Dear AASL Colleagues:

Happy December, and Warm Holiday Wishes! I hope that you have found some time to start browsing and reading the pages of the November/December 2014 issue of Knowledge Quest. I’ll admit that my reading of the issue has been squeezed in among family gatherings, committee work, end-of-semester events and tasks, and travel planning for ALA Midwinter—but the moments were well spent! I encourage you to take some time this month to read and also share this issue with your colleagues and school leaders.

In this issue guest-edited by Mary Keeling, we have inquiry as our focus. Read Mary’s Guest Editor column for the three questions tackled by our authors this month, related to the inquiry process, the work of librarians in teaching inquiry, and the integration of inquiry into academic standards.

AASL President Terri Grief writes in her column about the new strategic plan for AASL, including the plan's three critical issues. Terri also introduces the new organizational mission statement, with an emphasis on the word “transform.”

To highlight a few more articles from this issue, and to get in the spirit of holiday gift giving, I’ve gathered a list of Knowledge Quest “gifts” for you: ideas for “gifting” your library stakeholders with suggestions of articles to read from this issue! Here it is . . .

Rebecca’s November/December KQ Gift List

For an elementary classroom teacher: one of three online-only features this month, “Inquiry Learning and Reading Comprehension Strategy Instruction: Processes that Go Hand in Hand,” by Judi Moreillon

For a high school content area teacher: “Seeking—and Finding – Authentic Inquiry Models for Our Evolving Information Landscape,” by Trudi E. Jacobsen and Emer O’Keefe

For the school principal: “Making the Shift: From Traditional Research Assignments to Guided Inquiry Learning,” by Leslie K. Maniotes and Carol C. Kuhlthau

For a student teacher: “Recipe for an Infographic,” by Debbie Abilock and Connie Williams

For your school library intern: “A Case for Browsing: An Empowering Research Strategy for Elementary Learners,” by Barbara Montgomery

For a school library colleague: “Approaching the Inquiry Process from a Cultural Perspective: Ho‘onui i ka ‘ike—A Learning Process Imbued in the Hawaiian Culture” by Nālani Naluai

For a community member: “Community Collaboration for Inquiry Success,” by Cherry Fuller, Gayla Byerly, Donna Kearley, and Lilly Ramin

The great content in this issue doesn’t end with these articles! Visit http://www.ala.org/aasl/kq/novdec14 for the full table of contents. Check out this page for all three online-only exclusives: http://www.ala.org/aasl/kq/novdec14OE (This page includes links to .pdf versons and article summaries).

After you share your favorite articles with your favorite stakeholders, why not schedule a New Year's chat to talk about the ideas together?

I hope that you spread the learning, collaboration, and opportunity of the school library this month, and all year long!

Happy Reading and Happy Holidays, Friends!

Warmly,

Rebecca Morris

Knowledge Quest Editorial Board Chair

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Rebecca Morris, MLIS, PhD

Assistant Professor

Knowledge Quest Editorial Board Chair

ALA/AASL Educators of School Librarians Section Chair

Department of Library and Information Studies
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
School of Education Building, PO Box 26170
Greensboro, NC 27402-6170
rjmorris@uncg.edu, rmorris1855@gmail.com