The AASL National Conference is the only national conference devoted solely to the needs of school librarians. In 2021, concurrent sessions focused on AASL's National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries, giving school librarians and other educator attendees an opportunity to dig deep into the guiding document of the profession.
50+ Makerspaces for the Secondary Library
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
Are you looking for Makerspace Ideas to use with your secondary library patrons? This is the session for you! Two librarians, one high school and one intermediate, will present 50+ makerspace ideas that we have used successfully with our own students. We will share our knowledge and our philosophies, and we will have fun! We hope you will share, too!
We Need (Neuro)Diverse Books
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
According to the CDC, 1 in 6 children have been diagnosed with a mental, behavioral, or developmental condition such as autism. Most of us already serve these patrons in our libraries! How can we update our collections to better represent this diverse group? How can our programming promote empathy and acceptance? An autistic librarian will share strategies and book recommendations, and you'll leave with resources that will help you keep up with this growing subsection of children's literature.
Speaker(s):
Bringing College Information Literacy to High Schools
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
In this session we outline how academic and school librarians collaborated to bring a college-level information literacy course to rural high schools, extending positive impacts on college student success and equity to high school students. Attendees will discuss how library academic support practices can be adapted to be more inclusive and equitable. We will also discuss how school librarians can collaborate more intensely with English teachers to ensure student success for all.
Speaker(s):
Teaching Students Research and Writing in the Pandemic: How Utah Librarians and Teachers use Scrible
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
50%+ of secondary students aren’t ready for college level research and writing. The pandemic exacerbates this problem by making it harder to teach and manage the research and writing process, which normally involves in-person check-ins and feedback. Come learn how Utah librarians and teachers use Scrible to teach and manage research and writing in remote and hybrid environments amid the abrupt move to online learning. We’ll keep it interesting with a live audience poll!
Speaker(s):
Research Empowering Practice: Professional Practice
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
Is This What We Signed Up For? Librarians’ Discourse around Access during the COVID-19 Pandemic -We will share research and discuss the discursive practices of school and youth librarians in blogs written in fall 2019 during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used discourse analysis to study multi-author blogs published by AASL, ALSC, and YALSA. Among the findings were that the librarians’ language indicated they value access to library services; they believe young people want and need services such as book borrowing; and that libraries are social goods, essential in a pandemic. Rural School Librarians Anchoring Community Mental Health - One in five children has or will have a serious mental illness. Often, communities lack accessible, acceptable, and appropriate mental health supports. This project intended to determine current efforts among school libraries and communities to promote mental health literacy and to determine rural school libraries’ capacity to promote community health literacy. Findings of an IMLS funded study will be shared in addition to how they align with the CASEL SEL standards. Where Personal and Practical Meet: Reading Habits of School Librarians and Classroom Teachers - This session will present data related to research conducted to examine the reading habits of teachers and school librarians. The research relates to how teachers and school librarians impact the reading motivation of their students as well as how they make selections for their school libraries and classroom libraries.
Stories from the Field
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
Sarah Beth Nelson tells tales of being a school librarian, and invites you to do the same! If you are interested in sharing a brief (5 minute) story about being a school librarian, you may put your name in a hat to participate in the open mic portion of the workshop. Sarah Beth will share stories of her own, and lead a discussion on how personal stories can help prepare future school librarians.
School Libraries & the Whole Child
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
School Librarians are leaders in their school communities in supporting the whole child. In this session, attendees will learn how the National School Library Standards connect to the ASCD Whole Child Tenets as school librarians create healthy and safe spaces, engage and challenge students through inquiry learning, and support students and the school community through access to diverse resources and lessons.
Forget the Elevator Pitch: Making Real Library Change
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
When positions are converted and eliminated, an elevator pitch won’t save jobs. Here, school library leaders present a professional learning initiative for school librarians, their answer to strengthening library programs by meeting the AASL National Standards and becoming Future Ready. With a structure to identify areas for improvement, set goals, collaborate with stakeholders, implement changes, and reflect, school librarians advance library programs in tangible, measurable, and visible ways.
Centering Our Values through Classroom-Library Collaboration: The Key to Enacting School Librarian Leadership
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
Positioning library values--equity, diversity, inclusion, and intellectual freedom--at the center of the academic program benefits all learners. Classroom-library collaboration for instruction means equitable access to diverse and inclusive resources and programming. Coteaching ensures that learners have physical access and increased opportunities for intellectual access to ideas and information. With a values-centered practice, school librarians lead the entire school community toward success.
Copyright Information for School Librarians
Preview Available
Credits: None available.
Copyright consists of six rights and ten exceptions. Becoming familiar with the six rights is the easy part! Navigating the exceptions as they relate to librarianship, teachers, teaching, and literacy programs is the trickier part. Attend this session to become more familiar with the copyright system.