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.

• Promoting Books with Bitmoji Libraries

  By Brandi Hartsell on 08/19/2020 • ( 1 )

  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 ›

• Passive Readers’ Advisory

  By Brandi Hartsell on 12/04/2019 • ( 6 )

  

  One of my favorite parts of being a school librarian is connecting students with books they love. Providing readers’ advisory is an art that librarians are skilled at. However, sometimes you just can’t reach every student for one-on-one help finding… Read More ›

• Building Diverse Collections for LGBTQ+ Students

  By Brandi Hartsell on 11/11/2019 • ( 0 )

  One of the values I hold most dear is appreciating and celebrating diversity in all its forms. I want this to reflect in the work I do with students, in my library as a physical space, and in my collection…. Read More ›

• Collection Development: Meeting the Needs of Our Emerging Readers

  By Brandi Hartsell on 10/07/2019 • ( 3 )

  

  A few years ago, when I began my current position as a school librarian, the most regular library users in my building were our CDC-A (Comprehensive Development Classroom – Activity Based) students. These students receive special education services that are… Read More ›