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Event Dates

October 23-27, 2023

Email

medialiteracyweek@namle.net

QUICK LINKS Theme Who is NAMLE? Our Sponsors FAQ Ready to get involved? Check out the links below. PARTICIPATE SPONSORSHIP...

By signing up to participate in Media Literacy Week, you, your organization, school, or institution will join hundreds of others who are helping NAMLE amplify...

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Media Literacy Education is Essential NAMLE ally Media Literacy Now is the leading national advocacy organization pushing for media literacy...

U.S. Media Literacy Week is the celebration of Media Literacy across the United States, held in conjunction with UNESCO's Global...

QUICK LINKS Elementary Resources Middle School Resources High School Resources Higher Ed Resources Library/Community Resources Ready to participate? Don't forget...

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Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

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TeenTober™ is a new, nationwide celebration hosted by libraries every October and aims to celebrate teens, promote year-round teen services and the innovative ways teen services helps teens learn new skills, and fuel their passions in and outside the library. TeenTober™ replaces YALSA's previous Teen Read Week™ and Teen Tech Week™ celebrations, allowing libraries the flexibility to celebrate all types of literacies according to their library's schedule. Library staff are encouraged to utilize this new celebration to advocate for and raise awareness of the importance of year-round teen services in libraries.

View the merchandise in our store!

View and download the Toolkit.

If you'd like to receive updates about TeenTober, please sign up here.

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TeenTober™ is a new, nationwide celebration hosted by libraries every October and aims to celebrate teens, promote year-round teen services and the innovative ways teen services helps teens learn new skills, and fuel their passions in and outside the library.

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Happy World Book Night!

Today is all about celebrating books and sharing the benefits that reading has on our lives.

How can you join in? Its simple, read a book! You can read anything you like in any way you want. We also want you to share what you're reading with others, whether it's in person or online. Can you encourage someone who doesn't regularly read to join you today?

Everyone is invited to the #ReadingHour from 7-8pm tonight. This is a time for you to dedicate just for books; you can read alone, with others, or even call a friend to swap recommendations. Share how you're spending the hour on social media using #ReadingHour.

Join us tonight with host Bobby Seagull, who will be joined by Dr Alex George, Ayisha Malik, Dreda Say Mitchell and Lemn Sissay for a night of celebrating reading. Tickets are available to join us in-person at the British Library, or online for you to watch at home. Find out more.

Everyone is invited to the #ReadingHour from 7-8pm on 23 April. This is a time for you to dedicate just for books; you can read alone, aloud to others, or even call a friend to swap recommendations. Share how you're spending the hour on social media using #ReadingHour. Find out why you should take part.

Find out which books are on the World Book Night 2022 booklist, offering recommendations for everyone, with fiction, non-fiction, Quick Reads and audiobooks for adults and young people aged 16+. Take a look at the booklist and choose your next read.

Do you love audiobooks, or would you like to try one for the first time?

We're offering you the chance to download a free audiobook, selecting between four titles from our World Book Night 2022 booklist.

World Book Night is run by The Reading Agency, a national charity that tackles life's big challenges through the proven power of reading.

Tweets by WorldBookNight

News

Impact

Resources

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Today is all about celebrating books and sharing the benefits that reading has on our lives. How can you join in? Its simple, read a book! You can read anything you like in any way you want. We also want you to share what you're reading with others, whether it's in person or online.

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national ambassador for young people's literature

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Dedicated to inspiring a love of reading in children and teens across America

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American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

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Description and History

School Library Month is the American Association of School Librarians' celebration of school librarians and school libraries. Every April school librarians are encouraged to host activities to help their school and local community celebrate the essential role that strong school libraries play in transforming learning.The AASL efforts for a national School Library Month were spearheaded by Lucille Thomas, chair of the School Library Media Month Committee. Thomas was appointed by President Judy King in 1983. Their work came to fruition on April 1, 1985, when AASL officials, local and national dignitaries got the first School Library Month off to a rousing start with a ceremony on the west steps of the U.S. Capitol. Learn more about the history of School Library Month.

