school librarians Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Clockwise from top left, logos for Sora, PBS Kids Scratch Jr., iCell, Chatterpix Kids, Mixerpiece, and iCivics Suite.

2019 Best Apps and Websites for Teaching and Learning

June 22, 2019

Recognized apps and websites foster innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration. They were also evaluated for their support of AASL’s “National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries.” The apps recognized in 2019 are: Chatterpix Kids EarthViewer Equity Maps Figment AR Green Screen by Do Ink iCell iCivics – Suite Khan Academy … Continue reading 2019 Best Apps and Websites for Teaching and Learning →

From left: Moderator Liana Heitin Loewus; Elizabeth Rush, library specialist at Northside Independent School District in Leon Valley, Texas; Nawaid Ladak, legislative assistant to Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Tex.); and Dallas Director of Libraries Jo Giudice.

Texas Librarians Help Capitol Hill Slide into Learning

By Megan Ortegon | June 7, 2019

PPA organized the discussion to educate congressional staff about libraries’ role in developing literacy, especially during the summer months, and to encourage members of Congress to look to libraries as leading partners in education. PPA staff worked with the American Association of School Librarians and the Texas Library Association (TLA) to identify librarians in the … Continue reading Texas Librarians Help Capitol Hill Slide into Learning →

Transform the High School Library

By Chiquita Toure | March 1, 2019

Surely, I thought, students will want to pour into the library, begging for the latest bestsellers. Imagine my surprise when one of the first students to enter the library asked, “Does anyone ever check books out?” After examining the stats, I found that students did not check out very many books. During my first nine … Continue reading Transform the High School Library →

Kerri Price, a Charleston County (S.C.) Teacher Librarian Cohort member in University of South Carolina's Library Scholar program, works with students in her school library, alongside her therapy dog, Bailey.

The Value of School Librarians

By R. David Lankes and Mike Corbo | January 15, 2019

Library advocates across the US are fighting to prove that every student is better off with a trained librarian in their school, but budget cuts are threatening school librarian positions across most of the country. Several states in the Southeast are facing a different crisis, however—a shortage of qualified school librarians to fill empty positions. … Continue reading The Value of School Librarians →

The Power of Primary Sources

By Tom Bober | September 4, 2018

My 1st-grade students recently prepared for a trip to the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis by analyzing photographs and films of streetcars to better understand the part they played in our city. Inspired to share their learning, students wrote about streetcars and built their own with simple tools like paper, scissors, tape, and … Continue reading The Power of Primary Sources →

Shaping Digital Citizens

By Kara Shelton Watson | September 4, 2018

I tell them that I believe that digital citizenship falls naturally under the domain of librarians, as we place high value on using and creating information ethically. In schools, we have a curriculum that teaches students the concepts of citizenship, community, and social justice through varied disciplines. And in the school library, these ideals come together. … Continue reading Shaping Digital Citizens →

Liz Quakenbush and students at Orchard Park Elementary School in Indianapolis pose in the library.

Bookend: Shaking up Book Sales

September 1, 2018

For nearly 20 years, she held yearly used book sales at Orchard Park Elementary School in Indianapolis, where she is the media specialist. As her community grew more economically diverse, she wanted to help children add to their home libraries year-round, and she turned to her students for ideas. They wrote a business plan, set … Continue reading Bookend: Shaking up Book Sales →

Hommocks Middle School 6th-grader Avi Mehra shows off his current read in front of the data dashboard. Photo: Kelsey Cohen

Supporting Middle School Reading

By Kelsey Cohen | June 1, 2018

Hommocks Middle School in Larchmont, New York, wanted to find out what its students were reading independently. School Librarian Kelsey Cohen helped set up a system that encourages kids to log their reading choices and gives both students and teachers instant visual feedback on what books are popular. But in the last few years, my … Continue reading Supporting Middle School Reading →

Newsmaker: Jason Reynolds

By Alison Marcotte | April 12, 2018

This year’s theme for School Library Month is “Making Connections at Your School Library.” You’ve said reading the lyrics to Queen Latifah’s 1993 album Black Reign changed your life and inspired you to start writing poetry. When students connect with and see themselves in the music, multimedia, and books they read, it changes their relationship with reading completely. … Continue reading Newsmaker: Jason Reynolds →

At Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Civic Data Zine Camp, young adults learned data literacy concepts by presenting statistical narratives and visualizations in a handmade zine format. Photo: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Engaging Civic-Minded Teens

By Terra Dankowski | March 1, 2018

But what about data literacy? Did librarians tackle charts and graphs as much as headlines? And what about teens, who are often overlooked in the context of civic and voter preparedness? Increasingly, librarians are addressing these questions by bringing statistical education and opportunities to young adults—and they’re using massive collections of open civic datasets to … Continue reading Engaging Civic-Minded Teens →

Creating Space for Agency

By Rachel Altobelli | January 2, 2018

This is an excerpt from “Creating Space for Agency,” Knowledge Quest, Sept./Oct. 2017. It’s easy to imagine no LGBTQ students are at a given school, and therefore no need exists to court controversy by providing LGBTQ materials, but LGBTQ students are everywhere. I loved to read as a kid, but when I looked inside the books on … Continue reading Creating Space for Agency →

Screenshot from a video introducing the new AASL Standards.

