Puffin Spring 2001, v20,#3 issue (pdf 372k) - Alaska Library ...

Newsletter of the Alaska Association of School Librarians 

 

(AkASL) 

Volume 20, Issue 3 Spring 2001 

Linda Thibodeau, Linda Masterson, and Bob VanDerWege 

at the 2001 AkASL Awards Banquet. 

At the annual AkLA/AkASL conference in 

Sitka, the Alaska Association of School Librarians 

presented the 2001 School Librarian 

of the Year Award to Sue Hagedorn of 

Gladys Wood Elementary School in Anchorage 

and Linda Thibodeau of Juneau-Douglas 

High School in Juneau. Typically, one school 

librarian is chosen for this prestigious award 

but because the nomination packets for both 

Sue and Linda were so impressive, the 

awards committee agreed to break tradition 

this year and honor both of these outstanding 

librarians. 

AkASL Awards 

presented in 

Sitka and 

Anchorage! 

The Linda K. Barrett Service 

Award, given annually to an individual 

who has shown a continued 

dedication and commitment to the 

development of excellence in school 

libraries, was awarded at the Sitka 

Conference to Bob VanDerWege of 

Soldotna. 

See pages 6 and 7 for the rest of 

the Awards stories. 

Highlights 

of this Issue 

Board Meeting Minutes 

In Brief ........................................ p.2 

President's Message.................. p.3 

Coordinator's Corner ............... p.4 

In-Sites on the Web ................... p.5 

AkASL Awards ..................... p.6-7 

Battle of the Books News ......... p.8 

Student Book Discussion Group .. p.9 

Travel Stipend Thanks ............. p.9 

Collaboration ........................... p.10 

Win $1000 in Books ................ p.12 

MNM Winners ........................ p.12 

Teens&YA&Libraries ............. p.13 

Booking It ................................. p.14 

Tech Connect ........................... p.15 

Recharged By Conference ..... p.16 

Conference Cheechako .......... p.17 

AkASL E'board ....................... p.18 

Sue Hagedorn (left) accepts her award 

from Nina Prockish

Excerpts from the minutes . . . 

Board Meeting Minutes In Brief 

Teleconference, January 20, 2001 

Roll call: Karen Davis, Karen 

Joynt, Cathy Boutin, Jan Fortune, 

Ann McCann, Bob Van 

DerWege, Teresa Paulsen, Tiki 

Levinson, Lois Petersen, Pat 

Wamsley, Ruth Woodruff. Darla 

Grediagin, Linda Masterson, 

Dona Helmer, Brita Rice 

OLD BUSINESS 

A. Grants 

•Software: State Library approved 

a grant allowing 

AkASL to purchase the following 

newsletter software: 

Adobe PageMaker, Adobe 

Acrobat . 

•Conference stipends: the 

State Library approved a 

grant allowing AkASL to offer 

4 travel grants to AkLA conference 

in Sitka. 

•State library travel award for 

Battle of the Books coordinator 

to attend the upcoming 

AASL conference still needs 

to be submitted. 

B. On-line projects 

•Membership: a list of members 

and where they work 

will be put on the web so that 

our members will be able to 

see if their membership is current 

and also use the work 

location information to look 

up contact information for 

AkASL members using the 

AkLA Directory. 

•Puffin: The new online Puffin 

is now on the web. Ruth will 

send a hard copy to those 

without Internet access. 

C. Conference 

•Discussed purchasing/obtaining 

AkASL/AASL ribbons 

and the possibility of offering 

AkASL conference welcome 

packets. 

•AkASL will support the AkLA 

Conference by paying $1000 

to sponsor Sally Wiant's 

sessions on copyright issues. 

NEW BUSINESS 

•Discussed potential candidates 

for AkASL. Ballots 

will go out soon. 

•Discussed archiving of 

AkASL records. 

•Set up an audio conference 

meeting of the Battle of 

the Books task force to 

discuss a variety of related 

issues. 

•AkASL History on the web 

site. Linda Masterson is 

interested in working on 

this after the conference. 

Email any ideas and related 

information to Linda 

Masterson. 

E. Officer’s Reports 

We have 135 members now. 

F. Committee Reports 

• Battle of the Books: The 

web site has been a good 

way to distribute information 

and questions. 

Teresa would like to be 

coordinator for another 

year. 

• Awards: (Linda 

Masterson). We sent out 

480 letters soliciting 

award nominations. The 

purchase of new certificates 

and stationary will 

be discussed at the faceto-face 

or February meeting. 

G. Regional Coordinator 

Reports 

Karen Davis brought up 

possibility of Big6 session in 

the future. 

The Puffin 

is the official publication of the 

Alaska Association of School Librarians 

(AkASL). 

It is generally published three 

times a year, Fall, Winter, and 

Spring. 

Any inquiries should be directed to: 

AkASL President, 

Bob VanDerWege 

rvdw@kpbsd.k12.ak.us 

Send articles to: 

Ruth Woodruff, 

Puffin Editor 

P.O. Box 8541 

Ketchikan, AK 99901 

rwoodruf@firstcitylib.org 

fax: (907) 247-5761 

Fall 2001 deadline: Sept. 7th 

Pat Wamsley, Online 

Communications Coordinator 

wamsley@alaska.net 

page 2 The PUFFIN - Spring 2001- v.21, #3

President’s Message . . . 

Prelude to "A Call to Arms" 

I refer to this article as the 

prelude since my true "Call to 

Arms" article is set for the 

back-to-school issue. I hope 

you all rush back from summer 

anxious 

to read it! 

I've known in my short time 

in the state that we continue 

to lose ground with librarians 

in our schools. Our district 

continues to erode the base 

annually. What I didn't really 

understand is how widespread 

the decline is. It truly 

hit me over this past Christmas 

break when I was catching 

up on almost a year's 

worth of "School Library 

Journal" issues. (I don't recommend 

letting them build 

up like that!) In almost every 

issue there were articles on 

losing library staff. 

The reasons varied somewhat 

replacing with technology 

staff, budget cuts, etc. But one 

thing that seemed to be almost 

universal was site-based 

decision making. The problem 

this poses is that the case 

must be made for 

each individual site that the 

library is a necessary integral 

part of our students‚ educational 

program. This can lead 

to the decisions being based 

on personality, or on the need 

for school budget or staffing 

adjustments, rather 

than on sound educational 

research. 

In my forthcoming "Call to 

Arms" article I will discuss 

what we need to be doing as 

an organization and how you 

can support our efforts. But 

what can you do now? Well, 

those who are reading this 

article are likely members of 

AkASL, and that's a good 

start. There are several other 

organizations that support 

our libraries, and you should 

consider membership in one 

or more of them. Within the 

state there is AkLA, http:// 

akla.org, and nationally there 

are ALA and AASL http:// 

www.ala.org. As professionals 

these organizations help 

promote us and provide current 

information through 

their journals. ALA is 

ready to launch their new 

five-year campaign " Your 

Library". You can check it 

out at the web site listed 

above. 

Second, it's time to start 

building your arsenal of information 

to present the case 

of why your site can't do 

without you or the library. If 

you don't have a copy of the 

Alaska study "Information 

Empowered", find it in your 

district or contact the state 

library. Begin collecting data. 

Circulation statistics can be 

powerful and show how 

much service you provide. If 

a cut is looming, I think a 

good inventory of the collection 

can also be helpful. If a 

reduction occurs, you can 

show the number of materials 

lost without proper staffing. I 

know that these practices 

sound like something we all 

should be doing, and indeed 

some do. But I also know 

that we get complacent and 

let these important activities 

slip to the bottom of our busy 

schedules. 

To avoid this article sounding 

like a call to doom, I must say 

that I'm continually impressed 

with the level of talent 

we have in our libraries. 

