Four Spectrum scholars to attend AASL national conference

Contact: Melissa Jacobsen


AASL Communications Specialist


(312) 280-4381


mjacobsen@ala.org

NEWS


For Immediate Release


October 6, 2009

CHICAGO –The American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), will sponsor the attendance of four Spectrum scholars at the AASL 14th National Conference & Exhibition in Charlotte, N.C, Nov. 5-8.

"On behalf of AASL, it is with great pleasure that I welcome Spectrum scholars to our national conference," said Cassandra Barnett, AASL president. "The background of the Spectrum scholars is representative of excellence in scholarship and learning. We look forward to their diverse perspectives and the contributions they will make to AASL and the profession."

AASL will sponsor the following Spectrum scholars:

  • Linda Collins, school library media specialist at the Annie Keller Regional Gifted Center of the Chicago Public Schools in Chicago
  • Maia Daugherty, school library media specialist at Ke Kula 'o 'Ehunuikaimalino, a Hawaiian Language Immersion School on the Big Island of Hawaii
  • Alicia Long, elementary teacher and graduate student from Bradenton, Fla.
  • Lauren Mabry, elementary teacher with Ratcliffe School in Richmond, Va.

Each of the selected Spectrum scholars will receive complimentary registration for the AASL National Conference & Exhibition and a $750 travel stipend. Spectrum scholars will be paired with a mentor for the duration of the conference and will receive special recognition at key events.

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, 115 concurrent sessions, more than 200 exhibiting companies, educational and school tours, a storytelling festival and special appearances by award-winning authors. The conference will also feature a virtual component, b there – Your Virtual Track Pass. For more information on AASL's 14th National Conference & Exhibition, visit www.ala.org/aasl/charlotte.

The Spectrum Scholarship Program's major drive is to recruit applicants and award scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students for graduate programs in library and information studies. Its mission is to improve service at the local level through the development of a representative workforce that reflects the communities served by all libraries in the new millennium. Since 1997, ALA has awarded more than 600 Spectrum Scholarships.

For more information on Spectrum, visit
http://www.ala.org/spectrum.

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.