# data[].attributes.body
I love the idea of having students quoted saying why they like the library. I have done something similar with post-it notes on talk-back boards.

One cautionary note on recording students' voices, you may still need to either 1. Leave them anonymous or 2. Get parental permission before posting them anywhere.

AI can take 3 second voice recordings and use them to recreate voices saying anything.

# data[].attributes.body
I love this idea KC

A great way to support Amanda's book!

# data[].attributes.headline
Amanda's Site, featuring her book & the "That Librarian" T-shirt

# data[].attributes.subject
Amanda's Site, featuring her book & the "That Librarian" T-shirt

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Amanda Jones, Defender of Wonder - My Book: THAT LIBRARIAN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Preorders Available: Cavalier House Books Baldwin & Co Tubby and Coos Barnes & Noble and Amazon

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
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.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
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.

# data[].attributes.body
I made this template on 8.5x11 with black and white images students can color on one side, and the other with lines for "Books I Want to Check Out" - great to give out ahead of book talks or book tastings!

Easy access via bit.ly/coloringbookmark

# data[].attributes.headline
Coloring Activities - Moraine College Library

# data[].attributes.subject
Coloring Activities - Moraine College Library

# data[].attributes.body
Moraine College Library

# data[].attributes.headline
Why We Need Public Libraries Now More than Ever

# data[].attributes.subject
Why We Need Public Libraries Now More than Ever

# data[].attributes.body
Some interesting points school librarians might be able to utilize!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Who needs libraries, anyway? Turns out, we all do.

It's 10 o'clock on a bright summer morning, and the Boston Public Library-175 years old and more vital and necessary than ever-is up and running, doing all the things that public libraries do, offering all the things that public libraries offer.

On the first floor of the Central Library's Boylston Street Building, a modern and inviting space built in 1972 and renovated in 2016, people are browsing for books, working on laptops, and sipping macchiatos from the library's Newsfeed Café, which sits just a few feet from the ground-floor radio studio built and operated by GBH. In gorgeous and historic Bates Hall, on the second floor of the adjoining McKim Building, studious-looking Bostonians are sitting quietly at dozens of orderly reading tables, the same way studious-looking Bostonians have been sitting quietly at orderly reading tables inside Bates Hall for more than a century. Meanwhile, at the library's two dozen branch locations all over Boston, staffers are gearing up for story hours, tech sessions, reading groups, and all the things that take place daily inside their buildings. And then there's David Leonard, president of the BPL, who at this particular moment is in a Central Library conference room not far from his office, contemplating an odd question I've just lobbed his way.

"If public libraries didn't exist and we tried to start them today," I'd asked, "what do you think would happen?" By which I meant: Would the public, not to mention the powers that be, agree with this idea of pooling our money and opening up a bunch of buildings where people can come and "borrow" books, with the simple promise that they'll bring them back when they've finished reading them?

It is, as I've noted, kind of a whopper of a query, particularly for 10 o'clock in the morning, but I think it's a legitimate one. To begin with, there's the record level of attempted book banning that's been happening at school and community libraries across the country of late. According to the American Library Association, there were more than 1,200 attempts to censor books and materials at libraries nationwide in 2022, 58 percent of which targeted materials in schools and 41 percent were aimed at public libraries. Though attempts to ban books have increased in recent years, they've largely been unsuccessful, especially at public libraries. For its part, the BPL has largely-thankfully-been spared such attempts at community censorship, but the bans writ large don't exactly inspire faith that everyone everywhere is all in on the idea of public libraries. Beyond that, there's the very obvious fact that we now live in a digital age, with tiny computers in our pockets at all times that are capable of tracking down whatever information we might desire with just a few taps of our opposable thumbs. Do we still need a building-let alone two dozen of them-with a bunch of heavy, musty books inside? Finally, there's the business model for all of this-or, should I say, the lack of one. The BPL's motto, emblazoned on many of its buildings, is "Free to All." In a private-equity world, "free" isn't something we do much of, let alone "for all."

