Eileen F. Kern, former Kratzer Elementary School librarian, recently attended the annual conference of the American Library Association in San Francisco, Calif.

Although she retired in 2009 as a practicing librarian, Kern remains an active participant in library activities.

Kern serves on the board of directors of the American Association of School Librarians, one of 11 divisions of ALA.

According to Kern, AASL, the national organization for school librarians, is responsible for developing a vision, setting standards and guidelines, and designing implementation plans for school library programs.

This is Kern’s second year as a director.

“It is an honor to serve at the national level,” she said.

Kern also continues to serve at the state level as immediate-past president of the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association.

She has served as president, vice president, treasurer and director in the organization at various times throughout her 33-year career as a librarian.

In addition to attending board and committee meetings, Kern had the opportunity to network and share ideas with other librarians.

“Pennsylvania is very fortunate to be at the forefront of curriculum development,” Kern said.

Kern served as a consultant to the committee that developed the 2014 Model Curriculum for Pennsylvania School Library Programs.

“We were also fortunate to have the Pennsylvania Department of Education conduct a study on the impact of school libraries in 2011,” she said.

In addition to hosting more than 21,000 librarians, San Francisco was also the scene for an estimated 1,000,000 people who participated in and attended the annual San Francisco Pride Parade.

Kern did save some time to explore San Francisco, enjoying the food and tours of major attractions.

Visiting the Exploratorium: the Museum of Science, Art, and Human Perception was another highlight of her visit.

Kern said she is looking forward to the next library event, AASL’s conference in October in Columbus, Ohio.