February and March are two of my favorite months of the school year. You might wonder how that is possible, considering I live in the frozen tundra of Western New York, where the days are short and often gloomy and dark. The truth is, I love this time of year—not just because it’s the perfect season for staying in and curling up with my book, but because it’s when my students and I dive into meaningful research projects.

While we certainly learn about Black History and Women’s History throughout the year, these months provide a special opportunity to go big—celebrating the incredible legacies and contributions of these often-overlooked and marginalized voices. To support you in doing the same, members of the AASL School Library Event Promotion Committee have curated resources to help you grow your own personal learning and discover new ways to engage your students.

February is Black History Month and AASL has put together a TON of resources to get you started. Check out the Black History Month page to find booklists, lesson plan ideas and professional development. Read the March 2021 Knowledge Quest issue, Black School Librarianship: Navigating Race and Creating Change. If you are looking for primary resources, look at BlackHistoryMonth.gov. There is so much here that you could spend HOURS looking at it all. You will be bursting with great ideas! 

March is a busy month, too! Of course, AASL has you covered for Women’s History Month but did you know that March also includes the Welcoming Schools National Day of Reading and Freedom of Information Day? 

For Women’s History Month, don’t miss the booklists from the New York Public Library, Scholastic and Social Justice Books, just to name a few. There are also tons of great ideas for celebrating in your library as well as links to professional learning resources especially for school librarians. 

If you are like me, you may be just learning about Welcoming Schools National Day of Reading and Freedom of Information Day. Maybe now is a good time to try something new! 

Freedom of Information Day is on or around March 16th which is James Madison’s birthday. He was an advocate for openness and transparency in government. Learn about the Freedom of Information Act and learn about some of the events and people that have shaped how we access and information. 

Welcoming Schools National Day of Reading is presented by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. It is a day to share stories that support transgender and non-binary youth. We’ve got booklists, guides to support you in creating and promoting an LGBTQ+ inclusive collection in your library and lessons from Welcoming Schools, which is part of the HRC Foundation. 

I encourage you to try at least one new thing in your library over the next few months. Now more than ever, it’s important to center the voices of those so often silenced. Many of us feel overwhelmed and melancholy during these darker days. As Amanda Gorman wrote in her 2021 inaugural poem, The Hill We Climb, “For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” There will be brighter days ahead, but one way we can get through these challenging times is by teaching about acts of resistance, triumphs over adversity and joyfully celebrating the people who have made our nation great. 

Don’t forget to bookmark the AASL School Library Promotion Events page so you can come back every month.