A study released by the Washington Library Media Association joins a growing body of evidence showing that certified quality school library programs have a measurable impact on student performance and graduation rates.
About Carolyn Sun
Carolyn Sun was a news editor at School Library Journal. Find her on Twitter @CarolynSSun.
Q & A with Author Deborah Jiang-Stein: Bringing Libraries to Prison Nurseries
By on May 6, 2015
Author and founder of the unPrison Project, Deborah Jiang-Stein, has teamed up with the Children’s Book Council to bring libraries to prison nurseries in honor of Mother’s Day, May 10, the last day of Children’s Book Week.
Scholastic Sells Ed Tech Business to Focus on Publishing
By on April 28, 2015
Scholastic announced on April 24 that it will sell its education technology and services division to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for $575 million to focus on its thriving publishing business.
Despite Citywide Cuts, West Philadelphia Alliance for Children Opens 18th School Library
By on April 9, 2015
“In terms of school libraries, are we [Philadelphia] becoming a third world country?” asks Deb Kachel of the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association. The West Philadelphia Alliance for Children says no. The nonprofit has been partnering with schools to reopen school libraries.
Q&A: YA Author with Autism Talks to SLJ About “Autism on the Page” Event
By on March 31, 2015
Corinne Duyvis, YA author with autism, We Need Diverse Books active member, and cofounder of the Disability in Kidlit website, is kicking off 30 days of autism-related book reviews, articles, and interviews for April’s National Autism Awareness Month.
UPDATE: Teen Library Advocates Get Booted Out of Missouri Governor’s Office
By on March 24, 2015
Last week, a group of teens and supervising adults that belong to Save MO Libraries visited the Missouri governor’s office to ask him to restore the $6 million in budget cuts to library spending—only to be escorted out by a state trooper moments later for being “disruptive.”
James Patterson Raises School Libraries Grant to $1.5M
By on March 23, 2015
On March 23, best-selling author James Patterson announced that he is donating an additional $250,000 to the $1.25 million school libraries grant he and Scholastic Reading Club publicized earlier in March.
Update: ESEA: ALA and Advocacy Community Urging School Library Supporters to Act Now
By on March 19, 2015
With the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act coming up, the American Library Association has been leading the campaign to get dedicated funding for school libraries into the bill.
ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom Wants to Know About Your State’s Challenged Books
By on February 24, 2015
The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom wants to know about your state’s 2014 book challenges. The deadline for reporting is Friday, February 27—so find out how to do so here.
Kansas May Criminalize Educators for Distributing “Harmful Material”
By on February 19, 2015
A proposed bill in Kansas removes the protection of educators against prosecution for sharing so-called “harmful material” in schools. Senate Bill 56 has sparked strong partisanship, and the American Library Association is closely monitoring its progress.
Updated: The E-Rate Window Is Wide Open—So What Next?
By on February 12, 2015
Libraries and schools applying for E-Rate’s Wi-Fi program have an extra $1.5 billion of funds to tap until the March 26 deadline. Here are some tips and tools to maximize your application.
Reading Rainbow’s LeVar Burton Talks About His Children’s Book About Depression | ALA Midwinter 2015
By on February 9, 2015
Reading Rainbow’s LeVar Burton talks about his first children’s book The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm, published by his multimedia company RRKidz, about a depressed rhino, a character that Burton hopes can help kids overcome the social stigma of mental illness.
More News from ALA Midwinter 2015:
- Alexander and Santat Win 2015 Newbery, Caldecott Medals
- SLJ Reviews of 2015 Youth Media Award–Winning and Honor Books
- YA Smackdown at 2015 ALA Midwinter
- Awards Roundup: The Cook Prize, Edgar Nominees, Sydney Taylor Award, and More
- Librarians Shown Love at YALSA’s Morris/Nonfiction Awards
- Reading Rainbow’s LeVar Burton Talks About His Children’s Book About Depression
- Guerrilla Storytime Is Growing Up | ALA Midwinter 2015
Alexander and Santat Win 2015 Newbery, Caldecott Medals
By on February 2, 2015
Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover and Dan Santat’s The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend took home the medals for the Newbery and the Caldecott awards, respectively. Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun captured the Printz award.
More News from ALA Midwinter 2015:
- Alexander and Santat Win 2015 Newbery, Caldecott Medals
- SLJ Reviews of 2015 Youth Media Award–Winning and Honor Books
- YA Smackdown at 2015 ALA Midwinter
- Awards Roundup: The Cook Prize, Edgar Nominees, Sydney Taylor Award, and More
- Librarians Shown Love at YALSA’s Morris/Nonfiction Awards
- Reading Rainbow’s LeVar Burton Talks About His Children’s Book About Depression
- Guerrilla Storytime Is Growing Up | ALA Midwinter 2015
Two Books Challenged Again in Highland Park Schools in Texas
By on January 29, 2015
Renewed book challenges to The Working Poor: Invisible in America and The Art of Racing in the Rain stir up sides as the Highland Park (TX) Independent School District’s board gears up to vote on revisions to the district’s book policy.
We Need Diverse Books Opens Submissions for “The Walter” Award
By on January 29, 2015
Starting January 29, YA authors of diversity with diverse works may apply for We Need Diverse Books’ inaugural Walter Dean Myers Award.
2015 NCTE Children’s Book Awards Announced
By on January 28, 2015
The winning titles for the Charlotte Huck Award for Fiction and the Orbis Pictus Award for Nonfiction have been announced.
OH School Librarian Gets E-Kiosk to Access Public Library’s Digital Collection
By on January 21, 2015
Middle school librarian Mary Burkey wondered how she was going to get digital books into kids’ hands. Her ongoing partnership with the local public library eventually led to a digital kiosk that allows kids at school to browse and access the library’s full digital collection.
We Need Diverse Books Launches Short Story Contest
By on January 20, 2015
We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) has partnered with Random House to publish a middle grade anthology dedicated to the late Walter Dean Myers. One spot in the anthology will be reserved for an unpublished fiction writer selected through WNDB’s upcoming short story contest.
Youth Mentoring Program at Santa Ana Library Takes National Program Award
By on January 12, 2015
Santa Ana Public Library’s (SAPL) Circle of Mentoring replicable program, an umbrella approach of mentoring relationships serving as the foundation across all of SAPL’s teen programming, was honored at a White House ceremony in November 2014.
Scholastic’s New Report Examines Kids’ Attitudes on Reading
By on January 8, 2015
The “Kids & Family Reading Report, 5th Edition” survey from Scholastic launched on January 8 with findings, including what kids are reading for fun, the makings of a frequent reader, and what kids want to read.
