AASL announces One Book, One Conference selection
Contact: Melissa B. Jacobsen
AASL Communications Specialist
(312) 280-4381
NEWS
For Immediate Release
June 9, 2009
CHICAGO – The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has chosen "Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives" by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser as the One Book, One Conference selection for the AASL 14th National Conference & Exhibition. The conference will be held from 7 to 7:45 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, in Charlotte, N.C. All conference attendees are invited to take part in the discussion.
Through narrative, the book presents the lives of children born in the digital age, or "digital natives" as they are referred to in the book. The purpose of the book is to identify and guide the digital native and assess the impact of these individuals on society. According to the book's Web site (
http://borndigitalbook.com), "'Born Digital' explores a broad range of issues. What does identity mean for young people who have dozens of online profiles and avatars? Should we worry about privacy issues – or is privacy even a relevant concern for Digital Natives? How does the concept of safety translate into an increasingly virtual world? What is the Internet's impact on creativity and learning? What lies ahead - socially, professionally and psychologically - for this generation?"
AASL’s One Book One Conference is an early morning book discussion session and a popular part of the conference. "Born Digital" offers an excellent introduction to the conference’s opening and closing speakers, danah boyd and Marco Torres, as well as many of the educational workshops focused on guiding kids in a digital age. AASL National Conference Co-Chair Ann Marie Pipkin encourages all school library media specialists to "put this book on your summer reading list."
The AASL 14th National Conference & Exhibition, "Rev up learning @ your library," is the only national conference dedicated solely to the needs of school library media specialists and their roles as educational leaders. The AASL National Conference will feature 10 preconferences, numerous concurrent sessions, more than 200 exhibiting companies, educational and school tours, a storytelling festival and special appearances by award-winning authors. For more information or to register at the reduced early bird rates, visit
http://www.ala.org/aasl/charlotte.
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.