Related Events

Promotional & Advocacy Tools

Administrator Toolkit

Use the materials below as conversation starters with your administrator.

Librarians not only craft their instruction to meet state standards and expectations, but also look to the National School Library Standards as a foundation for learning. This four page guide is an overview of the Standards for Learners.

Want to hear from administrators on what they think of school libraries? AASL has an entire YouTube playlist of videos like the one below:

This research-based infographic about the positive impact of school librarians also indicates eight characteristics of libraries with high student achievement.Share with your administrator to discuss how administrator support of school librarians greatens their impact on student learning.

This 23 page impact study from the Northeast Comprehensive Center takes a deep look at the four main roles of a school librarian and how they empower student learning and success.

Top Two Issues School Librarians Wish their Administrators Knew examines the impact increased technology responsibilities and "other duties as assigned" have on student learning and library programs. This Knowledge Quest blog post is authored by the School Library Journal's 2021 Librarian of the Year, Amanda Jones.

Spread the Word

Invite Observation
Provide your administrator with your own observation checklist. This checklist inspired by middle school librarian, Linda Mitchell, asks an administrator to quickly notice what is happening in the library space on impromptu visits. You may wish to post a request to "Observe Me" outside of your door with a scannable QR code to a feedback form. Merge this idea with "Pineapple Charts" and you may wish to post a Pineapple Invitation (Canva template) at your doors.

Invite Fellow Librarians to Celebrate
Host a School Library Pal name exchange for the month.Carolyn Vibbert shares her tips and Google Form questions for others to execute their own Secret Librarian exchange.

Proclamation Templates
Ask your school and elected officials and request they proclaim the month of April as School Library Month! The following samples are based on actual proclamations shared with AASL by its members. They are presented here as templates that can be downloaded and modified to fit your needs.

Governor 1 | Governor 2 | Governor 3 | Mayor 1 | Mayor 2 | Town Council | Board of Education 1 | Board of Education 2

Graphics and Presentation Templates
Click an image below to download a zip file containing graphics, a PowerPoint template, and a poster you can use to create your own School Library Month celebration! Graphics are freely available for use provided no alterations are made and that the posting is for education, noncommercial purposes only.

Spokespeople Videos
Embed these videos from School Library Month Spokespeople on your library website or share across social media to spread the word on the importance of school libraries.

Professional Learning Resources

Empowering Next Gens With Media Literacy
Archived Webinar
AASL and the Getting Better Foundation host a panel discussion on the importance of media literacy in education and the need for school librarians as the educators who teach this foundational skill.

"Trust Me" Guides: Student Notebook | Collegiate Guide | Guide for Educators | Guide for Parents

AASL "Trust Me" Documentary Watch Party
Supplement the Empowering Next Gens With Media Literacy panel discussion by watching a special School Library Month viewing of the documentary, Trust Me. Produced by the Getting Better Foundation, Trust Me explores how media technology is influencing society and what can be done about it. The film uses compelling human stories, facts, and experts to show empirical realities and the right way to consume media. Proceeds from viewings will be split between AASL and the Getting Better Foundation.

AASL Town Hall | Supporting Equity, Choice, and Student Voice in the Library
Archived Webinar
There is no better time than School Library Month to talk about providing equity for our students and providing student voice and choice in the library. How do we equitably provide services to our students? How do we provide them choice in the library? How can we include their voice in our services? AASL President Kathy Lester and AASL member panelists discuss our amazing students and how to provide them equity, choice, and voice in our libraries.

Artificial Intelligence in the School Library
Archived Webinar
Presented by the AASL Independent Schools Section, this webinar will explore how AI-enabled search and Open AI will change how school librarians craft library instruction and work with faculty and students.

