Recently, I went to a school library in lower Manhattan whose neglected space overwhelmed the new librarian and me. Not only were books piled everywhere–library books, classroom titles, those annoyingly thin paperbacks–but discarded furniture, musical instruments, papers, technology, and an… Read More ›
weeding
If You Have It All, They Probably Won’t Come
The Having-It-All Mentality By having it all, I’m not referring to individuals with a perfect life. Instead, having it all is the old-school librarian philosophy to have a print collection covering every topic and issue known to humans. Having-it-all librarians… Read More ›
Consulting the Library’s Crystal Ball: Planning Ahead for the Coming Fall
If we’ve learned anything from the past year, it’s that the poet Robert Burns was right: the best-laid plans often DO go awry. We’ve all had to pivot quite a bit, think on our feet, and be extraordinarily flexible. Although… Read More ›
Reconfiguring My School Library’s Layout
When we think of librarianship, most of us don’t think about physical exertion and muscle power. Books are heavy, especially nonfiction. With my library closed I decided it was time to start moving things around in anticipation of next school… Read More ›
Managing Library Shelf Space
Collection development is one of my favorite parts of being a librarian. Each year I place two large book orders, stocking up on the newest releases of every genre. When the shipments are delivered, it’s like I won the lottery…. Read More ›
Top 20 Knowledge Quest Posts of 2020
School librarians stay informed about their profession by subscribing to the Knowledge Quest blog. The content covers topics about collaboration, teaching and learning, professional development, library management, advocacy and technology. Knowledge Quest bloggers shared resources to support school librarians during… Read More ›
The Questions Your Collection Provokes
My son is at an age when he wants the same book read over and over again. I love doing so with books that have a voice, rhyme, or best of all, humor. Titles like Sun: One in a Billion… Read More ›
Inviting and Safe Libraries
Have you heard the old proverb about the moth being drawn to a flame? That’s me, but I’m drawn to disorder. Crazy, right! Having a deep need to reorganize the messy things in life is both a blessing and a… Read More ›
To Weed or Not to Weed…
I am a lover and collector of books. I still have some treasured books from my childhood that I refuse to part with. When I was getting my Master’s in School Librarianship at Longwood University, I shuddered when I discovered… Read More ›
Weeding without Controversy: Part Two – The Process
Mapping your library A starting point to organize and begin a massive weeding project is to get a feel for the physical space. Some may want to use a computer to draw out the shelving to scale to understand how… Read More ›