If we expect our students to become lifelong readers, we need to model that in our own lives. There are so many different ways we can share our reading life with students. One-on-one conversations are always ideal, but it can be difficult to talk with each and every one of our students In my post on … Read more
I love the power of social media in libraries. It’s an amazing way to share what you’re doing, promote your programs, and reach out to students and community members. Being a visual learner, Instagram is definitely one of my favorite platforms. It makes it easy to share striking visual images with as much or as little text … Read more
I was a media specialist at my previous school for seven years. A TON of things changed there during that time. But they didn’t happen overnight. I built things up piece by piece. I experimented and tried new things. There were plenty of failures, to be sure. But there were also great successes that my … Read more
I love weeding. A well-curated library collection makes me happy. But weeding can be difficult. We attach a lot of emotion to books. Others don’t understand why anyone would ever want to get rid of books. We have to hide our weeded books for fear of misunderstanding from teachers, parents, students, and administrators. Weeding can … Read more
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