Making Connections As librarians implementing the AASL Standards, we often find inspiration in those who work around us and among us. We celebrate the work of other librarians and find joy in being part of an effective, innovative profession. Making… Read More ›
One of the things I look forward to every December is the release of all the “best books” lists. Like all librarians, I try to keep up with newly published titles throughout the year by reading professional review journals,… Read More ›
A few months ago, I wrote about Books of Our Roots, an idea I came up with to celebrate diversity in my high school library and facilitate conversations among students. The goal was to survey students about their families’ backgrounds,… Read More ›
Recently I heard the song “White Privilege II” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (play it before you read…) and using the lyrics as inspiration I started thinking about this blog post. I’ve heard that silences are action and I’ve been… Read More ›
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 ›
We Make Our Library Great. Together. I’m the steward of the school library. It’s my job to make the library a place that reflects our learning community, and responds to the community’s needs. Since our population of users is always… Read More ›
Young learners come to the school library possessing skills and talents just waiting to be revealed. The school librarian also possesses talents. The librarian knows how to connect students with literature that incites curiosity. The librarian knows how to select… Read More ›
At AASL 2019 I attended the session “Equity: Moving Beyond Intention to Inclusive Practice” presented by Julie Stivers, Mount Vernon Library in Raliegh, North Carolina. Julie served as the task force chair for the 2017-2018 YALSA Presidential Theme of Youth… Read More ›
“Choose words carefully.” Two of the keynote at AASL 2019 National Conference Ellen Oh and Dr. Adolph Brown III give inspiring words of wisdom. These inspirational speeches are not only from research and best practice but also from their father… Read More ›
Teaching Digital Ethics This year my school has the opportunity to incorporate five digital ethics lessons into the required ethics course. Digital ethics lessons include: Behavior and Relationships Understanding Plagiarism, Citing Sources, and Giving Credit Fame and Digital Celebrity Generational… Read More ›