AISL+Conference+April+2011

Branly Fontaine and Barbara Share recently attended the annual AISL Conference, this year held in San Francisco. AISL – The Association of Independent School Librarians specializes in the concerns, needs, issues and future visions of Independent School Librarians. Information about AISL is below; this information is taken from the ASIL website, []

The Association of Independent School Librarians, AISL, was formed in January, 1987 to address the particular issues and needs of librarians in independent schools. Our founders envisioned an apolitical and affordable association with no formal structure and no officers. Rather, it would provide a means of exchanging ideas and information and keeping in touch.

 AISL is an informal organization and a complement to other library organizations. Many members also belong to the Independent School Section of the American Association of School Librarians. As Mark Hillsamer, one of our founding members states, "Creative program planning and exchange of information and ideas are endeavors of both organizations. Close associations will keep us all moving forward into the complex, demanding, and ever changing profession we all love, librarianship."

 AISL thrives on the concept of volunteerism. Our organization is run entirely by volunteers. Volunteers submit articles for our quarterly newsletter, The Library Connection, share "tidbits" of what works or doesn’t work in their libraries, and volunteer to host the annual conference--a challenging but very rewarding thing to do. Our membership numbers about 350 from the U.S. and several other countries

Our report and pictures of the conference is posted as well.


 * __ Wednesday, April 13 __ **

**Branson School** Presentation by Common Sense Media From their website [|www.commonsensemedia.org]  Common Sense Media offers this **FREE Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum** to help educators empower their students and their school communities to be safe, responsible, and savvy as they navigate this fast-paced digital world. The curriculum: · Introduces reliable, research-based information to students about digital media and their impact · Helps students explore the complex issues of our connected culture · Empowers students to think critically about the ways they use digital technologies as they build digital literacy skills for life · Satisfies all criteria for E-Rate compliance and is aligned to national standards for ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), AASL (American Association of School Librarians), and the English Language Arts (ELA) Common Core.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Tours: **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;"> **Branson School Library**, the Brenda Brown Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">The school was founded in 1920, has 320 coed students, grades 9-12. The library is one of the original buildings and has several small rooms, used for their collection of 12,000 books, computers and materials. There is also a large fireplace and wraparound porch.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">The Marin Day School is a K-8 school with 540 students. The library is housed in the Learning Resource Center, which was completed at the end of 2009. In this 2 story Library there are large windows, bright colors and lots of student art work throughout the rooms. The Learning Resource Center was built recently and the entire school was involved in the design and building of this beautiful place. Each grade had a different project that related to the construction. Everyone (students, faculty, administration, parents) met with the architects to have a say in what they wanted in the building.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Marin Day School **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">**Sonoma Day School** Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Coed, K-8; the central Library room houses a 6,000-volume collection, adult & child-sized library tables, and a primary grade story area. Flanking the library are a 32 station computer lab and a peaceful reading room.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">**Address by Bo Simons**, Sonoma County Public Library Wine Librarian <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Mr. Simons presented information on the history of wine in Sonoma County and how the section of the Wine Library was founded. The Wine Library includes journals, books, drawings, history and everything related to growing wines in California.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">__ Thursday, April 14 __ **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">The school was founded in 1908 and is an independent all girls K-8 school with 400 students. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">The Library opened in 2007 and houses 40,000 materials. There are 2 separate sections for lower elementary and upper middle school students. The Librarians worked closely with the architects to create a beautiful and useful space. The Librarians decided to use all available wall space for artwork created by the students. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Librarian from KDB School spoke about her program at their Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Programs at this Library include the Learning Center, Collaboration and Integration (art, science, technology, etc) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Literature Appreciation includes independent reading, asking girls to read different categories and respond in different ways (art, poetry, etc) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Author visits relate to the curriculum; one school one poem – as it relates to “play”; inquiry and application of research skills; collaborating, sharing and responding using a timeline. Everything having a purpose and making meaning; putting reports on an iPad to create iBooks. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Using underpinnings – Educate, Encourage, and Empower with knowledge skills, self-awareness, action, application and creation. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Use paradigm shifts, moving from teaching to learning; critical skills, the student version. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Founder & Owner of Noodletools talked about 21st Century Skills and focused on the need for students to know how to assess digital authority. Unfortunately, her program was cut short by time restrictions. Her presentation is available on [|http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/6assess/infolit6.html.]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Katherine Delmar Burke School (Burke’s) **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Address by Debbie Abilock **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Workshops **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Attendees could choose from a variety of 30 minute workshops presented by members of the local independent school library community. Offerings included: “Mindfulness in a Laptop School”, “Using a Smartboard to Inspire Lower School Library Classes”, “Original Cataloguing,” “New Picture Books”, “The 24/7 Library”, “Collaboration for Paperless Research Projects”, " All Ages Welcome", “The OverAward”’ “Young Adult/Tween Books”, “Library Leaders” a Club for 10-12th Graders, & “Podcasts Book Reviews”. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Barbara Share attended the following workshops:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">**“Using a Smartboard to Inspire Lower School Library Classes”**: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"> Using Smart Exchange, a resource for Smartboard users, Joyce Roby, the librarian from Phillips Brooks School showed a variety of lessons and games that she created for her library classes. [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Susan Geiger from Catholic School presented <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Becoming a 1:1 changes the role, but the mission remains the same; using QR codes for book information allows the students to work collaboratively; Librarians create Wiki’s to communicate with teachers to find what teachers need and want; the Librarians show the teachers how to use the Wikis with their students. Lib Guides are used, Access My Library (School Edition). The school also uses live streaming and has created Blogs for use with faculty and administration.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">24/7 Library **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">List of books that would appeal especially to middle school and YA.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Young Adult/Tween Books **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Branly Fontaine attended the following 2 workshops:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Derrick Anderson from the Marin Academy presented. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Mr Andersen documented how original cataloging has improved circulation and reshaped student perceptions of the library at Marin Academy, a coed high school serving 400 students. This type of original cataloging is really part of a reference librarian's work, given instant gratification lifestyle we live today.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Original Cataloguing **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Presented by Lisa Gonzalez. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">We discussed the challenges and joys of serving both elementary and secondary students in the same library.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">All Ages Welcome **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">**Bay School of San Francisco** Tour of Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Rachel Shaw, the Librarian at The Bay School of San Francisco gave us a tour of her 3,000 square foot Library. The Fulbright Library has more than 10,000 books, CD, DVDs and subscribes to 25 databases. The school opened in 2004 and has grades 9 – 12. The library is situated in a converted army barracks which makes for an interesting library configuration.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">**The Urban School of San Francisco** Tour of Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Sarah Levin, Librarian <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Author reception; these authors were available to sell and sign their books; Robert San Souci, Ying Chang Compestine, N.H. Senzai, Michael Cadnum, Nina Gruener, Dana Reinhardt.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">__ Friday, April 15 __ **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">**Convent & Stuart Hall** School of the Sacred Heart Tour of Libraries <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Mother Williams Library is one of the most beautiful Libraries I have ever seen. Located on the 3rd floor of the Flood Mansion, it is networked by the other Libraries at the school, Carroll Library and Hoffman Library. There are over 8,000 books, 400 AV materials and 28 different periodicals. The Librarians work closely with students on their yearlong project that encompasses Religion, Science and History (the students choose any topic, but it must include the 3 disciplines). Girls, K-8 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">**Key Note Speaker Sarah Houghton-Jan, “Librarian in Black”** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">Sarah Houghton-Jan is the Assistant Director for the San Rafael Public Library, a consultant for Infopeople, and was named a //Library Journal// Mover & Shaker as a Trendspotter in 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Her topic - “Designing Digital Spaces for Positive User Experiences”; <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Fascinating discussion of issues & opportunities for libraries in the digital world. Topics included eBooks & eBook vendors, cloud computing, privacy issues, information services in this augmented reality, marketing on social media sites, etc. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Her website is: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"> http://librarianinblack.net/librarianinblack/

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">**Hamlin School** Tour of Library <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">The newly renovated Coreen Ruiz Hester Library (dedicated May 31, 2007) houses over 17,000 volumes; The collection includes children's picture books, junior fiction novels, reference books, curriculum-based non-fiction books, biographies, middle school fiction, professional and parenting resource books, and a video collection. The Hamlin School is a girl’s school serving K-8 grades. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Comments by Luis Herrera, City Librarian, SFPL; musical entertainment by choirs from two girls’ schools. The Skip Anthony Banquet dinner and lecture by Author Gennifer Choldenko, author of award winning, Al Capone Does My Shirts, & Al Capone Shines My Shoes.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Here are a few pictures of the schools we visited: