2015 NJASL Annual Fall Conference:
"Librarians: Lifeguards of the Information Ocean"
November 15 - 17, 2015
Ocean Place Resort
Long Branch, NJ
Our keynotes/featured speakers are Dan Gutman & David Lubar, Donna Jo Napoli, Dr. Joyce Valenza, and Dr. Alison Carr-Chellman.
Dan Gutman is a fixture on every library’s children’s and YA shelves. Originally a non-fiction sports writer, Dan found his true stride in children’s and YA fiction, penning perennial favorites such as the Baseball Card Adventure series, the My Weird School series, the Million Dollar series, the Kid President series, the Genius Files series, etc. Dan is also a frequent visitor at schools, and we will get a taste of his style when we see him in November. Dan lives in NYC and can often be seen at local events promoting literacy and kids.
Until I read his website, I never knew that David Lubar wrote Frogger 2. That is so cool! However, we know David as a very funny, slightly strange, and extremely talented YA author. My students never let his Weenies books get dusty, and David published over 20 books, including Hidden Talents, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Punished!, and the popular middle-grade series Nathan Abercrombie: Accidental Zombie. Looniverse is his first early chapter book series.
Donna Jo Napoli is one of the most popular authors in my two buildings (grades 5-8) and I’m sure in yours as well. Author of books for several ages and in several genres, Professor Napoli often retells classic myths and fairy tales as well as dealing with characters dealing with phobias and fears. Professor Napoli lives outside of Philadelphia. She received her B.A. in Mathematics in 1970 and her Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures in 1973, both from Harvard University, before adding a postdoctoral year in Linguistics at MIT.
Dr. Joyce Valenza is practically a local legend in librarianship. An early proponent of quality school library websites and blogs, Dr. Valenza now teaches future SLMSs at Rutgers University and publishes regularly in popular library-related publications. She is a dynamic speaker and innovator and she will never fail to delight and inspire her audience.
I encountered Dr. Alison Carr-Chellman at AECT 2014 in Jacksonville and found her to be an engaging and dynamic presenter who is not afraid to challenge accepted reading research norms and practices. Department Head of Learning and Performance Systems at The Pennsylvania State University, her research interests center on re-engaging boys in their own learning through video gaming, systems thinking, diffusion of innovations, and the global impacts of online learning. She has published more than 100 articles and book chapters and four books, and Dr. Carr-Chellman is currently working on the impacts of biofeedback video gaming on boys' focus in school.
Please visit www.njasl.org/FallConf for full details about the 2015 conference!
