Puffin Fall 2006, v26,#1 issue (pdf 2.4 mb) - Alaska Library Association

Fall 2006, v26 #1
Newsletter of The Alaska Association of School Librarians (AkASL)
2006 School Library Leadership Academy
Leadership Academy
photo credit:
Lynn McNamara
Kneeling (l to r) Barb Bryson, Elaine Daw, Cyndi Jensen Standing (l or r) Julie Doepken, Joyce Lund, Bob
VanDerWege, Wendy Stout, Judy Kern, Laura Rose, Mary Lum, and guest instructor Alice Yucht.
Leadership Academy Photo. . . . . . p.1
AkASL Minutes in Brief . . . . . . . . p.2
President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . p.3
AkASL E’board 2006-2007 . . . . . . p.4
AkLA ‘07 Conference Preview. . . . p.5
Principal’s Conference . . . . . . . . . .p. 5
Something From Sue . . . . . . . . . . . p.6
Scholastic Reading Report . . . . . . . p.7
AkASL Book Bonanza . . . . . . . . . .p. 7
School Library Leadership. . . . . . . p.8
Bethel Regional HS Library. . . . . .p. 8
Table of Contents
Grants, Grants, Grants. . . . . . . . . .p. 9
Database Guides Grant . . . . . . . . . p.9
SouthEast Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.10
SouthCentral Report . . . . . . . . . . p.10
Western Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 11
Delta School Library . . . . . . . . . . p.22
Northern Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.12
In Memory of Marge Thera. . . . . p.12
Fairbanks Authors Book Sale p.12
2006 Travel Grant Conference
Attendees Speak Out . . . . . . . . p.13
Participants in
the 2006 School
Library Leadership
Academy
at the University
of Alaska
Anchorage in
August try different
means
of communicationsincluding
wikis and
blogs.
See full story
on page 8.
Mark Your Calendars . . . . . . . . . p.13
Battle of the Books . . . . . . . . . . . . p.14
Pump Up Your Read-Alouds . . . . p.15
AkASL Awards Nominations p.16
Roger Sampson Meeting; Jo Morse
Scholarship; DOPA . . . . . . . . . . .p. 17
The Computer Savy Librarian p.18
Manga. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.19
AkASL E’Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.20
Future Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . p.20
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1 p. 1

Excerpts from the AkASL E’Board minutes . . .
by Tiki Levinson
Your AkASL executive board meets monthly via conference calls. As always, if you
have concerns, questions, suggestions or comments, please contact an E’ Board
member. (See last page of this publication for contact informtion, names & links,
or the AkASL website: http://www.akla.org/akasl/assoc/eboard.html )
p. 2
Annual Fall Face-to-Face Board Meeting
Your AkASL executive board met in
Anchorage at the State Library on September
16th.
Here are some highlights from the
meeting:
• Guest speaker, Kay Shelton, Alaska
State Librarian met with the board
via audioconference from Juneau.
She emphasized the importance
of supporting full funding for the
IMLS’s LSTA grants. This could
mean a considerable increase in the
amount of state grant funds for Alaskan
libraries. She also requested our
support for the new state library and
museum facility in Juneau.
• The board upgraded the AkASL Wiki
so that it will be more useful to the
membership.
• The certification issue (Type C versus
Type A) was discussed.
• Preparations for Michael Sullivan’s
return visit to address Boys and
Books at the Principal’s Conference
were addressed.
• The budget, AkASL Legislative priorities
and annual goals were established.
• AkASL will be piloting the management
of the Book Bonanza this year.
• The Puffin’s publication schedule was
brough up and several options for
more timely articles were discussed.
If you haven’t sent in your AkASL
membership form, please go to http://
www.akla.org/akasl/assoc/membform.html
and hurry to fill out that
form. The deadline to have your membership
form mailed is October 21st.
We’ll have a drawing for the iPod soon
after that.
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.
Winter 2007 deadline
is January 15, 2007
Send articles to Puffin Editor:
Suzanne Metcalfe
suzmet@gci.net
Puffin Publisher:
Pat Wamsley
wamsley@mtaonline.net
Any general inquiries should be
directed to:
AkASL President:
Barb Bryson
barb_bryson@valdez.cc
---
(For full names of all AkASL
E’Board members and contact
email address, see last page of
this newsletter.)
You Can Win an iPod Nano!
AkASL supports you and your profession
in many ways through advocacy,
professional development, and Battle of
the Books. This is your time to support
the association and become involved
in efforts to further the profession of
school librarianship.
AkASL Website: http://www.akla.org/akasl
AkLA Website: http://www.akla.org
JOIN TODAY for 2006-07, membership forms on web sites!
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1

President’s Message
Barb’s
Byline ...
If your school year began anything
like mine, you hit the floor running,
(wearing the usual wide variety of
hats), and probably haven’t shifted into
low gear. That’s what I love about our
profession. There’st never a dull moment.
But at the same time, all those
hats can obstruct our ability to see
ways to achieve all those tasks. How
do we find time to locate a more vibrant
way to teach kids the research
process, or locate a bibliography for
those new Alaskan books that teachers
will really use? Where can you
scavenge some extra funds to purchase
books by those hot authors reluctant
boys will pick up, read, and actually
finish? On a more personal note, how
do we advocate to those key players in
our work place the importance of what
we do and why our positions should
not be eliminated? Your association,
AkASL, works very hard to support
you –Alaska Teacher Librarians-- in
a wide variety of ways.
Networking and collaboration is such
an important part of our profession
that AkASL has started a wiki tailored
to Alaska school librarians. We hope it
becomes a place where school librarians
from all regions of our state can
come together to share questions, suggestions,
and ideas on anything and
everything that will assist us in doing
our job better. Thanks to Darla Grediagin,
the driving force getting our
wiki up and running! If your curiosity
is peaked, check out the brief article
about your new AkASL wiki on page 7.
While we’re still on the topic of
networking, AkASL is designing a
pamphlet geared for school librarians:
“Staying Connected: The Key To
Success.” We hope it will be used as a
quick tool to access important resources
that will help you do your job even
better including a “Top 10 Favorite
Websites.” We hope to have a PFD on
the AkASL Website before February.
Back by popular demand: AkASL
members will have another opportunity
to attend the 2007 AkLA Conference,
February 22 – 25, in Juneau.
http://www.akla.org/juneau2007/index.html
There will be fifteen $600
grants awarded to librarians and Paraprofessionals
from Northern, Southcentral,
and Western regions. New
this year is the addition of five $250
grants for members from Southeast.
Your regional reps will keep you in the
loop. Thanks to support from our state
library and federal funding: CFDA
45.310, this is one way AkASL is able
to promote professional growth and
training for school librarians throughout
Alaska.
Many of you have suggested we tackle
the Library Certification Issue. AkASL
believes that certification for a school
library media specialist should reflect
the applicant’s education and training.
The option to apply for either a Type
A Professional Teacher Certificate or
a Type C Special Services Certificate
provides the means of best describing
and acknowledging an applicant’s
training. This year AkASL will pursue
efforts to improve the certification
process for school library media specialists.
As educational funding continues to
shrink, it’s more important than ever
for AkASL to team with organizations
such as AkLA and our state library to
become a united force for legislative
funding on a larger spectrum. One of
AkASL’s legislative goals this year is to
support the EED/LAM project in Juneau.
The hope is to secure funding for
the construction phase of the Alaska
State Museum. Linda Thibodeau, formerly
the Juneau-Douglas High School
Librarian, joined LAM as Deputy Director
May 1. We’ll keep you posted.
Congratulations to Robin Turk! Robin
has graciously offered to represent
Alaska School Librarians at the AASL
Vision Summit this December. AASL
requested visionary leaders of our
profession from around the country
to explore the school library media
program of the future, and to identify
what needs to be done to achieve that
vision. For more details skip over to
page 4.
As you can tell AkASL is working hard
to support our members and our profession.
No matter which hat you happen
to be wearing at the moment, take
time to set it aside, grab a cup of your
favorite beverage, put your feet up,
and check out the rest of this Fall 2006
Puffin. You’re sure to find something
that will peak your interest.
Ak ASL
ALASKA ASSOCIATION OF
SCHOOL LIBRARIANS
AkASL PRESIDENT
Barb Bryson
barb_bryson@valdez.cc
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1 p. 3

p. 4
New AkASL Board Members
Robin Turk of Colony Middle School
in Palmer has taken over the job of
WebMaster for AkASL. Visit our website
at: http://www.akla.org/akasl to
keep up-to-date with AkASL happenings
and information.
Robin will represent Alaska school
librarians at a “vision summit” hosted
by the American Association of School
Librarians (AASL) this December.
The goal is to bring together visionary
leaders of the profession from around
the country to explore the school library
media program of the future,
and to identify what needs to be done
to achieve that vision. The ideas gen-
erated at the AASL Vision Summit
will support the development of new
guidelines for our profession.
Congratulations Robin!
Mary Hacker of Lake Hood Elementary
in Anchorage is our new Awards
Chair. Mary was the most recent winner
of the AkASL Linda K Barrett Service
Award.
Lyn Ballam of North Pole Middle School
is your Northern Regional Representative.
She has jumped right in by volunteering
to be a regular columnist. (See the Computer
Savvy Librarian on page 16).
AkASL
Treasurer
Needed!
“Want to get more involved with
the Alaska Association of School
Librarians? AkASL is currently
looking for a new treasurer.
Kirk Thompson will be stepping
down from the positon in February.
If you are interested or have any
questions, please contact Barb
Bryson, (AkASL President) at
barb_bryson@valdez.cc
AkASL Executive Board for 2006-2007
photo by Suzanne Metcalfe
(left to right)
Seated: Suzanne Metcalfe, Valerie Oliver, Erika Drain, Lynn McNamara, Lyn Ballam, Darla Grediagin, Suzanne Richards.
Standing: K irk Thompson, Sue Sherif, Pat Wamsley, Kari Sagel, Robin Turk, Barb Bryson, Bob VanDerWege, Tiki Levinson,
Shelly Logsdon. (not shown, Mary Hacker)
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1

Plan to attend the 2007 AkLA conference February 22nd through 25th in
Juneau at Centennial Hall. Programs are still in the works, but the following
speakers of interest to teacher librarians have been confirmed:
ALA author and librarian RoseMary Honnold from Ohio (preconference)
YALSA teen columnist and librarian Kevin King from Michigan
YA author Marsha Qualey from Minnesota on board.
Keep up-to-date by visiting http://www.akla.org/juneau2007/index.html
Travel Grants are available, see article to the right, and/or contact your regional
representative for more information.
AkASL at Alaska Principals’ Conference
Once again AkASL made its presence
known during the Principal’s Conference
at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel
October 15th – 17th.
There were several give-aways at the
AkASL booth. Bob VanDerWege of
Capstone Books donated a variety of
books, one of which was handed out
to each principal who stopped by our
booth. AkASL also had three excellent
advocacy pamphlets put out by ALA
and AALA to share with principals.
(“Building Partnerships For Learning”,
“Your School Library Media Program
and No Child Left Behind”, and “The
Principal’s Manual For Your School
Michael Sullivan, author of Connecting
Boys With Books: What Libraries
Can Do and The Fundamentals of
Children’s Services, was invited by
AkASL to came to Anchorage October
15-17 and speak at the annual Alaska
Principal’s Conference. Sullivan, currently
the director of the Weeks Public
Library in Greenland, NH, focuses
widely on the topic of boys and reading.
Library Media Program”). World
Book representative Darrell Thompson
donated a set of Mythology books as
a prize drawing at the Michael Sullivan
presentation. Bob VanDerWege
jumped on board by supplying a Capstone
Signature Lives Revolutionary
War set. AkASL gave away copies
of Sullivan’s book: Connecting Boys
With Books. Hopefully your library is
one of the lucky ones to receive one of
the give aways.
Many thanks to Val Oliver, Bob
VanDerWege, Mary Hacker, and Sue
Sherif for taking care of the conference
booth!!
Travel Grants
by Suzanne Richards
Planning to attend the
AKLA conferencein Juneau,
February 22-25, 2007?
Would you like some monetary
assistance to get there?
15 travel grants of $600.00 will be
awarded to Northern, Southcentral
and Western regions (5 per region) and
5 grants of $250.00 will be available to
members in the Southeast region.
Travel Grants are used to cover airfare,
lodging and registration. Application
deadline for the Juneau conference is
Nov 15, 2006, with recipients being notified
by December 15th.
Travel grants will be handled a little bit
differently this year, instead of applying
to your regional representative all
grants will be reviewed by one person,
the travel grant chair, Suzanne Richards.
This is to simplify the application
and reimbursement process.
Recipients write an article for the
Spring Puffin as part of the process.
Travel grants are provided to the
membership through grants that the
Association applied for from the State
Library Office.
For more information, contact Suzanne
Richards, bethelbooks2@aol.
com and/or look on the AkASL
website:
http://www.akla.org/akasl
Michael Sullivan Presents at Three Venues in Anchorage
By Barb Bryson
In 2005 he was profiled in Library
Journal’s “Movers & Shakers” edition
for his work promoting reading to
boys.
Interested individuals in the area
had three opportunities to listen to
Sullivan’s entertaining and informative
talk. Besides the principal’s
conference, he spoke one evening at
the UAA Consortium Library. This
event was free and open to the public.
He also presented for the Anchorage
School District.
Sullivan has recently written an intermediate
level book titled Escapade
Johnson and Mayhem at Mount
Moosilauke. It’s the first book in
the “Escapade Johnson” series. ISBN:
1929945701
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1 p. 5

Coordinator’s Corner
“Endless experiments have been done on both animals and humans to determine
what conditions predictably and precisely build a better brain. William Greenough,
who has studied the effects of enriching environments for over 20 years, says two
things are particularly important in growing a better brain. The critical ingredients in
Something
from
is something ported by Jensen above. We cer- Have you thought about how
we take for granted, yet some tainly need to help teachers who students can respond meaning-
days in the crush of school want to identify books at a parfully to what they read as they
events, dealing with students, ticular grade or lexile level. use your library? This is where
teachers, and parents, keeping Teachers have always wanted to posting students comments
the printers in paper and toner, help struggling readers learn to about books, arranging book
and trying to help everyone be- read proficiently, but now they buddy programs, and all sorts
come skilled at using the catalog are under a great deal of pres- of programs that allow stu-
or learning research skills, we sure to show results in the form dents to respond to reading
may inadvertently short-change of adequate yearly progress. and gain feedback from teach-
our literacy mission in the While we work with teachers to ers, parents, and fellow stu-
school.
identify readable text for their dents brings the school librar-
students, we need to consider ian right in line with literacy
We may not deliver formal read- carefully the pressure in some effort of the school. What do
ing instruction, but as school schools to create libraries (or you do to foster this interactive
librarians we certainly have a alternative “book rooms”), which feedback in your school? There
strong role to play. With reading are arranged solely on grade, are probably a number of
achievement one of the corner- lexile, or AR level. It is impor- ways— from displaying art
stones of federal and state protant for students, especially the projects that are responses to
grams now and with the threats struggling readers, to be success- literature to sponsoring poetry
to professional and paraprofesful in reading so creating book slams, book discussion groups,
sional library positions in many lists, labels, or catalog record Battle of the Books teams,
school district’s budgets this indications of reading levels can Young Readers Choice elec-
spring, we need to communicate be ways that we can help teachtions and many more. These
to ourselves and others how we ers in this effort.
activities need to be promoted,
can be school leaders in the lit-
not as “extras,” but as our solid
eracy effort.
At the same time, we need to contribution to reading
think carefully about not creating achievement in our schools.
While our teaching staff becomes libraries that are simply an in- These activities (and there can’t
increasingly involved in building ventory by reading level. Con- be just one if you are meeting
“leveled” collections and we trolled vocabulary is very impor- the needs of all your students)
learn more and more through tant in the early stages of read- are the ones that we need to
standardized testing about the ing, but standard reading in- highlight to our principals and
varied reading levels of our secstruction is meant to give stu- our communities.
ondary students, school librarians
must also remember William
Greenough’s findings re-
Sue Sherif, Alaska State Libary
School Library/Youth Services Coordinator
dents strategies for confronting
more challenging material and In these uncertain budget
new vocabulary. We need to be times, we need to be communi-
working one-on-one with our cating more than ever to every-
students to make sure that they one who might help us keep
not only find their comfort lev- library programs in schools.
els, but their challenge levels in Sure, we ARE the people who
p. 6
sue_sherif@eed.state.ak.us
our libraries.
keep books flowing in and out
The Puffin, of the Fall libraries. 2006 (Those v26, #1who
344 W. 3rd Ave., Suite 125
As for the second precept de- propose the false economy of
scribed by Jensen above, “inter- doing away with the library
Guest any purposeful presenter Bonnie program Cavanaugh to enrich the learner’s
Even if you
brain
read
are
the
that
very
first
first
the
edition
learning must
of
be
Wasilla
challenging,
Middle
with
School
new
in
information
the Mator
experiences. Often novelty will do it, but it
of the The Read Aloud Handbook in
Sue...
must be challenging. Second, there must be some way to learn from the experience
Su School District shared her goal of
through interactive feedback.”
1979, you will want to pick up a copy
matching
each of her students, even of the 2006 edition, the sixth, to see a
the most reluctant reader, to some-
great compilation
This summer the Alaska Association thing that will demonstrate the power
of just the kind of
of School Librarians and the Alaska and pleasure of reading.
reading research we
State Library sponsored a School
need to bolster our
Librarians Leadership Academy at Bonnie is infected with the same bug
budget requests for
UAA. Many of the presentations and that plagues author Jim Trelease.
larger print collec-
much of the discussion among the 24 Trelease’s classic book, The Read
tions and reading
participants focused on technology. Aloud Handbook, is a powerful
motivation pro-
We learned about blogs, wikis, and piece framed to convince parents and
grams within the
software that make presentation of teachers that students are never too
school. Trelease
the Alaska Digital Archives primary old or reluctant to fall under the spell offers research, book excerpts, author
source
materials possible for librar- of a book if it is read aloud. He pro- links and more on his website at http://
ians,
teachers, and students. (See more vides a powerful and accessible review www.trelease-on-reading.com
about the Academy on page 8.) of some of the latest research about
reading instruction and reading moti- With all the emphasis on reading
In contrast to the focus on technology, vation.
scores these days and with the No
at lunch during the five-day acad-
Child Left Behind Act mandates, we
emy, we ate sandwiches and shared
Trelease also champions librarians and school and public librarians do well
authors and titles of favorite books our potential role in producing more when we position ourselves as part of
as we
munched. These midday ses- literate students. (He is particularly the total school effort to produce readsions
reminded me that even though eloquent in his critique of the National ers who are more skilled and fluent, an
INFORMATION POWER tells us we Reading Panel report of 2001. He
effort that should spread to the home
are information specialists and even did a word search of the report and before a child even starts school and
though we all are constantly forced to was aghast to find the word “library” should extend to each and every year
stay on top of the technology innova- mentioned only once in the entire of formal education.
tion curve, we still have the profes- document.) He writes, “The last two
sional duty to connect readers to the decades of research by respected re-
printed word.
searchers like Neuman, Duke, Krash- Wishing you all a productive new
en, McQuillan, Allington, and Lance school year -- Sue Sherif
unmistakably connect access to print
with high reading scores.”
Sue Sherif
School Library/Youth Services
Coordinator
sue_sherif@eed.state.ak.us
Alaska State Library 1-800-776-6566
344 West Third Avenue (outside of Anchorage)
Suite 125
269-6569
Anchorage, AK 99501 (Anchorage)

Scholastic “Kids and Family Reading Report”
by Sue Sherif
We need to visit the Scholastic web
site, where we can find the June
2006 results of the “Kids and Family
Reading Report,” compiled by the
Yankelovich organization. For school
librarians, some of the key findings of
this report are:
• More than 40% of kids ages 5-8 are
high frequency readers, dropping to
29% among kids ages 9-11.” (And we
all know intuitively where the figures
go after age 11!) “When parents are
frequent readers, kids tend to read
more; yet only 21% of parents say
they are high frequent readers themselves
and this can have direct impact
on their kids.”
• “Kids say that the #1 reason why they
do not read more is because they
cannot find books they like to read. “
(Bonnie Cavanaugh and many of the
rest of you to the rescue!)
Wikis seem to generate a great deal of
discussion these days. Librarians as
a whole haven’t embraced Wikipedia
primarily because the thought that
an encyclopedia that can be changed
by readers tends to scare us from using
it as a reference resource. On the
other hand, a wiki can be a wonderful
place for people to work together on a
common cause. That brings us to our
newest resource for Alaska school librarians.
We have a wiki that is hosted
on PBWIKI.
Join other Alaskan school librarians
online with the AkASL wiki. You will
find this at http://akasl.pbwiki.com
(password: library).
We invite you to play on this and add
information that you want share.
http://www.scholastic.com/aboutscholastic/news/readingreport.
“Parents are a top source of book
suggestions for kids who read
most.”(Hmm, maybe parent involvement
is something we need to tackle
again... and again....and again. Maybe
parent -student book discussion
groups aren’t just a frill or it’d-benice-if-I
had-time program?)
• For the public librarians out there,
one finding of the study was that four
in ten kids report reading MORE
during the summer than the school
year. Of those who report more summer
reading, they are “ more likely to
say that summer reading helps them
do better in school.”
• Another finding of the study will
be of interest to those of us who are
grappling with whether or not we
should embark on providing e-books
and, if so, what sort of platform will
our students use to access them.
“Four in ten kids now use a technol-
AKASL.PBWIKI.ORG
By Darla Grediagin
If you are doing a project and would
like to have some input from other
librarians, this is a great place to make
a page and post your ideas and ask for
suggestions.
Personally, I love the page that talks
about activities that people do with
Battle of the Books. Several librarians
have shared their activities.
If you are too busy to keep up with the
changes (and who of us isn’t), you can
subscribe to an RSS feed and it will let
you know when changes are made.
ogy device to read - most often a
computer.” Of the all the students
who reported most of their reading
was on a computer format: 23% said
that the computer was the technological
device used for reading, 5%
reported using and iPod, 2% used
another type of MP3 player, 1% used
some sort of PDA, and 17% reported
another device.
The Yankelovich study
further reported that
“Contrary to what might
be expected, kids who
use technology devices to
read or listen to books are
more frequent and more
engaged readers.”
AkASL Continues
Book Bonanza
Program
AKASL is pleased to announce that
they will be continuing the hard work
and effort of Charlotte Glover and the
Ketchikan Library with the Book Bonanza
program.
AKASL believes this valuable collection
development program provides
an excellent way to empower librarians
to choose the books they need for
their libraries. Look for updates on
this valuable program through your
regional representative, the Puffin and
Sue Sherif.
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1 p. 7

2006 SCHOOL LIBRARY LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
24 teacher-librarians from Anchorage
to Unalakleet, Kenai to Ketchikan
and Mat-Su to Valdez attended
this summer’s School Library Leadership
Academy at UAA in August.
AkASL and the Alaska State Library
sponsored the academy which
was funded by an LSTA grant. Participants
met in a computer lab in
the beautiful Consortium Library
in Anchorage. The University of
Alaska donated the use of the room
and provided technical support.
The five days spent at the university
were extended using distance learning
technology.
Alice Yucht led the first two and a
half days with a workshop that encouraged
librarians to make themselves
invaluable to students, faculty
and administrators. She gave
hands-on examples of how to do
this. Yucht has written two books
for school librarians: Elementary
School Librarian’s Desk Reference:
Library Skills and Management
p. 8
Guide (Linworth, op), and FLIP
IT! an Information Skills Strategy
for Student Researchers (Linworth,
1997).
“The institute was a great time
to connect with librarians from
across the state while keeping
abreast of new resources and
technology.
The book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts
and Other Powerful Web Tools
for Classrooms by Will Richardson,
which was recommended at
the workshop, has been a wonderful
resource in understanding
how we might use these new
tools in education and stretches
my thoughts on using them in
the library. A great week and
experience!”
Bob Vanderwege (Kenai)
Several teacher-librarians from
around the state also presented on a
variety of topics. Robin Turk (Mat-
Su) introduced the group to the
world of Blogging and participants
created their own blogs. Bonnie
Cavanaugh (Mat-Su) showed new
ways to hook reluctant readers with
hot new books and Suzanne Metcalfe
(Anchorage) gave an overview
of the National Board process. Robin
Davis gave a tour of the Museum
of the North collaborative Learn
Alaska web site (www.learnalaska.
org) and Janet Madsen (Fairbanks)
presented on the grant-funded collaboration
efforts which combined
teachers and librarians in teams to
create Alaska History lessons using
Learn Alaska and the Alaska Digital
Archives.
Sue Sherif worked her magic by organizing,
scheduling, trouble shooting
and always smiling. She really
pulled it all together. Thanks Sue!
Bethel Regional High School Library
Here are some photos of Dianne Graham’s renovated library at Bethel Regional High School.
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1

Grants, Grants, Grants
The Penguin Young
Readers Group Award
Application Deadline:
December 1, 2006
This grant is given to four
children˙s librarians who have never
attended an Annual Conference of the
American Library Association. These
awards, made possible by an annual
gift from Penguin Young Readers
Group, are administered by a committee
of the Association for Library
Service to Children (ALSC).
The awards will enable four children’s
librarians to attend the Annual
Conference to be held in Washington,
DC, June 21-27, 2007. Four librarians
working directly with children in
elementary, middle schools or public
libraries will each receive $600.
Requirements for application are:
• ALSC membership (applicant must
be a member by the application
deadline)
• One to ten years experience as a
children’s librarian
• No previous attendance at an annual
ALA Conference
For more information and a downloadable
application, visit:
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/profawards/PenguinYoungReadersGroupAward
We the People Bookshelf
Grant!
Applications are due by
January 31, 2007.
Sponsored by the American Library
Association (ALA) and the National
Endowment for the Humanities
(NEH), this year, we are offering 2,000
sets of classic books for children on
the theme the “Pursuit of Happiness.”
To apply, simply complete the easy
online application by describing how
your library will create a theme-related
program that highlights the Bookshelf
titles.
Selected libraries will receive all 15
titles in the Bookshelf, plus four of the
titles in Spanish translation, a bonus
CD, bookplates, bookmarks and posters
to promote local programming.
**Guidelines and the application are
available online through January 31,
2007.** For programming ideas and
tips, access to the guidelines and application,
book titles, and further
details, visit http://www.ala.org/wethepeople.
With questions, contact
publicprograms@ala.org
Interlibrary Cooperative Grant - Database Guides
by Renee Wood, South Anchorage High
A committee of librarians from school,
public, and university libraries have
been awarded an Interlibrary Cooperative
grant from the State of Alaska.
The purpose of the grant is to design a
web-based Guided Tour to the Databases
for Alaskans. The online, guided
tour will provide instruction on how
to use the databases to achieve maximum
results when searching, saving,
sorting, printing, e-mailing and using
the navigational features. The committee
envisions the Tour having a variety
of menu selection options to address
various age and interest levels. This
project will design an introductory
tour plus 4 more to address the needs
of intermediate students, middle/high
schoolers, academic users, and the
general public. The web-based guided
tour will be platform independent allowing
anyone in the state who needs
assistance using the databases, free
unlimited access to the tour. Libraries
around the state can provide access
through a link from their website.
The guided tour will also be accessible
through a direct URL. We have a
AASL Announces New
Reading Grant
Deadline for submission is
February 1, 2007.
AASL is pleased to announce
the newest addition to its grants and
awards program -- the AASL Innovative
Reading Grant. Sponsored by
Coughlan Publishing, the $2,500 grant
will support the planning and implementation
of a unique and innovative
program for students that motivates
and encourages reading, especially
with struggling readers.
The grant is designed to fund
literacy projects for grades K-9 that
promote the importance of reading
and facilitate literacy development by
supporting current reading research,
practice, and policy. The selection
committee will look for initiatives
based on original ideas and methodology,
which showcase innovative ways
to motivate and involve students in
reading. Projects need to demonstrate
potential to positively impact student
learning and growth of reading skills.
Program proposals submitted must
include a timeline, a budget and a
statement of purpose, and should have
potential for replication.
Get the details at http://www.ala.
org/ala/pressreleases2006/august2006/
AASLreadinggrant.htm
The application is here: http://www.
ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslawards/innovativereadinggrant/aaslreading.htm
commitment from Steve Rollins, Dean
of the Consortium Library and chair
of the Databases for Alaskans committee,
to allow the guided tour to be
hosted on the Consortium server. The
project is in the initial stage of collecting
data and conducting usability
studies to determine user needs and
areas to be addressed by the tutorials.
If you have any questions about the
project or would like to provide input
to the committee, please email Renee
Wood, South Anchorage High School
librarian at wood_renee@asdk12.org
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1 p. 9

S outhE a s t Re p o r t
from Kari Sagel
JAVA JIVE LIBRARY LOUNGE By Erika Drain
Libraries - a place for inspiration, revelation, expression,
and education. Mt. Edgecumbe High School’s first ever
“Java Jive – Library Lounge,” which was held this past
S outh C e ntra l Re p o r t
Janie Young is at Northern Lights after
Deborah Mulcahy moved to Ravenwood
after Theresa Benolkin moved to Gruening
after Heather Fleming moved to
Mears after Suzanne Metcalfe moved to
Dimond after Marie Lundstrom retired.
Holly Selle is at Bear Valley after
Vickie McCall moved to Baxter
DeAnne Rand moved Trail Side after
Val Oliver retired (sorta) from Trail Side
(She’s job sharing with Deanne).
Audrey Charvat-Drew is at Kincaid after
Pat Cummiskey retired.
Mat-Su News by Robin Turk
Laura Guest came to Mat-Su from Anchorage
as librarian at our new Shaw Elementary
School.
v
My new thing this year is a wiki for our
reading “Hot Spot.” I started with it as a
place for students to write and read book
reviews organized by genre. After the first
day of sharing with 7th grade classes I
incorporated their suggestions and added
p. 10
spring, absolutely
blew the librarian
away with its success.
A very bohemian
night was had by all;
with finger snaps,
singing, poetry,
jammin’ and lots of
good coffee, cookies,
and hot chocolate.
The Domino Effect in ASD or Who’s Where?
North Star is still open
after Nicole Roohi
moved to Goldenview
after Carrie Shelley
moved to Rabbit Creek
after Lane Mayer retired.
Cindy Lincoln is at Polaris after
Lyn McNamara moved to Scenic Park after
Natalie Moten got a new job as Grant
Writer for Instructional Technology.
Machelle Kelchner is at Orion after
Elaine Daw moved to Eagle River El-
more pages. I don’t have a lot of activity on
there yet, but a lot of interest. I also have
teachers on board, and I hope parents will
join in too.
It’s a great opportunity to talk about Internet
safety, and responsibility for all to
maintain the site. Kids are shocked when I
compare our wiki to wikipedia- then they
really think it’s cool.
The evening began right after school.
Lights were dimmed and Christmas
lights glowed. The stage was set and
the coffee hot.
Talented teachers, brave students all
gloriously shared their words, and
songs with an appreciative audience.
In the end the magical evening only
lasted an hour and a half (which was
perfect), but it was filled with good
feelings, camaraderie, and a shared
sense for the love of the arts.
ementary after Sandy Marshall-Cooke
moved to Inlet View.
Trudy McMullen is at Airport Heights
after Paula Bowlby retired.
Amy Brabec is at Susitna after
Laura Guest moved to Mat-Su School
District
Sheri Zachary is at Wonder Park.
Other ASD librarians have discovered the
joy of job sharing: Linda Masterson and
Staci Cox at Clark; Shannon Brodie and
Tracy Bulot at Bowman,; Julie Cragen-Bezona
and Karen Grey-Levine at
Rogers Park.
I upgraded the wiki, which cost $70 for the
year so I have three levels of permisions
and use statistics for each page. I know we
have to have the data to prove we are making
a difference in our libraries, so I hope
the money & the effort will pay off. To take
a look, go to http://cmsreads.pbwiki.com
(password cmsreads).
Contact me via email if you have questions
(Robin.Turk@matsuk12.us)
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1

We s t e r n Re p o r t
by Suzanne Richards
We’d like to welcome Anne Bender,
the new librarian at Chevak School
Library. She hails from Georgia with
30 years of library experience, and she
is also Nationally Board Certified. This
is her first assignment in Alaska. Kashunamiut
School District (a one school
district) in Chevak is also the recipient
of a $277,000.00 Improving Literacy
through School Libraries Grant for
2006-2007.
v
Dianne Graham at Bethel Regional
High School is enjoying a newly rennovated
library minus a circulation
desk. The library was once a large
open loft but over the last few years has
been downsized. Part of the work this
summer was to enclose the loft, so it
provides a quieter library atmosphere.
v
With the retirement of Diana Wiberg
last spring, Merrie Mendenhall
has taken over the leadership of the
Lower Kuskokwim Media Center, she
has worked at the media center for 10
years. She is joined by new coworkers,
Tim Miller and Colleen Aluska. Merrie
along with the TAI staff are looking
into doing live audio broadcasts during
district Battle of the Books contest
via the LKSD homepage.
v
The three school librarians and one
public librarian in Bethel are gearing
up for their fourth annual “Biggest
Book Fair” ever to be held the first
weekend of December. This is a collaborative
effort and brings a great
turnout from the community of 5,000.
The two day book fair is held at the
Cultural Center in Bethel and both
Cook Inlet Books and Scholastic
Bookfairs provide the inventory. In
the past about $16,000.00 has been the
gross total with each library earning
$1,000.00 to spend in their libraries.
Bob VanderWege, the Kenai Peninsula
Borough School District Media
Director, will be sponsoring an OCLC
training for library staff members in
October.
Delta Elementary Library
Delta Elementary Library opened
in Sept. 2005
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1 p. 11

Nor the r n Re por t
by Lyn Ballam
Hey my Northern buddies! Please
consider attending the AkLA conference
this February 22-25 in Juneau.
Worried about the cost? AkASL offers
grants to help defray expenses. As a
recipient of this generous grant I can
help you through the “hoops.” E-mail
me at lballam@alaska.net Rather talk
by phone? Let me know a good time
to call and we’ll chat.
Fairbanks Report
Fairbanks School District –
Centerpoint
“Students hate it, parents love it, we
must be onto a good thing.”
A.C. Woolnough – Principal,
North Pole High School
The Fairbanks School District is in
the second phase of implementing its
new student information system, Centerpoint.
Training of librarians and
teachers began last spring, as the goal
for the 2006-07 school year is to bring
all middle, junior, and senior high
schools online.
I was please that librarians were included
in the training. Not only does
p. 12
In
Memory
of
Marge
Thera
Retired school librarian Marge Thera
died in St. Paul Minnesota June 29, 2006.
Marge worked in libraries in the Glenallen
area between l978 and 1983.
She then moved to Kodiak where she
was a school librarian in the middle
school and elementary schools until
her retirement in l995.
it give our profession recognition, but
gives us credibility within our buildings.
Librarians by the very nature of
our job are approachable; we can use
our new training to demonstrate our
tact and helpfulness. As always, we
can demonstrate our uncannily ability
to find answers for the snarliest
problem. Finally, the library will be
the source for information and help
for those new teachers, who enter our
schools with minimal Centerpoint
training. Interested in learning more
about Centerpoint? Access: http://
www.northstar.k12.ak.us and select
“Centerpoint” from the left hand column.
Ladd Elementary
by Katie Sanders
Ladd is kicking off a yearlong Adventure
in Reading with a family
nite September 28th. The theme is
“Start Your Reading Adventure with
a RIF Book.” Every child that attends
will get a free book, RIF books for
the Ladd students and the principal
is providing free books the siblings.
Marge was a member of AKLA and
AKASL and attended a number of
state library conferences. Books and
reading were central to Marge’s life.
She loved teaching students to use the
library.
After retirement she continued to do
library projects for the Kodiak Island
Borough School District and worked
in a local book store. Marge was also
active in the Kodiak Arts Council and
the Kodiak AARP representative.
She is best remembered for her quick
wit, sense of humor, spontaneity and
many travel adventures.
We will have a scavenger hunt in the
library to familiarize the families with
our facility. Family cards will be issued
and special collections such as our
Parent Resource collection and some
new partner reading books will be
highlighted. Attendees will also get to
make a personalized bookmark, which
we will laminate for them. PTA is providing
food and we plan on having a
good time!!
North Pole Middle School
In order to recognize excellence
within North Pole Middle School, the
staff created an “Educator of the Year
Award.” The first year’s honor was
bestowed upon Lyn Ballam. Along
with having her name engrave on the
plaque, she received a $25 gift certificate
for the Princess Restaurant.
When Lyn’s name was announced at
the End-of-the-Year staff meeting, she
was uncharacteristically stunned into
silence, in fact she moved to tears (also
atypical). Later, she realized she had
forgotten to thank the staff…..hopefully
she has been forgiven.
Local Authors
Book Sale
Saturday, November 25
1:00 – 4:00
Noel Wien Library
Auditorium
Fairbanks, Alaska
Sponsored by the
Northern Chapter,
Alaska Library Association
Hosted by
Noel Wien Library
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1

2006 AkLA Conference
Travel Grant Recipients Speak Out
Part of winning a travel grant to the AkLA conference includes writing
an article for the Puffin. We didn’t have room to print them all
last spring, so here are some snappy quotes from AkASL members
who benefited from the grant and the conference.
Adell Brun, Ketchikan Charter School
I returned with a list in the back of
the “little” blue notebook of just new
ideas or changes that I would make in
my library. It was probably the best
thing I could have done.
v
Diane Graham, BRHS-LKSD
As always I return home feeling
inspired and in touch with the larger
community of librarians and tuned in
with the current concerns and trends.
v
Bonnie Laber Library Aide K-Beach
Elementary School and Soldotna
Middle School
Shelly Logsdon held a workshop
called, “Battle of the Books: Tips and
Tricks.” This was my first year coaching
Battle of the Books and I really enjoyed
the experience! . . . I was looking
for ways to engage the students
and make it fun. This workshop gave
me new tools and ideas for my next
team. I feel I can make it more appealing
to my 7th and 8th graders next
year. I can hardly wait to get started!
v
Marcia Lee
What a wonderful opportunity
to Learn through Libraries by attending
the 2006 annual conference in
Anchorage the end of February. As a
“new” librarian to our district, I found
the classes, workshops and attending
librarians all brimming with ideas and
very enjoyable!
Joy Hewitt
Battle of the Books Conference:
identify the correct session for 5
points, and the presenter for an additional
3 points…
1. In which conference session was the
Caldecott Medal discussed, along with
the criteria and selection process?
2. In which conference session did an
author relate experiences of his youth
to emphasize the important role librarians
play in the lives of young people?
3. In which conference session did the
audience get a sense of gender imbalance
as it relates to language development?
_______
Answers:
1. The Caldecott Medal: How did
that picture book win? By Sue Sherif,
2. Authors to Alaska Luncheon:
Finding the “Heart of a Story” by Ben
Mikaelsen
3. Connecting Boys with Books by Michael
Sullivan
v
Mark Your
Calendars
October 6, 1876 - ALA Founded
http://web.library.uiuc.edu/ahx/
guides/libassn.htm
October 6-8 - National Storytelling
Festival
http://www.storytellingfestival.net/
festival/about-fest.htm
October 14-20 - Teen Read Week
http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teenreading/teenreading.htm
http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teenreading/trw/trw2005/booklists.htm
November 1 - National Authors Day (US)
http://www.bookpublisher.com/
news/20041029.cfm
November 1 - National Family Literacy
Day
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/literacyday1.html
November 12-18 - Children’s Book Week
(US)
http://www.cbcbooks.org/cbw
http://www.educationworld.com/
a_special/book_week.shtml
November 12-18
- American Education Week
http://www.nea.org/aew/index.html
November 14 - National Young Reader’s Day
http://www.bookitprogram.com/
teachers/nyrd.asp
December 10, 1851
- Melvil Dewey’s Birthday:
http://www.booktalking.net/books/
dewey
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1 p. 13

AkASL Battle of the Books
by Shelly Logsdon
Welcome to the 2006-2007 Battle of
the Books! Thank you to the many
librarians who have spent many hours
reading, writing, and editing questions
to make Battle of the Books possible.
Another big thank you goes to the
hard working grade level chairs for all
their organizing, delegating and working
on those questions. It’s a tough job
so if you see any of them, give them a
pat on the back!
Grade Level Chairs 2006-2007
Shelly Logsdon (K-2),
Wendy Stout (3-4)
Heidi Tsukada (5-6)
Sandy Krueger (7/8)
Ann Morgester and
Erika Drain (H.S)
* Why was Good Dog removed
from the 3rd/4th grade list?
The book went out of print. When this
happens we do a quick check around
the state to see how many copies are
left for sale and how many schools
have purchased. With the case of Good
Dog there were not enough copies left
for sale to meet the demand. Thus we
changed the title…
p. 14
Happy Reading!
Help Wanted
Battle of the Books is the work of
many volunteers throughout the state.
We are in need of moderators, grade
level chairs, a state organizer, and a
web master. If you have an interest in
Battle and like to make the program a
success, please contact Shelly. We can
find a job for you.
Items for Sale
Just a reminder that AKASL has Battle
of the Books posters, bookmarks, and
pins available to buy on the website.
All proceeds go to the B. Jo Morse
Scholarship Fund.
We have Battle of the Book
Bracelets now for sale? There
are pics and prices on this web
site...
http://www.akla.org/
akasl/bb/salesitems.pdf
* How were these books selected?
Title suggestions were given to grade
level chairs, via the message board, in
December and January. Grade level
chairs narrowed that down to a workable
list of about 30 titles. Remember
these titles needed to be in print, with
enough copies available, plus reflect
our criteria for selecting titles. At the
AKLA conference in February, over 40
librarians met and helped narrow the
list down to what you see today.
On The Web
Keep up-to-date with
Book Lists and news on the
Battle of the Books Website!
The handbook, bookmarks, concentration
games, internet activities
are posted on the web site now.
The practice questions are being
posted as completed. They will all be
available on October 15 and the district
questions by December 15. Please
check with your district chair for passwords
to these files.
http://www.akla.org/akasl/bb/bbhome.
html
Q&A on Battle of the Books
*What if a student does not like
the book?
Battle of thwe Books is a voluntary
reading program we do not require
students to read all the books. That’s
why we have teams, if you don’t like
the content of the book, don’t read it!
We are a very diverse state and it is
tough to meet the needs and wants of
all districts.
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1

Pump up Your Read-Aloud Time
By Tiki Levinson
As you read aloud to students (or any children for that matter), it is very beneficial to share with them the strategies
that make a good reader. This enables them to incorporate these valuable skills into their own reading process.
Here are few techniques gathered at the AASL conference and backed by research to use and/or
share with your audience. The goal of all of this is to help students become more active readers
through metacognition which is an awareness and understanding of your own thought processes.
Build Connections
• Text to self – “This reminds me of
my_____”
• Text to world – “Have you ever noticed
_________?”
• Text to text – (This is usually for more
advanced students)
– The _______ in this story is a lot
like the ________ in Superfudge”
Vocabulary
• Tier 1 words – everyday words such
as mom, desk, school, friend, cat
• Tier 2 words – must be defined for
the story to make sense such as mat,
gnat, vowed, defended
• Tier 3 words – specialty words which
apply only to certain subjects such
as experiment, petri dish, protozoa,
hypothesis
Prediction
• Based on the cover art, what do you
think this story will be about? This
establishes schema before you begin
reading. It also tells you what the
students’ prior knowledge of the
situation might be.
• What do you think the cat will do
next? (I like to do think, pair, share
for these questions. They then listen
to see if their prediction was the
same as the author’s story)
Battle of the Books
Kick Off
Hermon Hutchens Elementary School
Teachers kick of the 2006-2007 year’s
battle of the books: “Dragons,
Dreams, and Daring Deeds”
Wondering
• Share the questions that pop into
your head as you read and as time
goes on, ask the students for their
questions (another good use of
think, pair, share)
“What is going to happen next?”
“Can she really be nice to her sister?”
“How will the story end?”
Figuring out
• Picture clues
• Word clues
• What details are the best clues
• “Hmmmmm......I wonder what this
could mean? I bet he’s going to get
caught.”
Noticing
• When I don’t get it
• When something is important
• When the author has done something
tricky
• When you have guessed right or
wrong
Picturing
Close your eyes after reading a descriptive
or exciting passage. Describe
what you:
• See • Taste • Feel
• Hear • Smell
Anticipate
what will be
happening
because of all
the above.
Create a mental picture of a character
and describe him/her after reading
a small passage with X in place of
the character’s name.
Scaffolding
Students’ prior knowledge is like a
Christmas tree. It may be a big full
Scotch Pine or it may be a scraggly
Sitka Spruce. Your job is to water the
tree and put decorations on it.
Be a Reading
Detective
Figure out:
• Author’s message
• Character traits
• Main idea
Notice:
• Details from the text
• Author’s craft
Wonder:
• Why characters act in a certain way
• Why an author included certain
words, events and pictures
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1 p. 15

p. 16
Annual AkASL Awards
NOMINATIONS DUE SOON
AkASL SCHOOL LIBRARIAN
OF THE YEAR AWARD
Each year the Alaska Association of School
Librarians (AkASL) recognizes an outstanding
Alaska school librarian who:
• Operates a library program that strives toward the
goals set forth in Information Power
• Promotes the development of independent lifetime
readers and learners
• Is a certified librarian currently working in a library
position
• Is an integral part of the educational team
• Exemplifies professional involvement by sharing expertise
with colleagues both locally and around the
state
• Demonstrates professionalism by being a member of
AkASL and other professional organizations
Fellow librarians as well as administrators and educators
are encouraged to nominate a school librarian
who has been a help and inspiration. It’s not too early
to make nominations. Here’s how. Just provide the information
listed below:
• School librarian’s name
• School or school district name
• School or school district address
• A short narrative telling how this school librarian has
positively impacted the students, school, educational
program, and library field in Alaska.
Each librarian nominated receives a certificate of recognition
from the Association. A special award certificate
is presented to the person named the School
Librarian of the Year at the annual AkLA Conference.
Nominations may be submitted by January 7, 2007.
For more information, contact . . .
Mary Hacker
Lake Hood Elementary / 3601 W. 40th
Anchorage AK 99517
hacker_mary@asdk12.org
AkASL LINDA K BARRETT
SERVICE AWARD
This special recognition award is given to an outstanding
individual who, over the years and in various roles,
has shown dedication and commitment to the development
of excellence in school libraries by contributing time
and expertise to numerous state level activities from which
students, teachers, and librarians have benefited. LKB
Award Nominations may be submitted by January 7, 2007.
The recipient should:
• Be a member of AkASL
• Have demonstrated service to the school library profession.
Those services should include both state and local
activities.
Recognize the help of a fellow librarian by nominating him/
her for the Linda K. Barrett Service Award.
AkASL ADMINISTRATOR
“PAT ON THE BACK ” AWARD
Does your administrator support your librarian and library
program? Has he or she made the library program stronger
with financial support or by educational leadership? If so,
show that you appreciate these efforts on behalf of libraries
by nominating your library-friendly administrator for
this award. Nominations may be submitted by February 1,
2007.
Please submit:
• Administrator’s name
• Administrator’s title
• School and school district name
• School or school district address
• A short narrative of the nominee’s outstanding and sustained
contribution toward furthering the role of the
school Library Information program and an example of
the administrator’s library
philosophy.
Submit nominations online . . .
• via the AkASL website:
http://www.akla.org/akasl/awards
• or via email to:
hacker_mary@asdk12.org
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1

Roger Sampson Open to Dialog with School Librarians
by Kari Sagel
On September 25, I went to Juneau to
meet with Roger Sampson, Commissioner
of Education & Early Development,
regarding the school certification
issue. I went as an individual, but
took along the advice of the AkASL
executive board. Sue Sherif advised
asking Mr. Sampson to outline the
steps we would need to take with either
the legislature or the state school
board to ensure type A certification
was available to librarians with teacher
training.
The meeting with Mr. Sampson was
a good one. He listened carefully and
expressed the opinion that it made
sense that teacher librarians be eligible
for the type A endorsement. He was
clear that this would mean having two
certifications open to school librarians
- the type C and the type A - to be
conferred depending on education and
training. He said that he believed the
certification issue could be resolved
within the Department of Education.
He asked me to send him a brief request
outlining the “arguments” for
restoring the type A certificate. I have
begun working on that letter.
Mr. Sampson said he would welcome
a letter from the association stating its
views. Mr. Sampson said he would use
What is DOPA….and why should we care?
by Valerie Oliver
DOPA, short for Deleting Online Predators
Act of 2006, is a bill (H.R. 5319) that
was presented to the U.S. House of Representatives
this past May. This bill would
require schools and libraries that receive
federal funding to protect minors from
online predators when using social networking
sites, ie…any interactive online
site. This bill quickly passed the House of
Representatives, and is now in the Senate.
This act could potentially deny access
to a wide range of sites, well beyond the
chat rooms that are at its core, and would
include interactive sites that contain edu-
cational forum discussions
as well. While we all want
to protect our minors from
the very real threat of online
predators, we do not want to sacrifice the
tremendous numbers of educational sites
along with that act of protection.
With it being an election year, very few
politicians will be willing to vote against
a bill that protects little children from
predators. School districts already filter
as a result of CIPA (Children’s Internet
Protection Act). This bill would broaden
that filtering net considerably. This bill has
the letters as a basis for asking Cynthia.
Curran, Administrator Teacher
Education and Certification, to strongly
reconsider the current certification
process. The meeting was short, but I
gained some hope that we can have a
dialog with the Department of Education.
Mr. Sampson was very open and
he spoke highly of school librarians.
I’ll keep you updated!
Send any information or input to me at
sagelk@mail.ssd.k12.ak.us
Biographical Sketch of
Roger Sampson available online:
http://www.eed.state.ak.us/Commissioner/home.html
JO MORSE SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE FOR LIBRARY SCIENCE STUDENTS
Do you love working in your school
library, but have never had the opportunity
to work towards a School
Library Media Specialist/School Librarian
degree?
With a large percentage of the work
force in our profession close to retirement,
this might be the perfect
opportunity for you to get started,
especially if you are able to take advantage
of the Alaska Association of
School Librarians’ Jo Morse Scholarship.
The purpose of this scholarship
is to provide financial assistance to
worthy students pursuing graduate
studies leading to a library media
specialist/school librarian certificate
and to encourage graduates to return
to Alaska to work in professional
school library positions. Scholarships
may be awarded for both on-campus
and/or distance education programs.
Preference will be given to an
individual meeting the federal definition
of Alaska Native ethnicity. The
amount for the next academic year
will be $3,000. Completed applications
must be received by January 15 of the
award year. Sound interesting? Check
out the following link for more details.
http://www.akla.org/scholarships/index.html#morse
major implications for both public
and school libraries, and is something
we should all be watching. If
you would like to know more about
DOPA, its history, or its current status,
below are a couple of websites that can
take you there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deleting_Online_Predators_Act_of_2006
http://www.govtrack.us/data/us/bills.
text/109/h/h5319.pdf
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1 p. 17

Looking for a fiction book like the one you just finished?
Try using Alaska Databases’ NoveList.
Use the “Quick Search” to
type in a favorite title and click
“Go!” Your favorite book is then
displayed.
Directly below the picture of the
cover is a blue button “Find Similar Books.” The next
screen displays a list of your favorite book’s topics (great
discussion starter). Select what you are looking for, and
voila, a list of suggestions is
generated.
The tabs at the top of the page can access Novelist’s other
features. The “Search Our Database” tab allows the user to
search author, title, series, and plots. Many searches can
be limited by age level, number of pages, reading level, and
publication date.
“Browse Lists” is a powerful tool your teachers will love
you for. The “Grab and Go Topical Booklists” can help you
match books to your teacher’s current lesson. Another use
is to have students search this list to quickly locate another
book in their favorite genre.
Alaska Databases FAQ’s
1. Why not use Google?
Google is great if you know nothing
on the subject, but do you really
have time to sift through 4+ million
websites? Using Google to find information
on your topic is like wandering
around a big city. Where
would you start?
p. 18
The Computer Savy Librarian
The Puffin welcomes our newest columnist, Lyn Ballam, who
has graciously volunteered to help us use the many electronic
resources out there. In this issue she’s focusing on one of the
Databases for Alaskans most powerful tools: Novelist. SM
Alaska Databases – NoveList
2. Databases are free to anyone residing
in Alaska
3. Passwords can be obtained from
your local library,
Next the “Teacher Resources” tab is a true gem. Need a
picture book extender? Ideas for teaching with fiction or
perhaps book talk ideas? This one stop fiction database is
all you need.
Finally, you can create your own
account (located on the left, under
“Tools”) in order to save your
information for later use.
Need a password in Alaska?
Call 1-800-440-2919
By Lyn Ballam
With so many resources at our fingertips,
we often overlook the obvious.
NoveList is just one of the many useful
resources Alaska provides its residents.
I have highlighted my favorite features.
Questions? Please e-mail me at
lballam@alaska.net
Novelist is an intuitive and userfriendly
database. Teachers and students are intrigued by
its usefulness. One caveat thought: users tend to confuse
this database with your library catalog, one can only wish
for such a fabulous fiction collection.
Path: Web address: http://sled.alaska.edu
Select: Magazines, Newspapers, and More:
Full Text Articles for Alaskans
Scroll to: the green bar “K-12 Resources”
Select NoveList K-8 - Reader’s advisory information
for students.
For upper level books, scroll to the last green bar
“Special Resources”
Select “NoveList - Reader’s advisory information”
Terminology:
• Databases= online (electronic) resources
• Resources=magazines, newspapers,
and so much more
• Full-Text:=all of the available information
• Citation= cites the article’s author,
title, publisher, etc.
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1

MANGA MADNESS IN THE LIBRARY!!!
by Lee Harris, Librarian, Ben Eielson Jr/Sr High, Eielson AFB, AK
Want to spark an interest in the library
with teenagers? Let me introduce
you to the wonderful world of manga.
In my nearly thirty years in the profession,
I have never seen anything equal
the impact that purchasing manga has
had on a library.
Five years ago, two or three students
earnestly started campaigning
for me to buy manga. I didn’t even
know what it was and wasn’t overly
impressed with the books they showed
me. However, I promised I’d try a few.
I purchased eight titles and quickly
discovered that they were never on the
shelves. Eight books became ten, then
twenty, then thirty…in those early days
it seemed I’d never be able to meet the
demand. The interest was phenomenal;
students literally ran into the library
at lunch to see what I had. On days
students knew that I planned to buy
more titles, I would be greeted the next
morning by a group of students trailing
behind me to the library doors to
see what I had bought and asking how
soon they would be ready for checkout.
Students coughed up money for lost
library card replacements and returned
overdue books! Everybody won.
My collection currently stands at
around 350 books. Students continue
to suggest new series and are cognizant
that the books must be suitable to a
junior/senior high audience in a school
setting. The shops I use have employees
who are manga collectors themselves
and can validate my purchases and
give me advice. Students are limited
to one manga per checkout, and I have
limited these checkouts to the beginning
and the end of day because at first
they checked out and returned manga
morning, noon and night. Students
still fill my fiction area reading manga
at lunch, but with the larger collection,
they don’t seem as frantic as in the early
days.
Have I had complaints from teachers
or parents?—not really. A few students
have an interest best defined as
an addiction that interfers with school.
Teachers have disciplined a couple of
students for reading manga
in class. Two parents have restricted
their children’s manga
checkouts due to failing grades.
No one has questioned the collection
or commented that it is
inappropriate. I have, in fact,
been able to meet many parents
when students bring them into the
library during Open House and Parent/Teacher
conferences to show off the
manga and other things the library has
to offer.
This collection has drawn a wide
range of students to the library including
some I have never seen before. This
pleases me as I feel that when the time
comes to help them with a research assignment,
we have a more trusting relationship
to make the process go better.
A few students have researched manga
artists, and I have purchased reference
books on manga artists and art forms.
As someone who was previously
unimpressed, I quickly learned that
students love talking about their favorite
manga characters and series and are
extremely knowledgeable about dissecting
and analyzing plot details. Some
students have notebooks full of drawings
of characters, and some have created
their own characters. I purchased
manga drawing books for them. I am
also amazed that while my collection
has grown, and the circulation remains
high, students buy a lot of their own
manga and collect an array of manga
posters, silk screens, figurines, etc. A
few have even donated books to the collection.
MANGA INTEREST = WHY NOT A
MANGA LIBRARY CLUB?
This year I teamed up with Ms. Kolbet,
a manga/anime devotee, to start a
“Manga Madness Club.” The response
was immediate: 22 people signed up
and we average 12-15 students per
weekly meeting. Even when it is -45
and most after-school activities are
cancelled, Manga Madness meets. Bus
students make arrangements; student
athletes ask for meeting
days to be changed or let
us know they’ll be back
when the season ends.
Interestingly enough, the
members are fairly evenly
divided between boys
and girls and between
junior high and senior high members.
At each meeting we present a 5-10
minute Japanese cultural lesson and
serve Japanese treats. Ms. Kolbet has
visited Japan and adds to the cultural
aspect of the club. Manga has created
an interest in Japan, and students have
the opportunity to join a North Pole
group who annually go to a sister city
in Japan for 7-10 days. Two students
each meeting share an item from their
personal collections. Other activities
include drawing; origami; hiragana;
discussions of manga artists, series
and characters; watching brief anime
segments and creating school displays.
There is also an interest in writing and
illustrating original manga stories.
We take two subscriptions to
manga magazines and laminate the
posters in each issue for door prizes.
Mrs. Kolbet donates manga cards and
objects complements of her husband
and they are highly sought-after prizes.
While anyone may come to our meetings,
only dues-payers are eligible for
door prizes. Dues are $5 a semester and
are used to buy Japanese treats and an
occasional manga book. Dues-paying
members also have the benefit of being
able to checkout more than one manga
at a time.
Through manga, students experience
drawing (art), writing (English)
and culture (social studies). Have I become
a manga reader? No, I can count
on one hand the manga books I’ve read,
but I have a huge respect for the genre,
and I’m sold on the particular niche it
has found in the library.
S tudents literally
ran into
the library at
lunch to see what
I had!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1 p. 19

PRESIDENT . . . . . . . . . Barb Bryson
barb_bryson@valdez.cc
Past PRESIDENT . . . .Valerie Oliver
vgoliver@gci.net
PRESIDENT Elect. . . . . Erika Drain
erikad@mehs.ak.us
SECRETARY Tiki Levinson
tlevinson@dgsd.k12.ak.us
TREASURER . . . . . Kirk Thompson
kirk.thompson@matsu.k12.us
REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
Northern . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lyn Ballam
lballam@mac.com
Southcentral . . . . . Lynn McNamara
mcnamara_lynn@asdk12.org
Southeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kari Sagel
sagelk@mail.ssd.k12.ak.us
Western . . . . . . . . Suzanne Richards
bethelbooks2@aol.com
p. 20
ALASKA ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARIANS (AkASL)
EXECUTIVE BOARD AND COMMITTEE COORDINATORS
2006-2007
MEMBERSHIP. . . .Darla Grediagin
dgrediagin@bssd.org
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Shelly Logsdon
Shelly.Logsdon@matsuk12.us
PUFFIN Editor . . . Suzanne Metcalfe
suzmet@gci.net
PUFFIN Publisher . . . . Pat Wamsley
wamsley@mtaonline.net
ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS/
WEBMASTER . . . . . . . . Robin Turk
rturk@matsuk12.us
AWARDS. . . . . . . . . . . Mary Hacker
hacker_mary@asdk12.org
GOVERNOR’S ADVISORY
COUNCIL
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bob VanDerWege
rvdw@kpbsd.k12.ak.us
EX-OFFICIO . . . . . . . . . . . . Sue Sherif
sue_sherif@eed.state.ak.us
Alaska State Libary School Library/
Youth Services Coordinator
344 W. 3rd Ave., Suite 125
Anchorage, AK 99501
(907) 269-6569
(907) 269-6580 (fax)
(800) 776-6566
UPCOMING
E-BOARD MEETINGS
E-board meets via teleconference
the 3rd Wednesday of most months
October 18
November 15
December 13
January 17
February: no audio conference
March 21
April 18
May 16
Contact Barb Bryson for more
information.
Our thanks to GCI for their support
of our audio conferences.
Future Conferences - ALASKA Future Conferences - NATIONAL
AkLA / AkASL Conference,
- Feb 22-26, 2007 in Juneau, Alaska.
Information available at: http://www.akla.org
ASTE 2006
- February 25-28, 2007 (Alaska Society for
Technology in Education)
http://www.aste.org
The conference location is Anchorage, Alaska.
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL
LIBRARIANS (AASL) Thirteenth National Conference
and Exhibition, Reno, NV, October 25-28, 2007
http://www.ala.org/aasl
__________________________________________
ALA Annual Conference 2007 AMERICAN LIBRARY
ASSOCIATION (Annual Conference), Washington D.C.:
June 21-27, 2007 http://www.ala.org/events
__________________________________________
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
(Midwinter Meeting), Seattle, WA: Jan. 19–24, 2007
http://www.ala.org/events
__________________________________________
PNLA Annual Conference
Edmonton, AB ~ August 8-11, 2007
http://www.pnla.org/events/index.htm
The Puffin, Fall 2006 v26, #1