The Fun Begins It’s that time of year again! When our school closed on Friday, March 13, 2020, I had just finished preparing all of the March Book Madness materials and was excited to come into the library on Monday… Read More ›
high school library
The I-Search Paper: Getting Students Excited about Research
Whenever I teach a research lesson to a class of high school students, I notice the lack of enthusiasm for the project they’re about to start. I find myself working hard to convince them that research is a rewarding endeavor… Read More ›
Digital Speed Dating with Books
One of my favorite yearly library lessons is 11th-grade Nonfiction Book Speed Dating. Watching students actively walk around the library from table to table exploring books always makes me smile. Motivating teens to read is a challenging aspect of my… Read More ›
Simplifying Library Resources
Simplicity is something that school librarians, teachers, and students welcome right now. As Julia Hobsbawm, the author of The Simplicity Principle, puts it, “The human desire for simplicity is ancient, and especially evident during times in which society undergoes upheaval”… Read More ›
Safe Ways to Reach Students and Teachers While Social Distancing
For most of us in school libraries, this year’s back-to-school season is unsettling. My administrators have designated our high school library as a special education testing center, a place for overflow classroom students, and a computer distribution site. In order… Read More ›
Diversifying Reading Lists
Promoting diversity in literature is one of the core building blocks of the librarian profession. It is second nature for most of us to seek out books that feature characters from other countries, races, religions, backgrounds, and identities. But teachers… Read More ›
Tips for Recording Digital Book Talks
One of the most exciting annual events in my high school library is our March Book Madness Tournament. On Friday, March 13, after weeks spent composing this year’s bracket, I began circulating the room, giving book talks about the contenders…. Read More ›
Adding Colorful Visuals to Library Quarantine Resources
There is something about colorful visuals that excites me. Show me a list of books, and I’ll read it with interest. But provide me with a graphic display of those book covers and my heart races in anticipation. Every morning,… Read More ›
Fiction Book Talks for Sophomores
As this destructive Coronavirus wreaks havoc on our world, books remain vessels through which we can escape the mayhem. Many of our schools will remain closed in the coming weeks, and some of us will be called on to provide… Read More ›
Books of Our Roots: Part Two
A few months ago, I wrote about Books of Our Roots, an idea I came up with to celebrate diversity in my high school library and facilitate conversations among students. The goal was to survey students about their families’ backgrounds,… Read More ›