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…

This report features syntheses of select Causality: School Libraries and Student Success II (CLASS II) research findings as they relate to the Shared Foundations of Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage from the The American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) "National School Library Standards for Learners, School…

After a year of turmoil and unsteadiness in people's lives, the country, and the world, taking steps to improve and increase self-care is one thing one can do to reach for better. Compassion fatigue, being overworked and underpaid, and the emotional stress that is added simply because educators care about each and every one of their students can…

This case study was conducted to explore how school district leaders can foster the development of effective school libraries in which school librarians serve as instructional leaders of multiple literacies. Participants included district-level personnel and building-level school librarians. The district-level personnel consisted of those who held…

The collection in a school library should reflect the community it serves. When curating information and ideas for new books and materials in the school library, the school librarian should communicate with students, faculty, parents, and administration through a variety of digital tools and resources. Input from your school community is crucial…

In this study, science trade books from the libraries of 10 elementary schools across the United States were evaluated using a science trade book evaluation rubric for their overall quality pertaining to science content, literacy, and critical literacy criteria. Findings indicate that 62% of the books met the overall science content criterion, 99%…

After 13 years as a middle school language arts teacher, the author earned a second Master's degree to become a licensed preK-12 school librarian. She made the transition to the position of K-8 school librarian, then eventually transitioned to the position of head librarian at the local high school. She found herself challenged to create,…

Children's news media offers access points for students to learn about the complex and evolving world around them, and school libraries are spaces where students develop the skills and knowledge necessary to interact with media. Yet despite the potential of children's news media, school libraries often become regulatory spaces where children are…

One of the ways school librarians can become a leader in the school community is to design, organize, and present professional development opportunities for fellow educators. Running professional development is a chance for school librarians to become leaders in the school, as well as an opportunity to collaborate with fellow educators, advance…

This study was conducted to examine the preparation of school librarians around intellectual freedom issues. The pilot study was conducted with school librarian students at three universities. A gap analysis was used by the researchers to measure the gap between prior knowledge about intellectual freedom that students believed they possessed upon…

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) recently released standards to guide the practice of school librarians. The "National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries" (2018) were put forward as a single text with integrated frameworks. One year later, the "ALA/AASL/CAEP School…

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) recently released standards to guide the practice of school librarians. The "National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries" (2018) were put forward as a single text with integrated frameworks. One year later, the "ALA/AASL/CAEP School…

Many of the descriptions of public libraries as sanctuaries provide myriad examples of ways in which they serve the underserved: language circles, English language learning and citizenship classes, and access to technology for the homeless, to name a few. In the school library, if librarians are providing sanctuary only to those who feel…

To gather, contribute, connect, be a creative force, defend, and guide are demanding dispositions that make an excellent school library professional. School librarians use these dispositions like poles of support as they glide down the slopes of student learning and curriculum. They leverage their roles of teacher and librarian like skis giving…

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…