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CHICAGO – The Oklahoma School Librarians, a division of the Oklahoma Library Association (OKSL), is the recipient of the 2021 American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) ABC-CLIO Leadership Grant. Sponsored by ABC-CLIO, the $1,750 grant is given to an AASL Chapter for planning and implementing leadership programs at the state, regional, or local level.

“OKSL’s proposal highlighted the importance of collaborative library leadership development,” said Michael-Brian Ogawa, award committee chair. “They used research to identify current needs of their constituents and employed a grassroots approach to professional development to foster and promote leaders from current students to professionals. Kudos to OKSL for developing an innovative professional development opportunity that is inclusive of so many partners and responsive to the community’s needs. We can see this as a model for other AASL Chapters to follow to promote library leaders for generations to come.”

Developing Responsive Library Leaders (DRLL) is a professional development institute planned for the summer of 2022 and collaboratively organized by OKSL, the University of Oklahoma’s School of Library and Information Studies, and the Oklahoma Library and Information Studies Student Association. The purpose is to develop responsive library leaders through professional development that meets specific needs in response to societal crises. The institute aims to nurture and support the development of responsive leaders for an inclusive and equitable society by meeting the practical needs of these professionals in institutions across the state.

A priority of the institute is to build library leaders by empowering school library practitioners, librarians, and pre-service librarians with the tools to advocate for school libraries. This includes recognizing, designing, building, and implementing equitable and inclusive collections, programs, and collaborative learning opportunities for all learners. The institute will highlight best practices from AASL’s National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries and partner pre-service teachers from the University of Oklahoma College of Education with pre-service school librarians for collaborative planning of instructional units.

The AASL award winners will be recognized during the taking place October 21-23 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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