In my travels to AkASL meetings 

and the state conference 

(you missed a good one if 

you weren't there -- Sitka did 

a great job of hosting!), I've 

met many wonderful dedicated 

people, and I know that 

there are many more I haven't 

had the pleasure to meet. I 

hope your end of the year is 

productive and that we are 

ready to begin library promotions 

in the New Year. 

Bob VanDerWege 

AkASL President 

AkASL Website: http://akla.org/akasl 

AkLA Website: http://akla.org 

JOIN TODAY, 

membership forms on web sites! 

Bob VanDerWege gives outgoingAkASL President Tiki 

Levinson her president's gift. 

The PUFFIN - Spring 2001- v.21, #3 page 3

written by 

Lois Petersen 

The Alaska Library Association 

/Alaska School 

Librarian's Association Conference 

in Sitka, March 8-11, 

2001, offered a valuable, and 

oh so fun, way for Alaska's 

librarians to learn more about 

library services for all sizes 

and types of libraries, hot 

topics and issues of concern 

in each type of library, fellow 

librarians and what they are 

doing to improve library services 

in their communities. 

It also provided the seeds of 

many ready-to-use ideas and 

programs that can be replanted 

and brought to new 

life in other communities, big 

and small, across Alaska. 

The articles about conference 

published in this issue of the 

PUFFIN cover a small sampling 

of the sessions, share a 

few ideas you can adopt to 

your own uses, and hint at 

the on-going benefits of attendance 

- but there's nothing 

like being there yourself. 

Compared to other states, 

 

Start talking to your 

principal and / or dis 

trict administrators 

now about how much your 

library program would benefit 

from attendance at next 

year's AkLA / AkASL 

Conference." 

 

Alaska's libraries are few and 

far between as are the opportunities 

for us to sit with, talk 

to, and learn from fellow librarians. 

Even more rare is 

the chance to hear so many 

local, state, and national experts 

sharing tips on what 

works in libraries like our 

own. The annual AkLA conference 

provides us with that 

very opportunity. 

If you couldn't come to Sitka 

for this year's conference, 

don't despair! Instead, start 

planning now to attend next 

year's conference, March 7-10, 

2002 in Anchorage. For most 

of the state, Anchorage is the 

easiest, fastest, and least expensive 

location for statewide 

events. 

Start planning now to be 

there. Here's how! 

1.) Join both the Alaska Association 

of School Librarians 

and the Alaska Library Association. 

Although there are 

many reasons why professional 

membership is beneficial, 

two that are closely related 

to conference are as follows: 

•Current conference information 

is readily available to 

association members. 

•Members are eligible to apply 

for travel stipends 

which may help pay travel 

costs to attend conference. 

Membership information is 

available on each association's 

web site: 

AkASL: http://akla.org/akasl 

AkLA: http://akla.org 

2.) Start talking to your 

principal and/or district 

administrators now about 

how much your library program 

would benefit from 

attendance at next year's 

AkLA Conference. For instance, 

if Battle of the Books 

is important to your district, 

point out that attendance 

provides an opportunity for 

you and your district to 

have input on changing 

rules, the list of next year's 

Battle of the Books titles, 

etc. 

3.) Set a goal for your library 

that will be easier to 

accomplish through conference 

attendance. For example, 

if library automation 

is a goal, start showing how 

that goal can be addressed 

at conference through conversations 

with automation 

vendors, hands-on opportunities 

to explore a variety of 

library software packages, a 

tour of libraries to view automation 

programs in action, 

etc. 

AkLA 2001 is now a sweet 

memory for those who attended. 

AkLA 2002 holds 

the promise of more great 

things to come. Start planning 

now and I'll see you 

there! 


In-Sites on the Web 

Homeworkspot.com 

http://www.homeworkspot.com 

This free online homework 

resource center organizes 

reviewed sites for K-12 

students in one user-friendly 

spot. HomeworkSpot.com 

simplifies the search for 

homework help, including 

subject-specific resources for 

English, math, science, social 

studies, art, music, technology, 

foreign language, health 

and more. 

Sites are organized by 

grade level. The site also features 

a reference center, current 

events, virtual field trips 

and expeditions, extracurricular 

activities and study 

breaks, as well as parent and 

teacher resources. 

School-related Web Suggestion 

- ExplorAsource 

(featured previously on Blue 

Web'n Hot Site of the Week) 

http://www.explorasource.com 

/educator/index.htm 

This site lets you incorporate 

many different types of 

materials that are tied to curriculum 

standards for your 

state, or the national standards. 

MediaSeek has 

partnered with publishers of 

software, textbooks, videos 

and websites to link key materials 

to standards in this 

powerful database. Choose 

either a resource search or a 

standard 

search (choosing 

the standard 

you 

need to meet) 

to find well 

designed activities 

and 

lessons. 

Children's 

Picture Book Database 

(Suggested by Jean Tennant 

Kotzebue) 

http:// 

www.lib.muohio.edu/pictbk 

A keyword-searchable database 

of over 4000 picture 

books; includes abstracts, subject 

classification, and Web 

links. 

"Hot Links to Literacy" 

(recommended by Roz Goodman) 

http://www.readingonline.org/ 

electronic/mckenna 

Michael McKenna and his 

colleagues make surfing for 

the right Web site a snap if 

you use this website. Contains 

annotated links to dozens of 

excellent literacy-related sites 

grouped into categories, including 

Children's 

Literature, Help for Parents, 

and ESL and Adult Literacy. 

Mrs. ABC'S Spelling and 

Phonics Curriculum Site 

http://www.mrsabc.com 

Students can learn more 

about spelling, phonics, alphabetical 

order, rhyming, 

punctuation and capitalization 

in an interactive, selfpaced 

curriculum with built 

in rewards and certificates. 

This site is perfect for the beginning 

speller or a students 

needing to review high frequency 

words. It is also a 

great source for 

parents and 

teachers with 

weekly tips, 

related articles, 

and a free 

newsletter. 

Scienceman 

http://www.scienceman.com 

(Jan. Busy Educator's Newsletter) 

Your ultimate science education source. 

ScienceMan has high quality, curriculummatched 

links, hardware and software reviews, 

a contact list of reputable science 

suppliers, and the latest technology professional 

development opportunities. Visit the 

"video showcase", highlighting the laboratory 

work of students in action, demonstrating 

the latest in science and technology. 

ScienceMan is updated daily during the 

school year with all the latest news in 

science instruction. ScienceMan looks forward 

to your visit! 

Teachersites.com 

http://www.teachersites.com 

(Jan. Busy Educator's Newsletter) 

Fellow educator Brian Wasson of New 

York state USA has designed this site for 

educators with the ultimate goal of organizing 

some of the best educational 

and fun web site for teachers (all levels), 

students and parents. All sites, and 

there are currently over 700 of them in over 

48 school categories, have been hand picked 

by either Brian or have been submitted by 

email to him from parents and teachers. 

One of the highlights of this site is the constantly 

updated "Top 10" and "Site of the 

Week" pages. All suggestions for these 

pages are taken only by emails from visitors. 

Links are provided for visitors to buy 

books, classroom related materials. 

Does anyone really know what time it is? 

When you need to know, go to 

http://www.time.gov 

for the correct time in each US time zone or to 

http://www.weathersite.com/ 

convINTtime.html for the correct time in 

any major city of the world. 

The World Time Server will not only give 

you the current time and date for any country 

you choose, it also displays a map indicating 

where in the world the country is 

located. 

http://www.worldtimeserver.com 

Note: you can click to change the selection from 

countries to major cities (upper left of screen). 


Librarian Of The Year Awarded To 

Two Of Alaska's Finest! 

