Nancy Baumann awarded AASL's first Innovative Reading Grant

Contact: Kathy Agarwal
Communications Specialist
312-280-4381
kagarwal@ala.org
For Immediate Release
June 14, 2007

Nancy Baumann awarded AASL’s first Innovative Reading Grant

CHICAGO – Nancy Baumann, a school library media specialist at Barnett Shoals Elementary School in Athens, Ga., is the 2007 recipient of the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) inaugural Innovative Reading Grant.

The $2,500 grant is intended to support the planning and implementation of a unique and innovative program that encourages reading for children, especially those who struggle with literacy.

Nancy Baumann’s 2007 winning program, “Early Bird Readers,” is designed to promote the attitude enhancement and reading skills of elementary school students through regular reading practice. “Early Bird Readers” is scheduled for 7 to 7:45 a.m. each weekday and is open to students in grades 3 to 5. Students choose their own readings from various media including books, comics and periodicals. Baumann expects to introduce audio and iPod selections in the near future.

The AASL Innovative Reading Grant is sponsored by Coughlan Publishing, whose imprints include Capstone Press, Compass Books, Picture Window Books, Stone Arch Books, and Red Brick Learning.

The AASL Innovative Reading Grant will be presented during the AASL Awards Luncheon, on June 25, 2007, during the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. For more information about AASL programs and events at the ALA Annual Conference, please visit http://www.ala.org/aasl/annual.

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. Its mission is to advocate excellence, facilitate change and develop leaders in the school library media field.