Just like adults, teens start the new year thinking about ways to improve, what they want to work on in themselves, new hobbies, goals for the future. The following is a list of the top 5 books that I will… Read More ›
reading
Book Pairings to Motivate Teenagers
In the midst of our fast-paced society, it’s more important than ever to spark a love of literature in adolescents. Based on conversations I’ve had with students over the years, I’ve learned that teenagers have lost motivation to read for… 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 ›
Making the Virtual World a Happier [Reading] Place: Authors and School Librarians Go Hand in Hand
March 13 was the day COVID-19 changed everything for school librarians in my school district. Like other school librarians across the globe, we quickly transitioned from our beloved library spaces to an unknown virtual world. Like the character Lucy in… Read More ›
Winter Is Coming
The Election Storm I am writing this post in the last days of early voting in my state. Next week is election day, and there is so much rhetoric on the news that the election will not be certain for… Read More ›
Promoting Reading during Virtual Learning
Like many school districts across the country, my district started the year with students learning from home. While the other librarians and I wanted to support students and teachers in any way we could, we decided that our top priority… Read More ›
Stranger Library Reading Challenge
The month of October always brings scary and spooky reading challenges. My high school library is still closed for students, so I had to get creative on how to share and motivate my students to read this year. Creating a… Read More ›
Falling Back in Love with Reading
My mentor school librarian was energetic and caffeinated: each morning she brought a 12-cup thermos of coffee to work and proceeded to down the entire thing by the time the school day was over. One afternoon, she asked me what… Read More ›
Librarian on a Cart: Bringing the Library to the Classroom
In September, the plan is to head back to in-person learning. Since I work with elementary students, the goal is to provide fewer transitions to different locations in the building. The homeroom class will be their cohort to help limit… Read More ›
Contactless Book Checkout Planning
Over the past few months we have all gotten used to contactless delivery and pickup at stores and restaurants. As we start the school year, planning for contactless delivery of library materials has been much the same. Our spaces are… Read More ›