At the annual AkLA conference in Sitka, 

the Alaska Association of School Librarians 

presented the 2001 School Librarian 

of the Year Award to Sue Hagedorn of 

Gladys Wood Elementary School in 

Anchorage and Linda Thibodeau of 

Juneau-Douglas High School in Juneau. 

Typically, one school librarian is chosen 

for this prestigious award but because 

the nomination packets for both Sue 

and Linda were so impressive, the 

awards committee agreed to break tradition 

this year and honor both of these 

outstanding librarians. 

Sue Hagedorn's principal writes, 

"It is rare that one feels compelled 

by an individual's attitude and accomplishments 

to nominate and do 

the extra work that is required for 

such an award. It is a testament to 

how deeply I feel about this person 

and her worth to students and her 

chosen field that I write this nomination 

letter." 

Sue 

Hagedorn 

with her 

award. 

Anyone 

who has 

known or 

worked 

with Sue 

knows that 

she can 

easily 

transform 

herself into just about any character 

from just about any book. Visitors 

to Gladys Wood School never really 

know whether they will be 

greeted by Miss Nelson, Viola 

Swamp, Harry Potter, Captain Underpants 

or the Librarian from the 

Black Lagoon when they pass by 

the Library. 

Sue doesn't just foster the love of 

books and literature or collaborate 

with a teacher to create the perfect 

lesson. She is very active in her 

profession both locally and nationally. 

She has served on the Collection 

Development Policy Committee 

for the Anchorage School District, 

she is the chair for the local 

AkLA chapter's Authors to Anchorage 

and last year she served on the 

2000 Batchelder Committee for the 

American Library Association. 

About Linda Thibodeau a parent 

writes, "For my children, the Juneau-Douglas 

High 

School Library 

has 

been the 

heart of the 

school. 

Linda's 

cheerful and 

respectful 

interactions 

with students, 

her 

professional 

contributions 

Linda Thibodeau 

accepts her School 

Librarian of the Year 

Certificate in Sitka. 

to the library, the cohesive library 

staff and the warm, studious library 

atmosphere that she facilitates 

all work together to keep that 

heart healthy and strong." 

Linda is involved with all aspects 

of the library program working 

collaboratively with the library 

staff and faculty to provide superior 

service to the students and 

parents of Juneau-Douglas High 

School. Her current efforts supporting 

technology throughout 

the building by maintaining the 

school's website and providing 

staff training exhibits her profound 

knowledge of technology 

and how it pertains to education." 

Linda is a member of just about 

every committee that exists. She 

has served as secretary on the 

AkASL Executive Board and her 

principal writes, "She works cooperatively 

with the other librarians 

in the Capital City Library Consortium 

to better serve the library 

needs of all of Juneau." 

The Alaska Association of School 

Librarians applauds both Linda 

and Sue for the standard that they 

have set serving the students, 

teachers, and communities of 

Alaska through their library programs 

and services. 

Linda K. Barrett 

Service Award 

The Linda K. Barrett Service Award, 

given annually to an individual who has 

shown a continued dedication and commitment 

to the development of excellence 

in school libraries, was awarded at 

the Sitka Conference to Bob VanDer- 

Wege of Soldotna. Bob serves 1/2 time as 

the librarian at Soldotna Elementary 

School and 1/2 time as the District Library 

Media Coordinator for the Kenai 

Peninsula Borough School District. 

Bob personifies this award and below are 

a few of the many testimonials from 

Bob's librarian colleagues: 

· Bob promotes, celebrates and encourages 

everyone to become supporters 

of libraries. He spearheaded 

"The Year of the Library" 

movement for our district and developed 

and promoted the "Libraries 

and Literacy" brochure. 

· Bob is active in the library professional 

organizations at both the 

local and the state levels. He is the 

driving force behind our district's 

libraries. He was instrumental in 

reviving our local chapter of AkLA. 

And, he has served on the AkASL 

Executive Board as the Western 

Regional Rep, the President-Elect 

and now begins his term as President. 

· At a time when our district libraries 

have been down-sized and librarians 

face what 

seem like insurmountablechallenges, 

Bob "politicks" 

for us, inspires 

and encourages 

us, 

boosts our morale, 

helps us 

stay organized 

and keeps us together 

socially. 

· He is a truly nice guy, patient beyond 

imagination, has a sense of 

humor, is professional and he can 

cook! 

AkASL congratulations Bob and salutes 

him for the example he sets for all school 

librarians in Alaska. 


Pat-On-The-Back 

Awards 

At the annual AkLA conference in 

Sitka, the Alaska Association of 

School Librarians recognized 48 

administrators from around the 

state as outstanding supporters of 

excellence in their school library 

programs. These administrators 

were nominated by their librarians 

in appreciation for their roles as 

leaders in their schools and districts 

in developing, maintaining and 

nurturing exemplary library programs. 

AkASL recognizes the importance 

of having administrators who actively 

cooperate with and support 

librarians in a joint effort to provide 

students with the best possible 

library programs and presented a 

"Pat-on-the-Back" to the following 

administrators: 

Anchorage 

Karen Rigg, Principal 

Denali Elementary School 

Lois Mance, Principal 

Fairview Elementary School 

Sophia Masewicz, Principal 

Romig Middle School 

Dr. Virginia Juettner, Principal 

Muldoon Elementary 

Bonnie Wallace, Principal 

Abbott Loop Elementary 

Sherry Ellers, Principal 

Hanshew Middle School 

Grassroots 

Agitator Award 

It was like a bolt from 

Voldemort’s evil wand, 

when Susie Beattie, the 

Library Aide at 

Houghtaling 

Elementary 

School, discovered 

that 

children from 

Alaska would 

not be able to participate 

in Scholastic’s essay contest, 

“How Harry Potter 

Changed my Life.” 

Knowing how much 

Alaskan children love 

Denise Greene-Wilkinson, Principal 

Polaris K-12 School 

Fred Giddings, Principal 

Trailside Elementary School 

Duane Moran, Supervisor 

Anchorage School District 

Susan Okeson, Principal 

Wonder Park Elementary 

Georgia Taton, Principal 

Mears Middle School 

Lou Kustin, Principal 

Ocean View Elementary 

Ocean View PTA 

Ocean View Elementary 

Jan Maki, Principal 

Bear Valley Elementary 

Maria Kreta-Dillon, Principal 

O'Malley Elementary 

Dr. Lance Bowie, Principal 

West High School 

Gene Janigo, Principal 

Gladys Wood Elementary 

Carol Comeau, Superintendent 


Patricia McCrae, Executive Director 


Sharon Mitchell, Principal 

Chester Valley Elementary 

Barbara Nagengast, Principal 

Spring Hill Elementary 

Joanne McCabe, Principal 

Bowman Elementary School 

Connie Bensler, Principal 

Goldenview Middle School 

Harry Potter, she took 

this Goliath publisher on 

single-handily, without a 

magic wand or any 

wizardardly powers. 

Reasoning with the company 

got her nowhere. 

Fuming, she enlisted the 

help of Charlotte Glover, 

the Ketchikan Public 

Library’s Children’s Librarian. 

Together they 

sounded the alarm, took 

up arms, and fought the 

great battle for fairness 

and justice. The two 

quickly spread the word 

of this dastardly endeavor 

to exclude Alaskans 

and swiftly gath- 

Shar Story, Principal 

Birchwood ABC K-8 School 

Jim Hughes, Principal 

Gruening Middle School 

Eunice Long, Principal 

Ravenwood Elementary 

Ed Scherer, Principal 

Homestead Elementary 

Fran Talbott, Principal 

Ursa Minor Elementary 

Barrow 

Scott Iverson, Principal 

Barrow High School 

Brevig Mission 

Barb Roberts, Principal 

Brevig Mission School 

Diomede 

Don Yates, Principal 

Diomede School 

Elim 

Lyn Ferrucci, Principal 

Aniguiin School 

Fairbanks 

Tim Cline, Assistant Director 

IDEA/Galena School District 

Edwina Strange, Principal 

Tanana Middle School 

Marianne Carlson, Principal 

West Valley High School 

Charlie Titus, School Board Member 

Yukon Koyukuk School District 

Karen Dempster, Superintendent 

Yukon Koyukuk School District 

ered a legion of fellow 

librarians to join the 

cause. With pens more 

mighty than swords, letters 

were written, messages 

were sent, calls 

were made, the cry for 

reinforcements spread. 