Leonard, a 56-year-old native of Dublin, Ireland, who's dressed today in a purple shirt and blue blazer, has a master's in philosophy from University College Dublin, and he's working on a doctorate in library information science from Simmons University. So he's hardly thrown by Big Questions, and he does his best to take mine in stride.

"The quick answer is, I'm so glad we don't have to [start libraries today], because we have 175 years of delivering value," he says. He pauses for a moment and then leans in a little more to what I'm trying to get at.

"I think the deeper philosophical question in there is, what kind of society do we want to live in? Where do we want public discourse to exist? How do we want to control information and knowledge? I think if the library didn't exist, we would need it," he says, then adds, "But in today's particular version of Western democratic capitalism, it is very difficult to envision how that would come about."

I should take a moment here to acknowledge that not only was my question for Leonard a little odd, but so is the whole piece you are (I hope) about to read. An entire magazine feature on... the library? What next, a treatise on the intricacies of the Boston sewer system? A takeout on bridge fortification? I get it. The library isn't new-Zachary Taylor was incoming president of the United States when the BPL was established, and that was so long ago most of us couldn't possibly distinguish him from John Tyler. (You'll get no help here.) The library isn't particularly mysterious-your average Boston seven-year-old has a pretty good handle on how the whole thing works. The library isn't even in crisis. On the contrary, no city in America loves its libraries more than Boston does, in part because Boston is one of the great library cities. Last year, the BPL had more than 2.1 million visits and loaned out some 660,000 print books and 3.8 million digital items. It's one reason that politicians keep sustaining the BPL with plenty of money. (Its annual operating budget is just under $50 million.)

And yet, I somehow feel compelled to not only write about libraries but to ask you to ride shotgun while I explore and-spoiler alert-sort of gaze in wonder at what they do. Because where else, I ask, can you not only borrow a book or get an answer to a question that plagues you but also get help with your taxes? Or take a cooking class? Or meet up with people who like Legos? Or get married?

I will admit to a personal bias here. I'm a writer, first of all, one with a book coming out next year, and so a public institution that's all about reading is hardly one I'm going to quibble with. More important, I come from a library family. My mother spent decades as the children's librarian in the small town where I grew up. My mother-in-law worked in a library, and my wife's three siblings all became librarians. My people? We're library people.

Still, I think there's something deeper going on here, too. Because the more I've thought about public libraries in general, and the BPL in particular, the more I'm convinced they have something to tell us about where we've been, where we are, and where we need to go.

"Hello. Are you here for the English class?" Jenna asks.

"Yes," the young woman says.

"You're in the right place," Jenna warmly assures her before the woman walks into the room.

One recent morning, I was at the BPL's West End branch-a no-frills building several blocks away from Mass General-sitting in on one of the English-as-a-second-language (ESL) classes that this branch, like most BPL branches, offers weekly. There are a dozen people here, most in their twenties and thirties, and our instructor is a young woman named Jenna.

Jenna tells the class-students who've reached the intermediate level of English-that she's not going to do any grammar instruction today. Instead, she's going to lead them in an exercise that's more interactive.

"The topic is going to be called 'Desert Island,'" Jenna says. She asks each student to think about five things they might bring with them if they were stranded on a desert island for a year, and then she passes out a worksheet.

"Okay, a couple of notes," she says after a few minutes of peering over people's shoulders. "First, the singular of knife is with an 'f.' It's such a strange word. K-N-I-F-E. The plural is the form with the 'v.' I saw a couple of people put K-N-I-V-E."

"Another note: I saw a couple of people put the wrong word after 'first aid.' We do not say 'first-aid box,'" she explains. "The more common way to say it is 'first-aid kit.'" The class nods their heads, and I thank God that English is my first language.