Our Brave Communities: Embracing School Librarians
ALA Connect Live: Tuesday, April 25, 2023 | 5:00 p.m. Central
There are many challenges facing the school library profession including equity of access to certified school librarians for students across the nation and an unprecedented number of book challenges and censorship efforts. You're invited to join ALA President Lessa Kanani'opua Pelayo-Lozada and AASL President Kathy Lester to learn how everyone in the library ecosystem can support school librarians and their students as they face these challenges.

AASL Town Hall | Celebrate School Library Month
Archived Webinar
AASL President Kathy Lester and members of the AASL School Library Event Promotion Committee to explore ways school librarians can celebrate the essential role they and their school libraries play in transforming learning.

Celebrate School Library Month Webinar
Archived Webinar
Hear from six school librarians as they share ways to celebrate School Library Month for grades Pre-K to 12.

Learner Engagement Resources

Be Creative!
Browse the resources curated to celebrate Crayola Creativity Week and let them inspire you and your learners.

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Description and History School Library Month is the American Association of School Librarians' celebration of school librarians and school libraries. Every April school librarians are encouraged to host activities to help their school and local community celebrate the essential role that strong school libraries play in transforming learning.The AASL efforts for a national School Library Month were spearheaded by Lucille Thomas, chair of the School Library Media Month Committee.

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National Library Workers Day: Libraries work because we do!

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Now is the perfect time to highlight the critical role library workers play in keeping our libraries running. Let’s celebrate and recognize the amazing STARS who work in libraries. Host festivities as you take this time to flood social media (using the hashtag #NLWD24) with words of gratitude for all library workers. We can start by nominating library workers as Stars for the ALA-APA Galaxy of Stars.

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Dia! Diversity in Action: Children's Day/Book Day

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Dia! Diversity in Action: Children's Day/Book Day

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A word from the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation:

The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation is proud to support Día in 2020 as we share a strong commitment to providing families, libraries and educators with an expanding selection of outstanding multi-cultural children's books. Ezra Jack Keats was the grandfather of diverse children's books starting in 1962, with the creation of his classic book, The Snowy Day.

The EJK Foundation extends the Keats legacy through the Ezra Jack Keats Award, co-administered by the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi. Since 1986, the EJK Award as been presented to an outstanding writer and illustrator early in their career, whose book, in the spirit of Keats, reflects the multi-cultural nature of our country. The EJK Award has supported the careers of some of today's most important makers of diverse children's books.

Additionally, the foundation's programs include an annual Bookmaking Competition for New York City public school students and the EJK Mini-Grants awarded annually to public school teachers and librarians across the country.

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Dia! Diversity in Action - El día de los niños, El día de los libros | Dia! Many Children, Many Cultures, Many Books

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A word from the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation: The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation is proud to support Día in 2020 as we share a strong commitment to providing families, libraries and educators with an expanding selection of outstanding multi-cultural children's books.

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Are you considering moving beyond Seuss for Read Across America? You may have come across this article from the Conscious Kid that is moving you to try something different this year.

While many of us have celebrated this event with Seuss-themed activities and books (March 2nd is his birthday), you can definitely celebrate the love of reading in a million ways that don't involve Seuss! After all, he is one of thousands of authors! This annual event is a great opportunity to celebrate reading with students expose them to something new in the world of literature.

If you're looking for new ideas to try out at your school, read on! You'll find tons of activities and theme suggestions to help you plan a fun schoolwide event!

#1 A Read-a-thon

When do you have time to just read? When do your kids have time to just read? The best way to grow the love of reading is to spend time reading! A read-a-thon is a fun way to encourage all-day reading. There are a few ways you can do this:

Schedule a day of reading across your school. Everybody reads, all day in their classrooms

Schedule guest readers throughout the day. When there's a reader, kids listen to them read. When there's not a reader, kids read on their own or with their friends.

Guest teacher and faculty readers. Rotate teachers from one classroom to the next to share their favorite read alouds.

