This year I have been teaching students who are face to face as well as those who are learning remotely. At the start of the school year, I had grand plans. I was going to do all the things and… Read More ›
school librarians
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 ›
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 ›
Teaching in the Shadow of COVID: Changes and Adaptations
I am finally resigned to the idea that the COVID pandemic will not go away any time soon. It is like an unwanted guest that decided to move in. Initially, I felt we would be back to normal within a… Read More ›
Simplifying Library Resources
Simplicity is something that school librarians, teachers, and students welcome right now. As Julia Hobsbawm, the author of The Simplicity Principle, puts it, “The human desire for simplicity is ancient, and especially evident during times in which society undergoes upheaval”… 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 ›
Using Canvas in an Elementary Library
My school has been using Canvas as its learning management system (LMS) for the past three years. At the elementary level, we were using Canvas primarily to communicate with parents. Before last spring, there was limited, if any, curriculum content… Read More ›
Staying Connected in Remote Learning
For many of us the feeling of connection in our profession has changed by the new educational world since the pandemic. We aren’t engaging with our students and staff in person, and we don’t have the chance for organic conversations… 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 ›
Leadership: It Is Made from Productive Change
Last month, I penned a blog post about librarians and leadership as it pertains to school librarians being Total Leaders. My thoughts were based on the framework by Charles J. Schwahn and William G. Spady. To recap, when someone is… Read More ›