This past year brought a global pandemic, massive protests around policing and racism, a fraught election, a riot at the Capitol, mass unemployment, mass shootings, and our democracy on the brink. And, of course, the impact of these events on… Read More ›
nonfiction
Print Nonfiction vs. Databases
For years I have heard librarians talk about the debate between print nonfiction and databases in their collections for research. With my library closed to students still and no end in sight, I thought it might be time to dig… Read More ›
The Questions Your Collection Provokes
My son is at an age when he wants the same book read over and over again. I love doing so with books that have a voice, rhyme, or best of all, humor. Titles like Sun: One in a Billion… Read More ›
5 Kinds of Nonfiction
Whether we organize the nonfiction in our library by Dewey, ditching Dewey, or some other method, our libraries are often organized by topic. In her AASL National Conference presentation, Melissa Stewart gave conference attendees another way to think about nonfiction… Read More ›
Curation and Collaboration Time at #AASL19
For the past three years it has been my pleasure to be a part of the AASL American University Presses Book Selection Committee. This year I will not be able to attend the 2019 AASL National Conference, but a few… Read More ›
True Crime Books for Teens
True crime is wildly popular with students across the country, and my students are no exception. If your teens are anything like mine, they are just as fascinated by tales of murder and misdeeds. I’ve previously shared how I capitalized… Read More ›
Reading Memoirs to Increase Empathy
One of the most valuable benefits of reading is cultivating a sense of empathy. By reading fiction, readers experience the emotions of an endless range of characters. In an article referencing neuroscience studies, Annie Murphy Paul states that “there is… Read More ›
Young Adult Nonfiction: Engaging Titles to Add to Your Collection
Do you remember when states started adopting the Common Core State Standards? The standards’ emphasis on nonfiction had school librarians scrambling to find “readable” nonfiction as they welcomed the opportunity to help teachers with the shift away from fiction. We… Read More ›
Inspire students with nonfiction!
After a recent weeding bonanza where we tossed late 80s and early 90s versions of teen self-help and how-to guides, we decided to reinvest in those areas and create a Get Inspired subcollection featuring a wider variety of topics our… Read More ›
How to Create a User Friendly K-2 Nonfiction Section in Your Elementary Library
The Problem During inventory, at the end of my first year as a librarian in a K-5 elementary school, I discovered that I had many easy nonfiction books that had never been checked out. (In this post, “easy“ refers to books… Read More ›