Ideas

Implementing 1:1 mobile device programs in schools offers librarians a seminal opportunity to help usher in a new era of connectivity, flexibility, and empowerment for learners. These projects promise to redefine teacher librarians' roles, their leadership, and perceptions by others.

This has been a stellar year for Latino-themed titles for children. SLJ's Libro por Libro columnist, Tim Wadham, selected 10 of the best works published this year that represent the vibrant Hispanic cultures united by a single language and heritage.

In a lesson designed for middle school students, the authors investigate questions about the evolution of life on Earth through the lens of contemporary standards.

The C-SPAN Video Library includes nearly 60 appearances by Nelson Mandela on the C-SPAN networks dating back to 1990. You can stream most of them online along with being able to keyword search mechanically-generated transcripts of each program and create custom clips for sharing.

The “Good Comics for Kids” (blogs.slj.com/goodcomicsforkids) bloggers were burning the midnight oil this year, with a batch of top-notch fall releases that kept us reading—and debating—right up to our deadline. The top trend this year: kids’ books with adult appeal.

Text Messages is a monthly podcast service that makes it easy to stay up to date with the latest titles and trends in young adult literature.

It's a year-long process, but after watching hours upon hours of apps and debating their finer points, we have come up with "SLJ's Top Ten Apps 2013." Our list includes innovative works of stunning quality and depth, along with some familiar characters that host loads of engaging interactivity and game play.

Why should we study primary source documents? These are artifacts created by the people who lived through the events and time periods under study. Providing students the opportunity to study primary sources can give rise to student inquiry and encourage them to speculate about each source, its creator, and the context in which it was produced. The Library of Congress has millions of primary source documents and tools for teachers and students to dig into, 24/7.

School librarians, your administrators need you like never before. So let’s make 2014 the year that each of you strengthens your connection to your school’s mission and goals—explicitly, by taking a place at the table.