29
November
2006
SAYL MAILNovember 30, 2006
NET SPEAK-UP / LAURA BUSH GRANTS / THANKS / PUBLIC LIBRARY REMINDER
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NET SPEAK-UP DAY –
ALASKA INPUT WANTED
Here is a request from the American Association of School Librarians:
Now in its 4th year, NetDay Speak Up’s national online survey invites students, teachers, and parents from around the country to share their input in an online survey. The deadline has been extended with the survey remaining open until December 15, 2006 to allow maximum participation This is an opportunity for students, teachers and parents to participate in the national dialog about science, math, technology, and 21st century workforce skills. Learn more about NetDay Speak Up and how schools and districts can register and participate at <http://www.netday.org/speakup>.
The results of the surveys are shared with participating schools and districts so that they can use the data for planning and community discussion. In addition, the findings and data are used by local, state, and national organizations and government agencies to inform new programs and polices. Additional help is needed to get participation from the following states * AK, AR, HI, OK, DC, ID, MN, MS, MT, NH, ND, NV, RI, SD, VT, WV, WY, IA, WA, KS, UT, DE, NE, AL, ME, IN, NM, OR, and NJ. Please disseminate this information to these states so schools and districts to take part in Speak Up 2006. To preview the Speak Up surveys for students, teachers and parents go to <http://www.netday.org/SPEAKUP/speakup_surveys.htm>
LAURA BUSH GRANTS – Deadline 12/30/2006
Check this website for this year’s Laura Bush Foundation grants competition:http://www.laurabushfoundation.org/web2/index.htm Remember that this grant is intended for school libraries in areas with high poverty levels. The grants are for individual schools, not school districts, and are to be used “to update, extend and diversity the book collections” of the selected school libraries. It would be good to check the website now, because the deadline for asking the Foundation questions about the grant is December 20, 2006, and the deadline for your proposal is 10 days later. Several
Alaska libraries have been awarded these grants in the past.
THANKS
A big round of applause to the school librarians who have filled out their 2006 school library census forms already and appreciation to those of you will be turning them in this week. I keep getting new responses everyday. I think that the information will go a long way to helping us all be able to communicate about school library needs.
PUBLIC LIBRARY REMINDER
If you are intending to use the summer reading order form that you received in October, when you received your participation form, remember that the first deadline is this Friday, December 1. If it is not possible for you to order any extra incentives that your library needs for the 2006 GET A CLUE@YOUR LIBRARY statewide summer reading program, by Friday, the next deadline is January 1, 2007 for delivery in April of 2007. We have ordered basic kits for every public library that returned a participation form, so the order form is for any extras you want to purchase for your library.
If you are wondering where in the world your order form went because you want to order some of the great orange T-shirts to offer as prizes or thank-yous for volunteers, please contact Priscilla McAdara at priscilla_mcadara@eed.state.ak.us or call her at 1-800-776-6566 to get a replacement order form.
I may be traveling next week, so may not be able to respond to emails and phone calls promptly.
Posted: Grants, Public Libraries, Summer Reading, Technology
22
November
2006
You can add a comment by clicking on the grey number next to the number 8.
SURVEY REMINDER / SCHOLARSHIP REMINDER/ NEW GRANT FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIES / AUTHORS HONORED
SURVEY REMINDER
Thanks to all of you have filled out and returned a 2006 Alaska School Library Census Form. This information is not only useful for me, but it may be useful for you as well. The Alaska Association of School Librarians and the Alaska Library Association are working to propose a school library collection development grant to add to your library materials budget. Their efforts will be more effective if they can explain to legislators what the current situation with school libraries is, particularly the current per student expenditure on library materials. This information is not available statewide from any other source but from you who work in school libraries. So far the responses I have received for school library budgets have ranged from $0 (several) to $75,000 (a one-time federal grant). For those of you who haven’t sent me a completed form, I urge you to take a few minutes to fill one out. Please remember to indicate the name of your school and the number of students that you serve at the top of the form. If you won’t have time until next week after the holiday, that’s fine. Have a great holiday, and then take about 5 minutes to fill out the form when you return next week. If you no longer have the form I sent out last week, don’t be shy. Just write to me at the address below, and I’ll be glad to send you another one.
SCHOLARSHIP REMINDER I have been asked to remind you that if you are pursuing a masters degree or school library certificate, or if you know someone who is interested in doing so, you should check out the information at the AkLA/AkASL scholarship site at: http://www.akla.org/scholarships/index.html The deadlines for the two types of scholarships offered are both January 15, 2007. NEW GRANT FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIES “Where can I get a grant for my school library?” is one of my most frequently asked questions. As of this year, there is a new award program, the Sara Jaffarian Award, from the American Association of School Librarians. The award is for $4,000 plus a plaque to the selected school library that has conducted “an exemplary program or program series in the humanities.” The program should have been conducted in the previous school year with a humanities focus, which might include social studies, poetry, drama, art, music, literature, foreign languages and culture. “Programs should focus on broadening perspectives and helping students understand the wider world and their place in it.” Award rules and an application form are available at: www.ala.org/jaffarianaward and the deadline is February 28, 2007. Other awards available through AASL are to be found at: http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslawards/aaslawards.htmThe deadline for most of them is February 1, 2007. AUTHORS HONORED Earlier this fall, children’s book illustrator David Macaulay was honored with a “genius grant” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for his works that “demystify the workings and origins of objects as mundane as a stapler and as monumental as a cathedral.”
