25th Anniversary of School Library Month, Communities Thrive @ your library, April 1-30, 2010

School Library Month 2010

"Communities Thrive @ your library"

SLM 2010 Spokesperson
What is School Library Month (SLM)?
SLM Social Communities
SLM Video Contest
Professional Development During SLM
Resources to Celebrate SLM

SLM 2010 Spokesperson

“School libraries are the foundation of our culture, not luxuries.”

Award-winning author, Laurie Halse Anderson

Award-winning author Laurie Halse Anderson is the official spokesperson for the American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) School Library Month (SLM) 2010 celebration.

Laurie's first novel, "Speak," was a National Book Award Finalist, a Michael L. Printz Honor book, a New York Times bestseller and an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults. In 2009, Laurie received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement for her body of work for young adults. In 2008, she also received the prestigious ALAN Award, which honors those who have made outstanding contributions to the field of adolescent literature. Laurie's most recent novel, "Wintergirls," was released in March 2009. "Wintergirls" has received five-star reviews and debuted on the New York Times bestseller list.

Though Laurie is best known for her Young Adult novels, she also writes picture books and chapter books for elementary age children. Laurie says her chapter book series “Vet Volunteers” brings her the best fan mail from kids with pictures and drawings of their pets. Laurie started her career as a picture book writer. Librarians, teachers and parents love her fun, fact-filled picture books about American History. Her next project is a picture book about her hero, Abigail Adams. American history has been a life-long passion for Laurie, which her writing has been recognized for and is also reflected in several of her Young Adult novels.

For more information about the life and work of Laurie Halse Anderson visit http://www.writerlady.com/.

What is School Library Month?

School Library Month (SLM) is the American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) celebration of school librarians and their programs. Every April school librarians are encouraged to create activities to help their school and local community celebrate the essential role that strong school library programs play in a student's educational career. The 2010 theme will be "Communities Thrive @ your library."

This year, AASL observes the 25th Anniversary of School Library Month (SLM). Read about the history of School Library Month and download SLM proclamation templates.

AASL has posted the 25th anniversary logo for you to download and developed a flyer with 30 days of activities to help you celebrate SLM!

AASL has developed a flyer with 30 days of activities to help you celebrate SLM!

Share with others the excitement as you observe the 25th anniversary of School Library Month and celebrate with school and community activities at your libraries. Communities Thrive @ your library. Be a contributor to the AASL online communities and post about what you're doing to advocate for your program this School Library Month.

ALA Connect – Join the SLM Community in ALA Connect.
AASL Blog – Share the excitement with the tag slm2010.
Facebook Fan Page– Get the latest AASL news and updates on SLM.
Facebook Group Page – Connect with the school librarian community.
Twitter – Hash tag your tweets with #slm2010.
Flickr – Tag your photos and videos with tag slm2010.
YouTube – Post videos and slideshows with tag slm2010.

SLM Video Contest

School librarians are encouraged to submit videos to the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) detailing how they help their school community "thrive." This is an opportunity for school librarians to be creative and share why they are essential to their school community. The winning video will be featured on the AASL Web site, AASL social networking platforms, and possible feature and recognition at AASL conferences. Entries will be vetted by AASL and the top three will be judged by the entire AASL member community starting March 23, 2010.

Suggested focus
AASL encourages creativity. Entries may include an interview with members of a school community, a typical day in the life of a school librarian, or a short skit on why school librarians are essential to a school community.

Submission process
Entries should be submitted by email to AASL by March 18, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. CST. Please include your AASL membership ID with your submission. All videos must be accompanied by a signed video/photo release form from each person featured in the video. Videos should be no more than 3 minutes. Only WMV, RealVideo and QuickTime formatted files will be accepted.

Additional Rules
This contest is open to AASL members only. All entries over 3 minutes will be disqualified.

Award
The winner will receive district access to all L4L webinars and an AASL prize package including Standards for the 21st-Century Learner in Action, Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs; and the forthcoming Planning Guide for Empowering Learners.

Professional Development During SLM

Learning4Life (L4L) Webinars
Hosted every Wednesday in April @ 4:30 p.m. CST

Each week, AASL will host a webinar focused on one of the four chapters of AASL's Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs:

Developing Vision for Learning
Teaching for Learning
Building the Learning Environment
Empowering Learning through Leadership

These key webinars will help advance your school library program to meet the needs of the changing school library environment.

Pricing

AASL Member	$39 per webinar/10% discount for series=$140
ALA Member	$69 per webinar/10% discount for series=$248
Non-Member	$99 per webinar/10% discount for series=$356
Student	$29 per webinar/10% discount for series=$104

District Pricing*	(available for series purchases only)
3-5 individuals	$199
6-9 individuals	$399
10+	$699

* Person purchasing district package must be an AASL member.

Register Online

Download the registration form

SLM Resources

SLM 25th Anniversary Logo High-res | Low-res
Download this logo for your school Web site and library materials to promote the 25th anniversary of SLM this April.

SLM Flyer
Download this flyer for 30 days worth of activities to help your school and local community celebrate SLM 2010

Advocacy during SLM
Invite legislators to your school library during School Library Month.

Invitation
Invitation