SAYL Mail

SAYL Mail Blogletter #22

PRINCIPALS / NEW ALASKA TITLES / LIBRARY SIGN-UP MONTH / UPCOMING 

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PRINCIPAL CONNECTION
In its never-ending effort to keep principals aware of what an asset to the instructional program school librarians and libraries are, the Alaska Association of School Librarians is sponsoring a session at the October principals conference here in Anchorage, October 16, in addition to a booth in the exhibit area.  AkASL’s speaker will be Michael Sullivan, who some of you may remember from the 2006 Alaska Library Association Conference and is the author of Connecting Boys with Books.  You can read his School Library Journal article, “Why Johnny Won’t Read” at http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA439816.html
It may be too early to talk up this session with your principal (I’ll send a reminder out closer to conference time). However, this time of year is a good one, despite how busy you and your principal are at the first of school, to make a 5-15 minute appointment with your principal to talk about what you plan to do in the library this year.  If you can schedule the appointment in the library, all the better. 
Try to focus on anything new that you’ll be doing.  If your principal is not too familiar with your program, use the time as a brief way to orient your principal to the library. 

If you, like many school library media staff in the state, do not have a formal budget, this is a good time to ask how much money you’ll have for library materials for the year, whether there are any new grant programs for the school that might include the library, and whether the principal would like you to prepare a wish list, so that if there is any money that needs to be spent quickly a library order will be available.
   NEW ALASKA TITLES
Big Alaska: Journey Across America’s Most Amazing State by Debbie S. Miller, illustrated by Jon Van Zyle (Walker, 2006) 0-8027-8069-5
A bald eagle takes young readers on a tour of Alaska’s superlatives starting with the largest concentration of bald eagle nests (Admiralty Island), heaviest vegetables (Mat Su Valley), strongest North American earthquake (Anchorage), most active volcanoes (Katmai), biggest North American river delta (Yukon Kuskoquim), tallest North American mountain (Denali) and ending with the largest gathering of eagles (Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve).  Jon Van Zyle’s double-page paintings are in a looser style than we are accustomed to from him, but younger children will be taking a close look to find the eagle in each spread. There are more facts about the state in end notes, and the endpapers are maps of the state. (K-6 grades)
Up on Denali: Alaska’s Wild Mountain by Shelley Gill illustrated by Shannon Cartwright (Paw IV/Sasquatch, 2006)1-57061-366-4 hbk 1-57061-365-6 pbk
The popular team packs a lot into this picture book.  For younger readers and listeners, there is a rhyming poem about the Great One.  For older readers there are text and graphic sidebars that tell about the natural history of the mountain and its area.  (K-6 grades)
SEPTEMBER IS…
Library Card Sign-Up Month for public libraries http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/otherinit/card/librarycard.htm   School librarians can encourage children who live in communities with libraries to use their community libraries in larger communities simply by bringing in your own library card and asking kids if they have one.  Your community library may have some brochures for those students who don’t have cards.
In smaller communities have someone take a digital picture of the community library (if it isn’t the school library), and ask kids if they know what the building is.
If they are no other libraries at all in your community, you might want to advertise the Books-By-Mail program sponsored by the Alaska State Library.  More information for communities with NO library service whatsoever is available online (IMPORTANT NOTE: The service does not cover homebound people or people at the far edges of large boroughs where there is a library system.) In all areas except Southeast Alaska, check:
 http://www.juneau.org/library/mailserv/fa-contact.php
For Southeast Alaska, try: http://www.juneau.org/library/mailserv/se-contact.php
If you recommend this service to families of your students who qualify, please be sure that you read the guidelines on the web pages first.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
 Banned Books Week, September 23-30, 2006
For more info: http://www.ala.org/ and search for Banned Books Week 2006
Teen Read Week, October 15-21, 2006
For more information, use the URL above and search Teen Read Week 2006.

Posted under: Public Libraries, School Libraries, Uncategorized