Facing increased demands 

for justice, the evil 

deed was undone. As a 

result, one of Alaska’s 

own, Sarah Brown of 

Fairbanks, had the honor 

of meeting J. K. Rowling. 

The Alaska Association 

of Librarians proudly 

presented this special 

award - The Grassroots 

Juneau 

Michael Opp, Principal 

Alyeska Central School 

Kenai 

Sam Stewart, Principal 

Kenai Central High School 

Mick Wykis, Principal 

Sears Elementary School 

North Pole 

Vivian Dailey, Principal 

North Pole High School 

Matanuska-Susitna 

Borough 

Deena Paramo, Ass't Principal 

Colony Middle School 

Dr. Larry Jacobson, Principal 

Colony Middle School 

John Miller, Principal 

Pioneer Peak Elementary 

Karl Schleich, Principal 

Snowshoe Elementary 

Tok 

Gordon Kron, Principal 

Tok School 

Unalakleet 

Monica Dickens, Principal 

Unalakleet Schools 

Valdez 

Tim MacDonald, Principal 

Hermon Hutchens Elementary 

Agitator Award to Susie 

Beattie and Charlotte 

Glover, for their wonderful 

efforts in advocating 

for Alaskans and for 

bringing so many fellow 

Alaskans along on your 

valiant quest. Along with 

this award, they were 

presented special Harry 

Potter glasses to help 

them continue to see 

through Alaska injustices 

and a magic wand to 

help them zap those injustices 

into thin air. 

Thanks for a job well 

done! 


Congratulations to the 2001 

Battle of the Books winners! 

The reigning state champs are: 

High School- Kenai Peninsula Borough, 

Skyview High (Angela Jones, 

Megan Lyons, Gabriella Novak Alt: 

Amanda Marshall, Coach: Carol Dallman) 

7/8 Grade- Kenai Peninsula Borough, 

Soldotna Middle School 

(Becky Kilfoyle, Terrence Carlson, Rachel 

Beatty, Alt: Ali Wykis, Coaches: Tish 

Hallet , Terry Myrick and Marti 

Shirley) 

5/6 Grade- TIE 

Ketchikan Borough, Hougtaling School 

(Britany Auger, Tara Hoffman, Kyleen 

Luhrs, Coach: Debbie Zink) 

and 

Fairbanks Northstar Borough, University 

Park Elementary (Alex Jacobsen, John 

Lee, Matt VanVeldhuizen, Coach: Susan 

Black) 

3/4 Grade- Northwest Arctic, 

June Nelson Elementary 

(Jordyn Reichert, Willaby Shuster, Quinn 

Iten, Alt: Tiffany Creed, Coach: Gia 

Hanna) 

Battles of the Books News 

by Teresa Paulsen 

A year of numerous changes 

brought the Battle of the 

Books program into the 

Internet Age. This year the 

distribution of materials via 

PDF files on the web proved 

a huge success. The website 

also offered hourly updates 

on the progress of the state 

audio-conference battles and 

important news and contact 

information. 

The 2001 State Winners Web 

Page, as well as next year's 

list of grade level coordinators 

and the tentative list of 

2001-2002 titles are now 

online on the AKLA/AkASL 

website. (See address below) 

We have also added a message 

board to share thoughts 

and ideas with others, so if 

you had a wonderful promotional 

idea for Battle of the 

Books, please feel free to 

share it with others on the 

Battle of the Books website. 

AkASL Battle of the Books Website: 

http://akla.org/akasl/bb/bbhome.html 

Here you will find the link to the PDF 

files, Registration Form and more. 

Thanks to all who participated 

in next year's title selections and 

those who offered their time to 

take on the duties of grade level 

chair! If you are interested in 

helping write questions, contact 

the following grade level chairs 

to volunteer: 

K-2 CHAIR: Roz Goodman, 

907-850-3011 

roz99647@yahoo.com 

3/4 CHAIR: Shelly Logsdon, 

907-376-7425 

slogsdon@msb.matsu.k12.ak.us 

5/6 CHAIR: Mary Hacker 

907-245-5521 

hacker_mary@msmail.asd.k12.ak.us 

7/8 CHAIR: Darla Grediagin 

907-474-9400 

Jelinek121@aol.com 

HS CHAIR: Sharron Ables 

907-822-5286 

sables@crsd.k12.ak.us 

STATE CHAIR: Teresa Paulsen 

907-883-5167 

tpaulsen@tok.agsd.gcisa.net 

Help is 

always 

appreciated 

as it takes the 

efforts of many 

to make the 

Battle 

program 

successful! 


Student Book Discussion Group 

by Marit Vick, Librarian at 

North Pole High School 

A small group of very avid 

readers at my school, North 

Pole High School, provided the 

momentum for me to form a 

student book discussion group. 

I have been part of an adult 

book group for four years and 

find it not only fun and stimulating 

but also an impetus to 

read books that I might not otherwise 

choose. As a result, I 

have greatly expanded my horizons 

in personal recreational 

reading. This is part of what I 

hoped to accomplish with my 

student group. 

We decided to read one book a 

month and vary the genre. For 

each genre I have prepared a list 

of suggestions of titles that I 

either have in the library at 

school or my own home collection 

so they can actually look at 

the books when making the decision. 

Once we have our selection, 

I use Book Fair money and 

purchase a paperback copy of 

each book that the readers can 

keep for their own personal libraries. 

We meet right after 

school one day a month for 

about an hour and a half. 

Patriot Readers started with 

only two members in October 

and has grown slowly to four, 

but what we lack in numbers 

we definitely make up for in 

enthusiasm. We began in October 

by reading The Golden 

Compass by Phillip Pullman 

because I knew that book three 

in the trilogy, The Amber Spyglass, 

was coming out that same 

month. By the time we met in 

November to discuss the book a 

third student had joined and all 

three of them had read all three 

titles in the trilogy. After years 

of nagging and pleading with 

students to read the Battle of the 

Books titles, I was pleasantly 

surprised by the self-motivation 

demonstrated. 

For December the girls (they 

were all girls and were now 

four) wanted to do a book/ 

movie combination. To ensure 

appropriateness I knew it had to 

be a title where I had not only 

read the book, but also watched 

the movie. I suggested Where 

the Heart Is by Billie Letts. We 

made it a dinner meeting with 

sub sandwiches, chips, and 

cookies. It was really fun to discuss 

how the book was altered 

in the movie, which medium 

was more effective, and how the 

movie casting compared with 

our mental images of characters. 

Since Christmas we have read 

Termination Dust by Sue Henry, 

Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank, Poisonwood 

Bible by Barbara 

Kingsolver, and The Color of 

Water: a Black Man’s Tribute to 

His White Mother by James 

McBride. We are finishing off 

the year in May by each of us 

sharing three of our favorite 

books. 

I look forward to next year and 

trust that a concerted membership 

drive next fall will swell 

our numbers to my personal 

goal of ten readers. A couple of 

the students are interested in 

doing Battle of the Books next 

year, so plan to incorporate 

Battle titles into our list. My 

biggest wish is to convince other 

high schools in the District to 

form book discussion groups so 

we can do some joint activities. 

I feel that this would enhance 

the student concept that Patriot 

Readers is a school activity. 

Overall, I feel that the group is a 

solid success. 

