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For the Record | AASL Affiliate Assembly Chair’s Report

By Lori Donovan, Affiliate Assembly Chair on 07/26/2016 • ( 0 )

Lori Donovan | Chesterfield County Public Schools AASL Affiliate Assembly Chair, 2015-2016

ALA Annual for AASL Affiliate Assembly began with a Leadership Development Meeting on Friday afternoon. This was a meeting to showcase how AASL Affiliate Assembly works, and to introduce the AASL leadership and staff members who support Affiliate Assembly. It also provided an opportunity for affiliate members to learn new strategies for developing leaders back in their states with the support of AASL. New members to Affiliate Assembly were able to meet with and get to know other members in their regions and from around the country.

Affiliate Assembly I provided another opportunity for leadership development with a special presentation from Sara Trettin of the US Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology. Trettin spoke to us about Future Ready Libraries in collaboration with the Future Ready Schools Initiative. Some of the materials shared during this presentation include a Future Ready Librarians press release, web page, and fact sheet.

We also reviewed the concerns and commendations that were brought forward from the affiliates in preparation for our Affiliate Assembly II meeting.

Affiliate Assembly II began Sunday morning with a regional caucus. Caucus time allowed affiliates to spend time discussing what is going on in their regions and what each affiliate is doing over the summer and fall. AASL President Leslie Preddy brought greetings from AASL and updated the Affiliate Assembly with committee reports. We heard from our candidates for Affiliate Chair-Elect (James Allen and Kelly Miller) and Secretary (Renee Hale) before we voted. Kelly Miller will be the Affiliate Assembly Chair-Elect and Renee Hale will be Secretary.

Affiliate Assembly will be forwarding on five commendations: Michigan Association for Media in Education—Authors in April; Pennsylvania School Library Association—PA Forward Information Literacy Summit; South Carolina Association of School Librarians—South Carolina Education Oversight Committee’s “Read Your Way to the Game” Program; Tennessee Association of School Librarians—Southeastern Young Adults Book Festival; and Massachusetts School Library Association—PBS Learning Media and WGBH’s Educator Engagement Office.

Affiliate Assembly also forwarded on two concerns about certified school librarian requirements in evaluation criteria, and support for library instruction based on AASL standards. We will hear back in late fall what the AASL Board of Directors decides in regards to these concerns.

Read other ALA Annual 2016 reports from AASL’s For the Record: