Croft presents her study results that explored how district leaders can be equipped to support their school librarians in the absence of an official district school librarian supervisor. Croft offers suggestions for practice to assist school librarians in partnering with district leaders to provide the knowledge and experience district leaders…

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…

Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) is the second largest school district in Tennessee. With 159 schools, 79,651 students, and 126 languages spoken, the student population is incredibly diverse, not only culturally but also socio-economically. MNPS shifted to virtual learning in late March 2020 on the heels of devastating tornadoes that ripped…

Amid the ongoing pandemic, school librarians across the country have been facing a different kind of battle, one that has been going on for years in some cases: the fight for every student to benefit from the instruction and carefully curated resources a certified school librarian can provide. Several states are working to introduce or retain…

Croft and Barnhart share their experience when learning shifted to online at the University of West Georgia and the LibraryDen, a library mini course, was developed and used in the Multiple Literacies for School Library Media Course. Particularly impressive was the transferability of skills between the academic and school library setting.

School librarians in Alaska have worked diligently to see the American Association (AASL) Standards Framework for Learners adopted by the state board of education from December 2018 until September 2020, when they were approved by the Alaska State Board of Education. The standards will be formally adopted after being signed by Alaska's Lieutenant…

This article presents activities for pairing three graphic novels with primary sources to teach the civil rights movement to teens. Reading civil rights-related graphic novels, and reviewing corresponding primary sources, can provide students with a deeper understanding of this tragic time in U.S. history and provoke discussions about racial…

Mindfulness has been a hot topic recently as many educators were forced to work from home over the past year and a half. Supporting students using mindfulness is a great way to model self-care behaviors, while being a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on. School librarians have a duty to ensure students find a safe haven in the school library.…

How can school librarians change the view of school librarians to better match the reality of their work? One way is to increase their explicit connections with broad, recognizable initiatives, like digital fluency and computer science. The The New York State Computer Science and Digital Fluency (CS/DF) Standards, in alignment with the "AASL…

This time has been particularly tough on school librarians, who have worked to develop connections with students and teachers and leverage physical collections. With new variants of the virus emerging, the coming months and years may be more of a game of whack-a-mole as the country tries to conquer some versions of the virus and others pop up.…

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.

This article details how the Norman Public School District implemented Guided Inquiry Design and making at all levels of the school system. It highlights how the faculty collaborated with other educators and how learners collaborated with their peers and their classroom teachers on inquiry projects.

The relationships school librarians develop with administrators and teachers can serve as a powerful advocacy tool in demonstrating the tremendous potential they have as instructional leaders of multiple literacies in K-12 schools. Through the author's experience and research, this article presents principles that may help guide school librarians…

Some people see the school library as merely a place for books and materials, but for many students, it is a refuge and a place where they can relax and feel safe. School libraries are more than receptacles of books, technology, and audiovisual needs; they are sanctuaries for many students dealing with issues outside of school. Whether it is…

Advocacy is an ongoing imperative for school librarians. This article examines the role of inquiry in empowering students to learn critical skills in literacy and inquiry and develop their own agency. It also outlines advocacy strategies to share the impact of inquiry-based learning.