One of the most frustrating aspects of being a high school librarian is failing to increase the level of leisure reading among the teenagers who frequent my library. There are a handful of dedicated readers who are as enthusiastic as… Read More ›
Reading Culture
One School + One Book = A Love of Reading
Creating a culture for reading is a major part of what it means to be a school librarian. It is also an ongoing effort. There will never come a time when we stop encouraging students to read. One of the… Read More ›
Cultivating a School-wide Literacy Culture
A new year naturally makes us more reflective about our school libraries. Being an elementary school librarian tends to be a lonely job. If you’re lucky, you are a part of the resource team, but even that can be lonely… Read More ›
5 Ways to Spread Book Love
This year one of my professional goals was to reflect on how I was promoting a positive reading culture at my school and develop ways to improve it. Improvement implies there is something wrong with what is currently being done…. Read More ›
Important Books for Young People
Polarizing Times Political polarization in the US is at an all-time high. A Pew Research Center study tracks partisan differences across ten specific political values. The study shows the partisan gap has more than doubled between 1994 and 2017. The divide… Read More ›
Do people even read anymore?
An administrator recently told me, “We don’t really need a school library. Let’s face it…in 10 years…wait, FIVE years…we won’t need print books anymore. Nobody reads books anymore. They can Google everything they need!” I’m guessing the look on your… Read More ›
Little Libraries
As school librarians we are constantly giving book recommendations; in fact once I’ve read an incredible book I can hardly wait to tell everyone I know about it and put it in their hands too! However, there have been times… Read More ›
For the Love of Literature: Reading Promotions
I believe literacy is at the heart of everything we do as school librarians. Students must be able to read in order to effectively inquire, include, collaborate, curate, explore, and engage. And, as we all know, reading promotes lifelong learning…. Read More ›
Reading Apps Roundup
21st-Century Reading It has been nearly ten years since I have “curled up with a good print book.” No worries though, I am still reading two or more books a week. But ever since I discovered the joy of reading… Read More ›
Three Ways We’re Improving Our Reading Culture
School starts the first week of August in my school district, and the bullet journal I neglected over the summer is already starting to fill up with meetings, class schedules, and endless to-do lists. By this point in the summer… Read More ›