danah boyd, called the "high priestess" of networked social media and an internationally recognized authority on online social networking sites, said school librarians can play a crucial role in "keeping the digital doors open to help young people think about learning beyond the classroom." She delivered the opening session keynote address November 5 during the 14th national conference of ALA's American Association of School Librarians in Charlotte, North Carolina, which carries the theme "Rev Up Learning @ your library." A doctoral candidate at the University of California at Berkeley's School of Information and fellow at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society, boyd has unique and controversial perspectives on how America's youth are engaging in sites such as MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube. "There is a lot of social learning that goes on in schools that we need to figure out how to support," boyd explained. "You can play a tremendous role in helping children think through the kind of environment they are living in." In doing this, boyd told school librarians that they "need to be as public and transparent as possible in every way" when dealing with children and social networking, "In the same way that you keep the doors open in schools, you need to keep the digital doors open online," she urged, providing such tips as sharing passwords with principals. "Digital media makes visible what is going on in the everyday lives of children and that's not always pretty," boyd said, "Social media helps kids make sense of things. Young people are getting access to more information than ever before, often unstructured and with no easy way to make sense of it."
More than 3,000 school librarians, educators, publishers, and guests are expected to attend the only national conference dedicated entirely to the needs of school library media specialists probing such issues as information literacy, technology, 21st-century learning skills, and how to advocate for school library media centers.
In addition to two full-day and five half-day preconference workshops, as well as school and educational tours, Thursday's conference business began with the Exploratorium, which showcased new practices that are transforming the library media center. The two-hour educational session showcased best practices from the school library media community, including a presentation from ALA President Camila Alire, "Presidential Initiative: Libraries: The Heart of All Communities" that focused on advocacy for 21st century literacies and libraries. After boyd's address, it was party time in the exhibit hall, complete with refreshments. More than 200 exhibitors welcomed conference participants for the first chance to get a glimpse at their products and services. The evening ended with "A Storytelling Extravaganza" featuring the original and traditional stories of Steven Henegar, the heartfelt stories using handmade masks and stylized movement of Kuniko Yamamo, and musical programs presented in the tradition of Griot of Madafo. AASL is also reducing the conference footprint by going green. To reduce paper waste, the ALA division's virtual component, "b there-Your Virtual Track Pass," is housing all session materials and speaker resources online at www.ala.org/aasl/bthere, including boyd's presentation as well as an exclusive interview. All registrants have free access to these resources for an entire year. In addition, conference signage is made of recyclable materials and printed with eco-friendly inks. Attendees are also receiving eco-friendly conference bags, which they may donate to a local charity at the end of conference. Surplus promotional items and books from exhibitors will also be donated to local charities. The Charlotte Convention Center has placed recycling stations in convenient places and employees are encouraged to minimize energy consumption by powering down unused convention areas and machinery. Caterers are buying locally grown and organic foods, using recyclable papers and plastic, and will donate surplus food to local food banks. For a complete list of conference green initiatives, visit www.ala.org/aasl/charlottegogreen.