At the 2018 School Library Journal Summit in Brooklyn, I had the privilege of hearing George Takei talk about his childhood experiences in Japanese-American Internment Camps during World War II. The talk was timed for his forthcoming graphic novel for… Read More ›
One day last fall, I taught several library lessons to seniors in AP Literature classes. They were preparing to start a seven-month research project on an author of their choice. The assignment involved reading three novels by the author and… Read More ›
My job as a school library coordinator involves supporting librarians in their schools with professional development, collection maintenance, and programming/pedagogical ideas. Recently, I visited a new school librarian who works in one building with thousands of students. (This campus model… Read More ›
Action Research: Building a Pathway Between Large Research and Local Anecdotes Over the past year, I have given a lot of serious thought to school library advocacy. I admit my original catalyst was a AASL 2017 National Conference session and… Read More ›
Political cartoons used as primary sources can be difficult for students to understand. Cultural references that they may not be aware of can be mixed with political references. These can be confusing without the proper context. I came across one… Read More ›
Recognizing the Need for a Research Model Fall is in the air and so is a new Research Road Map at Highland School of Technology in Gastonia, North Carolina. The journey to create a school-wide research model began during the… Read More ›
Fake news is not an issue that is going to disappear anytime soon. School librarians have long combatted misinformation and disinformation; at times they may have felt like the only discerning voice in the storm of multiple truths. The focus of… Read More ›
The Engage Shared Foundation of the AASL National School Library Standards states that it is to “demonstrate safe, legal, and ethical creating and sharing of knowledge products independently while engaging in a community of practice and an interconnected world.” Oftentimes… Read More ›
Once again it’s almost the end of the school year and time to pause and reflect on our pluses and minuses. We had a better year than anticipated, but like most districts we are experiencing more budget cuts along with declining enrollment…. Read More ›
Today’s students live in a global society. But does that mean they can function effectively in that multicultural environment? That same question may be put to school librarians. Furthermore, in what ways can today’s school librarians facilitate global awareness and… Read More ›