As school librarians, we are all busy. There is never enough time to do it all, much less do it all well. One area that has demanded my attention lately is reading kids’ books. A school librarian must read books… Read More ›
collection development
Going Beyond Tikki Tikki Tembo
May marks the month we celebrate the achievements and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in America. May was designated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month because in May 1843 the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States (United… Read More ›
Weeding without Controversy: Part One – Why Weed?
The Librarian Who Hates Books Earlier this year my daughter came home from school to tell me about a controversy at her school. The school librarians weeded the collection, and some students became so offended that they took to social… Read More ›
Three Ways to Extend Your Library Digitally
School libraries often extend their resources beyond a brick and mortar room. Digital resources are collected, curated, and shared. Many school librarians use Pinterest, Padlet, and hyper docs to curate resources. Yet, there are many more ways to collect, curate,… Read More ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
Diversity in December
December is a festive time of year. Many of us celebrate the holidays with friends and family. Navigating the holidays can be tricky in some school settings. I can remember working in a school where we were banned from saying… Read More ›
What should our students know?
At the 2018 School Library Journal Summit in Brooklyn, I had the privilege of hearing George Takei talk about his childhood experiences in Japanese-American Internment Camps during World War II. The talk was timed for his forthcoming graphic novel for… Read More ›