With the Black Lives Matter movement front and center in the news this summer, it is heartbreakingly evident we still have a great deal of work to do to heal racial issues in our society. Our students are absorbing… Read More ›
Collection Development
Vacation Resources: What Do You Pack?
Vacation! We love to hear the word. But, how many of us truly take a “vacation”? I know the entire time I was away from home last month I searched for resources to pack away into my suitcase to bring… Read More ›
Collection Analysis? Walk the Shelves
These days you can get a fully automated analysis of your collection with a buying list to fill in the holes and purchase replacements for titles that should be weeded. But it is not the same as that personal look…. Read More ›
Collection Development Plans
Here at the end of the traditional school year it is appropriate to look back and evaluate where you have been and where you want to go in developing your school library’s collection. This means examining your collection development plan…. Read More ›
Weeded Books Everywhere, but Not a One to Read
Each and every year, school librarians engage in daunting task of weeding. Not cleaning out the flowerbeds, but cleaning off the library shelves. Most school librarians weed either before the school year starts or just as the school year ends…. Read More ›
Eyes Wide Open, Selecting More Diverse Materials
Let’s be honest: You buy what you yourself like to read. Those big fat fantasy books about courageous females rather than the less well-written football stories or street “drama.” Or you collect those precious picture books with the gossamer fairy… Read More ›
AP Exams Are Right Around the Corner
High school students who are taking AP classes are getting ready to take their exams in May. I like to have resources available for our students to use for studying besides their class content. One of the pages on my media center… Read More ›
Collection Development: The Want List
Sometimes we have a hard time categorizing our wants versus our needs in a school library. Put dollar signs in our eyes and the sky is the limit, we think. Until it happens. It’s spring, the time of year when… Read More ›
Inventory
by Devona Pendergrass Spring–The time of year when young men’s thoughts turn to fancy and school librarians thoughts turn to the dreaded end of the year inventory. Inventory is defined as the on-going process of comparing your library holdings to… Read More ›
Collection Development: Choosing Nonfiction
While your teachers are working to teach students to distinguish nonfiction from fiction, to recognize nonfiction text features, and to comprehend nonfiction texts, you can support their efforts by purchasing quality nonfiction books. Specifically, you should buy excellent nonfiction books… Read More ›