October
2006
Blogletter #60
PRINCIPALS CONFERENCE /SCHOLARSHIPS / NEW ALASKANA / MORE NEW TITLES
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PRINCIPALS CONFERENCE
Last week the principals conference brought administrators from all over the state to Anchorage. As they have for the past several years, the Alaska Association of School Librarians sponsored a booth to promote the value of school library programs and trained personnel. This year AkASL also sponsored a speaker, Michael Sullivan, author of Connecting Boys with Books, who had appeared earlier this year at our library association conference.
Sullivan not only held the interest of a standing-room only crowd of 40 principals, he actually moved some of them to take notes and ask questions! A number of you urged your principals to attend, and those principals announced loudly as they entered, “My school librarian told me that I had to come to this session.” If you were not able to hear Sullivan last February or when he appeared for Anchorage audiences last week, you might want to check out his web site at:
http://www.talestoldtall.com/
The Alaska State Literacy Association may try to bring Michael back to the state to their conference next fall. If another appearance is scheduled, I’ll let you know.
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR LIBRARY STUDIES
Do you know someone who has expressed an interest in becoming a librarian, or would be a good addition to our field? Is that someone you?
The AkLA scholarship that provides a small grant to students seeking a graduate degree in library science and the B. Jo Morse Scholarship that provides a similar grant to certified teachers who wish to obtain a graduate certificate of school library media studies are now open for application.
If you know someone or are someone who would like to become a professional librarian and obtain a masters degree in library and information science, you must be an Alaska resident who possesses a bachelors degree or higher from an accredited college or university, is eligible for acceptance or currently enrolled in an appropriate program in Library and Information Science accredited by the American Library Association and will be student when the scholarship is received. You must also agree to work in Alaska for one year.
The B. Jo Morse Scholarship, instituted by the Alaska Association of School Librarians, has similar qualifications but one must pursuing graduate studies leading to a library media specialist/school librarian certificate. The Morse Scholarship applicant must have a State of Alaska Teaching Certificate. Applicants who wish to become school library media specialists can apply for either scholarship depending on their degree intentions. The B. Jo Morse Scholarship supports study for a candidate for a graduate certificate, and if one is working on a combined certificate/masters program, one can apply for this award. If the candidate is seeking a masters degree alone, one may apply for the other scholarship.
For detailed information and an application and reference forms, please visit the AkLA Scholarship Web Site at: http://www.akla.org/scholarships/index.html Candidates may be enrolled or accepted in either on-campus or online programs.
The deadline for both scholarships is: January 15, 2007. Both require receipt of reference forms, so now would be a good time to begin working on the application. If you have questions, please contact: Aja_Razumny at eed.state.ak.us
NEW ALASKANA
Wind Wild Dog by Barbara Joosse. Illustrated by Kate Kiesler. Henry Holt, 2006
ISBN-13: 978-0-08050-7053-8
Barbara Joosse, author of the perennial Mama, Do You Love Me?, tells a story of a pup named Ziva and The Man who trains her to be a sled dog. Despite young Ziva’s encounter with a wolf that might be a tad more pacific than real-life encounters between the species sometimes are, the oil paintings by Colorado artist Kate Kiesler evoke the mid- winter twilight to dark feeling that Alaska picturebook readers will recognize. Grades Pre – Third.
Alaska’s Glaciers: Frozen in Motion by Katherine Hocker. Alaska Natural History Association, 2006 ISBN-13: 978-0-930-38176-5
This overview of the geology and geography of Alaska’s glaciers touches on all sorts of other related information including glacier safety, several ice and glacier activities, and a timeline of glacial activity in Alaska. A glossary doubles as the index, and a brief bibliography includes some standard and stable related websites. Although a few of the pictures and the activities imply an elementary audience, most school libraries will want to have this book available to their students. Expert geologists and educators reviewed the contents, so this should be an authoritative work in school or public library collections. Be warned that it is spiral bound, so you may want to add more than one copy to you collection. All ages.
PROFESSIONAL TITLES
Thanks to a grant of Alaska Association of School Librarians, the professional collection of the Anchorage office of the Alaska State Library will be enhanced this fall. Among the new titles available now from the grant or regular State Library purchases are:
Cataloging Cultural Objects: A Guide to Describing Cultural Works and Their Images (American Library Association, 2006) Valuable to school or community libraries that have valuable cultural objects in their collections.
GlobaLinks: Resources for Asian Studies, Grades K-8 by Peggy Beck (Linworth, 2002)
Learning Right From Wrong in the Digital Age: An Ethics Guide for Parents, Teachers, Librarians, and Others Who care About Computer-Using Young People by Doug Johnson (Linworth, 2003)
Redefining Literacy for the 21st Century by David Warlick
(Linworth, 2004) [This work was mentioned by two of the speakers in this summer’s School Librarians Leadership Academy.]
Tips and Other Bright Ideas for Elementary School Libraries Volume 3 edited by Sherry York (Linworth, 2006) [The secondary version of this title is on order.]
And on a lighter and more seasonal note—
Scary Stories You Won’t Be Afraid to Use! Resources and Activities for a K-6 Audience by Pamela Schembri (Linworth, 2001) Make a note of this one for next year!
To borrow any of these titles or others from the professional collection here in Anchorage, please contact Priscilla McAdara at: priscilla_mcadara at eed.state.ak.us
Snow has finally come to the Anchorage Bowl. Hope all of you are staying warm–
SS
