There is a lot one can accomplish in just 15 minutes. You can update your resume, grab takeout dinner, take a shower, or even explore a new educational technology or library service. That’s right, in 15 minutes, school libraries can… Read More ›
Blog Topics
Choosing Books That Challenge: Shaking Up Students’ Beliefs
This past weekend I read an outstanding essay in The New York Times “Book Review” section by Brian Morton, the director of the writing program at Sarah Lawrence College. In it, he describes an encounter with a college student who had been… Read More ›
How are school libraries like an ice cream shop?
Think about the last time you walked into an ice cream shop. You may have seen customers browse through the dozens of flavors, looking for what will satisfy them that day. Maybe some opted for two scoops of opposing flavors,… Read More ›
Encouraging the so-called “non-readers”: Fine-tuning book displays
Reaching out to Non-readers As a high school librarian it is important yet challenging to encourage students to read books. This is particularly true for our students who consider themselves non-readers. They are intimated by hardcover books with hundreds of… Read More ›
If You Order It, They Will Read It!
Among all the jobs that school librarians have, collection development often falls to the wayside. Lesson planning, teaching, decorating the library, book fair, reading promotion–all of these often get my attention way before I am ready to order books. Here… Read More ›
Changing Mindset to Increase Student Engagement
Have you ever experienced a convergence of events that caused an unsettling in your thinking? I did, and the result pointed to one conclusion: transform my approach to student engagement. Since September, a series of events caused me to consider… Read More ›
How Much Do Your Learners Know about the Coral Reef?
A coral reef is a long line of coral that lies in warm, shallow water. A diverse amount of sea life depends on coral reefs for food, reproduction, and protection. To see it first hand is quite extraordinary. Last… Read More ›
Inspire students with nonfiction!
After a recent weeding bonanza where we tossed late 80s and early 90s versions of teen self-help and how-to guides, we decided to reinvest in those areas and create a Get Inspired subcollection featuring a wider variety of topics our… Read More ›
Picture Books and Primary Sources: Diana’s White House Garden by Elisa Carbone
In my state, Missouri, the Missouri Association of School Librarians has book awards for K-12 students. When the list for their picture book award, the Show Me Award, contains a picture book that focuses on an actual event or individual,… Read More ›
The Joy of Lifelong Reading
New Year’s Resolution fanatics take over New York salad eateries! Not the exact headline, but reports noted that there were record lines at restaurants like Just Salad and Sweetgrass instead of McDonald’s. Eating healthy is a popular resolution. Another one is… Read More ›