91´«Ã½

CHICAGO – The North Carolina School Library Media Association (NCSLMA), Tennessee Association of School Librarians (TASL), and Ohio Educational Library Media Association (OELMA) are the first recipients of the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) Past-Presidents Planning Grant for National School Library Standards. The $2,500 grants, awarded in honor of AASL past presidents, are presented annually to AASL Affiliate organizations for the planning and execution of an event, initiative or activity focused on the implementation of the new AASL .

NCSLMA is the recipient of the 2018 planning grant awarded in the honor of Barbara Stripling and sponsored by Cassandra Barnett. Using the funds, the organization will host four regional professional development sessions in the spring of 2019. The trainings will kick off at NCSLMA’s annual conference taking place in October of 2018.

“North Carolina School Library Media Association's well thought out plan kicks off with a seven-hour planning session at their state conference,” explains Sharon Taylor, grant committee member. “Post event, participants will share ‘implementation wins’ on Facebook, the association listserv, and website. This forward-thinking group will also add the position of standards chair to the NCSLMA executive board beginning in October 2018.”

TASL will use the planning grant funds to facilitate day-long workshops in five different locations across the state. The workshops will provide members with an opportunity to work with the new standards more closely and with more depth. TASL receives the 2018 planning grant in honor of Ruth Toor and sponsored by Roger and Susan D. Ballard.

“The Tennessee Association of School Librarians came to the grant with a standards implementation task force already in place,’ said Taylor. “They are ready to help their members integrate the AASL Standards into their practice by coordinating day-long workshops in multiple locations across the Tennessee. The workshops will be an in-depth coverage of the AASL Standards and how to best implement in each member's own school.”

OELMA is the recipient of the 2018 planning grant awarded in the honor of Judy King and sponsored by Roger and Susan D. Ballard. The association’s already in place standards committee will use the funds to create a series of online learning modules that will provide their members with a blended training on the AASL standards. OELMA will also use finds to create and promote an online resource center which will include successful lesson plans connected to the AASL Standards.

“The Ohio Educational Library Media Association took the noteworthy approach of creating online learning modules,” elaborates Taylor. “This will enable their members to access, at no cost, blended training in how to use the AASL standards in their practice. Further resources, such as lesson plans connected to the standards, will complement the online professional development.”

The AASL award winners will be honored at the AASL Awards Ceremony & President’s Program during the 2018 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference in New Orleans. The ceremony will be held from 9 a.m. – noon on Saturday, June 23. All are welcome to celebrate the accomplishments of their peers during this recognition event.

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