Read with stuffed reading buddies. Each child can bring a stuffed animal, or the teacher can supply some, to read with!

Read with human reading buddies! Schedule older students to read with younger students.

Make it into a contest: have kids keep track of their reading by # of pages or books read. Each class can have a thermometer and, at the end of every hour, you can check and see how many pages or books have been read. Color it in to keep track!

Everybody reads. This means that, for a certain amount of time, everyone on campus will read. Principals, coaches, office staff - everybody reads in a visible place so kids can see it. You can have each person join a different class to make sure the kids know that everybody reads!

#2 Book Battles

This would be a month- or week-long event. Choose several books and have classes read them. Have classes vote on them to determine a winner! If you do a Read-a-Thon (like suggested in #1), you can ask teachers to read the books during the day and have classes vote on them in the afternoon!

We did something similar with Dr. Seuss books a few years ago, but you could easily do this with any books you'd love kids to read! We provided each class with a tally sheet. Each book title was listed and students voted on their favorites. Then we used this data to make a bulletin board to represents which books we loved the most!

#3 Have an author study week

There are literally hundreds and hundreds of authors who your kids would love to get to know. Choose a great author and feature their books and activities around their books all week! You could also do this with a book battle (which I describe above in #2!) Here are a couple of great suggestions with books that could appeal to a range of ages.

Jacqueline Woodson writes about things that kids can relate to, while, at the same time, broadening their cultural experience and awareness. Books you could use to feature this author include The Day You Begin, The Other Side, and Each Kindness. Read about how you can use The Day You Begin here!

Peter H. Reynolds would make an INCREDIBLE featured author for Read Across America. His books are accessible but powerful to a wide range of ages! Books by Reynolds that kids will love are The Dot, Ish, and The Word Collector. Just think of the visual arts connections you could make!

Allen Say teaches us to value our stories. Spending some time reading Allen Say books and having your kids share their stories would be an amazing way to spend the week. Books you could use to feature Allen Say include Grandfather's Journey, Tea with Milk, and The Bicycle Man.

Other fun authors could be Andrea Beaty, Kim T. Griswell, and Tad Hills.

Looking for some diverse children's authors to feature? Check out this list!

#4 Create your own theme!

You can choose an awesome theme of your own and build book experiences, crafts, and engaging days all around your theme! Here are a few ideas:

Reading Adds Color to Our Lives: feature crayon activities and books like The Day the Crayons Quit, and Red: A Crayon's Story.

Blast Off to Read Across America: use fun space-themed books like Rufus Blasts Off! and Mousetronaut, and meaningful books like Mae Among the Stars, or Hidden Figures.

Reading Changes the World: Include books about changing your world like I Walk With Vanessa, Let the Children March, and Rosa.

Reading Helps Us Grow: Use books like The Gardener, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, and Grandpa Green.

#5 Host a Bookmark Contest!

It's pretty easy to host a bookmark contest! We hosted one to celebrate the Grand Opening of our Reading Lounge! Here's how you do it:

1. Create a template. We contacted our school district's print shop because we planned to have the winners of the contest printed and distributed to kids. They provided us with a template they wanted us to use. If you're printing and cutting in-house, you can use whatever size you'd like!

2. Distribute the template to students who are interested in participating in the contest. Provide some basic rules about content, if it needs to be related to a theme, and what kinds of materials they used. Our theme was "Reading Helps Us Grow" because our reading lounge was garden themed. As for materials, we said pencils, colored pencils and/or crayons were fine.

3. Set a due date, a place to turn in their entries, and remind students frequently about the date.

4. Choose the winners. Once all entries are submitted, have a group of teachers get together to judge the bookmarks. Select as many winners as you'd like and have them printed, or print them on carstock and cut them out yourself!

5. Distribute the bookmarks to the kids! We had trouble choosing, so we had a winner from each grade level. Students were able to choose which bookmark they wanted from the eight different choices!

