As we close down our school libraries and think ahead to the next school year, all of us are thinking about our summer reading list. What will we bring home to read? What should we read first? How can we… Read More ›
Collection Development
Reading Memoirs to Increase Empathy
One of the most valuable benefits of reading is cultivating a sense of empathy. By reading fiction, readers experience the emotions of an endless range of characters. In an article referencing neuroscience studies, Annie Murphy Paul states that “there is… Read More ›
Picture Books and Primary Sources: Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution. By Rob Sanders and Jamey Christoph
I am always glad when an anniversary of an event coincides with a historically based picture book. It adds a greater purpose to bring that book and event into student learning. This is the case with the upcoming 50th anniversary… Read More ›
America’s Other Independence Day
Juneteenth is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth. June 19, 1865, was the day General Gordan Granger announced the end of slavery in Texas and the emancipation of slaves throughout the confederate South. It was on June 19 that Granger… Read More ›
Preparing for a Significant Year
Our School Is Celebrating Its 150th Anniversary Many cities, states, colleges, and universities are approaching noteworthy anniversaries. Standford University will celebrate 150 years in 2035, Vanderbilt University will celebrate its sesquicentennial in 2024. The state of Alabama turns 200 this… Read More ›
To Weed or Not to Weed…
I am a lover and collector of books. I still have some treasured books from my childhood that I refuse to part with. When I was getting my Master’s in School Librarianship at Longwood University, I shuddered when I discovered… Read More ›
Some Lesser-Known Features of GoodReads, a Great Book-Minding Tool
In January, I wrote about Library Extension, a tool that can inspire some powerful literacy moments. Another great digital resource for sparking powerful literacy moments is GoodReads, which offers some fancy features that aren’t always well-known. Let’s dive in! GoodReads: What… Read More ›
My Summer Stack
Often when I tell people I am a school librarian, they tend to believe my job entails sitting at a desk reading all day long. As many of you know the fantasy of what a school librarian does and the… Read More ›
Free Comic Book Day at the School Library
There’s something about comic books that excites people. As a child I devoured Archie and Richie Rich comics, but soon forgot about them as novels became my go-to medium. A few years ago, while in library school, I was introduced… Read More ›
Picture Books and Primary Sources: Waiting for Pumpsie by Barry Wittenstein
Primary sources can give students an opportunity to explore an event or individual over time. A historically based picture book can reveal a lesser known event or individual from history. Paired together, the two can lead to engaging learning for… Read More ›