Gotta Catch 'Em All! Pokémon in the Library

Ever thought about starting a Pokémon Club at your library?  Now is a great time!

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) are partnering with Pokémon to encourage and support Pokémon Clubs in libraries. "Through this partnership, AASL and ALSC will provide members with a Pokémon Club kit to participating libraries to run Pokémon Clubs for their communities. These kits will include materials, resources, scaffolded activities, and prizing for children ages 5-14 who are participating in these clubs."

Participation in the Pokémon Club program does require:

• That Pokémon Club coordinators are employed at a library or in a school as a librarian or media specialist.
• Have ALA Membership falling in either the Type I, Type II or Student categories.
• Membership in either AASL or ALSC. 

To find out more information and to sign up visit the ALA site here. 

2019 Best Apps and Websites for Teaching and Learning

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced its 2019 Best Apps and Best Websites for Teaching and Learning at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., on June 22. The annual lists honor apps and websites that enhance learning and curriculum development for school librarians and their teacher collaborators.

Recognized apps and websites foster innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration. They were also evaluated for their support of AASL’s “National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries.”

Explore the list of apps HERE.

School Libraries at the Heart of Transformation

Check out this short video from AASL's YouTube to discover the many ways that school libraries and school librarians stand at the heart of transformation as learners become thinkers, explorers, collaborators, and inventors preparing for college, career, and life.

LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries

Stemming from an Affiliate Assembly concern, the 2018 ALA Emerging Leaders team was charged with creating a guide for AASL to support school librarians in addressing challenges related to censorship and patron privacy issues, particularly with LGBTQ+ materials. Defending Intellectual Freedom: LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries is more than a collection of resources. This work uses the AASL Standards framework as scaffolding to help users explore LGBTQ+ materials and needs in their own communities.

Find links to the resources and more information HERE.

ALA Public Library & School Library Collaboration Toolkit

Look at our colleagues at ALA - so many helpful resources shared with us!

Just out is the joint ALSC/YALSA/AASL Toolkit focusing on best practices for initiating and engaging in public and school library collaborations. This uber helpful toolkit can be downloaded or linked to and contains:

• information on how to start and continue a school-public library collaboration
• research that supports that collaboration
• examples of successful collaborations
• useful templates

Stop here to read and/or downlaod your free copy!

Best Websites for Teaching & Learning 2017

Each year the AASL (American Association of School Librarians) releases a list of "websites, tools, and resources of exceptional value to inquiry-based teaching and learning."

All the websites on the list are free, user-friendly sites that encourage collaboration, creativity and active engagement.  The list is broken down into sections including: Media Sharing, Digital Storytelling, and Curriculum Collaboration.

Check out this year's list of recommended sites HERE.