BOOK BONANZA WINNERS – AT LAST 

In January, I finally announced the winners of the 2007 Book Bonanza.  They were: 

Klukwan Community –   First Prize

Trapper Creek School   Second Prize (Tie)

Kaleidoscope School of the Arts Library (Kenai) Second Prize (Tie)

 We had 17 entries all together, and this year’s competition was a cliff hanger in more ways than one.  We had three rounds of judging with honorable mention going to Willow Community Library and Delta Greely Middle and High School Libraries.  Shageluk and Pitka’s Point were also singled out as worthy.  AkASL, AkLA and local chapters of AkLA (Anchorage, Northern Chapter, and Juneau) were generous donors along with the Friends of the Ketchikan Public Library.  Ron and Lynn Dixon of the late Cook Inlet Book Company, who were founding sponsors of the Book Bonanza, made a contribution of books in the last days of their well-loved store.  Individual contributors were Roz Goodman, Joyce McCombs, and Sue Sherif.  Barnes and Noble made a valiant rescue of the 2007 Bonanza by making an unexpectedly large, last-minute donation of gift cards for the winners. 

The Book Bonanza 2008 guidelines and entry forms will be posted on the AkASL web page soon, and they will be available at the AkLA Conference February 28- March 2 in Fairbanks as well.  This year’s deadline will be April 30, 2008, and the winners will be announced after school starts in September, 2008. 

Thanks to the AkASL members who served as judges. 

GALE /LMC AWARDS – Deadline April 28 

Gale and Linworth Publishing are once again sponsoring an award for teachers and media specialists influencing student achievement, the TEAMS award.  The competition is open to all public and private schools in the US and Canada, and entries are due April 28, 2008.  The winners receive cold, hard cash, loot (subscriptions and Gale and Linworth products), and glory (recognition at the ALA Conference in June at (oh, yes!) Disneyland, Anaheim, California!   I know from the several presentations that some of you have made on collaboration and what I have seen when I have visited schools around the state that some of you could be winners.  Check the competition guidelines at:http://www.galeschools.com/pdf/TEAMS-form.pdf 

NEW ALASKANA TITLE  

Fans of Pam Flowers (ALONE ACROSS THE ARCTIC, BIG-ENOUGH ANNA) and Jon Van Zyle (oh, we all know his work) will be glad to know that they have collaborated to produce a new picturebook, DOUGGIE: THE PLAYFUL PUP WHO BECAME A SLED DO HERO.  The true story of another of Pam’s dog team members and lead dog on her 325-mile expedition to the magnetic North Pole, this picture book is a story of determination with a touch of high Arctic adventure.  Let’s just say that a polar bear is involved.  (Alaska Northwest, 2008 ISBN 978-0-88240-654-1 ) 

CERTIFICATION 

Kari Sagel, Erika Drain, and other school librarians who have been working diligently to clarify the situation involving certification of school librarians in Alaska have recently posted a letter from the Deputy Commissioner of the Education and Early Development on the Alaska Association of School Librarians web site.  Visit the site at: http://www.akla.org/akasl/ to read the letter of January 3 from Deputy Commissioner Spackman and to see all other activities led by the hardworking Alaska Association of School Librarians E-Board.  

SUMMER READING NEWS FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIANS 

The materials for the 2008 Statewide Summer Reading Program are now arriving in public and community libraries if you  submitted participation forms in October.  If your library doesn’t receive its CATCH THE READING BUG @ YOUR LIBRARY by March 1, please notify Priscilla McAdara at the Alaska State Library office (priscilla.mcadara@alaska.gov ) or call her at 1-800-776-6566 if you are outside of Anchorage.  The artwork for the teen program, METAMORPHOSIS @ YOUR LIBRARY is truly striking.   

We will be receiving PSA’s in several formats at the Anchorage office soon.  Please let us know if you would like to borrow a copy to promote your program. 

