A prevalent misconception is that reading must be a solitary endeavor. This view of reading creates an instant aversion for many teens who tend to be social creatures. This article discusses how Kristen Deuschle, the district media specialist for Forsyth County Schools in Cumming, Georgia, combined two of her passions--community outreach and…

For school librarians, being part of a "connected" community provides support for getting specific needs met, solving personally relevant and meaningful problems, and developing professional expertise. AASL provides many avenues for members of the profession to learn with and from one another. These include AASL and subgroup electronic…

In this article, the authors discuss the Lilead Fellows Program, funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). This innovative approach to professional development (PD) is for school district library supervisors. It is based upon widely accepted principles of quality PD, and is in its second year of operation with an…

2016 marks an important milestone for the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). Despite the ever-changing and always-challenging economic, political, and societal landscape, for nearly sixty-five years the association has grown and prospered within the structure of the American Library Association (ALA) and remains "the only…

As school librarians tout lifelong learning for students, then it follows that lifelong learning applies to educators as well. Learning does not stop in retirement; however, the learning is different. The emphasis changes from professional development to more personal development. Although retirees may not need professional activities to add to…

This article describes the SS "School Library Leadership" maiden voyage, which departed from the University of Vermont (UVM) during the 2010 fall semester. Twelve intrepid sailors followed their sense of adventure into uncharted waters with cocaptains Judy Kaplan and Susan Ballard in an online collaboration that provided a powerful…

The use of electronic reading devices has proliferated in the last few years. These reading devices appear to be particularly popular with young readers. A generation of students that has grown up with computers, cell phones, iPods, and other high-tech devices is more likely to embrace electronic book technology for both their educational and…

In today's schools and library media centers, emotion-laden concerns about new modes of information and communication technology can hijack librarians' attention, even taking center stage. Something about the online revolution and, more recently, the advent of Web 2.0 tools and their ability to create connections among users, as well as between…

Today, young people entering the job market face challenges, as well as uncertainty. The influx of new technologies and powerful market forces have changed the ways in which people work in their own offices, as well as with others around the globe. Alongside the excitement of new technologies and the financial benefits, they also confront new…

The World Wide Web has come a long way in a very short time. A little more than a decade ago, with the invention of Mosaic, the first browser to display images inline with text instead of displaying images in a separate window, and Netscape, the first graphical user interface (browser), people began to experience a rapid expansion of information.…

As a novice teacher, the author was confident in his ability to teach digital photography but didn't initially realize the extent to which blogs, wikis, and social networks could reshape and enhance how students learn, and how, by incorporating these tools into his curriculum, he would ultimately find ways to use Web 2.0 tools to truly engage and…

In 1989 the American Library Association defined information literacy as a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information. While these fundamental skills are still at the heart of information literacy instruction, the nature of that…

It is no secret that learning has a social context. As library media specialists work with students nearly every day, they take for granted their pedagogical roots in social learning theory based on the premise that students need modeling and observation to learn from one another. Information gathering becomes a key activity, and social…

The exhibit floor is a wealth of knowledge. One can read, view, and listen to information presented in many formats. Somewhere on the exhibit floor there are experts on every topic, ready and waiting for one's questions. But like any research topic, frequently a structured search is required to find the best answers. This article discusses how to…

This article presents a guide to a preconference workshop on the new AASL "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner." This interactive session will help educators to empower their students to think and to create. The session provides a way to understand and incorporate the new standards in a school library program.