A Few Coping Strategies for Challenging Times We read about this more and more every day: a parent or group has challenged library materials. As members of the AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School and Public Library Cooperation, we offer here… Read More ›
self-care
Keep Calm and Carry On: Creating Quiet, Cozy Spaces in Active Libraries
“The world is quiet here.” ― Lemony Snicket Thankfully, school libraries in which librarians are constantly shushing their students are more or less a thing of the past. In fact, your humble author is definitely a “no shh” school librarian. School… Read More ›
Fighting the Good Fight: I See You, School Librarians!
In case you haven’t noticed, school librarians are going through a lot right now in the United States. It seems like something new every day is under attack: our impact on student learning, our budget for providing print and electronic… Read More ›
Explore How to Reach for Better in the Sept/Oct 2021 Issue
As educators, school librarians, and professionals we have all had the training necessary to properly do our jobs. Training for classroom management. Training for library best practices. Training on new and emerging technologies. Those professional development and learning opportunities came… Read More ›
Making This Summer about YOU: Self-Care for School Librarians
Ahh, the feeling of summer. Time to relax, rejuvenate, and for most librarians, catch up on some reading. This school year has been a struggle for everyone: we have reinvented ourselves as librarians, transformed our staff and community outreach, reimagined… Read More ›
Practicing Self-Care as Schools Reopen
I am living through a global pandemic, national protests, economic turmoil, political discord, and Hurricane Isaias swept through my state. My everyday life is indifferent to these occurrences and continues on with all of its complexity. I am scheduled to… Read More ›
Take a Deep Breath!
This spring was uncharted territory for everyone. Everything we thought we knew about how to do our complex and multifaceted jobs as educators was called into question. But this isn’t new for us school librarians. Innovation and iteration, thinking critically… Read More ›
It’s Important to Give Grace to Others but Also to Yourself
The past two months have been unusual to say the least. What we consider to be normal, our daily routine, our sense of safety and stability have been challenged in so many ways. The information and guidelines we are receiving… Read More ›
Taking Care of Ourselves in the “New Normal”
Zoom, Home, and Family Life As we embark on School Library Month 2020, many of us are experiencing a new normal. We are working from home, spending a whole lot of time in Zoom meetings, and wondering when the grocery… Read More ›
Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: 5 Tips to Stay Sane during School Start
When the school year begins all the planning and preparations we did over the summer come together. Our energy is high and we feel refreshed as the doors open and we meet our students the first week of school. As… Read More ›