NEW JOB? If anyone has been contemplating a change of jobs for the next school year or re-entering the workforce if you retired a little too early, please think about applying for the School Library Coordinator position when it is open again on Workplace Alaska.  We are expecting to post it in the near future and will be leaving it open until the end of the school year.  It is NOT posted yet, because we are still trying to hire a temporary, part-time version of the job for now until the end of the school year.   Consider it if you have a masters degree and have experience in K-12 school libraries.  The job involves working in an office most of the time, also but traveling a good deal all over Alaska and sometimes Outside.  You must be willing to ride in small aircraft and invest in Arctic gear if you don’t already own it.  Willingness to put in long hours when you’re on site visits is a plus.  Getting to work with librarians all over the state is the frosting on the cake.  The position is in Anchorage, and the work is varied and challenging. The Library Development Team of the State Library is truly that, a team of cooperative and committed people.   When the job is posted and Workplace Alaska is ready to accept applications, the opening will be announced often and in a variety of places including the AkASL website, AkLA-L, and through this e-newsletter.  You have time to think about it now and will plenty of time to apply when it is posted again Hope to see many of you in Fairbanks week after next at the AkLA conference.  If you haven’t registered yet, you still can at: http://www.akla.org

EMERGING LEADER / AASL IN RENO / RENO ATTENDEES CLASS REGISTRATION / SNIPPETS FROM AASL / JUDY FREEMAN PUBLICATION / ASSESSMENT TITLES / VAMPIRE TOME TOPS THE TEEN LIST

ALASKA’S EMERGING LEADER

Huge congratulations to Barrow’s own Sara Jeffress, who has been named an Emerging Leader by the American Library Association. She will be attending the next two ALA national meetings and engaging in activities with other librarians recognized as library leaders of tomorrow. In Sara’s case, she is already taking an active role as a leader as she is not only the Youth Services Librarian at the Tuzzy Library, but is also on the SLED committee and chairs the Public Library Roundtable. Way to go, Sara!

AASL IN RENO AND BEYOND

The American Association of School Librarians in Reno week before last offered varied programs and endless exhibits by library vendors. This year, for the first time, Alaska had around 30 school library representatives at the event, which convenes every other year. (A few of our colleagues spent an extra day in Reno because of a flight cancellation, but considering the balmy weather in Reno when we arrived this could only have been a bonus–although I have not heard reports of whether they had to spend a night in the Reno airport?!?!?!?!)

For those of you who were not able to attend in person, here is an opportunity from AASL to capture some of the conference’s content:

“AASL has just launched its first ever Digital Institute.
Available as part of the AASL e-Academy online offerings,
the “Minding Your Students’ Future” institute offers a rich
continuing education experience through multiple media,
including podcasts, vodcasts, and video.

Focusing on the future of learning in school library media
programs, the institute pulls together a variety of digital
sessions captured during the AASL 13th National Conference
& Exhibition in Reno, Nevada, October 25-28. Highlights
include clips from the Opening General Session with Dan
Pink in a montage with the One Book, One Conference
discussion session of his best-selling book “A Whole New
Mind.” Another main attraction is a session on the
“Standards for the 21st-Century Learner,” presented by
Cassandra Barnett and Barbara Stripling. Other topics
explored in the digital sessions include teaching
information literacy, research, podcasting, book
challenges and more. A complete list of Digital Institute
offerings can be found at
http://www.ala.org/aasl/eAcademy

Read more at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/october2007/diginstitute07.htm “

RENO CLASS REGISTRATION REMINDER

For those of you who were lucky enough to attend the Reno conference in person, Ann Morgester of the Anchorage School District has this reminder for you:

“Don¹t forget to register with UAA if you are intending to take the RENO conference class.

The registration form can be found at:
http://libraries21stcentury.wikispaces.com/RENO+LS+590.701+Class

SNIPPETS FROM AASL

Also from the national association comes this piece of advocacy information:

National test scores prove need for School Librarians

The U.S. Department of Education’s recently released
national test scores further confirm the need for a
library in every school staffed by a state-certified school
library media specialist.

According to the results of the test – the National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) – with only a few
exceptions, reading and math scores have remained flat for
the years under No Child Left Behind, 2002-2007.

“This news comes as no surprise to school librarians, who
know from both experience and from concrete data just how
vital school libraries and librarians are to academic
achievement,” said ALA President Loriene Roy. “More than 19
state studies show that school libraries that are
well-stocked and well-staffed can and do raise test scores,
especially reading test scores. That’s why the SKILLs Act
is so important.”

