Montgomery, Ala. – Be an advocate for all students and school libraries by celebrating Alabama Instructional Media Association’s (AIMA) first ever Alabama School Libraries Week, which will begin Monday, November 9 and continue through Friday, November 13. Now is the time to let the schools, community, and state know all of the wonderful things that are happening in Alabama’s school libraries.
“We want every school library media program to participate in this new event. In this time of less funding for public school libraries, it is important for all library media specialists to promote what he or she does to enhance student academic achievement, said Dr. Ginger Eastman, library media/technology educational specialist for the Alabama Department of Education.
Alabama’s libraries took a hard hit with the exclusion of appropriations in the budget for fiscal year 2010. With only local funding available for Alabama’s school libraries, the Alabama Department of Education is open to all areas for resources to help teach students the importance of reading.
Various resources are posted on the AIMA website to download and use freely for Alabama School Libraries Week. These files include posters, bookmarks, and suggestions for activities to use throughout the week. To access these files, go to Membership Resources, then to Newsletters and Files, then click on Alabama School Library Week. Also, make sure to download Scholastic's research publication, School Libraries Work, to see why libraries are so important to the future of Alabama’s students.
Please sign up for Alabama School Libraries Week on the Alabama Library Media Online site (ALMO). The state department would like to capture statistical information on how many students and library media centers are participating.
Click on the General Library Information button. Click on Ginger Eastman’s email and send the following information:
· School Name
· Media Specialist Name
· Number of Students participating
Please send event pictures to Ginger Eastman for posting on ALMO and for more information, also email Ginger Eastman or go to the AIMA website: www.alaima.org or the ALMO website: www.alex.state.al.us/librarymedia.
Grants and awards are great resources to help libraries in need. Please see below for funding opportunities a school could qualify for.
NEA's Books Across America School Library Grants
For schools with under resourced school libraries:
http://www.neafoundation.org/pages/educators/grant-programs/grant-application/books-across-america/
Deadline: November 20, 2009
The grant is $1,000 and The Pearson Foundation will match the grant with $1,000 in books from Penguin and DK Publishers. Fifty grants are awarded this year.
Collaborative School Library Media Award
Sponsored by Highsmith http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/div/aasl/aaslawards/collaborativeslm/aaslcollaborative.cfm
Deadline: February 1, 2010
Innovative Reading Grant
Deadline: February 1, 2010