Books-or, more broadly, literacy-have traditionally been the backbone of what the BPL does, and that's still the case. The library's collection holds more than 23 million items, which makes it the third-largest library in the United States, behind only the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library. That collection holds everything from the latest bestsellers by J.D. Robb and Prince Harry to rare medieval manuscripts dating to the 14th century. Beyond just lending books, though, the BPL does much to support reading in general, from book discussion groups and children's story hours to live conversations with prominent authors.

Still, over the past couple of decades, like many public libraries across the country, the BPL has extended its reach beyond just literacy to meeting community needs more broadly. "Personally, I think books are sort of like the baseline for libraries," says Celia Contelmo, who runs the BPL's Grove Hall branch in Dorchester. "What we do here at this branch is less about books and more about community and the other needs that people have."

Grove Hall serves a largely Hispanic neighborhood, and as I sit inside the branch one afternoon with Contelmo and Priscilla Foley, the BPL's director of neighborhood services, I ask for some examples. Contelmo, a soft-spoken young woman with a nose ring and an array of cool tattoos, brightens.

"I could talk about that for hours," she says.

She walks me through the impressive menagerie of what happens here at Grove Hall: ESL classes. Sewing workshops for teens. Mixers for seniors. Family movie nights. Painting and creative-writing workshops held in conjunction with MassArt and GrubStreet. Health information sessions held in conjunction with the Boston Public Health Commission. An annual summer tea party organized by the branch's children's librarian, as well as an annual ice cream social. The list goes on. And those are just the formal programs. Every day, Contelmo says, people come in needing assistance with something-from looking for a new job to setting up a new phone-and the library staff spring into action. Tech help, in particular, is a common request. During COVID, Grove Hall and other branches boosted their WiFi networks so that they were available outside the building, and that's now become an essential service in many Boston neighborhoods.

"There are times when I'm showing up at branches at 7 o'clock in the morning, and there are people lined up on the steps using WiFi," Foley says. "And I'm like, I'm so happy you're here."

If traditionalists grumble that libraries should stick to lending books, David Leonard and every person I spoke to at the BPL had a different take. They see programming and services as natural extensions of the reference and research function libraries have always offered. "You have a question, you have a quest, you have a piece of information you're seeking," Leonard says. Once upon a time, such quests might have been straightforward- Excuse me, I'd like to learn more about Zachary Taylor -but today, they're broader and perhaps more urgent, at least if you're willing to listen.

"People who are housing-insecure come to the library, and their information request, whether they articulate it or not, is, 'I need to get stable in my life, and maybe I need access to resources,'" Leonard says. To handle such requests, the BPL has, in recent years, beefed up its own resources, now employing a social worker and a health librarian, as well as a new youth-employment counselor whose sole function is to help young people find work.

For many of the librarians, giving the community what it needs-free of charge-is at the core of their passion for the job. "You get a pretty good feel for the demographics of the neighborhood and their interests," Contelmo says. "We try to program around that. It's not my interest, but the interest of the community."

Then she confesses something that, in libraries of yore, might have gotten her shushed by a colleague but no longer feels so unusual or verboten. "I'm not a big reader," Contelmo admits. "And so I get it when people come in here, and they're just not into books. But the library offers so much more."

Ironically, for all of the scheduled programming it offers, the BPL has discovered one of the biggest services it provides is simply its space-giving people a place to be. For free. "I think traditionally we may have thought, Well, we have these great buildings, and some of them are really beautiful. But they were the containers within which other things happened," Leonard says. "Whereas in today's world, post-COVID, the space itself is part of the service."

To walk around the Central Library or any BPL branch is to see people engaged in a variety of activities. Yes, some are doing traditional library things-browsing the latest bestsellers or searching for something to read with their kids. But others are working (Leonard calls the library the original coworking space) or studying or collaborating on a group project. Still others are there simply as an escape from the heat or cold. On the day I'm at the West End branch, I see two people sitting in chairs with their eyes closed. Are they homeless? Dealing with addiction issues? I have no way of knowing, but they're not disturbing anyone, and they're left alone.

