My two-year-old son knows his colors. He loves to point to objects in books and outside and shout out the color. He enjoys showing what he knows! He likes to learn new things. Somewhere along the way to adulthood, that… Read More ›
school library
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 ›
The Monthly STEAM Challenge
One of the things I’ve struggled with as a high school librarian is makerspaces. At my large suburban high school, students have ample opportunities to take STEM/STEAM-related classes that allow them to create the types of projects they might make… Read More ›
Advocacy in the New Year
Through the hustle and bustle of the ending semester and winter holidays approaching, I can’t help but think of next semester. I’m a planner. This time of year I begin to plan activities and collaborations, New Year’s Resolutions, and advocacy… Read More ›
The Time for Advocacy Is Now: Why Telling Your Story Is So Important.
Having been a lifelong reader and library user, I had all sorts of assumptions about school libraries in general. First, I thought that stakeholders would instinctively know the value of an effective school library. Secondly, I had always been under… Read More ›
SMART Goal Setting Opportunity
What if I said that I look forward to the yearly professional SMART goal setting or review? Each year the administrator assigned to my educator evaluation sends me a “welcome” email to begin the evaluation process. Depending on if… Read More ›
Gimme a C (for Collaboration!): Making Connections to Award Winners
By Abby Moore A close friendship between two librarians, a school librarian and a teen services librarian, led to the creation of the Jane Addams Book Club, a collaborative program between Southold Free Library and the Southold Junior/Senior High School… Read More ›
I Am Building It, and They Are Coming! How I’ve Been Using My AASL Inspire Collection Development Grant
The AASL’s Inspire Collection Development Grant I received for the 2017-2018 school year has allowed me to build upon existing collections and services and introduce new activities and programs for George Washington High School. Last school year, I continued a collaboration… Read More ›
Top Ten Qualities to Look for in Your Future Library Clerk
by Carrie Marting and Julie Marie Frye Let’s face it: there’s high turnover in support staff positions, even in school libraries. Some of our clerks enter the classrooms, others earn an MLS degree and head into their own school library,… Read More ›
Make It Meaningful to Me: Authentic Learning for Students
Over the course of many years, I have learned that there are no two schools that are the same. Even within a city, you will find that there are significant differences between the resources that schools have and their cultures…. Read More ›