In Command! goes to AASL

At AASL Dr. Loertscher added me to the knowledge blitz during his session where I presented the ideas from In Command! The hall was absolutely packed and I loved that we didn't use a Powerpoint, but asked the audience to actively participate online during the session. There were librarians from so many places and the inclusion of everyone's ideas in creating something greater and more profound than one person was deep understanding in action. Of course, I was thrilled that educators came up after the session and throughout the conference to tell me "I can do this!" -and they can! We knew that the ideas were important and timely but the reaction was just so fantastic. The book sold out!

I would love to hear how implementation works out for people and also about any problems or stumbling points that might arise. I would be happy to help troubleshoot solutions and also know that people will come up with things that I never dreamed of. There is an In Command!blog and when I return from Internet Librarian I will add some tools so that people can collaborate and add widgets and gadgets as I learn of them. Together, we'll continue to help the digital school library evolve and remain not just relevant but central to good personal information spaces.

The Beginning of a Conference Whirlwind

Early Wednesday morning I left for my very first library conference, the Treasure Mountain Retreat in Reno. The "Treasure" in the description was no exaggeration. If you are in school librarianship and ever have a chance to attend Treasure Mountain, you can't pass it up. The room was filled with brilliant scholars whose works I had quoted often. What really makes this group extraordinary though is the enthusiasm, passion for what they do. There were no "Yeah, buts" in the hall. Participants didn't sit idly by but actually are participated freely sharing ideas and tactics for making it work. Dr. David V. Loertscher was kind enough to allow me to present the ideas from our new book In Command! Teaching Kids and Teens to Build Their Own Information Spaces and Learn to Manage Themselves in Those Spaces and the response was fantastic. These brilliant librarians and exceptional people went the extra mile at the AASL Conference afterwards and introduced me to so many wonderful people. The passionate exchange of knowledge and true collaboration and collegiality reaffirmed that I have found my people,and profession and I am grateful to them all.