"If you appear to be asleep, we will interrupt you to do a wellness check," reads a sign I see at the Central Library. It's an elegant message that communicates two things at once: We want to make sure you're well, and we'll try to help you if you're not. But also: You have as much right to be here as anyone else. This space is for everybody.

Ironically, for all of the scheduled programming it offers, the BPL has discovered one of the biggest services it provides is simply its space-giving people a place to be. For free.

The cliché about libraries is that they're serene spaces in which you're not supposed to make a sound-which is why, I guess, I find it kind of awesome and hilarious that the Boston Public Library owes its existence, in part, to a ventriloquist.

The ventriloquist in question was Frenchman Nicholas Marie Alexandre Vattemare, who became world-famous in the first half of the 19th century for his ventriloquism skills, earning a small fortune as he performed for audiences (including royalty) all over Europe. As it happened,

Vattemare-who, as a young man, trained as a surgeon but was said to have been refused a diploma after making the med school cadavers "speak"-wasn't just a crack performer, but a sophisticate who hung around with other artists and writers of the age and who in retirement poured much of his energy and money into encouraging and arranging cultural exchanges between Europe and the United States. In the 1840s, Vattemare proposed unifying all of Boston's "social libraries"-private book collections that people had to pay to access. He befriended Boston Mayor Josiah Quincy Jr., who became an advocate for a truly public library. In 1848, by an act of the General Court of Massachusetts, the BPL was founded, and six years later, with 16,000 volumes in its collection, the first library opened in a former schoolhouse on Mason Street.

Vattemare and Quincy were two key figures in the BPL's founding and development, but there were others: Edward Everett and George Ticknor (the first two presidents of the board of trustees); financier Joshua Bates (whose $100,000 donation eventually got him the reading room named in his honor); architect Charles Kirk Kirby, who designed a new building that opened in 1858; and architect Charles Follen McKim, who in 1895 completed the Back Bay structure that still stands and bears his name to this day.

Of course, as important as such people were in establishing the library, equally important was the era in which they lived. Not to go all 10th-grade U.S. history on you, but the BPL was founded in what historians refer to as America's age of "national expansion and reform." That era's two hallmarks: a growing nation's push westward (a, uh, complicated subject, to say the least), and the presence of numerous "reform" movements, most of which had at their core the notion that human beings-and society in general-could be improved. It was an age marked by religious revivals, as well as by the birth of the abolitionist and women's movements and America's deepening commitment to public education. Fitting neatly alongside all of those noble undertakings was this idea of libraries, not just for the well-off and socially connected, but for the general public, who'd have access to them for no cost at all. The first free public library in America opened in Peterborough, New Hampshire, in 1833. The Boston Public Library was the second. Today, there are more than 9,000 public libraries in the U.S.

Now, it's worth pointing out that while public libraries in general-and the BPL in particular-are the products of a certain kind of civic idealism, libraries have sometimes gotten caught up in, and occasionally been brought down by, social trends that are less worth emulating. Locally, the most notable example was the censorious period that ran from the late 1800s to the 1960s-the "banned in Boston" era in which scores of books, plays, films, and songs were deemed objectionable and either officially banned by Boston city officials or effectively banned by private groups such as the Watch and Ward Society. (A quick refresher on some of the works deemed illicit in our fair city: Whitman's Leaves of Grass; Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises; Dreiser's An American Tragedy; and Odets's Waiting for Lefty.) I didn't find any evidence that the BPL led the charge on such censorship, but I also didn't come across any moments when it took heroic stands against what was happening, either. In many cases, it seems, the BPL simply put the banned books in locked rooms called "the Inferno" so that the public wouldn't be "corrupted" by them.

Vattemare was long dead by then, but the idealist in me hopes he would have spoken out against what was happening. Even if no one saw his lips move.

