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CHICAGO – Registration is now open for the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) 17^th National Conference & Exhibition. The conference, themed “Experience Education Evolution,” will be held Nov. 5-8, 2015, in Columbus, Ohio, and is the only national conference dedicated solely to the needs of school librarians and their roles as educational leaders. A full list of rates and deadlines can be found at .

“When I think about the AASL national conference, I think of being challenged by new ideas, of being invigorated by new possibilities and of spending time with new and longtime professional friends,” said Deb Logan, conference co-chair. “National conference never fails to open up the world of changing resources, programs, technology, methodologies, and standards for my practice.”

Logan’s co-chair, Kathy Lowe agreed, “One of the things I like best about our profession is that we are constantly confronted with new resources, technology and ideas. While this is exhilarating, it can also be a challenge to keep up as the education landscape - and our roles - continually evolve. The program our team has assembled for this conference has been carefully crafted to offer tools and techniques to keep school librarians on the cutting edge.”

Already scheduled programming for the 2015 conference includes opening general session speaker Heidi Hayes Jacobs, an internationally recognized expert in the fields of curriculum and instruction, and closing general session speaker Eszter Hargittai, whose research focuses on the social and policy implications of digital media. Other events include half- and full-day preconferences; multiple author events, new daily general sessions; a school library research symposium; and exhibits filled with the latest resources and technologies for the school library program.

“The national conference committee was challenged to think out of the box,” said Logan. “We want school librarians to leave Columbus feeling that you have a more than strong grasp of the evolving educational environment; we want you to feel empowered to be comfortable with managing and leading change.”

“We also want you to have a great time in Columbus,” added Lowe. “We've built in opportunities to network, share and simply have fun together. We're really excited about some of the tours and events our local arrangements people have planned – especially our closing celebration at the North Market – it’s uniquely Columbus! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in November!”

More information on conference programming is available on the AASL 17^th National Conference & Exhibition website located at . Those communicating about the national conference are encouraged to use the official hashtag, #aasl15.

The American Association of School Librarians, , a division of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½), empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.