Travel Stipend 

Thank You! 

by Teresa Paulsen 

I would like to take this opportunity to 

extend a huge THANKS to AkASL for 

offering the travel stipend which enabled 

me to attend the AKLA Conference 

in Sitka this year. 

There were so many wonderful sessions 

to chose from that I couldn't 

choose a favorite. I was inspired to develop 

reading incentive programs with 

all of the new creative ideas offered by 

the 2 sessions: Making Reading Incentive 

Programs Work in Your Library 

and Children's Librarian Idea Exchange. 

Of course, the huge dinosaur 

coming down 

through the ceiling 

of the 

Kettleson Memorial 

Library 

children's room 

was something 

we will all remember 

for a 

long time to 

come! 

For someone like me, who is fairly new 

to the library field, it was extremely 

interesting to take the library tour to 

get a feel for how other libraries operate. 

I was especially inspired to begin 

"weeding" our collection after visiting 

the tidy and well organized local libraries 

in the Sitka area. 

Attending the conference also allowed 

me to put together all of the faces, 

names, and voices that I have been 

working with for this past year as the 

Battle of the Books program's state coordinator. 

The friends and contacts 

that I made at conference this year are 

especially valuable to me personally 

and professionally. 

Thank you to AkASL for providing me 

the chance to be a part of this exciting 

event and to the Sitka group for hosting 

a terrific conference! 


Collaboration: The Best Way to Implement the New 

Library / Information Literacy Standard 

 

by Janet Fortune 

Profound changes in technology 

and society in the last ten 

years have resulted in mind 

boggling changes in education 

and school library programs. 

Tiki Levinson, the 

former AKASL President, 

wrote about overwhelming 

changes in her professional 

career in the last issue of the 

Puffin. 

Information Power-Building 

Partnerships for Learning 

provides a guide that school 

librarians can use to respond 

to these changes. The emphasis 

on collaboration is a recent 

change and a key theme in 

IP2. Research had documented 

the importance of 

collaborative planning and 

teaching. It's essential to work 

with teachers to plan, conduct 

and evaluate learning activities 

that promote information 

literacy, the ability to find, 

evaluate, and use information 

efficiently and effectively. 

When we talk about collaborating 

with teachers, we do 

not mean occasional conversations 

about learning activities 

at lunch, in the hall or 

while waiting for a staff meeting 

to start. It means formally 

meeting with teachers to design 

a learning unit that incorporateslibrary/information 

literacy standards and 

subject content standards. 

Both you and the teacher 

equally participate in teaching 

skills, assessing the unit 

and evaluating the research 

process and the final product, 

reviewing the unit and making 

revisions for next time. 

It's easy to talk about the 

necessity of collaborating but 

difficult to actually persuade 

teachers to become equal 

partners in designing learning 

units. Why is it so hard to collaborate 

with us? 

One obstacle is teacher and 

administrator training. To 

many of them, our job consists 

of finding information 

they want when they want it. 

Library issues are most often 

dealt with in education law 

classes where the library media 

center is treated as a possible 

source of problems such 

as censorship, copyright and 

filtering. 

Perception is another obstacle. 

In the public's mind, 

schools are defined by classroom 

teaching and learning 

and librarians are not perceived 

as teachers or instructional 

consultants. Despite the 

fact that librarians are equal 

with teachers on the salary 

schedule and in the union, 

many teachers view librarians 

as support resources rather 

than as colleagues. School 

librarians are thought of as 

helping others make students 

successful, not as someone 

directly responsible for student 

success. A principal can 

recognize a successful teacher 

but it's hard to assess how 

much of that success is the 

result of the librarian's efforts. 

Collaborating with teachers 

on an equal basis to design 

learning units will get you 

recognized as someone directly 

responsible for student 

achievement. 

Here are a few strategies for 

persuading teachers to collaborate 

with you: 

* Anticipate units that occur 

at the same time every year. 

Offer to teach research skills 

as part of that unit. 

* When asked to pull a collection, 

point out that students 

would learn more by doing it 

themselves. Offer to teach 

your classification system and 

other location skills. 

*Give teachers a survey every 

nine weeks asking what 

they'll be teaching in the near 

future. Respond with an offer 

to teach library/information 

literacy skills. 

*Help teachers develop note 

taking sheets that discourage 

copying. Offer to teach a lesson 

on note taking and copyright. 

Lois Petersen had some 

great tips in the Winter issue 

of the Puffin for avoiding plagiarism. 

Make sure you're perceived 

as part of the team and someone 

directly involved with 

teaching students by volunteering 

for curriculum and 

technology committees. 

Do a library orientation tour 

for new teachers. It's a good 

time to express your willingness 

to work with them to integrate 

information literacy 

skills into their subject areas. 

Follow up with specific examples 

of what you can do for 

them when you know they'll 

be doing specific units. (From 

Information Skills Toolkit. 

Copyright 2000 by Linworth 

Publishing) 

Don't forget out bottom line: 

Student Achievement! 


y Barbara Kreher 

 

Congratulations to our Juneau 

Douglas High School Librarian, 

Linda Thibodeau. Linda is one 

of the recipients of this year's 

Librarian of the Year Award. It 

was a wonderful surprise for 

her as she graciously accepted 

the award at the Saturday night 

banquet during the 2001 Alaska 

Library Association Conference 

in Sitka. Way to go, Linda! 

Yes, the 2001 Sitka Conference 

was a wonderful success! It was 

great to see the Friday morning 

AkASL Roundtable Meeting 

packed full of school librarians. 

Another highlight was when 

Karen Cushman gave an inspirational 

talk at the Authors to 

Alaska luncheon. The conference 

had many relevant sessions 

that offered valuable informa- 

by Katie Sanders 

 

. . . from Northern Region 

Marty Osredker advises that after 

5 years as the Media Specialist 

for Bering Strait School District 

and 16 years in the state she is 

retiring. This is no doubt easier 

for her knowing that her replacement 

will be Lois Petersen, who 

will do a terrific job. Congratulations 

on your retirement Marty! 

. . . Other news from Marty and 

Bering Straits : 

We have had author visits, courtesy 

of CIRI and South-Central 

Foundation. Mystery writers 

who came to AK for the Left 

Coast Crime Conference were 

funded through a grant to visit 

bush sites. Stebbins and 

Unalakleet shared Christine 

Andreae and White Mountain 

and Elim were to host C.J. 

Songer, but Alaska weather inter- 

tion for school librarians. Thank 

you Sitka Librarians! 

Brita Rice reports that she and 

her mother just returned from a 

short trip to Sweden where they 

were treated to a back-room tour 

of the Malmo Library. Their patrons 

check in their own books 

and put them on a conveyor belt 

that whisks them up into a sorting 

mechanism. It dropped each 

book onto a cart 

headed for its section of the 

stacks. Pretty slick! Their circulation 

is over 1.5 million a year 

so they probably need the 

mechanization. Imagine! 

Closer to home, we would like to 

AGAIN let our library assistants 

rupted and she was only able to 

visit White Mountain. Speaking 

for Unalakleet, Luci Ivanoff did a 

terrific job and the community 

presentaion was delightful. As 

someone said, "It was like being 

in someone's living room, listening 

to Christine talk." 

. . . From Fairbanks: 

The FNSBSD has annouced the 

promotion of Gaylin Fuller to the 

new position, effective July 1, 

2001, of Executive Director of 

Instructional Services. In this 

capacity he will be overseeing 

the School District's Network 

Services Department, the Office 

of Instructional Technology 

and Library Media Services. We 

all congratulate him and look 

forward to reaping the benefits 

of his work coordinating the output 

of these three departments. 

know how much they are appreciated! 