A public library is, depending on your choice of metaphor, either an act of faith or a bet. The proposition: If we can make information and ideas-in short, human knowledge-easily accessible to average people, then they're not only likely to lead richer and more productive lives, but they are also more likely to contribute to making the overall community richer and more productive.

As gambles go, it's a pretty smart-and safe-one. It's certainly no accident that as education levels and access to information have risen over the past century, so has our standard of living. What's more, giving people access to knowledge is the best way to create even more knowledge. Every breakthrough someone makes in, say, science and technology is built upon a breakthrough that someone else made before them. Mark Zuckerberg couldn't have created Facebook in his Harvard dorm room if a handful of computer scientists decades earlier hadn't created the Internet, and those computer scientists couldn't have done that without various engineers first creating the modern computer, and those engineers couldn't have done that without Thomas Edison and others electrifying the world, and Edison et al. couldn't have done that without...well, you get the idea. Back and back it goes. Human knowledge is a building that's continually under construction, each generation adding a layer of bricks on top of what was already there. And, of course, it's inside libraries-big public ones like the BPL, impressive research ones like those at Harvard and MIT, and even private ones like the Boston Athenaeum-where many of those bricks can be found.

On the same day that I chat with Leonard, I'm invited on a quick tour of the Central Library by its manager, Anna Fahey-Flynn, and Lisa Pollack, the BPL's chief of communications. The first place they take me is the library's Special Collections Department, a vast and much-heralded treasure trove of rare and valuable books, manuscripts, and pieces of art. Among them: John Adams's library (3,000 volumes assembled by the second U.S. president); a copy of Shakespeare's First Folio; four original printings of the Declaration of Independence; a complete run of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator; and Robert McCloskey's sketchbooks, including drawings for Make Way for Ducklings.

The department recently underwent a nearly $16 million renovation that improved both its public spaces and its storage areas (including 7 miles of shelving). As I stand in the sleek new lobby, peering through a thick glass wall to where some of the materials are stored in a climate-controlled environment, I feel a little like I'm on the set of a caper movie, with Tom Cruise about to descend from the ceiling. And apparently, I'm not the only one thinking Hollywood. Pollack explains that when the department was being renovated, they had to move a quarter-million volumes out of the library in what she describes as "James Bond conditions"; security accompanied the books every step of the way, and the books were stored-"I'm not making this up," Pollack tells me-at an undisclosed location in upstate New York.

Our tour continues, with Fahey-Flynn and Pollack leading me up and down elevators and through the corridors that comprise the Central Library's innards. If the Boylston Street Building is contemporary and bright and the McKim Building is impressive and historic, this part of the library is drab and claustrophobic, like an insurance company office last updated in 1969.

Suddenly, we pass through a door and pop out into what was once another large reading room inside the McKim Building-a space with big, gorgeous windows that's now used only for storage. Inside the room are about a dozen 6-foot-high metal carts, on which have been stacked hundreds of scrolls wrapped in plastic.

"Blueprints," Fahey-Flynn explains. Neither she nor Pollack are sure where they're from, but as we pass through the room, I look at some of the tags attached to the plastic. On one: St. James Church, New York, New York. Another: St. Paul's Cathedral, Detroit, Michigan. Both are from the early part of the last century.

A major challenge of running a library like the BPL is what to do with all the stuff -books, drawings, photos, audio recordings, videotapes, microfilm; you name it-that's been created by people in the past, and that amounts to a record of human activity. A sizable chunk of the BPL's overall collection is old government records the organization is required to hold onto as part of its role as both a state and federal depository library. As a service, this is great-we have access to the official accounting of what came before us-but it creates the compounding problem of where the hell to put everything. The majority of what the BPL owns is housed in the Central Library, as well as several million items that are stored in an offsite archives building, an old electrical warehouse in Roxbury. But even that, I'm told, is now bursting at the seams.

