April is one of my favorite months of the year because April is School Library Month. While school librarians advocate for school libraries 12 months a year, April is a special month of celebration, advocacy, and reflection. I love to… Read More ›
AASL
My #AASL21 Conference Experience
If you have ever been to an AASL National Conference, you know it can be a remarkable event. It is difficult to put into words just how impressive this conference can be for our professional growth. There are author visits,… Read More ›
Librarians, Let’s Confer about Who We Are
This short volume of a post stands between bookends: #AASL21, which just occurred last week, and the upcoming #VAASL conference, which takes place next week. The word “confer” has been around for over five hundred years; its first known use… Read More ›
Grateful for My Professional Organizations
During the holiday season, reviewing all of the things that I am grateful for has become a yearly tradition. In this unprecedented year, with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting our lives in so many ways, taking stock of items to be… Read More ›
Maine Library Legislative Day 2020
“Libraries Are Good for Maine!” That was our collective message at Maine’s second Library Legislative Day on February 20, 2020. Librarians representing public, school, university, and special libraries turned out in the State House in Augusta for an exceptional day…. Read More ›
Do You See Yourself in AASL?
Welcome to the new year! As I write this, I am halfway through my term as AASL President, and I am loving the journey. I’ve met wonderful people, visited amazing places, and have contributed to school librarianship in many ways… Read More ›
What Do All the AASL Presidents Do?
On November 1, AASL sent members a notice informing them of an upcoming vote on the proposed changes to the AASL Bylaws. Voting on the changes will open on December 2 and close December 16. The proposed changes to the… Read More ›
#AASL19 Digital Badges
Digital badges have become a common way of earning and sharing micro-credentials demonstrating professional development accomplishments and proficiencies. For the AASL 2019 conference, the organizers are delighted to introduce earnable digital badges. There are 19 badge options in all. You… Read More ›
Enhancing Member Engagement through AASL Board Structural Changes
Do you ever wonder if it hurts when tadpoles grow legs? I don’t know if tadpoles have growing pains; humans certainly do. But if tadpoles didn’t grow legs and hop out of the pond, they’d be stuck eating algae forever!… Read More ›
Inquire, Curate, Explore: 5 Tips for the Under 10 Set
ICE, ICE! The AASL Standards are made up of six Shared Foundations. Three of those Shared Foundations–Inquire, Curate, and Explore–encourage students to do the following: Inquire: Build new knowledge by inquiring, thinking critically, identifying problems and developing strategies for solving… Read More ›