WHAT IS IASL?

By Peter Genco, IASL President (2001-2004)

IASL is voluntary professional association, whose mission is the worldwide promotion of school-based libraries. It includes members in over seventy countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the Pacific Islands, Central America, theCaribbean, and South America who work as school librarians, teacher-librarians, professors, and media specialists.

The mission of IASL is to provide an international forum for those people interested in promoting effective school library programs as viable instruments in the educational process. The objectives of IASL are:

• To advocate the development of school libraries throughout all countries;
  
• To encourage the integration of school library programs into the instructional and curriculum development of the school;
  
• To promote the professional preparation and continuing education of school library personnel;
  
• To foster a sense of community among school librarians in all parts of the world;
  
• To foster and extend relationships between school librarians and other professionals connected with children and youth;
  
• To foster research in the field of school librarianship and the integration of its conclusions with pertinent knowledge from related fields;
  
• To promote the publication and dissemination of information about successful advocacy and program initiatives in school librarianship;
  
• To share information about programs and materials for children and youth throughout the international community;
  
• To initiate and co-ordinate activities, conferences, and other projects in the field of school librarianship and information services.

The governing Board of IASL is made up of four elected officers, an appointed Executive Director, an appointed Financial Officer and ten elected Regional Directors representing different parts of the world. Board members currently live in Australia, Botswana, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Lebanon, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, the UK, the USA, and Vietnam. The Regional Director for the USA is Eleanor Howe, Librarian at Pine-Richland High School in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania.

In addition to a variety of monographs, IASL publishes the only research journal devoted exclusively to global school librarianship. School Libraries Worldwide (http://www.iasl-slo.org/slw.html) began in 1995. Dr. Dianne Oberg from the University of Alberta (Canada) is Editor. The editorial board is made up of school library professionals from twelve countries. Past themes have included technology, action research, working with principals, the Library Power Program, and information literacy. It is published twice per year.

The IASL Newsletter (http://www.iasl-slo.org/newsletter.html) carries news of the association as well as articles of interest to the school library practitioners. The current editorial team is based in Australia and will finish up their terms as editors in mid-2003. This publication comes out three times per year.

Detailed information about IASL can be found on the organization's website, School Libraries Online, located at (http://www.iasl-slo.org/). The site was developed and is maintained by Dr. Anne Clyde from the University of Iceland. There are over 800 pages of information about the organization and our field at this website.

IASL has a very extensive international awards program (http://www.iasl-slo.org/awards.html). Some are sponsored by IASL, while others are administered by IASL and sponsored by companies such as SIRS, Softlink International, and Concord Data Systems. Some awards are funded by the generosity of long-term members of IASL. IASL has established relations with a number of international associations and organizations such as IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions), IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People), IRA (International Reading Association) and UNESCO.

The 32nd Annual IASL Conference (http://www.iasl-slo.org/conference2003.html) will be held July 7-11, 2003 in Durban, South Africa. This year's theme is "School Libraries: Breaking down the Barriers." Come join us!!