For most of their existence, libraries had a near monopoly on this warehousing of human knowledge, but in the age of the Internet, that's changed. When we want information now, most of us simply Google and click, then have served up to us words and data stored on millions of computers around the world. (The indexed World Wide Web alone, a sliver of the Internet, contains nearly 70 billion pages.)

The digitization of the world has, not surprisingly, changed what libraries do in significant ways. Last year, the number of e-books the Boston Public Library lent out, for example, exceeded the number of physical books it circulated by more than five to one. Meanwhile, the library is working to digitize much of its own holdings so they can be viewed by people around the world. And then there are those patrons who simply use their branch library for the WiFi.

If you're wondering whether all of this has the potential to make public libraries obsolete, or merely reduce them to a bunch of routers and computer terminals, the short answer is: Let's hope not. The amount of information we can get online-quickly!-is beyond measure, but there are, as we all discuss constantly now, questions about the quality of that information.

"Ah, right!" David Leonard says when I raise this issue with him. "We might be the accurate repository of information, honestly." Leonard is hardly a Luddite-he spent many years working in the tech business and originally joined the BPL as its Chief Technology Officer-but he makes an important point. While not everything in the library is 100 percent accurate, for sure, there is at least more curation happening than on the Internet. In the early days of COVID, BPL librarians put together a set of resources, backed by academic studies, that tried to give people the most accurate, up-to-date information possible about the virus. One can assume that injecting disinfectant into yourself was not on the list.

The other issue that arises with the Internet is depth. The web may have billions of pages, but when was the last time you went past page one of Google search results? Or got out your credit card to pay for information behind a paywall? "When you Google, the majority of stuff you're getting is the free stuff," Fahey-Flynn says. "We put a lot of resources into buying the stuff behind the paywall. And it can be frustrating making sure people know that we actually have those things."

If the BPL struggles to make the outside world aware of its vast resources, in some ways, it faces the same struggle internally-understanding for itself everything that it has. For the final part of our tour, Fahey-Flynn and Pollack lead me into "the stacks," multiple floors inside the Central Library with row upon row, shelf upon shelf, of books. The library has commenced gaining "intellectual control," as Fahey-Flynn puts it, of everything in its collection, but it's not there yet.

"I have been capital 'L' lost in these stacks," Pollack says as we walk between some shelves that look identical to the shelves we saw on a different part of the floor-or maybe it was the floor beneath us? There's a vastness to this that's daunting and breathtaking and miraculous all at once-tens of thousands of books written by tens of thousands of authors over hundreds of years. As we're walking, I ask if we can pull one off the shelf just to see what it is.

Pollack halts and grabs a random tome. She sighs a little as she touches it. "They've all been cleaned-or cleaned as much as they could," she says. "These books were
really dirty."

I ask what volume she's holding. She flips it open and tells me it appears to be in German. "It's from 1901," she says. Inside, it has tables and charts and statistics-about what, exactly, is unclear. As we move on, I wonder if it was an inconsequential book or a crucial brick of human knowledge upon which other crucial bricks have been stacked.

Either way, here it is at the library-forgotten, perhaps, but not gone.

On my final visit to the library, I sit in on another program that the BPL offers for the community: a creative-writing workshop that's being held on the lower level of the Boylston Street Building. In the room are a dozen people, ranging in age from twentysomething to retiree.

This is the first session of a multiweek class, and so to kick things off, the instructor, a BPL employee named Jordan, goes around the room asking people to share what they like to read and what they're hoping to get out of the course. The responses and favorite genres are predictably varied: One person is a fan of gay romance novels with a dash of sci-fi. Another loves historical fiction. Another started keeping a journal while she was stuck at home during COVID with her five-year-old, and now she's interested in memoir. Finally, we get to one of the older members of the group, Valerie, who shares that she started doing genealogy research during COVID and learned about an ancestor who was born in England in 1547. "I became really fascinated with this character, and he is living inside my head," she says. "I have to do something with it. I feel a compulsion to do it, but I have no idea how to do this. But I have got to get something outside of me about this man."

