planning

AASL "Planning for School Library Programs": A Chicago Public Schools Working Group
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has developed an online planning guide called "Planning for School Library Programs" to assist librarians in planning for success in their school library programs. The CPS Department of Libraries is pleased to support 25 CPS libraries in using this online guide to develop planning for their library programs.

We are currently working with our first working group. Access the materials ** here **.

This program benefits schools by:
 * providing a guiding framework for analysis of the strengths and weakness of the existing library program
 * providing a platform for reflective planning of goals and objectives for the library program by a team of stakeholders to include teachers, students, community partners, and administrators
 * providing organizational strategies to identify how the library program supports the larger goals of the school program

This program is targeted at supporting librarians who benefit from communicating with the Department of Libraries and other CPS librarians during the planning process. Participating librarians will receive:


 * free one-year access to the online AASL program "Planning for School Library Programs" (a $40 value)
 * online support, face-to-face support, and mentorship through the planning process
 * a Certificate of Participation from the Department of Libraries - suitable for posting - for completion of the activities associated with the planning process

To participate in this program, librarians must agree to:


 * convene a library advisory committee of stakeholders and organize meetings to work together on the planning process
 * attend an initial face-to-face meeting at the CPS Professional Library (1326 W. 14th Pl, Room 218) on Monday, Nov 8th from 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
 * participate in four online meetings to be scheduled from 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm on an approximately monthly basis on dates to be determined by the working group
 * participate in bi-weekly online discussions at a time convenient to you to share your experiences in the planning process
 * complete a final report to share information about your planning process with other CPS librarians

Participating librarians will use the AASL "Standards for the 21st Century Learner" (available online) throughout this planning process. It is also highly recommended that the librarian use the companion book __Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action__ and __Empowering Learners: Guidelines for the School Library Media Programs__ to assist in the planning process.