AASL Sets Record in Indy

Widespread concerns about air travel did not prevent the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) biennial conference from having its most successful turnout ever. The conference, held in Indianapolis November 14–18, drew a record 2,477 paid registrants, exceeding the 2,164 at AASL's 1999 show in Birmingham and its previous high of 2,440 set in Indianapolis in 1994.

In a sign of the profession's shifting priorities, nearly one-third of AASL's 100-plus conference sessions were tied to information literacy and research. The words "research skills," "rubric," and "curriculum" were omnipresent in the conference schedule. "Kids thinking they can get everything on the Net is a lie," said David Loertscher, a professor in the library school at San José (CA) State University and one of the conference presenters. "Teachers need to be on board [supporting information literacy] or kids will not be committed to information quality."

Several programs dealt with teaching students how to discern between legitimate and bogus information, informing school librarians how to integrate information technologies into state curriculum standards. Other sessions discussed best practices for establishing good relationships with teachers, techniques to educate administrators on how the library impacts student learning, and tips to help librarians enhance their careers.

AASL's theme, "Coming Together as a Community of Learners," was felt throughout the conference, including the keynote address. Co-speaker Mary Pipher, the author of Reviving Ophelia (Putnam, 1994), stressed the important role adults play in the lives of young people. She emphasized the need for young and old people to interact with one another, admonishing our society for segregating age groups. "Put children together with old people and good things will happen," she insisted.

Pipher also offered librarians the following advice to help children through these uncertain times of fear and tragedy: "Be there for them; protect them from some of the media; do things as a family; promote what's beautiful; connect them to pets and nature—slow down, be calm, and leave plenty of time for them."

Following Pipher, William Pollack, the author of Real Boys (Random, 1998), addressed the learning-related problems of boys, noting that their reading scores have fallen in the last 10 years. "There's a mold you're supposed to fit into if you're a guy," said Pollack, "and for boys, it's still not cool to read." Boys lose their emotional voices when they enter school, said Pollack, and it's the librarians who can connect with them. "You make the difference in boys' and girls' lives," said Pollack to the audience of children's librarians and media specialists. "You are essential and children must be able to talk to you."

The preconference on books and how to share them with teens was one of the most heavily attended. "Power Up with Print," a session featuring library consultant Patrick Jones and other members of the Young Adult Library Services Association offered ideas on how to get middle school and high school students excited about reading, including the most inviting way to booktalk—with the entire body—and suggestions for promoting reading to reluctant teens through responsive reader's advisory.

Media Director Doug Johnson's preconference session, "Teaching Students Right from Wrong in the Digital Age," dealt with the tough student questions many librarians must answer, such as, "If I'm not going to get caught using someone else's article or Web graphic, why bother with permission?" Johnson's answer: "You brush the back sides of your teeth, don't you?" He led attendees through a series of real-life situations, and helped them sort out the do's and don'ts of e-mail use, discussed students sharing unlicensed copies of commercial games, and explained when a student—or teacher—can ethically use files from the Internet.

"Cut the Clutter," presented by Allyson Lyga of Cranberry Station (MD) Elementary School, wasn't as much about straightening up your library as about sharing ways to minimize stress and collaborate better with teachers. Lyga explained how to organize a system to assemble state outcomes and National Professional Teaching Standards to help teachers plan long-term assignments.

Joyce Valenza of Springfield Township High School Library in Pennsylvania presented "Maintaining a Virtual Library," in which she demonstrated how her Web site (www.mciunix.mciu.k12.pa.us/~spjvweb) helps students, teachers, and parents. "I believe every library should have two front doors," she says—one of them being a useful and well-designed Web site.