School Libraries

Tech maven Joyce Valenza and longtime SLJ contributor Joy Fleishhacker share the latest tools and book picks for the back-to-school season. From curated reading lists to useful tech trends and tips, School Library Journalhas gathered the following resources to help your students, patrons, parents (and you) get back in the swing of things.

The importance of advocacy is evident to us during a crisis. When our libraries are threatened or our staff faces cuts, then we leap into motion. But we should be mindful of advocacy every day. Mapping a yearlong effort keeps advocacy from getting lost in the daily shuffle.

You don't get a second chance to make a first impression. Joyce Valenza shares some creative ways to do a library orientation. (Zombies included.)

(Note: I just realized that I created a draft of this post a few weeks back, but forgot to publish. Forgive me!) Deb Kachel, my colleague at the Mansfield SL&IT, just shared her latest revision of School Library Research Summarized. The revised booklet updates the work of Deb’s grad students in her Spring 2011 Advocacy [...]

The National Education Association this week voted to support the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) in its lobbying efforts with regard to the "Strengthening America’s Schools Act," the first piece of legislation to recognize the role school library programs play in student learning since 1965, according to the American Library Association.

There was a spirit of optimism among attendees at the 2013 annual American Library Association (ALA) conference held recently in Chicago, especially among school media specialists and youth services librarians. Members of ALA’s three youth divisions were particularly energized and motivated by the dynamic programming and renewed advocacy efforts, they say.

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) revealed its inaugural Best Apps for Teaching and Learning list on Jun 30 at the American Library Association annual conference. Head of children's services at Darien Library, CT, Kiera Parrott highlights some of her favorites from the 25 winning apps that cover a broad range of subjects, inspire curriculum connections, and can be used for classroom instruction and public library programming.

Teacher librarian Joyce Valenza reflects on the 2013 Best Websites for Teaching & Learning, the highly anticipated list chosen annually by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL).

The author argues that nonfiction remains marginal–so marginal that neither ALSC nor YALSA seems to notice their bias. The question is, why?