The January/February 2026 issue of Knowledge Quest will be hitting your desk any day now, and I truly believe it’s one you’ll want to savor. This issue centers on the second edition of the National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries, and it’s filled with spectacular articles that show how these standards move our profession forward with purpose.

It’s thoughtful. It’s practical. It’s inspiring.

I’m not just excited for you to read it. I’m also here to let you in on a little secret.

This issue includes bonus materials. The kind you might want to frame… or better yet, share with administrators, school leaders, and the champions who advocate alongside you in the profession.

Are you ready for it? (I’m sorry. I can’t resist a well-placed Taylor Swift nod.)

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Lead with Librarians

To lead the bonus materials (see what I did there?), we’ve included an 8-page removeable centerfold insert titled Lead with Librarians. Just bend open those center staples and remove those pages! This insert is excerpted from a larger piece developed by the practitioners and school librarians who helped to craft the 2nd edition of the Standards. It’s designed to help you start meaningful conversations with your administrators about school library evaluations. It even includes a QR code to download the complete guide including rubrics for evaluation. Personally, I think this is amazing!

Too many of us are evaluated with tools that weren’t built for school librarians, like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Lead with Librarians opens the door to conversations about school librarians and libraries that are unique to our profession.

The guide clearly articulates how school librarians empower learners to:

  • Think critically and engage in creative pursuits.
  • Become confident, ethical users of information in a digital age.
  • Build a lifelong love of reading and learning.

It highlights our common beliefs and outlines the roles of the school librarian in ways that are concrete and relatable for administrators.

For us, the language feels affirming.
For administrators, it’s illuminating.

Lead with Librarians positions the library not as a supplemental space, but as a central instructional engine (vroom, vroom) aligned with schoolwide goals. It translates what we know to be true into terms administrators recognize: instructional capacity, cross-curricular achievement, literacy growth, inclusive environments, and technology integration aligned with district priorities.

What School Leaders Need to Know

But wait… there’s more.

Also tucked inside this removable 8-page insert is a handout titled What School Leaders Need to Know, and it truly lives up to its name. This front-and-back handout is designed to help you explain why the second edition of the National School Library Standards is worth the investment. It does the heavy lifting for you, clearly outlining why this updated edition matters. 

It highlights how the second edition is steeped in:

  • Student success
  • Teacher support
  • Access for all
  • Digital readiness
  • Whole-child development

There’s even a FAQ section to help you begin (or deepen) the conversation.

Building Bridges

Our last bonus item is a beautifully designed advocacy handout grounded in the National School Library Standards and displayed as a 2-page spread in this KQ issue. It frames advocacy as bridge building, and yes, it works! 

The structure includes:

  • Foundations: The six Shared Foundations
  • Pillars: Effective advocacy through connections and relationships
  • Planks: Communication that creates a stable path to mutual understanding
  • Reinforcements: Strengthening relationships through steady engagement
  • Maintenance: Continuous Care

On paper, it might sound like a construction manual. But when you see it, I promise you’ll be ready to put on your hard hat and start building meaningful connections that strengthen your school library. 

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So… are you ready for it?

The January/February issue of Knowledge Quest is one you’ll want to keep close. And yes, you may want a sharp pair of scissors handy to cut out these amazing inserts. Share them. Frame them. Bring them to meetings. Use them to advocate boldly and confidently for your program.

This is an extraordinary issue focused on the second edition of the National School Library Standards, and it’s designed not just to inform you, but to equip you to lead.