McHenry, IL -- March 27, 2018. A full-day workshop just prior to the ISTE 2018 Conference in Chicago will explore how K-12 librarian leaders can lead, teach, and support the Future Ready goals of their schools and districts, develop an action plan for their library programs, and delve into the challenges and best practices surrounding empowering Future Ready Librarians.
The "Future Ready Librarian Leadership Summit" is hosted by Follett, which more than two years ago announced its support of Future Ready Schools (FRS), an initiative developed by the U.S. Department of Education. Led by two widely respected industry experts, it will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 23 at Marriott Marquis Chicago.
Registration is currently underway, limited space is available, and the $99/person workshop fee includes lunch. ISTE '18 kicks off the next day at nearby McCormick Place.
"The Future Ready Librarians (FRL) initiative has transformed many libraries and empowered librarians," said Mark Ray, co-leader of the workshop, who is director of innovation and library services for Vancouver (Wash.) Public Schools. "The next opportunity is connecting and empowering those who lead librarians to make systemic transformations. Both literally and figuratively, the Future Ready Librarians Leadership Summit will take FRL to a new level."
Ray, a past Washington State Teacher of the Year, will be joined in leading the workshop by Shannon McClintock Miller, an international speaker, consultant, and author who previously was a K-12 district teacher librarian in Iowa for 10 years.
"This Leadership Summit is the next step in implementing dynamic change as Future Ready Librarians for school libraries and education, and for our students and communities," said Miller, author of The Library Voice blog. "The work we plan to do together at this Summit is important to not only schools and districts, but it is essential in building library leaders who lead and model the valuable role and change librarians can bring."
The Summit also will feature several other industry experts serving as panelists and presenters:
- Bill Bass, innovation coordinator, Parkway School District, St. Louis, Mo.;
- Traci Chun, teacher-librarian, Skyview High School, Vancouver (Wash.) Public Schools;
- Stephanie Ham, director of library services, Metro Nashville (Tenn.) Public Schools;
- Elissa Malespina, teacher-librarian, Somerville (N.J.) Middle School;
- Kristen Mattson, library media director, Indian Prairie School District 204, Aurora, Ill.; and
- Suzanna L. Panter, program manager/school libraries, Tacoma (Wash.) Public Schools.
The workshop moderator is Britten Follett, a fifth-generation Follett family member who is senior vice president of marketing strategy and classroom initiatives for Follett School Solutions. Her work at Follett has helped to establish the foundation for the Future Ready Librarian Framework, which has changed the conversation about the role of the school librarian.
To register for the June 23 Future Ready Librarian Leadership Summit, visit https://bit.ly/2pyL4g6.
For more information about Follett, visit www.FollettLearning.com.
About Follett's PreK-12 Business
Follett is the largest provider of educational materials and technology solutions to PreK-12 libraries, classrooms, learning centers and school districts in the United States, and a major supplier to educational institutions worldwide. Follett distributes books, reference materials, digital resources, ebooks and audiovisual materials, as well as pre-owned textbooks. Follett also is one of the leading providers of integrated educational technology for the management of physical and digital assets, the tracking, storing and analyzing of academic data, and digital learning environment tools for the classroom focusing on student achievement.
About Follett Corporation
Follett is a $3.4 billion privately held company headquartered in Westchester, Illinois. As a leading provider of education technology, services and physical and digital content, Follett works with 70,000 schools and operates more than 1,250 local campus stores and 1,600 virtual stores. With the 2016 acquisition of Baker & Taylor, LLC, Follett's reach also extends into the public library and global retail markets.