Birthday Greetings!
Happy birthday to us! Happy birthday to us! AASL is now old enough to draw Social Security, with this birthday making us 65 years young. I am a huge history buff, and I was fascinated to learn how AASL was formed. I am so thankful that our leaders were insightful enough to see how much an association devoted to school librarians was needed and would be needed in the future. We are still the only association that is entirely devoted to school librarianship. We are stronger than ever with the great relationships we have with the rest of the divisions and the bigger ALA association. The support we’ve received from librarians outside of our field during the push to pass the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was amazing. It shows how the power of voicing our particular point of view has impacted the rest of the association and, more importantly, will impact our students as we see ESSA enacted.
In the Sept/Oct issue of Knowledge Quest, you will hear some of our wonderful leaders reflect on their presidencies. The walk down memory lane will provide you with hope for the future. The fact that we never give up on doing what’s best for our students and for our profession will make you proud that you are a member. The 65th Anniversary Celebration task force brings light to why the campaign was developed and how the donations we make are going to continue some great initiatives.
I am so appreciative of all the authors who agreed to write for this issue! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Looking back at the last 65 years and all the progress we’ve had in school librarianship has me in awe of what the future might bring. Happy birthday, AASL!
About the Guest Editor
Terri Grief, AASL President 2014–2015 and current member of ALA Council, is a school librarian at McCracken County (KY) High School. She also serves as Leadership Development chair for the Kentucky Association of School Librarians, which, in 2001, named her Outstanding School Librarian of the year. In 2015 she was awarded the Kentucky Library Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Read her Guest Editor Column, “It Was a Very Good Year.”
Knowledge Quest, Volume 45, No. 1 – AASL’s 65th Anniversary
Features
Celebrating 65 Years of a Dynamic Organization for School Librarians
Blanche Woolls
Responding to School Library Cuts: My 2010-2011 Presidential Initiative
Nancy Everhart
Celebrating the Past and Transforming the Future
Carl A. Harvey II
AASL at 65: A Reflection on and Affirmation of Enduring Core Values that Sustain Us
Susan D. Ballard
65 Years and Counting: AASL and School Librarians–Still Champion of Intellectual Freedom
Helen R. Adams
Building the Strong Foundation
J. Linda Williams
A Ten-Year Reflection
Cyndi Phillip
Achieving that Elusive “Leadership Zone”
Ann M. Martin
Online Exclusive
Expect the Unexpected
Sara Kelly Johns
Column
CBC Column
How to Build a Bridge
Eva Murray
Departments
AASL Position Statement
Definition for Effective School Library Program
President’s Column
AASL Turns 65!
Audrey Church
Guest Editor Column
It Was a Very Good Year
Terri Grief
Author: Terri Grief
Categories: KQ Content
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