Not Our First Pandemic Working at a school that has been around for 150 years means that this is not our first pandemic. Our school historian and our archivist are closely reading the documents from the 1918 influenza outbreak. We… Read More ›
As we approach the end of the school year, there is a lot on school librarians’ minds and to-do lists: collecting books, taking down bulletin boards, all the other duties as assigned, and if you have a budget or some… Read More ›
The Fun Begins It’s that time of year again! When our school closed on Friday, March 13, 2020, I had just finished preparing all of the March Book Madness materials and was excited to come into the library on Monday… Read More ›
Equity, diversity, and inclusion (commonly shortened to EDI) is a term that has become common in our institutional language around race and racism. In schools, EDI most often refers to the demographics of the student and employee body, the need… Read More ›
As school librarians, we know that collaboration is important. I am fortunate that many of my colleagues love to work together. They understand the shared vision and benefits that collaboration can offer. Below is a project that was developed alongside… Read More ›
In my high school, teaching To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a requirement for all freshman English classes during second semester. This year I had a teacher approach me wanting to brainstorm ways we could make this book… Read More ›
School Library Month always invokes a sense of nostalgia for me as I reflect on my school’s library programming and the experiences I had as a child. I have fond memories of visiting my elementary school library and searching the… Read More ›
“The library is my safe harbor since I dare not go into the cafeteria alone, a whale surrounded by starving sharks.” — Lisa Fipps, Starfish This month being April, I had a veritable menagerie of subjects swirling about in my… Read More ›
We Did It! All the planning paid off! The NJASL Spring Mini-Conference was an unqualified success! As with any event, there were last-minute changes and hiccoughs. But everything came together, and we received lots of positive feedback from both attendees… Read More ›
Whether your library is virtual, in-person, or somewhere in between, there’s no doubt that these last two school years have been simply overwhelming. Connecting personally with our students in order to deliver them their next great read or resource has… Read More ›
In Michigan, we are preparing for an upcoming Michigan Library Advocacy Day on April 20, 2021. The virtual library advocacy day is a partnership between the Michigan Library Association (MLA), the Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME), and the… Read More ›
During the past year, time has felt fluid. I have lost track of days and have had to write down everything just to get tasks accomplished. This year has also led me to reflect on the need for equity, diversity,… Read More ›
The AASL School Library Event Promotion Committee will host March’s #AASLchat on March 29, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. EST. Each month the AASL Twitter chat is a way to connect librarians across the country for a short brainstorming session and… Read More ›
There are several broad topics in elementary, middle, and high school that may lead to student research. When those happen, I’m a supporter of students being able to select an aspect of the topic they research. That choice can be… Read More ›