CT High School, IN Middle School Win AASL's NSLPY Award

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By SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 05/10/2010

New Canaan High School in New Canaan, CT, and Perry Meridian Middle School in Indianapolis, IN, are this year’s winners of the National School Library Program of the Year (NSLPY) Award, given by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL).

New Canaan High School provides a 21st century learning environment.

With 1,296 students in grades 9–10, New Canaan’s school library's mission statement says that it "aspires to help each student excel and achieve maximum potential by providing a 21st century learning environment, fostering a love of reading and promoting the effective use of information and communications technology."

And the school has surpassed its mission statement, offering an online book discussion forum, open-source online course management software, and video tutorials on various social networking sites, all of which make the media center a place for gaining essential 21st century skills. The library website, which has seen a 380 percent increase in page views since its creation in 2005, offers on-demand access to resources, instruction, and real-time help.

In addition to nurturing a love for reading, New Canaan’s school library is a key part of the school’s curriculum planning. Librarians work with classroom teachers to raise student performance; parents to teach ethical use of social media; and community organizations to co-develop reading activities. They’ve even collaborated with the school’s physical education department. Through "Friday Notes," media specialists showcase their program successes to the board of education, and the library program is regularly featured in the school newspaper and TV network, and the local press also cover major events that take place in the library, such as author visits.

“The New Canaan High School library is outstanding with its use of Web 2.0 tools integrating information literacy throughout the curriculum,” says NSLMPY chair Terri Kirk. “The students enthusiastically embrace learning through the technology and also have passion for personal reading."

Perry Meridian Middle School's elements of information inquiry and

student inquiry in the research process

With 1,154 seventh and eighth graders, Perry Meridian Middle School’s library is headed by Leslie B. Preddy. The school’s staff “work collaboratively with teachers and administrators to plan, implement, and evaluate instruction to promote reading and to provide resources and services that allow students and teachers to be effective users of information in a variety of formats,” says its mission statement. This collaboration also extends to parents, and the school’s website also offers resources to help parents instill a love of reading and learning.

"At Perry Meridian Middle School, literacy initiatives emanate from the library," says Kirk. "Students are reading for pleasure every school day in every classroom and content area. One administrator was quoted as saying, 'You have to have a champion for children, and this library program is the champion.' The impact of the library program on the entire school community is palpable."

Forty students meet once a month for the New Books Club to read, post book reviews, and make recommendations about new titles. And each semester, the Family Read-In has an adult and child read a book together and participate in home activities. Families then come together at the library for an evening celebration of book-themed activities. A calendar of literacy events keeps the entire school community reading and coming to the media center for curricular support.

School librarians promote the library’s activities through an e-newsletter sent to families, the Toilet Paper Press, which is distributed through displays in the school's restrooms, and in PDF format on the school's network. At the end of the year, stakeholders receive a school library annual report that provides a review of the year in and showcases upcoming activities for the new school year.

The NSLPY award recognizes exemplary school library media programs that are fully integrated into the school's curriculum.and honors those who ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information, and implement Information Power. Each winning program receives a $10,000 prize donated by Follett Library Resources. AASL has given the two schools the title of School Library Program of the Year.