetteville (Ark.) High School, ran against Johns.
Johns will be leading the nation's only association for school library media professionals. Established in 1951, AASL has over 10,000 members. Its mission is to advocate excellence, facilitate change, and develop leaders in the school library media field.
"Our contributions to teaching reading, writing, and information literacy skills are critical to learners preparing to actively and meaningfully communicate and participate as 21st century global citizens," said Johns. "As AASL members, our combined voices can position us as critical partners with the decision-makers in our schools and the legislators beyond our walls.
On behalf of learners, I hope to ensure that our voices resonate with those decision makers and to ensure that they better understand the true value of our library programs."
Currently, Johns is Region II Director on the AASL Board representing Washington (D.C.), Del., Md., N.J., N.Y., and Pa., and she is an associate editor of
Knowledge Quest, AASL's association journal.
She also serves on the 2006 National School Library Media Program of the Year Award Subcommittee, is the Board liaison to the AASL New Member Mentoring Special Committee, and was recently named to the ALA Chapter Relations Committee.
Johns has been an active member of national and state professional organizations for several years and has served on many AASL committees.
Johns has a masters of library science from the State University of New York, Albany, and a bachelor of arts in English Literature from Plattsburgh State University of New York. She also is an adjunct professor at Feinberg Library, SUNY Plattsburgh.
Complete AASL Election results are available on the web site at
http://www.ala.org/aasl/elections.
The American Association of School Librarians,
www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), promotes the improvement and extension of library media services in elementary and secondary schools as a means of strengthening the total education program.
