Hello!

My name is Ken Stewart, school librarian at Blue Valley High School in Stilwell, Kansas (a suburb of Kansas City), and I’m running for the office of President-elect of AASL.  I began my school librarian career in 1995 and have been an active member of AASL since 1997.  During this time, I have served on numerous committees, in varying capacities, and have always enjoyed the professional and personal relationships and growth that have come from these interactions and services.  Currently, I serve on the AASL/ACRL Interdivisional Committee on Information Literacy and on the Presidential Advisory Committee for Courtney Young, President-elect of ALA.  And, I have just completed my appointment as co-chair of our 16^th National Conference held this past November in Hartford, CT.

This is an exciting time for school librarians! With the introduction of Common Core and other diverse challenges into education, we need to look beyond our immediate collaborative efforts within our schools and classrooms.  We need to reach out vertically with our colleagues: What skills do elementary librarians instill in their students to prepare them for middle school or junior high?  What information skills are taught by librarians in the middle level to promote achievement in high school?  And, what is taught at the high school level to ensure success in college and career?  With the ever-changing world of education, and with it the evolving role of the school librarian, these partnerships become increasingly significant and critical to obtaining our goals as a profession and organization.

We should also look outside of our organization and begin developing stronger collaborative relationships with public, academic, and special librarians both in our own geographical areas and within ALA.  To borrow a quote from Helen Keller, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

If you have any questions or would like additional information about me, feel free to contact me through my website :   http://kenstewart.us

My name is Ken Stewart, I am running for the office of President-elect of AASL, and I would appreciate your support!

Ken