Melissa Morgan, Library 

Assistant at Auke Bay 

Elementary in Juneau, has completed 

a Multicultural correspondence 

class and for her final 

project during the month of 

March she featured: Women in 

History - Our Heroes. She created 

a bulletin board that listed 

approximately 20 authors who 

have greatly contributed to 

children's literature. She had 

book displays from these authors 

and a crossword puzzle in which 

children could name the author 

after being given a few clues. 

Thanks, and keep up the great 

work, Melissa! 

Fairbanks also hosted visiting 

Mystery Authors from the West 

Coast Crime Conference. Hal 

Glatzer and Rex Burns visited 

with students at Howard Luke 

Academy. Glatzer and his wife, 

then went from Fairbanks to 

Anaktuvuk Pass, a visit he was 

greatly anticipating when we 

talked with him at Howard 

Luke. A third author, Ridley 

Pearson gave a reading at a local 

bookstore before going further 

north to visit schools in Fort 

Yukon. 

We also have enjoyed the talents 

of storyteller Mary Hamilton in 

Fairbanks recently. Mary gave an 

evening public presentation at 

the Noel Wien Library and then 

offered a workshop for teachers 

and librarians the next day. 


WIN $1000 In Free Books 

For Your Library! 

The Ketchikan Chapter of the 

Alaska Library Association is 

pleased to announce the third annual 

AkLA Book Bonanza. 

This year we have partnered with 

longtime library friends Ron and 

Lynn Dixon of the Cook Inlet 

Book Company in Anchorage and 

are thrilled to be offering 

$1000 in 

free books of 

your choosing 

to the librarian 

who writes 

the best essay 

on 

"How New 

Books 

Will Make 

A Difference in My Library." 

Thanks also to the Anchorage, 

Juneau, and Ketchikan chapters of 

AkLA and the AkLA Council for 

their support of this project. 

The deadline to enter is May 20th, 

2001 and the winner will be announced 

on June 1st, 2001. For all 

details, ask your Chapter Chair for 

a brochure or contact Charlotte 

Glover at the Ketchikan Public 

Library. We look forward to reading 

YOUR essay! 

Charlotte Glover 

Ketchikan Public Library 

629 Dock St. 

Ketchikan, Ak 99901 

907-225-0370 

907-225-0153- fax 

charg@firstcitylib.org 

We Have MNM Contest Winners! 

Congratulations to all who participated 

and won prizes in this year's 

MNM Contest. Winners were 

announced at the Exhibitors' Reception 

in Sitka. Once again, thank 

you SO MUCH to the many companies 

and individuals who supported 

this effort with valuable 

prize donations! 

A complete and fomatted list of 

prizes and winners is avaiable (see 

address at end of this article). 

Listed below are the winners of 

the top prizes. 

Prizes were sent out earlier this 

month. Again, congratulations to 

all who participated and learned 

more about the Alaska Statewide 

Databases along the way. 

 

EBSCO's prizes of two round-trip 

tickets on Ak Airlines to Conference 

2002 in Anchorage went to 

Lynn Forcella of Petersburg and 

Suzanne Richards of Emmonak. 

AkLA's donation of a 2001 set of 

Compton's Encyclopedias went to 

Rabbit Creek Elem - Anchorage - 

Lane Mayer . 

The State Library's prize of a set of 

reference books including a 2000 

edition of World Book Encyclopedia 

went to Nome School Libraries 

- Joy Hewitt. 

$25 Cook Inlet Book Gift Certificates 

went to: 

• Denali Elem - Anchorage - Linda 

Kumin 

• Ursa Minor Elem - Anchorage - 

Cathy Brandt 

• Seward Middle School - Kenail 

PBSD - Karen Davis 

• Nome School Libraries - Nome - 

Joy Hewitt 

$25 Barnes & Noble Gift Certificates 

went to: 

•Stedman Elem. - Petersburg - 

Mary Ellen Tremblay 

•North Pole Elem. - Fairbanks NS 

- Lyn Ballam 

•Sutton Elem - Mat-Su - Rob 

DeBach 

•Tudor Elem - Anchorage - Tracy 

Bulot 

Harry Potter Books 

• Naknek - Bristol Bay - Tiki 

Levinson 

K-2 Battle Books 

• Pacific Northern Academy - Anchorage 

-Amy Nielsen 

Permabound - canvas bag 

•Tudor Elem - Anchorage - Tracy 

Bulot 

Books: 

• Am. Heritage Dictionary - Pacific 

Northern Academy - Anchorage 

-Amy Nielsen 

• The Wanderer - Anchorage Municipal 

Library - Jane Baird 

• Hope was Here - Campbell 

Elem. - Anchorage - Laura Rose 

• Harry Potter & the Goblet of 

Fire - Wasilla MS - Mat-Su - 

Bonnie Cavanaugh 

Encyclopedia Britannica CD 2000 - 

Central MS - Anchorage - Heather 

Fleming. 

Congrats to all! 

Lois A. Petersen 

School Library Coordinator 

344 W. 3rd Ave., Suite 125 

Anchorage, AK 99501 

(800) 776-6566 (toll free - in state) 

(907) 269-6569 

(907) 269-6580 (fax) 

lois_petersen@eed.state.ak.us 


Teens and Young Adults - 

What's a Librarian to Do? 

At the YA/Teen Idea Exchange, 

March 10 in Sitka, school and youth 

services librarians found some great 

answers! Present at this session were 

Karen Cushman, author of several 

YA novels, many of Alaska's school 

and public librarians, and four real 

live teens who are members of the 

Kettleson Memorial Library Teen 

Advisory Board - responsible for 

helping to determine YA purchases 

and programs at Sitka's public library. 

Should YA books be kept in a separate 

section? 

Some public libraries put books with 

teenage main characters 14 years and 

older into a separate YA section. 

Other libraries house YA books 

within the adult section, but might 

tag the spine so they can be identified 

as YA. Other libraries had the YA 

section near the children's books. 

When asked, the Sitka teens all said 

they liked having their own section 

and preferred that section be separated 

from the other collections as 

much as possible. One librarian said 

circulation increased quite a bit when 

the YA books were given a separate 

place within the library. 

How to make teens feel welcome? 

Put them to work! 

According to several, it's often the 

library staff members who feel uncomfortable 

when teens enter the 

library, especially in large numbers. 

But having something for 

them to do can reduce the tensions 

and help to build rapport between 

librarians and the teens they serve. 

In Willow, teens help administer 

the summer reading program for 

younger children. They handle 

registration, award prizes, listen to 

children talk about the books 

they've read, help set up storytelling 

activities, etc. A good 

many teens not only enjoy volunteering, 

they are sometimes required 

to volunteer as part of their 

membership in organizations such 

as National Honor Society and International 

Baccalaureate. 

Karen Cushman 

How can you lure teens in? 

Food and programs of interest are 

the keys! It was unanimous! The 

best way to attract teens is 

through food - junk food, that is! 

But the other way to snag teens is 

to offer them the programs they 

want. 

Programs that were hits included: 

Hair braids and Make-Up 

Tie-dying 

Cartooning 

Photography Tips 

Downloading Computer 

Images 

Henna Tattooing 

Babysitting 

College Admissions 

Food and a Film Night 

Teen Mystery Night 

What's a librarian to do when 

faced with the dilemma of developing 

programs for teens? 

The Sitka Library Advisory Board 

teens willingly shared their 

thoughts and provided helpful 

tips on presentations that would 

be hits with teens. More important, 

they liked being consulted 

and felt good about being involved. 

So, the straightest path to great 

teen programming seems to be - 

ask the teens themselves! You'll 

be glad you did! 


Booking It by Ruth Woodruff 

Newberys & the Net: 

Thematic Technology 

Connections 

by Annette Lamb & Nancy 

R. Smith 

Vision to Action c. 2000 

1-891917-02-1 

This book is an excellent 

reference for teachers and 

librarians. It is a great way 

to bring meaning to a 

Newbery winner story. For 

instance, if your class is 

reading From the Mixed up 

Files of Mrs. Basil E. 

