“YO SOY KINGSBURY,” printed in large block letters, is a favorite T-shirt design among our students and faculty. The literal translation, “I AM KINGSBURY,” reflects the pride we feel for our school. The language choice reflects the pride we feel… Read More ›
collection development
Graphic Novelizations in the ELA Classroom
Using graphic format texts to support English language learners (ELL) has been widely discussed and accepted among educators, librarians, and other stakeholders. When adding to our graphic format collection we look at student requests, blogs, professional reviews, etc…all the resources… Read More ›
Using AASL’s New LGBTQ+ Resource Guide for Professional Development
By Rachel Altobelli, Albuquerque Public Schools, and Sara Cook, Jefferson Middle School, New Mexico AASL’s new resource guide, “Defending Intellectual Freedom: LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries“, is: a source for quick answers to difficult questions; a place to find advice… Read More ›
Is This Book #1?
Librarians of all grade levels have heard time and time again the age old question, “Is this the first book in the series?” when students and staff are looking through the fiction stacks on their own. We all have lived… Read More ›
Reddit: A “Lost” Technology Resource
Despite all of the social media platforms out there, it seems like I never hear school librarians talking about Reddit. This site, which bills itself as “the front page of the internet,” has tons of information, features an easy-to-use interface,… Read More ›
Inspire Collection Development Grant–Collaboration in the Making
What do fashion and environmental science have in common? These are the subjects that current teachers at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth, Virginia, want new books on: fashion (a subject that some might find trivial) and environmental science (a… Read More ›
Mirror to Sliding Glass Door
When we walk past a glass door on a sunny day our reflection is the first thing we see; when we open that door we see so much more of the world. Throughout my graduate work instructors would reference a… Read More ›
Adding Student Voice with the Junior Library Council
One of my goals is to increase student voice in the library. This has always been a bit of a challenge, since my school serves preschool to second grade. This year, I started the Junior Library Council (JLC) to help… Read More ›
Learning to Work with Vendors
Working with book/material vendors can be stressful if you are socially awkward like my co-librarian and me. For the most part, we’ve been navigating the process by working exclusively with one specific vendor, but I can’t help wondering if we’re missing… Read More ›
Books for 8th grade only: Reasonable or infringing on accessibility?
In our middle school library, we have a small, but potentially troublesome accessibility issue. We aren’t entirely sure how to resolve it or if we even know what resolution looks like right now. We have a collection of books noncompliant… Read More ›