I need someone to invent/create/organize this – BookTalkApedia. I would have said bookapedia but I think it may already be taken. I need a database of books that we librarians and educators create that includes ideas for booktalks, links to lessons, link to enrichment activities, author links and more.  Just as we go to wikipedia [...]

Okay, that must mean I’m calling all of you because you must be a fan of an author who has done so much for our students and our profession. I’m always looking for something free for my students and you need to read to the bottom of this "buzz release" for the AASL conference to see what [...]

Sometimes what a good story time needs is a good picture. I’m not talking about the concept of storytime as a cute little story the librarian reads to children without doing any planning, hooks, collaboration, or interactivity. Don’t misunderstand me. I absolutely love story time and think we are doing the youth of America an [...]

Advantage of being on a board is learning about new stuff and how it’s intended to work. Try as I might, new areas appear and I’m just as surprised as you are about them. Let’s take the new section on ALA Connect called MENTOR CONNECT. How did I miss that? It’s been up since September. Have [...]

While pulling materials for 6th grade teachers on Ancient Egypt, I was adding a few modern day Egypt books to the cart when I realized I had a student intently studying these titles. He is an Egyptian citizen studying at my school while his father works at a local university and he is one of [...]

I admit it. I said it. Very passionately, too. Where? At the SLJ Library Leadership Summit. Why? Because I was reading lips of people in the audience who were saying things like, "I’m not going to try that stuff. I don’t have time. It’s just a waste to try. It won’t do any good." The [...]

Have any of you checked out the Parent Advocacy Toolkit on the AASL website?  How about the website I Love Libraries (http://www.ilovelibraries.org)? I am very interested in what you think. Oops! Almost forgot the new site for everyone @ Your Library e-magazine http://www.atyourlibrary.org/? Be sure to check these out and comment.

What’s on your list to get around to? Those lists are tormenting me. Stacks of books pleading to be written about. Websites popping into my mind that need sharing. Student faces seeking something new are haunting me. Teachers pleas are echoing in my head. It’s no wonder that I needed to just get away from the [...]

Every fall we begin a cycle in schools. The teachers of the youngest students in our buildings come to us telling us they have never had students at such low levels before. The upper grade teachers come to us wondering why their new students won’t behave and asking why the lower grade teachers didn’t get [...]

Thanks to Mary Ellen Davis, Executive Director of ACRL, for sharing the article "Rethinking Tenure for the Next Generation" by Cathy A. Trower that was published in the Chronicle. While the article is focused on higher education reform, I found it applicable to bringing about change in school libraries, also.  In the article, Gary Hamel [...]