News & Features

In August 2013, the Vermont School Library Association discovered the requirement for their jobs was being removed from the language of the state's Education Quality Standards. In response, school, university, public, and state librarians campaigned to become a requirement in state standards once again—and won.

On May 13, First Book, a nonprofit committed to providing books to children in need, called for U.S. publishers to publish diverse picture books and then pledged to buy 10,000 copies of each title selected by First Book. The nonprofit will also fund affordable paperback editions of diverse titles that are only publicly available in expensive hardcover formats.

The kidnapping of nearly 300 Nigerian schoolgirls on April 15 opened the opportunity for conversation about compassion, global awareness, and responses such as activism. Virginia school librarian Lauren McBride teams up with Sudan Sunrise director of advancement to offer tools and strategies to engage your students in a service learning project that not only expands their horizons but employs 21st-century digital tools.

Michelle Luhtala suggests we judge millennials unfairly. Are they really coddled or are they resourceful?  Are they narcissistic or transparent? Unfocused or hyper-focused? Is taking a selfie narcissistic, or is it a way to connect with the world? In her kid-focused TEDx talk, Michelle, head librarian at New Canaan (CT) High School shares the importance [...]

Just in time for annual report season, Library Girl, Jennifer LaGarde presented Show Me the Data at the TLVirtual Café on Monday night. This image by Gwyneth Jones expresses the question Jennifer hears from administrators as she travels around the state of North Carolina.  Jennifer contends that we should be able to answer that question [...]

Bank Street School librarian Allie Bruce found herself facing a complicated question from a sixth grader about the lack of minorities on YA book covers, starting with Julia Alvarez's Return to Sender. The question led Bruce on a year-long lesson on diversity in children's literature with a sixth grade class and—some surprising results.

Last week I was honored to address the incoming members of the Rutgers Chapter of the Beta Phi Mu (the International Library and Information Studies Honor Society). I decided to attack the theme of social capital. In preparing the talk, I did a little experiment. My audience was predominantly promising new practitioners.  I wondered if [...]

In a world where misinformation about Muslim Americans takes place daily, we have a chance to build understanding among children through our library collections.

Wisconsin teacher librarian Crystal Brunelle has long prioritized advocating diverse children's literature in school and libraries, but only in the last few years has she figured out a way to put her beliefs into everyday practice—which she offers in four handy tips.