AASL: From Blogs to Graphic Novels

Thousands of school librarians descended on Pittsburgh last month to learn about new ways to boost student achievement. And the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) 12th national conference didn’t disappoint: superstar presenters like media specialist Joyce Valenza, tech guru Doug Johnson, and author Esmé Radji Codell drew huge crowds of conference-goers eager to soak up the latest strategies on how to use everything from blogs to graphic novels to get kids hooked on reading. In fact, 3,883 librarians, exhibitors, and guests registered for the October 6–9 event, 11 percent more than AASL’s last gathering two years ago in Kansas City.

Attendees couldn’t get enough of Web-related workshops and flocked to sessions on how blogs, or online journals, are beginning to transform K–12 classrooms. In “Using Primary Sources and Blogging to Support Inquiry Learning Sources,” media specialist Pam Berger and Barbara Stripling, director of library services for New York City schools, showed how blogs can be powerful tools in encouraging inquiry-based learning. And “What’s a Blog Doing in My Library?” with librarian Frances Harris, promoted the many uses of blogs, from posting assignments to communicating with students and teachers. Harris’s new book, I Found It on the Internet: Coming of Age Online (ALA Editions, 2005), also offers insights into how teens use technology.

Those keen on improving their tech skills packed into “Behind the Net,” where media specialist Frances Aley shared tips on how to find quality content and databases on the “invisible Web,” sites that are hidden from search engines and require skilled digging to uncover. Librarian Katrina Watkins and English teacher Kathleen Elder’s session, “Success in Teaching Teens to Search the Internet,” was particularly useful for those interested in promoting effective Google search strategies. And panelists in “Click and Brick,” including education professor Cynthia Keller and Marjorie Pappas, a former professor at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania, took turns describing the value of instant messaging and online chats in today’s schools.

Don’t feel guilty about pushing graphic novels, advised Professor Marilyn Irwin of Indiana University’s School of Library and Information Science, who, along with researcher Robyn Young, presented a study on how this new genre actually encourages leisure reading. After studying the standardized test scores of 33 disabled students, the duo discovered that reading graphic novels actually improves kids’ reading skills and academic performance.

Naturally, nuts-and-bolts sessions on topics such as information literacy, advocacy, and copyright were also well attended. One program, “Parent Power for School Libraries!” built on the notion that library support starts at home. Using a concept called “Parent Power!,” education consultant Nancy Miller and media specialist Connie Champlin advised librarians to develop talking points on student achievement to present to the school’s most influential constituency—parents.

Gail Bush of Dominican University and Grace Shanahan, manager of the Brooklyn Public Library’s Connecting Libraries and Schools Project, offered best practices of school and public library cooperative initiatives in “Scratching Each Other’s Library Backs.” The packed crowd came away with a slew of practical tips—and a souvenir plastic back scratcher.

Media specialists learned about bridging the communication gap they often have with both school administrators and technology directors in “Let’s Talk.” Professors Roma Angel and Robert Sanders of Appalachian State University in North Carolina know the importance of starting an early cross-disciplinary dialogue, so they brought together education and library science students for online chats. Students from both disciplines engaged in various exercises and spirited discussions in an effort to foster more collaboration later down the line.

Rutgers University’s Ross Todd asked media specialists to stop talking about circulation stats and information literacy and to start sharing details about what they actually do in the library. In “School Libraries Work! Winning Over Your Principal and Board Members,” Todd recommended crafting quarterly reports that reflect student learning and show “knowledge outcomes” that take place in the media center.

One of the conference’s highlights was keynote speaker Ken Carter, the subject of the recent movie Coach Carter, starring Samuel L. Jackson. On his way to the stage, the ebullient Carter jogged down the center aisle of a packed auditorium, high-fiving librarians and blowing a gym whistle. Carter’s name made headlines when he closed the gym at Richmond High School in California and demanded that his undefeated varsity basketball team report to the library in an effort to improve their grades.

Carter said he sent the team to the media center because, “That’s the house of learning.” A year later, the governor handed the team a performance award because of their overall rise in grade point average and school attendance. Students must have access to information to be successful, Carter said, “And where are you going to get that information? In the library.”