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CHICAGO – High School District 214, located in Arlington Heights, Illinois, is the recipient of the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) 2019 National School Library of the Year (NSLY) Award. Sponsored by Follett, the NSLY Award annually honors a single school or district-wide school library that exemplifies implementation of AASL's “National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries.” High School District 214 will receive a crystal obelisk – the symbol of school library excellence – and $10,000 toward its school libraries.

“The decisive point for the committee was the depth and richness of the collaboration among the administrators and school librarians,” said Rob Hilliker, award committee chair. “We were also highly impressed by the integration of programming and service delivery with local public libraries, and the rich educational partnerships with local businesses to promote authentic, project-based inquiry learning for their students.”

The primary mission of High School District 214 is to help all students learn the skills, acquire the knowledge, and develop the behaviors necessary for them to reach their full potential as citizens who can meet the challenges of a changing society. They strive to empower students with analytic capabilities, communication skills, problem solving skills, and technological literacy.

“A great example of the district's vision for learners is the computer science student who created an iPad app for her library at Hersey School as part of a class assignment,” explains Hilliker. “The committee was impressed both by the confidence of the student in her articulation of the value of her project, and in the end result, which was an easy-to-use integration of databases, other e-resources, and the main catalog. The app will be adapted for use at all of the high schools in the district.”

“It always gratifies us to hear of high-achieving districts where the school librarians and libraries are central to classroom learning and helping to develop 21st-century skills,” said Britten Follett, senior vice president of marketing strategy, Follett School Solutions. “As an educational company founded nearly 150 years ago in the state of Illinois, it is yet another source of pride for Follett that a neighboring school such as District 214 is this year’s recipient. It’s a well-deserved honor, and may the success they’ve enjoyed be replicated by other districts and schools."

"This honor recognizes a commitment to excellence in providing learners equitable access to a school library that exemplifies the AASL Standards," said Kathryn Roots Lewis, AASL President. "I commend High School District 214 on their leadership in providing a strong school library that embodies the work school librarians do to transform teaching and learning for their school communities. I look forward to celebrating with them this June in Washington D.C.!”

The AASL award winners will be honored at the AASL Awards Ceremony during the 2019 91��ý Annual Conference. The ceremony will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 22. All are welcome to celebrate the accomplishments of their peers during this recognition event.

About AASL

The American Association of School Librarians, , a division of the 91��ý (91��ý), empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.

About Follett’s PreK-12 Business |

Follett is the largest provider of educational materials and technology solutions to PreK-12 libraries, classrooms, learning centers and school districts in the United States, and a major supplier to educational institutions worldwide. Follett distributes books, reference materials, digital resources, ebooks and audiovisual materials, as well as pre-owned textbooks. Follett also is one of the leading providers of integrated educational technology for the management of physical and digital assets, the tracking, storing and analyzing of academic data, and digital learning environment tools for the classroom focusing on student achievement. Find Follett on , and follow on (@FollettLearning).