Banned Books Week Banned Books Week is one of those ALA events that I always wanted to participate in, but never got around to. Now that I work in a 6-12 school, and with the current political climate that is making it easier to ban books in Florida, I felt like it was more important … Read more
Starting at a new school can be overwhelming, so it’s good to have a plan. I’ve shared this on social media, but not in an official blog post here. This year, I will be the new media specialist at Tampa Preparatory, an independent 6-12 school. It’s my first time at a new-to-me school since I started … Read more
Click on over to AASL Knowledge Quest to read the full post, or scroll down to read a summary. [W]e can create more space in our library by getting rid of un-needed shelving, tables, and other furniture… [T]he space can feel cleaner and fresher by changing up the decor. But sometimes, making these changes in … Read more
“[I]magine how your students feel when they walk into your learning space. Are there comfortable seating options available? Is there a good variety to support both groups and individuals? Or are all the chairs uncomfortable and crammed tightly together?” In my post for AASL Knowledge Quest, I share the stories of two different airport experiences. … Read more
School libraries are starting makerspaces all over the world. It’s an exciting time in education as we rediscover the power of creativity. But many schools rush to start makerspaces so quickly that they neglect building the maker culture. Developing a maker culture is a lot like developing a love of reading, it takes time and … Read more
I’ve been studying library space design a lot the last few months. I’m currently working on a book for ISTE, tentatively titled Reimagining Library Spaces, that will be out sometime in the fall. As I’ve been going through research, I thought it would be great to share some of my favorite learning space design books … Read more
ALA’s Teen Tech Week will be upon us before we know it (March 5-11). To help get ready for this event, I’ve written a post for Demco Ideas with 5 makerspace project ideas to tie in with this year’s theme, “Be the Source of Change”. It was hard to limit it to just five ideas, … Read more
My post last month on Why a Makerspace isn’t a Magic Cure-all for Your Problems gained a lot of notice. I’ve seen a vibrant social media conversation take off since then. I have heard many people say in the conversation about making and libraries that they have reservations. Many are worried about sacrificing literacy or reading when they … Read more
I realize that this title is going so upset some people. That some might accuse me of click-bait. But I think this is a topic that is often being left out in the discussion about makerspaces. Many school librarians have beautiful visions of putting out some arts and crafts supplies or LEGOs or robots and … Read more
Just as our lives need tidying up from time to time, so do our libraries. Decluttering the library can be daunting at first, but it’s totally worth it. Here’s some more on why we should tidy up: The Magic of Tidying Up Your Library: An AASL Post I read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying … Read more