6. Feature the winners somehow: we made a bulletin board and announced it on our campus TV news.

Found an idea you like? Pin it to remember!

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Beyond Dr. Seuss: Ideas for Celebrating Read Across America

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Are you considering moving beyond Seuss for Read Across America? You may have come across this article from the Conscious Kid that is moving you to try something different this year. While many of us have celebrated this event with Seuss-themed activities and books (March 2nd is his birthday), you can definitely celebrate the love of reading in a million ways that don't involve Seuss!

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*Why You Should Advocate For Your School Library

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*Why You Should Advocate For Your School Library

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What is Data Privacy week?

This year, the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCSA) has expanded its Data Privacy Day to a week! Data Privacy Day started in 2008 as a North American complement to Data Protection Day in Europe.

The purpose of Data Privacy Week is to help "spread awareness about online privacy and [educate] citizens on how to manage their personal information and keep it secure" and to " [encourage] businesses to respect data and be more transparent about how they collect and use customer data."

For Data Privacy Week, The National Cyber Security Alliance is offering a bunch of resources and programs to help individuals educate themselves on security and hel[ businesses learn what's important and how to prioritize privacy for their customers.

Virtual events will take place throughout the week, and include such offerings as Respecting Privacy: Managing Data Collection in your Business, #DataPrivacyChat Twitter Chat, and Introduction to Privacy, among others. Check out the site for details and registration.

Among the resources available, NCSA offers:

Guides to how to manage privacy settings (including direct links to the privacy pages of popular sites),

Infographics and tipsheets,

Articles on how to secure various devices accounts,

Links to quizzes to test a user's phishing and privacy knowledge,

The Stay Safe Online Blog

How can libraries participate?

The easiest way for public libraries to get involved is to check out the Get Involved page on the NCSA website. The page offers a list of ways organizations, businesses, and individuals can observe Data Privacy Week. They advocate following the NCSA on social media, posting about Data Privacy Week to raise awareness, and posting tips online.

Organizations and individuals can become Data Privacy Week Champions, which simply means signing up to have their organization or name listed on the website. Champions receive a free Data Privacy toolkit that will let them spread the word about Data Privacy.

Participation can be as easy as adding a logo and link to the Data Privacy Week site to the library's website and posting to social media throughout the week.

Why should libraries participate?

Paying attention to data privacy is an important part of our service to our users. We have a responsibility to protect the data our users share with us, but it is also within our power to help users navigate the world of data privacy on their own. The simple act of posting information about why privacy is important lets our users know that we are serious, and that we seriously want to help them protect themselves. It doesn't take much effort, but might make a world of difference to the people we serve.

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Voices For Privacy Blog - Choose Privacy Every Day

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This year, the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCSA) has expanded its Data Privacy Day to a week! Data Privacy Day started in 2008 as a North American complement to Data Protection Day in Europe.

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Listed below are events and celebrations to help with your program planning. Know of a celebration or event that is not on the list? Send it to ProgrammingLibrarian@ala.org.

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June is Rainbow Book Month™

Rainbow Book Month™ is a nationwide celebration of the authors and writings that reflect the lives and experiences of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, genderqueer, queer, intersex, agender, and asexual community. Originally established in the early 1990s by The Publishing Triangle as National Lesbian and Gay Book Month, this occasion is an opportunity for book lovers and libraries with the very best in LGBTQIA+ literature.

At a time when books by and about LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals are under siege and library workers are facing threats and harassment for serving these communities, Rainbow Book Month has never been more important. If your library is experiencing challenges to materials and programs serving the LGBTQIA+ community, please contact the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom to report censorship and receive free confidential support. ALA's Fight Censorship page provides resources to prepare for and respond to challenges to library books, materials, and services.

Rainbow Book Month™ is an initiative of the American Library Association, and is coordinated through its Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services and the Rainbow Round Table.