Introducing the Standards

By Phil Morehart | November 14, 2017

“These Standards are a commitment to our future, our teachers, and our students,” said AASL Executive Director Sylvia Knight Norton at the morning general session. “These are our Standards; these are your Standards.” To illustrate the point, Norton had attendees who had worked on the editorial board stand up, followed by those who had been … Continue reading Introducing the Standards →

Latest Library Links

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ALA, a premier partner of National Voter Registration Day, encourages libraries to sign up to observe the unofficial holiday on September 24. Libraries that sign up by September 12 will receive a toolkit of free promotional materials: posters and stickers, and opportunities for training. National Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan, unofficial holiday celebrated on the fourth Tuesday of September. US libraries provide voter registration forms and information about voting, as well as offer computers that patrons can use to register to vote, update their registrations, or research information about the candidates and the issues.

Public Policy and Advocacy Office, Aug. 23
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Matthew Wood writes: “Librarians are information scientists, researchers, teachers, crusaders. Also, book nerds, but that’s not the story’s end! A Master of Library and Information Science is what makes someone a librarian. As Doctor Who’s Alice Obiefune was fond of reminding The Doctor, without the MLS you’re a library assistant. Here are the librarians as adventurers, fighters, crusaders, weirdos. The people who assist heroes, chronicle truths, and otherwise improve the world. Next time you check out a book, understand that the brilliant mind on the counter’s other side could be one of these . . .”

Comic Book Resources, Aug. 22
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Joshua Goldman writes: “People have strong opinions about laptop bags. I’m used to battles with things like Mac versus Windows or PC gaming versus console. But backpacks versus shoulder or messenger bags? ‘The only acceptable way to wear a backpack is one-strapping it,’ said CNET Senior Managing Editor Dan Ackerman. ‘Backpacks are better for your back health if you’re a commuter,’ said Senior Editor Bridget Carey. Others were willing to split the difference and say shoulder bags are better for work and backpacks are for travel. The only common ground was that there is a special place in hell for people who refuse to take off their backpacks on a crowded subway.”

CNET, Aug. 23
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Chris Hoffman writes: “Windows lets you choose large, medium, or small desktop icons. But did you know many other size options are available? You can fine-tune the size of your desktop icons with a quick shortcut that involves your mouse wheel. The standard desktop icon sizes are available in the desktop’s context menu. For extra size options, position your mouse cursor over the desktop, hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard, and scroll the mouse wheel up or down. Stop scrolling and release the CTRL key when you’ve found your preferred size.”

How-To Geek, Aug. 23
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Alex Colon and Sascha Segan write: “4G LTE networks are better than ever, and with 5G on the horizon, wireless web surfing can be faster than your home Wi-Fi connection. While most modern smartphones have a hotspot mode for occasional use, cellular modems and Wi-Fi hotspots are your best and most flexible option if you have many devices you want to share web access with. Here’s what you need to know to pick the right service and hardware, along with the top-rated hotspots we’ve tested, and even an international option.”

PC Magazine, Aug. 22
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Michael Kozlowski writes: “In Canada and the United States the vast majority of public libraries have an ebook collection. OverDrive stated that it powers 95% of all libraries and there are a number of smaller companies that are involved in this field as well, such as Hoopla and Bibliotheca. There are a number of e-readers that have functionality to deliver ebooks right from the library and read them. Today we look at the best ones.”

Good e-Reader, Aug. 22
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The 12-foot-tall statue of Ray Bradbury astride a rocket ship unveiled August 22 (the author’s birthday) outside the Waukegan (Ill.) Public Library honors “a literary icon and a beloved Waukeganite who gifted us his ever-expanding universe of imagination, intellect and optimism for our future,” sculptor Zachary Oxman said. The dedication was the culmination of a years-long effort that began a little more than five years ago over lunch, said Richard Lee, WPL’s former executive director and a cochair of the committee that led the statue’s fundraising effort. The statue tells the story of a man “beaming with unbridled imagination, curiosity, and surprise,” Oxman said.

Lake County (Ill.) News-Sun, Aug. 23

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