Frankweiler, and you are 

talking about the museum, 

If you’re like me, always on 

the lookout for something 

new to add a little more zip to 

Learning About Books & 

Libraries: A Gold Mine of 

your kids may have trouble 

visualizing that, if they 

haven’t experience such a 

your library lessons, then Games 

museum. Using the Internet, 

take a look at these three 

books. 

by Carol K. Lee & Janet 

Langford 

the kids can actually visit 

the museum, even explore 

57 Games to Play in the 

Alleyside Press c. 2000 the very rooms the charac- 

Library or Classroom 1-57950-51-X 

ters of the book hung out in. 

by Carol Lee & Fay Edwards. 

Alleyside Press, c. 1997 

1-57950-0145-5 

Like its subtitle, this book is 

definitely a “gold mine” of 47 

If your class is reading 

Lily’s Crossing, but have no 

This book is an expanded and 

updated version to the 50 

Games to Play in the Library 

educational games that 

strengthen library skills and 

reading interests. This book is 

idea what Victory Gardens 

were, have them take a trip 

in history via the net. This 

or Classroom; you may already 

be familiar with. It is 

chock full of games that teach 

children how to use the library, 

from learning parts of 

broken into 3 sections, which 

is very helpful to librarians 

and teachers. The first relates 

to fiction books that are com- 

added element of technology 

lets children get a real 

glimpse of what it’s like to 

be in the world of the book. 

the book, to the Dewey Clasmonly found in most libraries 

sification, to using the online 

catalog and reference tools. 

and review plot, character, 

and settings, authors and the 

Each book covered includes 

bibliographic summaries, 

All the games can be made 

easily from low-cost materials 

Newbery and Caldecott Winners. 

The second section rein- 

story summaries, URLs to 

author and book connec- 

or materials you already have 

on hand (after all, what else 

are you doing with those old 

card pockets?) Not only do I 

use the games as a teaching 

forces research skills and the 

third section is designed 

around cultural thematic 

units using well-known 

tions and “Cool Classroom 

Connections.s” I am sure 

this book will get a lot of 

use by librarians and teach- 

unit, but have them available 

for students to play while the 

rest of their class is busy 

browsing the library. 

children’s stories. 

It is really helpful for the 

younger elementary students. 

ers —— and what a way to 

integrate technology into 

the curriculum! 


Tech Connect: School Library Media and 

Technology Specialists Collaborate 

The Vision 

Information Power: Building 

Partnerships for Learning-The 

Vision clearly states that the 

School Library Media Specialist 

"Acting as a technologist 

(rather than a technician) and 

a collaborator with teachers, 

plays a critical role in designing 

students experiences that 

focus on authentic learning, 

information literacy, and curricular 

mastery." 

Why Make Tech Connections? 

There are many reasons to 

collaborate with technology 

staff. Here are just a few: 

•To support the teaching and 

learning of national, state, and 

local standards. 

•To be more effective in delivering 

staff development programs. 

•To capitalize on some of the 

funding that is earmarked for 

technology. (Whether we like 

it or not, technology is currently 

where the money is. 

Rather than compete for funding, 

we need to see how our 

resources, activities and funding 

needs compliment and 

support school and district 

technology plans and programs.) 

Tips for Making Tech Connections 

•Be proactive! Seek connections 

and collaboration time 

with building and district 

level technology staff. 

•Identify goals you have in 

common with technology programs 

in your school and district. 

Then work 

collaboratively toward these 

common goals. 

•Identify the strengths and 

skills of each member of the 

library/media and technology 

staffs. Build a partnership 

based on effective use of these 

skills and strengths. 

•Become tech savvy! Learn 

enough about technology issues 

so you can see where connections 

to school library media 

programs can be made. 

•Participate on technology 

committees, promoting school 

library media issues and concerns 

when appropriate. 

•Be both a school library media 

and a technology leader in 

your school and district. 

Some Common Goals 

A few projects that work best 

when library and technology 

staff combine efforts are: 

•Internet instruction and integration 

into the curriculum 

•Teaching of information literacy 

skills School/District 

grant writing efforts 

•Promoting technology-based 

reading incentive programs 

How to become a tech savvy 

Media Specialist 

•Take classes (ICONNECT 

classes are terrific!), attend 

conferences, read related 

magazines and journals, and 

look over the shoulders of 

those who might be a step 

ahead of your skill level. Then 

put what you know to use in 

your library. 

•Learn how to: 

Navigate the Internet and 

World Wide Web. 

•Do basic troubleshooting on 

the most common hardware/ 

software packages. 

•Talk the language in order to 

contribute effectively on technology 

committees. 

•Model the use of technology 

tools as appropriate within 

your library program. 

•Maintain a robust and organized 

collection of bookmarks 

related to standards and curricular 

units. 

•Provide Internet training for 

teachers and students. 

•Create gateway pages and 

webliographies. 

Tech Connect Resources for 

Media Specialists 

The following resources provide 

more information and 

insights into collaboration between 

school library media 

specialists and technologists: 

• The Vision Statement and 

four key roles of the School 

Library Media Specialist as 

stated in Information Power; 

Building Partnerships for 

Learning. 

• The Alaska State Standards 

on Information/Literacy. 

• The ISTE NETS Standards 

for Students. 

•LM_NET Listserv - post 

technology related questions, 

read the archives related to 

common technology concerns 

or monitor this listserv 

on a regular basis to stay in 

tune with current library issues 

related to technology. 

"Collaboration is a symbiotic process 

that requires active, genuine 

effort and commitment by all 

members of the instructional 

team. It may take considerable 

time and energy to establish truly 

collaborative relationships, but 

developing effective collaboration 

strategies is crucial to the library 

media program." 

This quote from Information 

Power will hopefully prompt 

you to think about and create 

your own tech connect action 

plan. 

• What can you do immediately? 

• What can you do this school 

year? 

• What can you do next year? 

For additional ideas and 

online resources, contact: 

Roz Goodman, 

roz99647@yahoo.com 

By 

Roz 

Goodman 

 

 


Recharged by Spring Conference! 

by Liz Buness, The four days I spent in the 

Grant/Stipend beautiful little city of Sitka while 

Recipient 

it was bursting at the seams 

with almost 200 professional 

librarians recharged me to refine 

and reorganize many of my library 

practices at home. The 

hard work and careful planning 

that went into the 41st ALA conference 

was clearly evident. Besides 

the friendly camaraderie 

and networking with librarians 

from around the state, the time I 

spent at the Alaska Library Association 

was chock full of 

knowledge and skills useful for 

managing 

today’s library. 

If I had attended 

only 

a few sessions, 

the 

trip would 

have been 

worthwhile. 

At each session 

a library 

professional(s) 

shared valuableknowledge 

and 

experience to an eager audience. 

But because I wanted to soak up 

every bit of information I could, 

I attended eleven sessions during 

the conference. It would be 

difficult to chose one session as 

more valuable than the others. 

But from the first day of preconferencing 

right up to the last, 

I, along with others, marched 

from one session to the next 

knowing I was going to learn 

something interesting. 

The conference started out with 

a big bang! At the very first session, 

“Web Triage” Gail Junion- 

Metz shared an enthusiasm for 

organization that was contagious. 

She walked us through 

several stages of creating a reference 

library on our internet 

computer screens, and also 

shared other valuable tools 

and techniques for searching 

on the net. I filled a notebook 

with notes from this session, 

and she supplied each of the 

hundred or so attendees with 

very useful reference sheets. 

I refer to mine daily. 

Another extremely valuable 

session I attended was conducted 

by two women from 

the State Library, Kay 

Shelton and Tahitia Orr. 

