CHICAGO – The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) launches three winter courses for its AASL e-Academy starting in January 2012. Designed to isolate and strengthen problem areas, the four week courses will assist school librarians in developing the skills and techniques needed to bring their programs into the 21^st century. Registration and course information are available at www.ala.org/aasl/eacademy.

Led by experts in the field, AASL's online courses will arm attendees with the tools and resources necessary to get results in their programs. The new batch of courses include:

Design for Understanding Meets the 21^st Century School Librarian running Jan. 30 – Feb. 24. Facilitated by Mary Keeling, participants will be introduced to the Understanding by Design Curriculum framework known as the Backward Design model. Participants will work with the model's three stages – Big Ideas, Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions - to build a basic knowledge of the processes and apply the concepts to planning units of library instruction.

New in 2012! From 0 to 60: Implement eBooks in Your Library Program in 4 weeks taking place Feb. 6 – Mar. 2. Built on his experience introducing e-books in San Antonio's North East Independent School District, course facilitator Richard Hasenyager will help participants build an individual e-book implementation plan for their school or district. Topics covered include e-book delivery and acquisition models, digital rights management, technical needs of e-book platforms and use of e-books in instructional units.

The Path to Collaboration: Making it Happen running Mar. 19 – Apr. 13.  Facilitator Marilyn Heath will guide participants through identifying and analyzing the factors that contribute to successful collaborations with teachers. Participants will look at the culture of the of the school, the role of the school librarian, qualities of successful leaders and the various facets of the collaboration process in order to develop and initiate an action plan and encourage teachers to join them in empowering students.

Detailed descriptions of each course and registration information are available on the AASL e-Academy pages at www.ala.org/aasl/eacademy. Fees are $99 for AASL members; $149 for ALA members; $225 for nonmembers; $99 for retired AASL members; and $75 for student AASL members.

The American Association of School Librarians, www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), promotes the improvement and extension of library services in elementary and secondary schools as a means of strengthening the total education program. Its mission is to advocate excellence, facilitate change and develop leaders in the school library field.

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