Author Archives

I am the sole school librarian at a moderately-sized high school in Knoxville, TN. I began my career as a school librarian in 2016 after eight years in public education as a school counselor.

• More True Crime Books for Teens

  By Brandi Hartsell on 06/22/2022 • ( 0 )

  

  Back in 2019, I shared some recommendations for True Crime Books for Teens. Since then, the true crime genre has only continued to expand. We ALL watched Tiger King on Netflix during quarantine, and the onslaught of new true crime… Read More ›

• Making the Most of #Booktok Videos

  By Brandi Hartsell on 01/28/2022 • ( 2 )

  

  My high school library has seen an increase in circulation this year. This is partly due to collaborative relationships I’ve built with teachers implementing sustained silent reading. However, I’m certain that the rise in circ stats can be, at least… Read More ›

• Allowing Students to Pursue Their Passions

  By Brandi Hartsell on 11/10/2020 • ( 1 )

  As a high school librarian, I am blessed with student library assistants each semester. These students are placed in an elective course that I call “Library Leadership.” Primarily, my library assistants do tasks in the library such as reshelving books,… Read More ›

• Promoting Books with Bitmoji Libraries

  By Brandi Hartsell on 08/19/2020 • ( 2 )

  One of my favorite ways to connect students with books is creating book displays. I have about 5 display areas in my library that I change out monthly with a new theme. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year my… Read More ›

• Supporting Students during This Period of Unrest

  By Brandi Hartsell on 06/25/2020 • ( 0 )

  In the wake of tragedy, followed by continuing protests around the country, I imagine many of you, like me, are wondering how to best support your students during this time. I have gathered a few ideas from colleagues and social… Read More ›

• Minding Mental Health during COVID-19

  By Brandi Hartsell on 03/31/2020 • ( 1 )

  

  As schools across the country are closing for weeks, months, and some for the rest of the year, school librarians (and other educators) are undoubtedly experiencing waves of emotion. We are sad because we miss our students and colleagues. We… Read More ›

• Capitalizing on Society’s Current Obsession with True Crime

  By Brandi Hartsell on 03/03/2020 • ( 2 )

  

  Several months ago, I happened upon a post in a school librarian Facebook group that caught my eye. The original post was from a librarian who had recently had a visit from one of the detectives involved in the case… Read More ›

• Take Care of Yourself First

  By Brandi Hartsell on 02/10/2020 • ( 0 )

  I love being a school librarian. Seriously, I absolutely love it. It’s the best job in the world. But…after my first year as a school librarian, I sought out a therapist to help manage my mental health. This decision was… Read More ›

• Curating Manga Collections

  By Brandi Hartsell on 01/08/2020 • ( 0 )

  

  If your library is anything like mine, manga accounts for a significant percentage of your circulation. The popularity and appeal of manga and anime only continues to grow and if they aren’t already, your students are likely to soon be… Read More ›

• Building Cultural Competence through Reading Diverse Books

  By Brandi Hartsell on 12/19/2019 • ( 1 )

  

  A few years ago a conversation started in my library that was prompted by a student reading Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give. The student in question identified as a person of color, but in our extremely homogeneous community she… Read More ›