VAASL 2026 Summer Professional Learning

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Elevating the School Library: July 8, 2026 at Salem High School, 400 Spartan Dr, Salem, VA 24153

In tough economic times and a competitive marketplace, not only do school librarians need to know what works and how to demonstrate that what we do makes a difference, but they also need a plan to ensure survival and contemporary relevance. The development of a brand is a standard business concept that helps to convey the entire experience that users and prospective users can and should expect in a school library. In this interactive workshop, the authors of the 2024 book Elevating the School Library: Positive Perceptions through Brand Behavior will provide insights into how librarians must expand their understanding and commitment to the brand and collectively promote its crucial role in the educational and community landscape. 

Participants will discover how branding ties to school library leadership and advocacy by collecting and analyzing local data, assessing their programs, and developing strategies to identify and meet the needs of target audiences. They will examine and practice using several tools to address the needs of these audiences. 

Attendees will also learn how to evaluate their school library using business concepts such as user-centered design, service culture, and personas, in combination with the National School Library Standards, to take action to strengthen their school library brand. 

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Bios:

Susan D. Ballard

Susan D. Ballard, a former Director of Library, Media, and Technology, guided her district to recognition as an AASL National School Library of the Year. She has served as an adjunct professor and lecturer in various school librarian preparation programs, published numerous articles in professional and scholarly journals, and edited and contributed to several books. A past president of AASL, the New Hampshire School Library Media Association (NHSLMA), and the New England School Library Association (NESLA), Susan served on the Standards and Guidelines Editorial Board for the AASL Standards.

Recently honored by AASL with the 2025 Distinguished Service Award, Susan was also named the first-ever recipient of the NH Excellence in Education Award (EDie) for Library Media Services.  She has also been bestowed with lifetime membership in NHSLMA and NESLA, and is a recipient of the NHSLMA Service Award, the NESLA President’s Award, and a charter inductee of the NESLA Hall of Fame.  

Sara Kelly Johns

Sara Kelly Johns, an online instructor at the Syracuse University iSchool and a long-time school librarian, is a past president of AASL, the New York Library Association (NYLA), and the Section of School Librarians of NYLA. Sara has been a public library trustee and received the Adjunct Excellence in Teaching Award for SUNY Plattsburgh’s Feinberg Library, the NYLA Lifetime Achievement Award, and the first AASL Social Media Superstar Advocacy Ambassador Award. 

Active in ALA Council and ALA committees, she is the current chair of the ALA Publications Committee and the ALA Retired Members Round Table (RMRT).  In addition,  Johns served on the Implementation Task Force for the AASL Standards. She has written articles for several school library publications and contributed chapters to various books. She is an author/editor of the ALA book Strengthening Library Ecosystems: Collaborate for Advocacy and Impact.