Human knowledge is filled with facts and figures-statistical charts annotated in German, for instance-but it's more than that. We mostly make sense of the world through characters and narratives, through stories. And what is the library but the place where we store the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves? Some of those stories are factual; others are make-believe. Some tales are meant to entertain us, others to inspire us, instruct us, or challenge us. But what makes them work, when they work, is that we somehow recognize ourselves in them.

At the heart of our divide in America today is a disagreement, more pitched than it's been in a while, about some of those stories. Which narratives are true, and which ones aren't? Sometimes, the difference is easy to see: The 2020 presidential election wasn't stolen, no matter how much Donald Trump spins a fantastic tale that it was. But other times, it's harder to find clarity. Was the United States founded by an idealistic group of people who believed in freedom and democracy and were willing to put their lives on the line for it? Or was it created by a slave-holding gentry who only cared about their economic interests? Could both be true? Or neither?

A disagreement about narrative is also what underpins our clashes over books. For those of us who believe libraries should proudly display books about Black history or gay or trans people, the push is for one of increasing inclusivity-everybody is part of the story. To those who want certain books banned, the narrative is one that never really has-and in their mind never should-include certain people.

Leonard-and the other librarians I spoke to-acknowledge that the BPL has been lucky in that it's had very few challenges about the books and programs it offers, though there have been some. "We have had people who don't really agree with some of our programming," Leonard says, "whether it's Pride month-related or related to racial equity. So we do have some of that."

When it happens, Leonard falls back on a standard response. "I try to remind people that there's no mandatory reading list that comes with a BPL card. You can choose which things are relevant to your values or your interests. You don't have to come to specific programming if it's not for you. But it is very important that we have offerings that respond in particular to the needs of those whose voices are not always uplifted or recognized in our society."

"'Free to All' encapsulates what we're all about," he continues. "And the 'all' part is as important as the 'free' part in that phrase. It really has to be everybody."

The genius of public libraries is that they were created by citizens, and their only agenda is to collect what humans know-and perhaps try to be helpful.

Let's finish where we started. If public libraries didn't exist, could we start them today?

Leonard was hesitant to say that we could, and I share that reluctant skepticism. Not because of attempted book bans or the Internet, but because we don't do very many things these days with the sole purpose of serving the public good. One-hundred-and-seventy-five years ago, we were in the middle of an age of expansion and reform; today, we're in an age of many things, but surely one of them is hyper-capitalism. We create what
makes money.

There have been benefits from that. Wealth has been generated, and technological progress has been made. At the same time, we have economic inequality not seen in a century and a focus on self that I have to wonder if we've ever seen. Maybe the most insidious thing about our era of money is that it has encouraged us to view ourselves only as consumers, never as citizens. Being a consumer is easy and fun-we want what we want, and if we don't get it in one place, we walk down the street and get it somewhere else. Being a citizen is a little harder. Yes, you have rights, but no more than anyone else. You have no choice but to think about other people.

The genius of public libraries is that they were created by citizens for citizens, and their only agenda is to collect what humans know-and perhaps try to be helpful.

Could we build them now? Maybe it doesn't matter, because we already have them. Our role at the moment, as David Leonard reminds me, is straightforward: "We must not squander this."

I mentioned my mother at the beginning of this odd story. She's retired now, but she's healthy and active and still very much a library user. Occasionally, when I'm out and about with her, she'll be approached by someone who recognizes her. She's always warm and gracious and chatty in reply, and afterward, when I ask who that was, she often says the same thing.

