Making Powerful Learners
Virtually Everywhere

ISLMA Fall Conference
Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, Springfield, IL
November 1-3, 2007

Full Day Seminar | 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Seminar 01
A Day at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
In this day-long workshop, participants will explore ways to bring primary sources into the classroom. Beginning with the special effects presentation Ghosts of the Library, this session will delve into the importance of preserving primary sources and the stories they can tell us about our past. Participants will examine documents from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library collections, including civil war letters, political cartoons and Lincoln’s family correspondence. They will learn how to identify primary sources, determine their credibility as a source, analyze their content, and become familiar with print and digital resources available through the ALPLM. The day will also include a complimentary tour of the Library and Museum. Lunch on your own.
PreK-12 Limit: 25

Morning Seminars | 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

Seminar 02
History, Mystery, Bones and Gold: Make Research and Writing Nonfiction Fun
Sally Walker
Many children, especially boys, enjoy reading nonfiction materials. Yet they often think research is boring; they approach reports and projects with trepidation. In reality, research is exciting and writing nonfiction can be very satisfying. Sally Walker will help you discover how you can help your students to feel the same way.
PreK-8 Limit: 40 Room: Plaza A

Seminar 03
Curriculum Ideas and Hands-on Activities from the Field Museum
Mara Cosillo-Starr and April Richard
This presentation will provide an overview of what The Field Museum has to offer to educators and how to create kit materials using real objects in creative and tangible ways.
PreK-8 Limit: 40 Room: Plaza B

Seminar 04
Graphic Novels 101: An Overview for Middle and High School Librarians
Philip Crawford
This workshop will address a wide-range of collection development issues for middle and high school libraries. Topics will include a brief history of comics and graphic novels; literacy issues; attracting reluctant readers; boys and reading, Manga; “how-to-read” a graphic novel; age-appropriateness; the depiction of women in comics; and book talks. 6-12 Limit: 40 Room: Plaza C

Seminar 05
Virtual Collaboration for Information Literacy
Gail Bush and Elaine Buch
As our libraries grow more virtual, we must adapt our communication and collaboration skills to match the needs of our teachers and students. Join us as we progress from information literacy disposition to assessment to infusing lesson plans to virtual communication with teachers and students. Learn strategies that you may model with your educators. We welcome lessons plans of all types and variations. Bring us your toughest sells and let’s work on them together in a community of professionals dedicated to information literacy across the curriculum and across the formats. We offer you the communication tools, we will help you to build your own collaboration toolkit. Sponsored by North Suburban L.S.
PreK-12 Limit: 40 Room: Plaza D

Seminar 06
The Best of the Best: What’s new in YA Literature
Michael Cart
Nationally known expert in young adult literature Michael Cart will present his popular annual survey of the best new young adult books of the year. Giving special focus to emerging new trends, Michael will highlight what he considers “must read” titles among both fiction and nonfiction publications. Sponsored by DuPage L.S.
6-12 Limit: 50 Room: Plaza F

Afternoon Seminars | 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Seminar 07
A Book Comes Together: Writing and Illustrating Children’s Books
Ray Bial Photographer and author Raymond Bial will discuss the blending of text and photographs in making award-winning photo-essays and writing mystery novels and ghost stories for children. Through various books as representative examples and a selection of slides, he will describe the many ways in which authors create children’s books of enduring value.
PreK-8 Limit: 40 Room: Plaza B

Seminar 08
Update: Elementary Graphic Novels
Barb Fiehn Take a look at some of the graphic novels published in the last 18 months, including Sibert Honor Book To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel. Update with teacher developed lesson plans, and news from Publisher’s Weekly. Discuss and develop strategies for introducing Graphic Novels to your elementary school.
PreK-8 Limit: 40 Room: Plaza C

Seminar 09
WEB 2.0 – Land of Unexpected Consequences
Frances Jacobson Harris Web 2.0 is a way of describing the “next generation”Web, in which users create and share content and connect to one another in virtual communities. Learn about how the dynamic nature of Web 2.0 has generated a whole range of unexpected cultural phenomena. For teenagers, Web 2.0 means – at the very least – new notions of privacy, a different take on intellectual property rights, and undreamed of ways to become social activists. Get a glimpse of how school libraries can leverage Web 2.0 tools to engage students in learning and to stay relevant in this new world. (Not hands-on)
5-12 Limit: 40 Room: Plaza D

Seminar 10
Giving Them Faces, Too
Michael Cart, Christine Jenkins Michael Cart and Christine Jenkins, co-authors of The Heart Has its Reasons: Young Adult Literature with Gay/Lesbian/Queer Content, 1969-2004, will discuss the evolution of this often overlooked but
essential genre. They will give particular focus to current trends and recommended titles, both past and present.
6-12 Limit: 40 Room: Plaza F

Seminar 11
Inquiry on History: A Collaborative Approach
Marjorie Pappas / ABC CLIO
This workshop utilizes ABC-CLIO’s model of historical inquiry and database resources to help secondary-level social studies teachers and students identify and frame problems, analyze
data, evaluate information to construct arguments, and assess conflicting interpretations. Sponsored by ABC/CLIO.
5-12 Limit: 25