Overview of American Association of School Libraries

1. C L A R I O N UN I V E R S I T Y
J O N A T H A N D E N K
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION
OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES
(AASL)
June 9, 2015

2. MISSION & GOALS
“The American Association of School Librarians empowers
leaders to transform teaching and learning.”
• “To determine the impact of educational and
technology trends within the changing societal context
and how AASL can best respond.
• To be a stronger voice for school librarians and the
profession.
• To strengthen AASL’s relationship with state affiliates and
other ALA Communities.
• To build the school librarian’s professional community.
• To create a more effective and efficient internal
governance to better meet AASL’s mission.”
(American Association, 2015).

3. AASL STRATEGIC PLAN
• Association Relevance
• Evaluate societal impact on educational and technological
advances in education
• Identify personnel to facilitate change locally
• Membership Development
• Strengthen affiliation with local entities
• Promote Knowledge Quest website to promote professional
community (http://knowledgequest.aasl.org)
• Association Governance and Leadership
• Improve communication within the organization
• Schedule monthly and quarterly leadership conferences
(Grief, 2015).

4. PUBLICATIONS & JOURNALS
• Knowledge Quest
• AASL's print journal.
• School Library Research
• AASL's open-access online research journal.
• (Free)
• AASL Hotlinks
• Archived issues of the AASL Hotlinks monthly e-mail
newsletter. Access is restricted to current AASL members
only.
(American Association, 2015).

5. MEMBERSHIP
• 7,000+ Members in U.S., Canada & International
Community
• Annual fee of $50-$185, depending on one’s title
and tenure – Membership
• Bi-annual National Conference
• 17th National Conference & Exhibition, Nov. 5-8, 2015.
(http://national.aasl.org.).
(American Association, 2015).

6. 17TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE
GENERAL SESSIONS
Columbus, OH: Nov. 5-8, 2015
• Heidi Hayes Jacobs – Opening Keynote
• Eszter Hargittai – Closing Keynote
• Brian Selznick – Award Winning Author
• Administrators Empowering School Library Programs
– Panel Discussion
(American Association, 2015).

7. AASL HISTORY
• Founded in 1914 as a petitioned special interest
group of the American Library Association (ALA)
• Wrote constitution and bylaws in 1922
• Established as a partial division of ALA in 1941,
which lead to greater financial support and
structure
• Totaled 1/3 of the total membership of ALA by the
end of the 1940s
• Asserted itself as an official division of ALA in 1951
• Voted Terri Grief the 63rd President of the
organization (2014-15).
(American Association, 2015).

8. TERRI GRIEF
Background
• High school teacher-
librarian for 20+ years
• Outstanding teacher
and teacher-librarian in
Kentucky
• President Kentucky
Library Association
• ALA Councilor of
Kentucky Chapter
• Lifetime Achievement
Award
Philosophy
• Libraries extend
classroom learning and
promote student
inquisition
• Her library’s“…shelves are
a mess, the book order is
still on the computer and
not placed, and the
books need to be
shelved.” – Prioritize and
Accept what you can
do.
• Understand core content
in each grade level.
(Terri Greif, 2014).

9. CONTACT INFORMATION
• American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
American Library Association
50 East Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611-2795
• Telephone: (312) 280-4382
• Toll free: 1 (800) 545-2433, ext. 4382
Fax: (312) 280-5276
E-mail: aasl@ala.org | Web: www.aasl.org

10. REFERENCES
American Association of School Librarians. (2015). Transforming
Learning: American Association of School Librarians. Retrieved from
American Library Association (ALA) website
http://www.ala.org/aasl/.
Grief, T. (2015). Advances in AASL's New Strategic Plan. Knowledge
Quest, 43(5), 4-5.
Terri Grief. (2014). Teacher Librarian, 41(4), 49-50.