AASL joins forces with Children's Book Council

Contact: Kathy Agarwal

Communications
Specialist

312-280-4381

kagarwal@ala.org

For Immediate Release

September 25, 2007

AASL joins forces with Children’s Book Council

CHICAGO – The American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is pleased to announce its collaboration with the Children’s Book Council (CBC) to create a new regular column, “Meet the Author/Illustrator,” in Knowledge Quest, AASL’s official journal.

“The ‘Meet the Author/Illustrator’ columns for 2007-2008 represent a wide variety of styles, genres and publishers. Through these columns, readers can draw inspiration by learning about the lives and work of authors and illustrators,” said Michelle F. Bayuk, CBC Marketing Director. “The CBC is honored to help bring these creative individuals and their work to a broader audience.”

“AASL and the Children’s Book Council have a shared common goal to encourage access to the best resources to inspire a love of reading in childhood, the best start for a lifetime of learning and pleasure,” said Sara Kelly Johns, AASL president. “We are very pleased to collaborate with the CBC on this project.”

The first of the series will debut in the September/October 2007 issue of Knowledge Quest, “Advocacy: A Test of Character.” The articles of the fall issue focus on the challenges - political, social and personal - that school librarians face and how advocacy happens in the field.
The first author to be featured in the new “Meet the Author/Illustrator” column is Ying Chang Compestine, author of “Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party” (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers), the story of a girl who comes of age and fights to survive during the Chinese revolution.

“Each of these columns for our themed issues embodies the common goals that AASL and CBC share – belief in the power of reading enjoyment and immersive learning, and a commitment to a high level of literacy for every child,” said Debbie Abilock, Knowledge Quest Editor in Chief.

The Children’s Book Council, Inc. (CBC) is a nonprofit trade association of publishers of trade books for children and young adults in the United States. The CBC promotes the use and enjoyment of trade books for young people, most prominently as the official sponsor of Children’s Book Week, the longest running literacy event in the country.

Published bimonthly September through June by the American Association of School Librarians, Knowledge Quest,
http://www.ala.org/aasl/kqweb, is devoted to offering substantive information to assist building-level library media specialists, supervisors, library educators, and other decision makers concerned with the development of school library media programs and services. Articles address the integration of theory and practice in school librarianship and new developments in education, learning theory and relevant disciplines.

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.