| AASL Town Hall: School Librarians Supporting Each Other In Challenging Times School librarians - let's come together during this unprecedented time of book challenges and polarized communities to support each other and our essential work with our learners. We know that we are stronger when we work together and share both our challenges and our triumphs. All school librarians are invited to the AASL October Town Hall to join the conversation with some AASL Board members and each other to discuss the current status of book challenges, the impact on school librarians and our learners, and some ideas and resources for moving forward. New research examines school librarian out-of-pocket spending during COVID-19 In the recently published "The Personal Cost of Small Budgets & Underfunded Libraries: Out-of-Pocket Spending by School Librarians during COVID-19," Jenna Kammer, Charlene Atkins, and Rene Burress present a study that used a convergence mixed-methods design to gather exploratory data on perspectives, details, and artifacts related to how school librarians used personal funds to purchase school-related items during the pandemic. Nominations for the 2023 National Medal for Museum and Library Service Now Open The National Medals program recognizes outstanding libraries and museums of all types and sizes that deeply impact their communities. IMLS is particularly interested in libraries that foster a lifelong passion for learning, provide access to information with a focus on digital inclusion, serve as trusted community spaces, and respond to the unprecedented challenges of recent years to revitalize and renew organizational practice. Nominations accepted through Tuesday, November 1. ALA Releases Preliminary Data on 2022 Book Bans Between January 1 and August 31, 2022, ALA documented 681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources, and 1,651 unique titles were targeted. In 2021, ALA reported 729 attempts to censor library resources, targeting 1,597 books, which represented the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling these lists more than 20 years ago. ALA Offers Graduate Program Scholarships
ALA has more than $300,000 available to students who are studying in library science or school library media programs at the master's degree level. Scholarships range from $2,500 to $8,000 per student per year. They include scholarships for students who are interested in children's librarianship, youth librarianship, federal librarianship, new media and library automation. Scholarships available for minorities, persons with disabilities and people who are already employed in libraries but do not have an MLS. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2023. Applications open for ALA Annual Conference Travel Grant
Five Black/African American school librarians and teen/youth public librarians will receive up to $3000 (and not less than $1500) to pay for expenses related to attending the ALA Annual Conference including but not limited to travel, housing, registration, and a ticket to the Coretta Scott King Award Breakfast. Applications are due December 1. Apply to Become a KQ Blogger
AASL seeks bloggers for its Knowledge Quest website. Responding individuals should demonstrate the ability to write a blog post of 600-900 words on a topic of interest to school library and education professionals on a monthly basis. The Knowledge Quest blogger position is a minimum one-year commitment, and applicants must be a current, personal member of AASL to be considered. |