Customizable Publicity Materials and Templates

Get the word out in your community about Rainbow Book Month™ and your library's celebrations! ALA has developed these free, customizable publicity templates that are ready for your library to adapt and submit to your local media.

Rainbow Book Month™ Press Release Template [DOCX]

Rainbow Book Month™ Flyer [PDF]

Rainbow Book Month™ Letter-to-the-Editor Template [DOCX]

Rainbow Book Month™ PSA scripts [DOCX]

Rainbow Book Month™ Radio PSA scripts [DOCX]

Rainbow Book Month Social Media Graphics

Share how your institution is celebrating Rainbow Book Month™ with the following social media graphics, and use #RainbowBookMonth to join the conversation!

Rainbow Book Month Facebook Profile [PNG]

Rainbow Book Month Facebook Post [PNG]

Rainbow Book Month Twitter Profile [PNG]

Rainbow Book Month Twitter Header [PNG]

Rainbow Book Month Twitter Post [PNG]

Rainbow Book Month Instagram Post [PNG]

Libraries Transform Social Media/Promotional Graphics

Celebrate the importance of inclusive stories year-round with the following downloadable graphics from the Libraries Transform campaign!

LGBTQIA+ Book Awards and Bibliographies from ALA

The American Library Association supports LGBTQIA+ literature through the Stonewall Book Awards (in Children's and Young Adult, Non-Fiction, and Literature categories), as well as two bibliographies including the Rainbow Book List and Over the Rainbow Book List. These awards and lists serve to recognize the very best in contemporary literature and serve as invaluable tools for building quality LGBTQIA+ collections.

Tools for Library Workers

Holding a book discussion or programming this June in honor of Rainbow Book Month™? Authors, publishers, school districts, reading organizations, and even the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund have put time and effort into creating reading guides specifically for book discussions. ALA has also created several resources around best practices for community-informed programming. Below are several tools which can be used on their own or as jumping off points.

For general information, please contact:

Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services

American Library Association

For media inquiries, please refer to the press kit and contact the American Library Association Communications and Marketing Office cmomedia@ala.org.

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June is Rainbow Book Month™ Rainbow Book Month™ is a nationwide celebration of the authors and writings that reflect the lives and experiences of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, genderqueer, queer, intersex, agender, and asexual community.

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2023 National Library Week - Take Action for Libraries Day - Thursday, April 27

Library advocates across the country stand united on Take Action for Libraries Day, an annual day of action during National Library Week! From Congress to local library boards, our elected officials need to hear from library supporters at all levels of government. This year, advocates are joining together to tell Congress to protect the freedom to read and stand against censorship. Threats to the right to read have increased dramatically in recent years, and Congress must stand against any attempts to restrict intellectual freedom. Use our tools below to take action and remind Congress why the freedom to read must be protected.

Take Action

Library champions in Congress just reintroduced critical legislation to support school libraries and students' freedom to read! The Right to Read Act, introduced by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Rep Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-7) would create protections for school librarians and students' right to read, as well as require every student to have access to a school library, staffed by a certified school librarian. This legislation has the potential to impact millions of students across the country, providing a much-needed infusion of funding for school libraries, and a huge step forward in the fight against censorship. ALA is urging members of Congress to stand with school librarians, students, and other educators nationwide by cosponsoring this legislation - take action and urge your members of Congress to sign on!

Bring Congress to your library

Invite your members of Congress to a virtual or in-person tour of your library! Showcasing the successes - and needs - of your library to your elected officials is a great way to establish relationships with elected leaders. Check out the in-person tour checklist, and learn more about how to successfully welcome Congress into your library with our dedicated tour resource page which includes recorded sample tours.

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2023 National Library Week - Take Action for Libraries Day - Thursday, April 27 Library advocates across the country stand united on Take Action for Libraries Day, an annual day of action during National Library Week! From Congress to local library boards, our elected officials need to hear from library supporters at all levels of government.

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-Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publ…