Their combined experience 

brought a wealth of knowledge 

to each of us attending 

the “Researching Alaskana” 

session. I have since seriously 

surveyed our in-house 

Alaska sources and have ordered 

many of their recommended 

books on Alaska. I 

have also bookmarked the 

Internet sites they provided 

that I didn’t already have. 

I’ve just completed organizing 

a separate Alaskana section, 

spending a fair amount 

of our budget money to build 

this area for middle school, 

high school, and UAS students 

who come in looking 

for specific information on 

Alaska. This session was 

very valuable to me. I am 

continuing my work on this 

section by developing a 

concise annotated bibliography 

of all the Alaskana resources 

available at our 

school library. 

Not only were the workshops 

well worth attending, 

but informative entertainment 

was arranged during 

our lunch and break times. 

Karen Cushman, author 

and Newbery Award winner, 

spoke to a large audience 

about her life of writing, 

while we were 

treated to a wonderful 

buffet luncheon. 

Then, completing 

Saturday’s 

evening, we were 

treated to dancing 

by the 

New Archangel 

Dancers. 

Finally on Sunday 

dozens of librarians 

hopped on a 

catamaran for a 

scenic tour of 

Sitka’s ocean waters. 

I am very grateful 

for the opportunity to have 

attended the ALA conference 

and to meet so many 

wonderful librarians who 

share my interest in Alaska 

and in providing services to 

students and patrons 

through library resources. 

Attending this conference 

has continued to influence 

each and every workday, as 

I try to incorporate all the 

knowledge that was shared 

by exceptional librarians 

during our time in Sitka. 

I hope to be seeing many of 

you again! 

Liz Buness 

Library Aide/Coordinator 

Wrangell Middle School/ 

High School Library 


Through the Eyes of a Conference 

Cheechako 

How was the conference? 

Everything depends on 

where each of us is coming 

from and where we are at in 

our quest. For me, I learned 

time saving search skills from 

Gail Junion-Metz. I learned in 

minutes from her what 

would have taken me hours 

or days to discover on my 

own. 

I was challenged by Martin 

Dillion to review our passive 

role of the past and to look to 

the future with the renewed 

progressive management role 

of knowledge. 

I was inspired as I tried to 

keep up with Artemis 

BonaDea as she helped us to 

create and build our own 

books. 

I was disappointed not to 

have more time to visit with 

our gracious hosts on our 

tour of the Sitka Libraries and 

was awestruck at the windows 

and views from within. 

Judy Sierra held me captive 

in her telling of Tasty Baby 

Belly Buttons. I was entertained 

by the various Native 

and Russian Dancers at the 

Banquets. Amazed at the 

possibilities on "The Path to 

Horizon Sunrise for Dynix 

Libraries". 

And I was left to ponder the 

thought presented by Karen 

Cushman, "If children are 

what they eat, they are also 

what they see, what they 

hear, and what they read." 

That's how the conference 

was for me. 

The conference in Sitka was 

an opportunity to experience 

the courtesies that abounded 

everywhere. "Welcome to 

Sitka. Here, let me help you 

with that." Blue and white 

striped umbrellas moving 

about the city of Sitka as the 

rain fell. A bus driver's unscheduled 

stop to help someone 

out. Crocuses blooming 

and yellow daffodils picked 

for our pleasure. 

Waiting in line was an opportunity 

to begin a conversation, 

to glean another idea or 

two. Night time was also an 

opportunity to discuss ideas 

for books, book fairs and procedures 

to try. Shopping was 

an opportunity to learn how 

to live without plastic. (A 

checkbook is a must at the 

conference!) It was also another 

opportunity to experience 

the generosity of people 

I had never met when they 

offered to loan me money. 

The conference was an opportunity 

to share ideas and sing 

the gorilla song with Patsy. It 

was an opportunity to ask 

questions and to leave with 

new ones. 

It was an opportunity to ponder 

what will my role be in 

"feeding" my patrons? What 

will I provide them to see, to 

hear, and to read?" 

by 

Betsy Schmidt, 

Finger Lake 

Elementary 

Grant/Stipend 

Recipient 


PRESIDENT ... Bob VanDerWege 

rvdw@kpbsd.k12.ak.us 

PRESIDENT-ELECT...Cathy Boutin 

boutinc@jsd.k12.ak.us 

PAST PRESIDENT..Tiki Levinson 

tlevinson@nnk.gcisa.net 

SECRETARY ..... Darla Grediagin 

jelinek121@aol.com 

TREASURER .. Karen Nash- Joynt 

joynt@alaska.net 

REGIONAL COORDINATORS 

Northern................ Katie Sanders 

katies@northstar.k12.ak.us 

Southcentral .......... Valerie Oliver 

oliver_valerie@msmail.asd.k12.ak.us 

Southeast .................. Barb Kreher 

kreherb@mail.jsd.k12.ak.us 

Western .................... Karen Davis 

kjdavis@kpbsd.k12.ak.us 

ALASKA ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARIANS (AkASL) 

EXECUTIVE BOARD AND COMMITTEE COORDINATORS 2001-2002 

MEMBERSHIP ...... Ann McCann 

annm@northstar.k12.ak.us 

BATTLE OF THE BOOKS 

.............................. Teresa Paulsen 

tpaulsen@aptalaska.net 

PUFFIN Editor .. Ruth Woodruff 

rwoodruf@firstcitylib.org 

ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS/ 

WEBMASTER ........ Pat Wamsley 

wamsley@alaska.net 

INFORMATION POWER 

.................................... Jan Fortune 

janetf@mosquitonet.com 

AWARDS ............. Sue Hagedorn 

hagedorn@gci.net 

.......................... Linda Thibodeau 

thibodel@jsd.k12.ak.us 

GOVERNOR'S ADVISORY 

COUNCIL 

........................... Linda Masterson 

Masterson_Linda@xmail.asd.k12.ak.us 

Future Conferences - ALASKA 

____________________________________________ 

ASTE 2001 Conference 

(Alaska Society for Technology in Education) 

April 7-8, 2001: Pre-Conference 

April 9-10, 2001: Conference Sessions 

Location: Anchorage, AK / the Egan Convention 

Center and the Anchorage Marriott Downtown 

(ASTE Conference hotel, conference rate available) 

http://aste.org 

____________________________________________ 

2001 Literacy Odyssey; Anchorage, AK 

Preconference with Regie Routman October 5, 2001. 

Conference October 6, 7, 8 (Sat., Sun., Mon.)2001. 

Venues include the Fourth Avenue Theater; the 

Sheraton Hotel and West High School. Contact 

Person: Nancy Carder 

____________________________________________ 

AkLA / AkASL Conference 

March 7-10, 2002 will be in Anchorage , AK 

____________________________________________ 

EX-OFFICIO .......... Lois Petersen 

Alaska State Libary 

School Library Coordinator 

344 W. 3rd Ave., Suite 125 

Anchorage, AK 99501 

(907) 269-6569 

(907) 269-6580 (fax) 

lois_petersen@eed.state.ak.us 

UPCOMING 

E-BOARD MEETINGS 

The AkASL Board will meet 

via teleconference* on the 

following dates. 

Contact Bob VanDerWege 

for more information. 

April 18 

May 9 

Future Conferences - NATIONAL 

____________________________________________ 

ALA Annual Conference 2001 

San Francisco, California 

June 14-20, 2001 

____________________________________________ 

PNLA Annual Conference 

August 8 - 10, 2001, Corvallis, Oregon. 

____________________________________________ 

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL LI- 

BRARIANS (AASL) 

Tenth National Conference and Exhibition 

Indianapolis, Indiana 

November 14-18, 2001 

____________________________________________ 

ALA Midwinter Meeting 2002

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