More recently M. T. Anderson’s novel THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING, TRAITOR TO THE NATION, VOLUME ONE: THE POX PARTY (Candlewick Press) was named the 2006 National Book Award for Children’s Literature.
Anderson’s earlier work, FEED, was a finalist for the 2002 award.
Enjoy your holiday!
Posted: Grants, Scholarships, School Libraries, Uncategorized
3
November
2006
SAYL MailNovember 3, 2006
FUNDS RAISED / TRAVEL GRANTS /BATTLE OF THE BOOKS / LEARNING COMMUNITY GRANTS / MORE NEW PROFESSIONAL TITLES
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FUND RAISERS SCORE BIG TIME
Tiki Levinson of the Delta-Greely School District reports a recent $10,000+ book sale that put $3,000 in the elementary school library budget. Amanda Austin of the Tri-Valley School/Community Library in Healy wrote to say that their Mystery Night, directed by school librarian
Peggy Menke, raised over $16,000. Both of these communities are lucky to have these active and energetic librarians. Have you had a fundraising success? Let me know what you did and how it worked, and I’ll be glad to share the information.
TRAVEL GRANTS FOR THE AKLA CONFERENCE – Deadline November 15 
The Alaska Association of School Librarians will be awarding 15 travel grants for up to $600 for school librarians and $250 for Southeast members to attend the Alaska Library Association Conference in
Juneau from February 22-25, 2007. Watch the AkLA site (http://www.akla.org/juneau2007/index.html) for additional conference presenters and information about the conference. To apply for the grant, send a letter of interest to Suzanne Richards bethelbooks2@aol.com. Describe your library position. Tell if and when you have attended AkLA conferences in the past, and if you have ever received an AkASL travel grant. Describe how attendance at this conference will affect you, your school, and your students. Tell if you will be receiving any other monies for attendance of this conference from other funding sources. Those selected to receive the grant will be required to write an informative article about a beneficial conference session attended. These articles will be published in the AkASL newsletter, the Puffin.
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
SALE ITEMS FROM SHELLY LOGSDON
As you start your Battle of the Books groups, remember we have several cool items for sale to help advertise
Battle in your school.
- The new
Battle of the Book Bracelets come in 2 different sizes, colors, and slogans. These are a big hit with students young and old.
- A great tip from
Bonnie Cavanaugh: To help support Battle in her school she purchased
Battle of the Book posters for her teachers to show their interest in battle.
- Don’t forget to keep them from folding the pages in your battle books, by giving students the
Battle bookmarks.
- Have your students/teachers wear the battle logo with pride in the form of battle pins.
Remember proceeds help keep the registration costs down and also go to the B. Jo Morse Scholarship Fund. Check out the Sale Items @ http://www.akla.org/akasl/bb/salesitems.pdf
GRANTS FOR 21st CENTURY LEARNING COMMUNITIES
The Alaska Department of Education is advertising the availability of federal grant money for community learning centers that promote after-school activities that will extend the academic enrichment programs as well as activities that complement the regular academic program (sounds like it could be a library to me!) at: http://www.eed.state.ak.us/forms/SharedForms/05-07-039.doc 
These centers are supposed to provide students and their families opportunities to “continue to learn new skills and discover new abilities after school.” Public or private organizations are eligible to apply, and priority (10 bonus points on the application scoring) will be given to proposals that will serve students in schools designated as in need of improvement AND that are “submitted jointly by school districts receiving Title I funds and community-based organizations or public or private organizations.” The range of the grants appears to be $50,000 -125,000. The grant outline specifically mentions programs outside of regular school hours including the summertime, and lists extended library hours, homework help, and parent involvement activities as desirable activities. There are school libraries in the state that have benefited from these funds in the past. Check out the link above, and take this to your school or district administrator if you have a good plan for how your library could create a competitive proposal. The deadline for letting the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development know that you intend to apply is November 30, 2006, and the deadline for the actual grant proposal is December 29, 2006 by 4 PM.
MORE NEW PROFESSIONAL TITLES
To borrow any of these new books for school and youth librarians, please contact: Priscilla McAdara at: priscilla_mcadara at eed.state.ak.us If you want them mailed to you, please be sure that you include your complete mailing address for your library. BIG IDEAS IN SMALL PACKAGES: USING PICTURE BOOKS WITH OLDER READERS by Molly Pearson (Linworth, 2005)
BRINGING FANTASY ALIVE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS by Tim Wadham (Linworth, 1999)
BRINGING MYSTERIES ALIVE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS by Jeanette Larson (Linworth, 2004) Get a head start on next summer’s statewide summer reading theme: Get A CLUE @ YOUR LIBRARY!
COLLABORATING FOR REAL LITERACY: LIBRARIAN, TEACHER, AND PRINCIPAL by Sharon M. Pitcher (Linworth, 2005)
GET THEM THINKING: USE MEDIA LITERACY TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR STATE ASSESSMENTS by Sue L. Summers (Linworth, 2005)
NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION IN LIBRARY MEDIA: A CANDIDATE’S JOURNAL by Peggy Milam (Linworth, 2005)
Posted: Books, Grants, Scholarships
