As president of AASL, it is an honor to have this space to share my thoughts with you. Please bear with me as I ramble through some of the thoughts and issues that are on my mind as we shelter… Read More ›
inclusion
White Privilege Part 3
Recently I heard the song “White Privilege II” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (play it before you read…) and using the lyrics as inspiration I started thinking about this blog post: There’s blood in the streets, no justice, no peace… Read More ›
White Privilege Part 2
Recently I heard the song “White Privilege II” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (play it before you read…) and using the lyrics as inspiration I started thinking about this blog post. But the one thing the American dream fails to… Read More ›
Building Cultural Competence through Reading Diverse Books
A few years ago a conversation started in my library that was prompted by a student reading Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give. The student in question identified as a person of color, but in our extremely homogeneous community she… Read More ›
Welcoming Students with Special Needs to the Library
As I presented my database introduction lesson to a class of ninth-graders, I wondered if I was going too quickly for them. I looked at their focused faces and continued speaking, making a decision not to simplify my words. When… Read More ›
That’s just the way it is
Recently I heard the song “The Way It” Is by Bruce Hornsby and the Range and I started thinking about the words: “Said hey, little boy, you can’t go where the others go ‘Cause you don’t look like they do… Read More ›
Providing Structures for Learning and Change: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Equity has always been a big deal to me. My mom and dad intended to be fair with me and my twin sister, but they inadvertently created a zero-sum game: If they couldn’t afford to do something for both of… Read More ›
Diversity and Inclusion in Libraries: More Than Books on the Shelves
It is essential that school librarians continuously update our collections with newer, more relatable, more diverse books; and it’s also essential that we do more than that. Note: While diversity and inclusion work has many layers and intersections, this post… Read More ›
Libraries Welcome all Families: Collaborating on Inclusive Summer Initiatives
By SPLC Committee members April Witteveen, Natasha Carty, Jill Woychowski, and Robin Gibson Public libraries are beginning to look ahead to their summer reading or summer learning programs. Through school and public library collaboration librarians can identify approaches for success… Read More ›
Information & Discourse in the Learner-Ready School Library
Reflect on the world that our learners live in, one where they are bombarded with information almost literally every minute of every waking hour of every day. Think about where they meet this steady influx of information: on their cell phones, their tablets,… Read More ›