The SKILLs Act would require that each school have a school
library staffed by a state-certified school library media
specialist. Introduced in June, the bill is vital to the
future of today’s school libraries and, therefore, student
achievement.

Read the full news release at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/october2007/naep2007.htm

See the NAEP report at
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard

Get more information about the SKILLs Act at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslissues/SKILLS_Act.cfm

First online resource dedicated to 21st-Century skills
teaching and learning is launched

Washington, DC – Nov. 7, 2007 – To help education leaders
and policymakers implement 21st-Century teaching and
learning, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills launched
Route 21, an online, one-stop shop for 21st-Century
skills-related information, resources and tools.

Route 21 showcases how 21st century skills can be supported
through standards, assessments, professional development,
curriculum and instruction and learning environments. The
site represents the first comprehensive, go-to online
resource for high-quality content, best practices, relevant
reports, articles and research to assist practitioners in
implementing 21st century teaching practices and learning
outcomes.

Learn more at
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org

JUDY FREEMAN PUBLICATION

Some of the youth services librarians statewide and school librarians in the Mat Su were lucky enough to participate in a September workshops with storyteller and children’s book expert, Judy Freeman. Her latest book, ONCE UPON A TIME: USING STORYTELLING, CREATIVE DRAMA, AND READER’S THEATER WITH CHILDREN in GRADES PreK – 6 (Libraries Unlimited, 2007) ISBN 978-1-59158-663-0, is in the process of being added to the Anchorage collection of the State Library. If you are interested in borrowing it when it is available, please contact: Priscilla.McAdara@alaska.gov or call her at 1-800-776-6566 outside of Anchorage.

ASSESSMENT PUBLICATIONS

Also being added to the Anchorage State Library collection are two titles on assessing student learning in school libraries:

ASSESSING LEARNING: LIBRARIANS AND TEACHERS AS PARTNERS by Violet H. Harada and Joan M. Yoshina (Libraries Unlimited, 2005) ISBN 1-59158-200-8

ASSESSING STUDENT LEARNING IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER, edited by Anita Vance (American Association of School Librarians, 2007) ISBN 978-0-8389-8446-8.

To borrow either of these when they are available, contact Priscilla McAdara using the contact information above.

TOP TEN TEEN READS

The vote from Teen Read Week is in. The place to go to see what teens who voted online chose as their favorite title of 2006 is: http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teenreading/teenstopten/teenstopten.cfm Hint: The top author’s initials are SM, and the topic is….what else? …. Vampires.

Happy Children’s Book Week next week! Sue

PS If you don’t have plans to celebrate Children’s Book Week November 12-17, just go ahead and cook up some good ideas because you’ll have a second chance this school year as the annual event makes a move to May (May 12-18, 2008). In future years it will be a May celebration instead of a November one, and will be a perfect time to advertise the statewide summer reading program!  See the Children’s Book Council Website for more details: http://www.cbcbooks.org/cbw/

ALASKA LIBRARY NETWORK NEWS 

Kerri Canepa asked me to post this to you all:   

The Alaska Library Network has a new web page! Check out http://alaskalibrarynetwork.org/  for loads of promotional materials for SLED and the Digital Pipeline all available for download and printing. You’ll find brochures, bookmarks, posters and other items. Just click on Products & Services in the lefthand column. Keep up with what’s happening with ALN by clicking on News and also Schedule & Events. As ALN grows, so will the web page so make sure to bookmark the site and visit regularly! SLED has a new toolbar that can be added to your browser! It’s customizable and will search SLED from anywhere on the Internet. Go to sled.alaska.edu and click on “Download the SLED toolbar!” text in the lefthand column. Please note, the toolbar does not work with Safari, so if you use Apple products, download the toolbar in Firefox. The Digital Pipeline now features a series of video tutorials! These are designed to provide step-by-step instruction for using the EBSCOhost interface. The tutorials build on each other by explaining the features of the interface and how to use it for searching for information. Each tutorial is approximately 2 1/2 to 3 minutes in length and can be viewed over and over again. Go to sled.alaska.edu/databases/ and click on the “Need Help?” box on the righthand side of the page to get to the list of tutorials. Please send any comments or suggestions about any of the web sites to: 

Kerri Canepa, Coordinator, Alaska Library Network                                                    Alaska State Library, 334 W. 3rd Avenue, Ste 125, Anchorage, AK
99501907-269-6567 kerri.canepa@alaska.gov 

LIVE HOMEWORK HELP PASSWORD (AGAIN!) 

