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.

• 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 • ( 5 )

  

  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 • ( 2 )

  

  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 ›

• True Crime Books for Teens

  By Brandi Hartsell on 09/10/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  True crime is wildly popular with students across the country, and my students are no exception. If your teens are anything like mine, they are just as fascinated by tales of murder and misdeeds. I’ve previously shared how I capitalized… Read More ›

• AASL Standards for Learners: Thinking Outside the Box – Criminal Profiling

  By Brandi Hartsell on 07/09/2019 • ( 1 )

  

  One of the best things about the updated AASL National School Library Standards is the great level of flexibility in how to address the standards across the curriculum. The standards allow school librarians to engage students in learning that is well… Read More ›

• Writing Historical Fiction: Collaborating to Meet the Standards

  By Brandi Hartsell on 06/05/2019 • ( 2 )

  

  Over the past few semesters I have had the pleasure of collaborating with creative writing teachers in my building for weekly “Library Wednesday” lessons. In our school, creative writing is an elective course comprised of students in grades 9-12. We… Read More ›