Ideas

One school library's Graffiti Books program lets students connect and have "conversations" by writing in books. It also keeps some previously weeded titles in the stacks.

Administrators need to make swift decisions based on immediate community needs, not what will look good to funders, mayors, and boards.

"Now is an especially critical time to inform readers," writes Kathy Ishizuka, SLJ editor in chief. "That means publishing stories centered on the people who power libraries and schools. We are here for it, and we hope you are, too."

Identifying community needs is crucial in a crisis. Participants proposed some recommendations in this next stage of the COVID-19 Reimagining Youth Librarianship project.

Make equity about people, not stuff. Rethink library policy. More than 120 library staff have signed on to advance next steps in the COVID-19 Reimagining Youth Librarianship project, a crowdsourcing effort to create a framework for youth services during times of crisis.

Research shows that preschoolers naturally categorize people by race, can be conscious of social stereotypes as early as age six, and naturally attribute positive traits to their own ethnic or racial groups.

There is a vast amount of genealogical information available that families can access online, and much of it is free. Here are some of the best resources to help you get started. 

Restorative justice practices—which emphasize group engagement to repair harm —can make our libraries safe spaces for everyone. Here are suggestions.