Live Homework Help is a valuable afterschool service offered on SLED (http://sled.alaska.edu/) or on a number of public and school library websites each day from 1 to 9 PM for students who need help with their homework.  As I wrote last time, it now works with PCs AND Macs, but it requires a password.  Although we can not post or mail that password electronically, we can tell you that it is the password that one uses for the databases on the Digital Pipeline.  If you do not know the password, look at the Live Homework Help page for the toll-free number to obtain it.  Feel free to distribute it freely in paper format, but just DON’T post it on a website or send it to students, teachers, or parents via email.  Remember that students will need to know to use the password if they are asked for a library card number.  Library card numbers will NOT work despite what the screen asks. 

If you would like a couple of cute posters to advertise LIVE HOMEWORK HELP in your school, please contact Priscilla McAdara at priscilla.mcadara@alaska.gov  

SCHOOL LIBRARY COORDINATOR DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 10/1/2007 

Because there were insufficient applicants for my position, the search has been broadened and the deadline extended.  Take a look at the job description to learn how you can apply on Workplace
Alaska at: http://notes4.state.ak.us/wa/PostApps.nsf/0/5A5E395DFF0E09438925735300655EFC?OpenDocument

The position is listed under Librarian III and School Library Coordinator.  It’s one job listed two different ways.  

HOORAY! 

Cheers for all the energetic youth services librarians who gathered in
Anchorage September 11-12 for the first-ever Alaska Youth Services Workshop.  Priscilla McAdara of the State Library Anchorage office commented, “I don’t think I’ve ever been around so many people who had so much passion for their jobs.”   There were 32 librarians in attendance, but there was enough energy in the room to stoke a few small power plants.  

 You can post comments on the blog by clicking on the number next to the post title.

MADELEINE L’ENGLE 1918-2007 

Beloved author Madeleine L’Engle (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet and at least 60 other titles) died on Thursday, September 6. To read more about this extraordinary woman and her career, go to her website at: http://www.madeleinelengle.com/ 

BANNED BOOKS WEEK September 29 – October 6 

If you will be celebrating or promoting Banned Books Week at your school this year and haven’t ordered materials, you’ll need to act quickly to get materials from the American Library Association at: http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteSolution.tafsn=catalog&_pn=product_detail&_op=2374

One needn’t buy the posters and bookmarks to draw students’ attention to the importance of the freedom to read.  Your library probably contains books that have been targeting for banning.  Use the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom website to learn more about Banned Books Week: http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.htm#wtb 

LIVE HOMEWORK HELP CHANGES – IMPORTANT 

With the start of the new school year, you may find yourself referring students in grades 4 through beginning college level to LIVE HOMEWORK HELP, available on SLED (http://sled.alaska.edu) or through your own library’s web page.  The service is available to people within the state of
Alaska from 1 – 9 PM every day. 

The GOOD NEWS is that the people who produce this service, Tutor.com, have finally listened and now offer a Mac compatible version!  The BAD NEWS is that students with very old browsers on either Mac or PC platform may not be able to access the live chat with a screened and trained tutor.  In addition, right now the service is asking people in some circumstances for a Library Card Number.  In Alaska the response should NOT be a library card number, but instead should be the password used for all our proprietary databases on the Digital Pipeline on SLED.  If you do not know this password already, you cannot receive or send it via email or on a website.  Instead, you can call the toll-free number at 1-800-440-2919 to get the password.  Remember you are welcome to share the password with clients of your library to use at the library or at home, but you CANNOT share the password with them via web or email.   (This is part of our licensing agreement.) 

