[LM_NET] Interested in an AASL Committee? You're invited to volunteer!

[Sara Kelly Johns <sarakellyjohns@YAHOO.COM>]

Please excuse the cross-posting on the AASL Blog
<http://www.ala.org/aasl> and my blog
<http://fromtheinsideout.squarespace.com> 

As AASL's President-Elect, I will begin soon to
appoint committee members for terms that will begin at
the end of the ALA Annual Conference in June. Though
AASL President Cyndi Phillip and AASL past presidents
all advise me to start NOW and to make as many
appointments as possible this spring, they warn me
that I will NOT be finished by June. I have met so
many talented, savvy people in our profession and want
to be sure that as many members as possible are
involved in the important work of our profession. 

But, it's a bit complicated at the moment. AASL is
reorganizing committees and there is new appointment
database, both of which will make it “interesting” to
get the task done:
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aboutaasl/aaslgovernance/aaslcommittees/restructuring.htm

There was much discussion at Midwinter about how
important it is to ensure that the functions of the
committees that are being reorganized will continue.
Committee functions such as Intellectual Freedom,
Legislation, International Relations, Membership
Committee and others will be coordinated by either the
Advocacy or Professional Development committees but
will be visible and important. Right now, an AASL task
force is carefully considering how this will happen,
slowed a bit by the illness and death of the chair’s
mother. I’m looking forward to their report. With a
core of passionate members, the new Personal Learning
Communities offer the chance to get even more people
involved in them.

Thus, the first appointments will be to the standing
committees and special committees whose charges will
not change; they are listed on the page linked above. 

If you're thinking about joining an AASL committee--or
if you are currently serving on a committee and your
term will expire in June 2007--now is the time to fill
out your committee volunteer form in order to be
listed in the new appointments database. 

If you filled out a form last year, you will need to
fill one out again this year in order to be considered
for the new round of appointments because of the new
database. A hint is to fill out carefully the area on
special interests; if the committee(s) you want is
full, that will give me clues about where else you
might enjoy involvement! 

How would I volunteer right now before the task force
report is completed and the committee volunteer form
is revised? (Please don’t wait!) 
1. I’d read the page above to see what committees will
carry over under the reorganization, 
2. Go to the AASL Committee page and download the
current form, 
3. Read the committee charges of the ones that
interest you (some committees include virtual members,
BTW):
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aboutaasl/aaslgovernance/aaslcommittees/committees.htm
4. Then fill out that form and mail it or fax it into
the AASL office (address on the form). 

Also, consider listing an ALA committee, another
opportunity to be involved in our profession. Most
appointments are done for this year but ALA
President-Elect Loreine Roy occasionally contacts me
for suggestions of school people for appointments. The
trick is to ALSO fill out an ALA committee volunteer
form:
http://www.ala.org/ala/ourassociation/committees/committees.htm

I’m looking forward to getting as many people as
possible on committees! AASL Region IV Director-Elect
and LM_NETTer Nancy Dickinson humorously talked at
Midwinter about how easy it is to limit appointments
to your “five favorite friends,” partially because you
know that they will get the committee work done well,
but also because they have a hard time saying “no” to
you. There are about 10,000 AASL members who are “my
favorite friends” and I’m just waiting to hear from
you. 

Please volunteer! Thanks so much, Sara


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sara Kelly Johns
AASL 2006-07 President-Elect
Associate Editor for AASL Community, Knowledge Quest
Lake Placid Middle/High School LMC
34 School Street
Lake Placid, NY 12946
518-523-2474, ext. 4132
FAX: 518-523-4861
johns@northnet.org
SaraKJohns@aol.com

"Information is the currency of democracy." -- Thomas Jefferson

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