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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
Last November, I wrote about one of my favorite library collaborations: Speed Dating with Nonfiction Books. A few weeks ago, it was time for this year’s 11th-grade ELA students to participate. Taking what I learned from the past two speed… Read More ›
This spring, one of our 9th graders found a safe spot with us in the Camden Hills Regional High School Library. Erica is a self-proclaimed non-reader. She’s not a member of our Student Library Advisory Committee. But she is… Read More ›