NEW BOOK FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIBRARIES

New at the Anchorage office of the Alaska State Library is THE SUPER3: INFORMATION SKILLS FOR YOUNG LEARNERS by Mike Eisenberg and Laura Eisenberg Robinson.  This 2007 Linworth publication provides a scaled-down version of the Big6 research method that they claim will work for Pre-K through second grade. The Pre-K claim may be a serious stretch since all the examples on the numerous worksheets involve writing, but the 3 skills (planning, doing, reviewing) are a good framework for younger students who are just embarking on research projects or beginning to identify story elements.  Contact Priscilla McAdara at 907-269-6580 or priscilla.mcadara@alaska.gov if you would like to borrow the book. 

AKLA CONFERENCE 2008 – PROPOSAL DEADLINE September 15 

The state library conference will be held in Fairbanks this year.  The dates are February 28   – March 2, 2008.  The Alaska Association of School Librarians will be offering travel grants again this year, and information about how school librarians who are members of AkASL may apply will be posted later in the fall.   In the meantime there are two things that you can do to get ready:  1. You can talk to your principal about the dates and the importance of participating in the type of professional development that the conference offers 2. If you have something to share with other librarians throughout the state, you can submit a program proposal online at:  http://www.akla.org/fairbanks2008/forms/more.php 

SCHOOL LIBRARY COORDINATOR POSITION

There are still a few days to apply for my position as School Library Coordinator.  The job is posted at: http://notes5.state.ak.us/wa/mainentry.nsf/WebData/1hp1HomePage/?OpenThe position is listed under Librarian III and School Library Coordinator.  It’s one job listed two different ways.The closing date is currently posted as September 12 (Wednesday).   

This is a great job, so I encourage anyone who has a solid background and an interest in serving libraries and librarians throughout the state to apply.   

My official duties as Head of Library Development begin September 17, but I will continue to keep you informed via SAYL Mail until a replacement has been chosen.  I’ve just had a wonderful almost two-week vacation with one of my sisters, so I feel energized to wear two hats for a little while, but hope that I won’t be straddling two positions for long! 

CORRECTION 

As reported in the last SAYL Mail, Helen Clark of Fairbanks is indeed leading the instructional technology program at the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, but her duties have expanded, so her official title is: Executive Director of Library Media and Instructional Technology.  Katie Sanders will be serving with Helen and have the title of Director of Library Media Services as indicated previously. 

You can post a comment to this blog by clicking on the grey number next to the title.

Sue Sherif

School Library/Youth Services Coordinator

Alaska State Library

ONLINE CLASSES FOR LIBRARIANS WHO SERVE TEENS   YALSA, the Young Adult Services Association of the American Library Association, announces that, on December 15, registration will open for several online classes that YALSA is offering in February and March.  Most of the classes last 6 weeks.  Among the course offerings are:

• FINDING THE RIGHT BOOK FOR THE RIGHT TEEN AT THE RIGHT TIME
• NEW TECHNOLOGY AND NEW LITERACIES FOR TEENS
• OUTREACHING TEENS
• PAIN IN THE BRAIN: ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT AND LIBRARY   BEHAVIOR
• POWER PROGRAMMING FOR TEENS

To find out more about these and other online courses, how to register, the tuition, and tech requirements, go to:http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/onlinecourses/info.htm 

COMING UP TALLER AWARDS  One of the questions the Alaska State Library receives most often from school and public librarians is:  Are there any grants available for my library?  This fall I have included news of at least one grant possibility in almost every e-newsletter.  This week’s award is one from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Humanities called the Coming Up Taller Award that provides a grant of $10,000 to “recognize and reward” outstanding after-school and out-of-school programs in the arts and humanities.  The deadline for this grant is January 31, 2007.  For more information, see http://www.imls.gov/news/2006/112906.shtm  I urge Alaska libraries with something special to share to go for awards or grants like this one.  You may feel like your library is small and far from the Center of the Library Universe, but small Alaska school and public libraries have won such national grants and awards as the U.S. Department of Education’s Improving Literacy through School Libraries, the National Endowment for the Humanities Prime Time Family Reading Award,  Laura Bush Foundation Grants, NEH Bookshelf Awards, IMLS Leadership and Enhancement grants, and many more.  Most recently the Anchorage Municipal Libraries and the branch of UAA in Homer were two of 72 national winners of National Endowment for the Arts BIG READ awards.  Anchorage chose the Ray Bradbury book Fahrenheit 451 and will be sharing their program with the state; Homer will focus on The Joy Luck Club and is planning to have author Amy Tan there in person. 

