AASL launches school administrator collaborative

CHICAGO – With support from OverDrive Education, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) is launching a two-year initiative to engage with an audience vital to the success of school librarian advocacy: school administrators. The "AASL School Leader Collaborative: Administrators & School Librarians Transforming Teaching and Learning" aims to strengthen AASL’s collaboration with school administrators. The initiative champions the school librarian’s integral role in teaching and learning.

"The powerful partnership that exists between a school administrator and a school librarian elevates the learning for all members of the school community," said Kathryn Roots Lewis, AASL president. "AASL is excited to announce the 'AASL School Leader Collaborative: Administrators & School Librarians Transforming Teaching and Learning.' This group will create a dialogue that highlights and extends this unique relationship, one that impacts learners day in and day out across the country."

“OverDrive Education believes strongly in supporting our nation’s school libraries and are proud to support this important initiative,” said Brian Potash, head of school growth for OverDrive Education. “Along with the ALA’s Libraries Transform campaign, the AASL School Leader Collaborative will help provide important resources for schools, libraries and their communities to improve reading programs and encourage students to read more.”

To facilitate the initiative, AASL will convene two groups: an AASL School Leader Collaborative and a cadre of state-level leaders. The collaborative will be composed of seven school administrators, the AASL president, a member of the AASL board of directors appointed by the AASL president, the AASL executive director and a representative from OverDrive Education. The AASL School Leader Collaborative will serve as active ambassadors for school libraries. AASL leaders and K-12 administrators will convene to garner advocacy for school librarians that can be implemented at building, district, state and national levels. Administrators will provide feedback, messaging and advice on strategies to be taken by AASL. This sustained dialogue will deepen understanding of each other’s powerful roles for impacting teaching, learning, and school culture.

To form the state-level leaders, AASL will reach out to AASL-affiliated school librarian associations to identify professionals to serve as a part of the cadre. The state-level leaders will serve as a point of contact to initiate activities developed by the AASL School Leader Collaborative. The leaders will also distribute resources the group creates. Additionally, the leaders will identify school librarians in their state to present at state or regional school administrator conferences and work with their state association to develop a state-level school leader collaborative.

"You as a school librarian will have the opportunity to nominate your administrator to be selected for the AASL School Leader Collaborative," said Lewis. "Watch for the application announcement! Thank you, OverDrive Education, for your commitment to school libraries."

About AASL
The American Association of School Librarians, www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.

About OverDrive Education – a division of OverDrive
OverDrive Education is the leading global digital reading platform for K-12, offering the industry’s largest catalog of eBooks, audiobooks and streaming video. As a 100% digital company serving 43,000 libraries and schools worldwide, OverDrive combines technology with content to support learning and reading in the classroom, library and home on all major devices, including iOS®, Android™, Chromebook™, and Kindle® (US only). Founded in 1986, OverDrive and OverDrive Education are based in Cleveland, Ohio USA, and owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten.