Harrison's Link Ladies Present at AASL's National Conference

Harrison Elementary school library media specialists Thomasine Mastrantoni and Deborah Goldstein attended the American Association of School Libraries (AASL)’s 17th Annual National Conference and Exhibition entitled “Experience Education Evolution” in Columbus, Ohio. Held every two years, the AASL’s Conference is the only national conference devoted solely to the needs of school librarians and is a leading professional development event and an excellent educational and business forum for the entire school library community.

Preston’s Mastrantoni and Purchase’s Goldstein, or the Link Ladies as they are also known, immediately garnered attention at the Conference by wearing T-Shirts embedded with a QR code encouraging other conference attendees to use their smartphones to scan the code to download their upcoming presentation – “Where is your school library? -Anywhere, Anytime, Just Click.”

“Successful library media programs center around collaboration with classroom teachers and the integration of technology and inquiry skills through all curriculum areas,” said Mastrantoni. She explains how school libraries support classroom initiatives by “bumping it up a notch”.

The two explain how the school library is found everywhere in the school – the English classroom, the Science, Math and Social Studies classrooms, and even the Art, Music, and Physical Education classrooms. It is indeed just a click away –anywhere and anytime students and teachers need resources.

“Students’ literacy skills are developed through digital, visual, textual and technological resources,” Goldstein said. “Technology tools such as Google Classroom, iPad apps, and 2.0 web-based programs integrate technology and engage students to deepen their understanding through student-guided learning.”

To learn more about the innovative and creative work of these two library media specialists, follow them on Twitter - @linkladies15.