ART IN SCHOOLS?  Does your school principal go all out to create an active and vibrant art program in your school?  Is there a principal in your district who is known for making art education happen in a big way despite all the pressures of NCLB?  If so, the Alaska State Council on the Arts is looking for names and addresses.  They would like our cooperation in finding some outstanding instructional leaders who have integrated arts into a wide range of school activities and curricula.  If you know of someone who fits this description, please let me know, and I’ll pass the principal and school names along to Charlotte Fox, the director of the Arts Council. 

IT’S NOT TOO LATE  I am receiving more school library censuses every day, so don’t be shy or feel like you’ll be the only or last one.  If you need one of those pesky forms, please send me an email and I’ll get another one to you.  And who knows, you might even get a nice Red Lantern award if you are indeed the last to turn in your school’s form!  And if the prospect of a possible award isn’t enough, just think:  if you turn your completed in form, you won’t have to hear from me on this subject again!  A big thanks to those who have returned forms to me this week and to Lynn McNamara of the Anchorage School District, who spearheaded a local effort! 

GREAT NEW BOOKS?  This week, rather than listing more of the new professional books that we’ve received here at the State Library in Anchorage, I am going to turn the tables and ask you to let us know what the best new book that’s arrived at your library this fall is.  It doesn’t have to be a 2006 title, just something that you have read or library has just added.  You can respond in this blog version by clicking on the grey number to the right of the #10 above. Cheers!

 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!

To comment on any of these blog entries, click on the gray number next to title of the entry.

AUDIO SOURCE HELP
Yvonne Heinbaugh of the Glennallen Elementary School Library would like to know if anyone has had luck finding one-stop shopping source for audio versions of this year’s Battle of the Books list.  If you have a suggestion, please contact me at sue_sherif at eed.state.ak.us, and I’ll pass the message on to her. She’s interested in both CD’s and tapes.
 

NEH GRANTS
This announcement came from the state Department of Education and Early Development newsletter.  As you can see even small Alaskan libraries have snagged some of these grants, so for those of you who are very short of money, here’s something to try:
 

“Ten Alaska libraries have received fifteen classic books from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Becoming American initiative.The recipients were six branches of the Anchorage Municipal Libraries, College Gate Elementary School in Anchorage, Lumen Christi School in Anchorage, the Innoko River School in Shageluk, and the Thorne Bay Public Library.
Applications for new sets of books will be accepted from public libraries and K-12 school libraries, as well as from private, parochial and charter schools. For more information, click here. Applications will be accepted online from September 19, 2006, to January 31, 2007.
The list of books changes each year. For 2005-2006, titles included “the Lotus Seed” by Sherry Garland for students in kindergarten through third grade; “Immigrant Kids” by Russell Freedman for students in grades four to six; “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith for students in grades seven to eight; and Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography for high school students.”
 

NEW AASL INNOVATIVE READING GRANT PROGRAM – Deadline Feb. 1, 2007
A new grant program has been established for members of the American Association of School Librarians.  If you are a member, you might want to check out the Innovative Reading Grant Guidelines and application form at:
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslawards/innovativereadinggrant/2007_Innovative_Reading_Grant.pdf
The purpose of the grant is to “support the planning and implementation of a unique and innovative program for children which motivates and encourages reading, especially with struggling readers.”
 

REMINDER TO YOUTH SERVICES LIBRARIANS
If you haven’t turned in your library’s summer reading program report, it isn’t too late.  Mail them to Priscilla McAdara at the address below OR fax them to 907-269-6580.
 

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

If you would like to comment on anything in this blogletter, simply move your mouse to the number next to the title above–after Blogletter #2–and you can respond to anything you’d like in this issue.

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.

