At the IASL 2007 conference the incoming president, James Henri, issued a challenge to the membership. His challenge is based on the idea that when you take up a position you have to make your first act an important one. He believes there is nothing more important than the need to embrace our colleagues in IASL Zone C category countries. James states, “The reality is that the vast majority of folk who have responsibility for school libraries in Zone C could never afford to join IASL. That is just not good enough. At the same time many potential members in Zone A countries often seem to be unclear about what IASL can do for them. My challenge is to take another view on this. I challenge people in Zone A to share your expertise and your prosperity with Zone C.”
The President’s Challenge for 2007-2008 comes in the form of the concept of IASL Partner Schools. Partner Schools are schools that commit to donating an amount of USD 1,000 per annum for two years to enable Zone C school librarians to join the association. These schools will be able to use the name IASL Partner School for their own promotional purposes.
“My challenge is to find 50 such schools in the first year” — this is the challenge to make a difference.
