Author Archives

Angie Miller is a 7-12 school librarian in Meredith, NH. The 2011 NH Teacher of the Year and the recipient of the 2017 NH Outstanding Library Program of the Year, Angie is a TED speaker, National Geographic teacher fellow, and freelance writer who writes for her blog, The Contrarian Librarian, and is a regular contributor to sites like EdWeek and the Washington Post's Answer Sheet. As a co-founder of the initiative, Let the Librarians Lead, Angie leads professional development, speaks to audiences, and advocates for school leadership through librarianship. Her book, It's A Matter of Fact: Teaching Students Research Skills in Today's Information-Packed World, published by Routledge, will be on shelves in April 2018.

• The School Library Is Still Open! Ten Ways to Change Our Physical Spaces into Virtual Libraries

  By Angie Miller on 04/07/2020 • ( 11 )

  Okay, school librarian friends. These past few weeks have been tough, am I right? We’re used to being on our feet, engaging with staff and students, and acting as school leaders. And now we’re home, at our desk (or, if… Read More ›

• Summertime…and the Reading Just Got Easy(er)

  By Angie Miller on 06/14/2018 • ( 2 )

  

  “Would you ever consider letting students take books out of the library for the summer?” a classroom teacher asked me in passing one early June afternoon. She glanced at my face–filled with my typical I-don’t-know-what-the-right-answer-to-this-question-is, and tacked on, “Think about… Read More ›

• There’s So Much on the Web! Helping Students Become Internet-Research Savvy

  By Angie Miller on 05/10/2018 • ( 2 )

  

  No matter how much we emphasize the importance of books and databases, the reality is our students are using the Internet for research and will continue to do so. The plethora of high-quality resources available online cannot be ignored. But… Read More ›

• What Are We Asking Kids to Do? Designing Research Projects That Ignite Creativity

  By Angie Miller on 03/14/2018 • ( 3 )

  

  What Are We Asking Kids to Do? We’ve all collected research projects that have been less than inspiring. A list of facts glued onto a poster board. PowerPoint presentations with ten bullets on a page that are all but plagiarized…. Read More ›

• All Research Should Begin in the Library

  By Angie Miller on 02/13/2018 • ( 2 )

  

  I have a basic belief that I am emphatic about: all research should start in the library. Several large studies of college students have shown that those who use the library for research experience greater academic success and retention. Sadly,… Read More ›

• Demystifying Librarian Leadership: Five Ways to Find Your Leadership Voice

  By Angie Miller on 01/08/2018 • ( 0 )

  

  We keep saying it amongst ourselves: librarians are leaders. But, midyear, when we are up to our necks in winter routine, an ambiguous word like “leadership” can intimidate the most confident of us. I mean, let’s face it: we don’t… Read More ›

• ‘Tis the Season: Ten Ways to Make the Library a Teacher’s Gift

  By Angie Miller on 12/15/2017 • ( 4 )

  

  “For it is in giving that we receive.” –Francis of Assisi There’s a simple, lovely pleasure in gifting, isn’t there? We love to watch gratitude take over a face, knowing that for one, brief second, we infused joy into somebody’s… Read More ›

• Teaching Research to Preserve Democracy

  By Angie Miller on 11/07/2017 • ( 1 )

  

  Google, Facebook, and Twitter have spent recent days sitting with Congress, explaining how Russians infiltrated our social media to purport false news stories, and an entire segment of our population has begun to utilize the term “fake news” at any… Read More ›

• The News Is Bad. Should We Have It On in the Library?

  By Angie Miller on 10/11/2017 • ( 0 )

  

  A sophomore stops in her tracks. “Wait,” she says to me. “What is happening?” She is looking up at the large, flat screen television mounted on the wall that plays muted, closed-captioned, all-news broadcasts throughout the day. The news is… Read More ›

• But My Principal Won’t Let Me! Leadership, Advocacy, & Some Rebel Yell from the Library

  By Angie Miller on 08/10/2017 • ( 5 )

  

  “I love that idea–but there’s no way my principal would ever go along with that…” “That is really cool that you can do that. But it wouldn’t fly in my school…” “I wish my principal would let me try something… Read More ›