Instructional leadership from the school library happens when school librarians make known their areas of expertise, proactively pursue opportunities to teach, and continue to learn new technologies and strategies for student success. Knowledge of grade level curriculum is essential for offering meaningful collaboration to K-12 instructors and…

This article details the context and design considerations for an online course accompanying a field-based practicum for a school librarian certification program at a regional university in Texas. These strategies could be helpful to other library science educators designing learning experiences that support fieldwork. We conclude by discussing…

Parents and politicians feel it is their duty to assert control over the information within school libraries. According to Joshua Spilka, a high school junior, book banning has affected no one more than students and school librarians. Students find that the people who are supposed to advocate for them, parents and guardians, are often working…

Using the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) "National School Library Standards," and the essential questions developed out of the author's work on the Emerging Leaders project "Defending Intellectual Freedom LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries" resource guide, readers are taken through applying essential…

The American Association of School Librarians reached out to four organizations on the front lines of civic engagement--the Anti-Defamation League, the Human Rights Campaign, EveryLibrary, and the American Library Association--with questions to assist school librarians as they plan their civic engagement path: (1) What is the importance of civic…

K.C. Boyd discusses how school librarians can advocate for school libraries and school library services. She details how to turn frustration into strategic advocacy efforts by highlighting the school librarian's role as an essential literacy partner in students' academic achievement.

Schools (and some librarians) relegated librarians to the "business of books" and disregarded them of proven technological expertise. Fortunately, school librarians have either continued to insert themselves into digital technologies or emerged from the stacks to reclaim their role as digital resource experts in their schools. So, how do…

In 2017 the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) released the "National School Library Standards." The revised standards were streamlined to reflect the attributes that dynamic school librarians, learners, and school libraries should possess. The standards provide school librarians with a framework for creating school…

Digital citizenship is defined as the responsible and appropriate behavior in technology and online use. This behavior can also include digital or online etiquette, ethics, and security. With online bullying and cyber safety a continuous concern, teaching students to be responsible and aware digital citizens is imperative (Phillips and Lee 2019).…

Assessment and evaluation are sometimes difficult things to discuss, and we often think of them as once-and-done end results. However, assessing where you are in the learning process should be an ongoing activity, and formative assessments can provide valuable information about what the next (or first) steps should be to approach a learning…

Teachers and school librarians know that giving students the freedom to choose what to read from a variety of materials is the most effective way to foster a love of reading. Curiosity, pre-existing interests, or even a desire for connection cause students to reach for books that inform instead of entertain. But a genre of books is often left out…

March 2020 kicked off a period of unprecedented change and new experiences for all school librarians, but for one group of school librarians, the months to follow would be incredibly unique. In this article, three elementary school librarians share their experiences as brand-new school librarians, seeing everything with new eyes at the exact…

The pandemic prompted Courtney Lewis and her fellow school librarians to dig deep and acknowledge that their information literacy instruction followed a just-in-time philosophy. Essentially, limited just-in-time information literacy instruction is like teaching a kid how to play soccer for seven days out of each year and expecting them to be a…

In March 2020, K-12 schools tried to quickly get all teachers up to speed on remote learning. School librarians, ever the leaders in education, quickly jumped in, creating and offering what was needed for their schools, students, and teachers. American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Town Halls and state and regional virtual spaces were…

Williams presents using personalized book baskets to connect learners to books that will ignite enthusiasm for reading, encourage expansion of reading genres, and allow the school librarian to understand and support students on a deeper level.