Reading is so important. It is a life skill that children must master to have success in the world. As author Mary Pope Osborne has said, “Reading is the basic springboard for learning. And books provide the liftoff. They are the great equalizer, opening up new worlds to everyone.”
In the May/June issue of Knowledge Quest, we have gathered together ideas from experienced thinkers about reading. The feature articles were written before the coronavirus closed our schools and set us on new paths of service, but you will recognize professional areas you may have marked for improvement.
- Kasey Garrison details how to use graphic novels to help adolescents pass through their teen years unscathed, or at least with a tougher skin.
- Rachel Grover and Stacy Gilbert provide ideas for activities and programming when the school library is closed and you must work outside your normal classroom.
- Sara Churchill explores how to guide our gifted readers to more meaningful works.
- April Dawkins, Kim Gangwish, and Mary Ann Harlan detail what the 2019 ALA/AASL/CAEP School Librarian Preparation Standards mean for our profession in terms of reading and literacy.
- Tammy Gruer and I discuss how school librarians help children become better readers.
- Sarah Jorgenson and Rene Burress outline how to analyze the diversity of a high school library collection.
AASL Core Belief 4 states, “Reading is the core of personal and academic competency.” I hope you enjoy this Knowledge Quest issue as we explore how this belief is manifested in our work and our students’ lives.
About the Guest Editor
Karen Perry is currently an instructor in the Library Science Department at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Karen served as a school librarian and public library children’s librarian for more than thirty-four years. She is currently serving on the US Board on Books for Youth, representing AASL. She has served on several awards committees for ALSC and YALSA, as well as the AASL National Conference planning committees for 2015 and 2017.
Read her Guest Editor Column, “Tackling Reading from Many Sides.”
Knowledge Quest, Volume 48, No. 5 – Strengthening Reading Culture
Features
Growing Up Graphically: Coming-of-Age Issues in Graphic Novels
Kasey L. Garrison
Branching Out: Promoting Reading and Providing Access When the Library Is Closed
Stacy Gilbert and Rachel Grover
Left to Chance: Gifted Students and Independent Reading
Sara Churchill
New School Librarian Preparation Standards: How Does Reading Fit In?
April Dawkins, Kim Gangwish, and Mary Ann Harlan
Yes, School Librarians Teach Reading
Tammy S. Gruer and Karen M. Perry
Article
Analyzing the Diversity of a High School Library Collection
Sarah Jorgenson and Rene Burress
Column
CBC Column
Using Oral Storytelling Techniques in Reading Sessions
Srividhya Venkat
Departments
President’s Column
Dancing across the Literacy Divide
Mary Keeling
Guest Editor Column
Tackling Reading from Many Sides
Karen M. Perry
Author: Karen Perry
Former school library media specialist. Reviewer. Online instructor for Old Dominion University and University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the school library program.
Categories: KQ Content
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