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CHICAGO – The newest tool from the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), "A Planning Guide for Empowering Learners," is now available for advance ordering. More information is available at .

Co-published with Britannica Digital Learning, the online, interactive school library program planning module to help school librarians implement the AASL program guidelines will change school library program development and implementation, saving time and delivering data. The planning and advocacy tool will ensure school library program planners go beyond the basics to provide goals, priorities, criteria and general principles for establishing effective library programs.

It includes a "School Library Program Assessment Rubric" that will allow school librarians to assess their program according to 16 different sets of criteria. By using the rubric to identify strengths and weaknesses within their programs, school librarians can better develop goals, objectives and action plans to meet the needs of their school community. Data from the rubric will automatically generate charts and graphs that can be shared with school community stakeholders in advocating for the school library program.

Subscriptions are $40 for the first year; renewals are $20 per year. AASL members receive a 10-percent discount on subscriptions. AASL will also offer bulk pricing for districts ordering the module, and purchase orders will be accepted. Ordering arrangements are also available to higher education bookstores. Orders will be handled by Britannica Digital Learning by calling 800-621-3900.

"A Planning Guide for Empowering Learners" provides another tool for (L4L), AASL's national implementation plan created to support states, school systems and individual schools preparing to implement the "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" and "Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs."

Britannica Digital Learning is a division of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. a leader in education publishing whose products can be found in many media, from the Internet to wireless devices to books. A pioneer in electronic publishing since the early 1980s, the company markets a variety of encyclopedias and other reference works, curriculum products for schools, language-study courses and other learning products, many of which are available online at . Britannica is active on Twitter and Facebook. The company makes its headquarters in Chicago.

The American Association of School Librarians, , a division of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½), promotes the improvement and extension of library services in elementary and secondary schools as a means of strengthening the total education program. Its mission is to advocate excellence, facilitate change and develop leaders in the school library field.