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Lewis, a Georgia high school librarian who challenges students to “Read Woke,” has been awarded the inaugural National Teacher Award for Lifelong Readers.
Author Andrew Clements is being remembered by educators, fans, and peers; the Library of Congress presents Rosa Parks through her own writings, photos, and memorabilia; Science teachers can earn a prize valued at $5,500 in an engineering contest; and more in this edition of News Bites.
The New York State Library released an informational brief that is a compilation of research, which shows the positive impact of school librarians.
Several panels at the 2019 Association of American Librarians National Conference focused on the urgent need for better information literacy and advocating on behalf of school libraries.
The 2019 National Conference spotlighted equity and inclusion, along with advocacy, media literacy, makerspaces, reading, and other topics, in more than 130 professional development sessions.
The new imprint from HarperCollins Children's Books will bring titles by Native creators to young readers.
At the 2019 American Association of School Librarians National Conference, Ellen Oh, Adolph Brown, and Jarrett Krosoczka spoke with emotion and humor while calling on librarians to lift up all children.
The new initiative will provide free access to digital content and real-life STEM experiences to K-12 educators and students.
The FTC has made it clear: Social media influencers, including educators, are not above the law. They must disclose relationships with companies of products and brands they promote.
In a town where almost everything was destroyed by a fire last November, the high school building in Paradise remains. School librarian Becky Safarik shares the story of the evacuation and return as staff and students are back on campus this year.
Folio: recognized School Library Journal's work, with two Eddie Awards and an Ozzie Award honorable mention.
Submissions are open for the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation mini-grant proposals and AASL grant opportunities.
The Summer Scares Reading Program, which provides libraries and schools with an annual list of recommended horror titles for adult, young adult, and middle grade readers and encourages a national conversation about the horror genre, will continue throughout 2020, with new titles announced in February.
It's time to celebrate children's books and reading, tell Lerner about amazing librarians, and get excited for the sequel to a Newbery winner.
A heads-up to subscribers: an extra edition of SLJ will provide our starred reviews of the year and recommended books in eight #OwnVoices categories, in an exclusive print presentation.
SLJ editor-in-chief Rebecca Miller sees libraries and librarians as a vital part of the solution for equity, starting in the early years, continuing throughout high school, and into the first-year experience on campus.
Despite having only 108 members in the union, librarians have a seat at the table and a platform to speak.
The new website provides teachers with information on Penguin Random House titles, teaching guides, and resources to improve student literacy.
This new product aims to help educators with a better approach to curriculum, classroom instruction, and collaborating with peers.
In this edition of News Bites, Caldecott winners find a way to properly pass the torch from one honoree to another, Nic Stone speaks out and a community rallies when Dear Martin is taken off a school reading list, and climate activist Greta Thunberg inspires a new picture book.
Speaking about the librarians who stayed past their regular hours at the Enoch Pratt Free Library to help him with schoolwork, the longtime Baltimore congressman got emotional. “There are a lot of good people who really care,” he said.
Libraries offer a range of career support programs for childcare providers.
As childhood trauma is recognized as a public health issue, librarians and educators help students who have experienced violence, loss, and other issues.
Finalists for the 2019 National Book Awards were revealed in five categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature, and young people's literature.
The forthcoming "Hunger Games" release has a title and a cover, Jeff Kinney lets Rowley pitch in to help educate kids about recycling, and more in News Bites.
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's survey uncovered details about comics use in schools, including the Top 10 comics read in the classroom and that teachers using comics face the most opposition from their fellow educators—not parents or administrators.
The Dewey Decimal System is in many ways an outdated mess, and many of its flaws are more insidious than examples of old-fashioned conventions.
With citizen science projects like those in NASA's GLOBE program, students are learning scientific skills, connecting their regions with global trends, and aiding scientists with research.
More people are listening to audiobooks, according to the Pew Research Center, and researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, say the brain might not know the difference.
It was a salute to picture book art and children's literature in general at the annual award and fundraising event.
Here's how school and public libraries moved away from the Dewey Decimal Classification System to serve their students and communities better.
Prolific, award-winning author and illustrator Mordicai Gerstein has died.
The public policy expert and activist explains the impact of systemic racism and white supremacy on access to information.
Administrators' efforts and advice, the power of immigrant stories, and the impact of the library on journalist Scott Pelley were among the highlights of the second day of the SLJ Leadership Summit.
Summit attendees explored equity and access across different areas of education including technology, community engagement, and advocacy.