SLED SURVEY / SCHOOL LIBRARY WIKI / BATTLE OF THE BOOKS / CE EVENT / BLOG?
Welcome to the new school year.  Please let me know who has come and gone in your school district library world, so that I can update my mailing list.  I particularly would like to greet any new school library staff.  
 

Congratulations to the public librarians on this list who have completed the 2006 Summer Reading Program, PAWS, CLAWS, SCALES, & TALES and are working busily to help with the recall of adorable bendable toys that turned out to have unacceptable levels of lead.  What a busy last two weeks we’ve all had!
 

SURVEY TO START THE SCHOOL YEAR
 

Now available on SLED ( http://sled.alaska.edu ) is a survey to find out what librarians, teachers, parents and students think about the databases on the Statewide Library Electronic Doorway The survey will provide information for a committee that is designing online tutorials for the databases that are available in the section Magazines, Newspapers and More. The tutorials for home or individual users will be the end result of a grant from the Alaska State Library implemented by a committee headed by Renee Wood, librarian at South Anchorage High School.
 

The survey is meant to give the committee a better idea of who is using the databases and what problems these users may experience.
 
If your library links to the statewide databases on a different page than the SLED home page or the databases home page, you might want to provide paper copies of the survey to students and other users.
 

The survey, which will be up through September 30, is available as a link both on the SLED main page and the Magazines, Newspapers, and More list itself.
 

ALASKA SCHOOL LIBRARY WIKI
 

Darla Grediagin and her colleagues at the Bering Strait School District have created an online resource which may be a very useful way for us all to share resources.  Go to: http://akasl.pbwiki.com/ . You will need a password, which you can get my contacting me at sue_sherif@eed.state.ak.us This site is based on the software and concept found in the much discussed Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page , which bills itself as the “free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.”
 

NEWS FROM SHELLY LOGSDON, OUR BATTLE OF THE BOOK HEROINE
 

Welcome to another year of Battle of the Books!  The 2006-2007 Battle of the Books list has been moved from Tentative to Official.  There is 1 change on the 3/4 list. The title Good Dog has gone out of print and we are replacing it with Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl.  The official list posted on the web site, along with the corrected bookmarks…  http://www.akla.org/akasl/bb/bbhome.html   
 

Registrations have been pouring in and district contacts will receive their first e-mail by the end of August
 

CONTINUING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY – COMING SOON!
 

Peggy Barber and Linda Wallace of Library Communication Strategies will be presenting 4 one-day workshops in Alaska next month in Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau. 
 

This CE opportunity, “Building Local Library Marketing Plans,” is open to all types of libraries and is free of charge. The goal will be for participants to leave with the draft of a marketing plan for their own libraries.
 

Peggy Barber is former public relations director of the American Library Association and was a presenter at this year’s Alaska Library Association Conference in Anchorage.  She and Linda Wallace are partners in Library Communication Strategies, Inc., “a consulting practice dedicated to promoting libraries and librarians.”  For more information about their firm and the types of presentations they do, check http://www.librarycomm.com
 

The dates for the workshops in Alaska are:
            Fairbanks                      Monday, September 11
            Anchorage                     Tuesday, September 12
            Anchorage                     Thursday, September 14
(repeat of September 12)
            Juneau                          Friday, September 15.
 

There will be spaces for up to 30 participants for each workshop.  Registration information, exact locations, and more details about the contents of the workshops will be available next week.  Lunch will be on your own in each location, but there is no charge for the workshop itself. 
 

These workshops are sponsored by the Alaska Library Association and the Alaska State Library.  Patience Frederiksen has organized this exciting opportunity, and you will be hearing more from her soon.  To contact her, write to her at: patience_frederiksen@eed.state.ak.us
 

TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG
 

In an effort to make this newsletter more readable and more interactive, I am considering making SAYL Mail available also as a blog on the Edublog site. 
 

I would continue to put it out in the plain email format, but would add a link to Edublogs at the top, so people could read it in a more attractive format and one that would allow them to comment and perhaps allow me to add some graphics.  (Now I am limited by a lot of bandwidth and software considerations for some of our colleagues throughout the state.)
 

Would this be a worthwhile effort on my part for you?  Would it be a way to give you a chance to try the blog format?
  

Let me know what you think.

Sue