AASL announces newest online course

Contact: Melissa Jacobsen


AASL Communications Specialist


(312) 280-4381


mjacobsen@ala.org

NEWS


For Immediate Release


September 8, 2009

CHICAGO – The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) will offer a four-week online course, "The Path to Collaboration: Making it Happen," this fall for school library media specialists, beginning Oct. 5. Participants will have the option to earn two graduate credit hours upon completion. For more information or to register for this course, visit AASL's e-Academy pages at
www.ala.org/aasl/eacademy.

"As teachers and librarians work more closely together, the benefit of collaborative work, along with the increasing need to help learners obtain skills, will make librarians essential to successful schools," said one AASL phone interview respondent.

"The Path to Collaboration: Making it Happen" is an excellent primer for school library media specialists and library media students to learn how to effectively build partnerships according to AASL's guidelines in “Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs.” Participants will learn how to identify and analyze the factors that contribute to successful collaboration with teachers.

The course will be facilitated by Marilyn Heath, the author of "Electronic Portfolios: A Guide to Professional Development and Assessment." Her second book, "MLA Made Easy: Citation Basics for Beginners," is due in fall 2009. She has been a teacher and teacher-librarian for 23 years. She earned her MLIS from the University of South Carolina and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with a major in Curriculum and Instruction. She achieved National Board certification in 2003.

Now, more than ever, each media specialist needs to be considered an essential part of the instructional staff," said Heath. "Become proactive and learn how to establish meaningful collaborative relationships with your classroom teachers that will make you indispensable."

A detailed description and registration information is available on the AASL e-Academy pages at
www.ala.org/aasl/eacademy. Fees are $99 for personal AASL members; $149 for personal ALA members; $225 for non-members; $99 for retired AASL members; and $75 for student AASL members.

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.