Medical doctor and international policymaker Alaa Murabit kicked off the SLJ Leadership Summit on Saturday with a challenge: find a way to translate their work in a way that compels the public and people in power to support libraries.
Participants in the study showed more confidence, stronger reading skills when using large print books.
A YA debut novel and two works in verse are among the books longlisted for the 2019 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.
How does an SLJ cover come together? Read and see what happened to create the cover of the September issue with illustrator Thomas Pitilli. And watch Pitilli's process video for even more insight.
SLJ asked librarians to describe the best tools they could imagine to teach information literacy—and got more than simple answers.
Evaluating sources and using information effectively is critical. The right tools and support can help librarians teach these skills better, according to SLJ’s survey of middle and high school librarians.
A New Jersey school librarian fought to keep Fun Home on the shelves, an author is uninvited from a teen lit festival, the Carle Honors Art Auction is underway, and a few tech resources added features for the start of the new school year in this edition of News Bites.
It’s that time. Nominations of stellar school librarians may be submitted, starting today, for SLJ's School Librarian of the Year 2020.
Now in its 15th year, the Summit will also include a tech playground and author panel. Breakout sessions will cover technology, community engagement, fighting budget cuts proactively, and providing equity for students.
Hopkins's impact on poetry for children went beyond his prolific creation of anthologies. He championed cross-curricular use of poetry and allowing children to read for enjoyment, while jump-starting the careers of many poets along the way.
In Sing a Rhythm, Dance a Blues: Education for the Liberation of Black and Brown Girls, Monique W. Morris centers the experience of these marginalized girls and highlights the actions of some educators and community members around the country who are making a positive difference in the students' lives.
If there’s a thread connecting our trending stories of the past seven days, it’s the goodness of school libraries. That may seem like an obvious one, but we’re going with it.
A back-to-school reading list by the Florida Department of Education has drawn sharp criticism for its lack of diverse books, predominance of old titles, and overall lack of relevance to students.
Author M.T. Anderson spoke about hope and much more as he accepted the 2019 Edwards Award, which recognizes an author as well as specific titles that have stood the test of time and made a “significant and lasting” contribution to young adult literature. "This is what I have wanted to say to my readers all along," he told the audience at a ceremony held at ALA's annual conference.
The works of J.D. Salinger are going digital for the first time. Special discounts and a 1,000-ebook giveaway are being offered to libraries, starting today.
Survey shows parents and teachers agree public schools—and teachers—need more money, but have differing opinions on the role of public schools and how to evaluate them.
The Nobel Laureate was remembered for her words and inspiring countless writers to follow her lead.
Homelessness is on the rise among students. With help, these kids can find their potential.
Migrant kids in foster care and secure holding facilities will get books thanks to a new grant from First Book, plus coming titles from Lois Lowry and Megan Rapinoe, and more news.
The Director of Charisma and Hospitality at the Tewksbury (MA) Public Library works hard each day to bring smiles to the faces of library patrons of all ages. SLJ caught up with Hardcover, the cheerful social media darling who also happens to be a two-year-old yellow-bellied slider turtle.
In the wake of President Trump’s remarks, telling four U.S. Congresswomen to "go back" to their countries, we wanted to hear from you. Have you experienced bigotry or witnessed it in your school or library? Share your story in the comments here, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
This "American Masters" film reveals details of the author's life through interviews with her, as well as her friends, family members, and writers she influenced.
Brigid Alverson will write SLJ’s manga column, including coverage of various genres, and what’s popular and why, with recommended titles for tweens and teens.
In this inaugural column, Brigid Alverson offers a sampling of all-ages manga. Engaging stories that don't feel childish, most are good picks for teens and tweens.
IMLS-funded free, online professional development racial equity curriculum is now available; Dav Pilkey and Scholastic try to "Do Good"; youth writer awards announced and more in this edition of News Bites.
Avoiding burnout was a focus of several sessions at this year’s ALA Annual Conference. Setting limits and learning to say no are among the ways that school librarians can help themselves.
The plight of immigrant families at the U.S. border prompted the Brooklyn Public Library and others to act.
It’s hard to limit my ALA reminiscences to just a few key moments. So hard, in fact, that I struggled for a week to collect my thoughts succinctly enough to draft this blog. Then I asked myself, “If you had to sum up your ALA experience in three words, what would they be?” Easy, I thought: Inspiration, innovation and interaction.
The beloved Mo Willems character is captured in bronze at the Park Slope Public Library in New York City.
Getting more families into libraries is one goal of the FamLAB Project, which has tapped a cross-sector cohort to expand out-of-school learning opportunities for young children and their families.
Grant kids agency in choosing their own books and a love of reading will follow. Donalyn Miller’s essay addressing the backfire effect of those required summer reading lists and what to do about it resonated with readers. Herewith, our most viewed stories on SLJ.com.
Inspiring projects, discussions of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and creating with—not just consuming—augmented and virtual reality were just some of the highlights of ISTE 2019.
Ready to take the next step? K–12 librarians serving high-need communities are eligible for a partial-tuition scholarship toward attending a fall leadership course in Future Ready librarianship.
After years of dreaming, school librarians and friends Kim Moss and Carol Halbmaier have a bus-turned-bookmobile to get books to students over the summer.
Library Ideas debuts Immersive Reality Books, a new line of children’s nonfiction titles featuring integrated virtual reality and augmented reality content.
There were inspiring speakers, thought-provoking sessions, and protests at the ALA Annual Conference. Here are highlights, news, and notes from this year's event in Washington, DC.
The much anticipated best apps, chosen by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) each year, were announced on Saturday, alongside the best websites. But it was for the last time—the lists will be merged into a single best learning tools annual list beginning in 2020.
Authors Kwame Alexander and Jacqueline Woodson were among those who helped celebrate the golden anniversary of the awards.
Heading to Philadelphia for ISTE 19? Don't miss this list of sessions and speakers that ISTE leaders and fellow attendees are most excited to attend.
Using numbers from the Cooperative Children's Book Center, this infographic—updated from 2015—illustrates representation in children's literature. The quantity of diverse books may have gone up, but that doesn't necessarily indicate accuracy and quality of titles.
Nothing as vital to learning as school libraries should be left to the push-me, pull-you of whittling a budget under pressure.
Elizabeth Acevedo earns another honor for The Poet X, as the winners of the 2019 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals were announced.
Author Suzanne Collins will bring readers back to Panem, 64 years before The Hunger Games began.
Here are the speakers, sessions, and events SLJ's editors are looking forward to most at ALA Annual.
Nearly 100 percent of public libraries use incentives in their summer reading programs, according to SLJ's survey. Still, respondents had a lot to say about prizes as well as what motivates kids to read over vacation.
More than 40 percent of survey respondents report that summer meals are the third most popular summer initiative at those libraries that offer them.
Nearly a quarter of public libraries partner with schools on programming, whether that means getting the word out about contests and events or formally collaborating to mitigate the summer slide.
A trio of games that complement this year’s Collaborative Summer Reading theme emphasize the need for players to work together when faced with galactic danger.
This resource page for summer learning includes SLJ's 2019 survey on public library summer programming; related articles, infographics, and data analysis; and information and suggestions for programs, reading initiatives, and reading lists.
“Every LGBTQ kids’ book that manages to make its way onto a bookstore or library shelf is a life raft,” says Melanie Gillman, creator of the graphic novel As the Crow Flies. Columnist Brigid Alverson considers LGBTQIA+ themes in the graphic format, with recommended titles for young readers.
This edition of reader feedback serves up book bentos; speculation on Mike Mulligan fashion choices; and one fine endorsement of SLJ.
After speaking with an elementary library media specialist, NJ Teacher of the Year Jennifer Skomial will now show high school students the possibilities of a career in a school library.
A new tool to help teach students which news outlets to trust; the UN releases its second book club list; and libraries are having their moment on Jeopardy!
A tribute to M.T. Anderson, who received the 2019 Margaret A. Edwards Award, which honors a “significant and lasting” contribution to young adult literature.
Midday meals and a range of activites will draw families to nine of the Contra Costa County (CA) Library’s branches this summer.
This new product allows users to alter code—and learn how to code—as they play. Kids can modify, change, and create a new game on the go.
The Patchwork Bike, This Promise of Change, and The Season of Styx Malone earned this year's awards, Horn Book editor-in-chief Roger Sutton announced at SLJ's Day of Dialog.
The author of The Tiger Who Came to Tea, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, and many more children's titles, has died at age 95.
A new player emerges in the YA market vowing to publish “unapologetic, authentic, and politically relevant” heavily illustrated and graphic nonfiction; Erin Entrada Kelly joins the list of authors tapped for Netflix adaptations; and more in this edition of News Bites.
Because campus autonomy is key to the charter philosophy, schools with libraries tend to align them with specific educational principles.