"Oh, he used to come to story hour at the library," she'll tell me, and that's all I need to hear.
First published in the print edition of the November 2023 issue with the headline, "Who Needs Libraries, Anyway?"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Turns out, we all do. In the age of book bans and digital technology, a case for why Bostonians should love libraries more than ever.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Hear how Wendy Cope motivates her readers and sponsors clubs and activity nights to create a library community.
I would like to thank composer Nazar Rybak at Hooksounds.com for the music you've heard today.
IG: @woodstockmslibrary
Twitter: @wendypcope
2015 Media Specialist of the Year
Woodstock Middle School website
Menu of Services (TY Sarah Sansbury)
2018-2019 Annual Report
2019-2020 Annual Report
Impossible Possibilities blog

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
school librarians united with amy hermon

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
‎School Librarians United with Amy Hermon: Creating Community on Apple Podcasts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Hear how Wendy Cope motivates her readers and sponsors clubs and activity nights to create a library community. I would like to thank composer Nazar Rybak at Hooksounds.com for the music you've heard today. IG: @woodstockmslibrary Twitter: @wendypcope 2015 Media Specialist of the Year Woods...

# data[].attributes.headline
Embedded Librarians: Creating School and Community Partnerships by Amanda Jones

# data[].attributes.subject
Embedded Librarians: Creating School and Community Partnerships by Amanda Jones

# data[].attributes.body
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vRmNXrRyAT9-AvkaGBGPYY6oIBAEf8-Xic0LKE0wgTUAO59_FSpMrsd16QNAO2fsTnbW19eXUyzwXiP/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=60000

# data[].attributes.headline
Here’s What Students Miss Out on When Their Schools Lack Librarians

# data[].attributes.subject
Here’s What Students Miss Out on When Their Schools Lack Librarians

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Here’s What Students Miss Out on When Their Schools Lack Librarians

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Some administrators think school librarians are obsolete, but these schools prove otherwise.

# data[].attributes.headline
Philadelphia students navigate school without access to school libraries

# data[].attributes.subject
Philadelphia students navigate school without access to school libraries

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
PHILADELPHIA - In 2020, Egypt Luckey graduated from Building 21, a high school in Northwest Philadelphia affiliated with the Learning Innovative network, which emphasizes real-world learning experiences. For the entirety of her high school career, Luckey never had a public school library available to her, and she thinks it put her at a disadvantage during the transition to college.

"I never had a library in school where I could actually go, sit, and enjoy reading because I am a bookworm. I love reading, writing, anything that has a creative expression," Luckey said. "Not having that experience kind of set me back a little bit because I had these situations where I needed help but didn't know what to do in those moments."

A 2022 study by Rutgers University found that first-year college students who had prior high school research experience, especially those from schools with certified librarians, felt more confident in their academic research skills and performed better in using research tools and strategies, such as information and digital literacy, and the difference between a primary and secondary source of information.

"Our students need to develop the skills to learn on their own. [They need] the thinking skills to be able to discern information that they can believe, in order to become digital citizens," Barbara Stripling, cofounder of the Philadelphia Alliance to Restore School Libraries (PARSL) said. "They need to be taught these skills, they need opportunities to practice them, and it needs to become who they are. They need to understand the importance of looking at multiple perspectives."

PARSL is a nonprofit organization staffed by retired educators and librarians. It operates without external funding, relying solely on volunteers. The organization wants to improve public school libraries in Philadelphia, aiming to improve academic performance. PARSL produced a white paper earlier in 2023 addressing the link between students' reading abilities and the shortage of librarians, proposing solutions that involve collaboration with the school district and City Council to secure additional funding.

In the School District of Philadelphia, the number of school librarians has declined over the past decade, from about 57 in the 2012-2013 school year to just one in the 2023-2024 school year .

Marissa Orbanek, communications officer for the Philadelphia School District said that the district does not have enough funds for all the positions that are ultimately needed and desired.

"We will continue to advocate for adequate and equitable funding for education so that historically underfunded districts, like Philadelphia, have the resources necessary to provide all students with access to the 21st-century learning environments, including libraries and Instructional Media Centers," Orbanek said.

Inside a Philadelphia classroom

Eric Hitchner, a halftime English teacher and English as a Second Language (ESL) coordinator for grades 9-12 at Building 21 in Philadelphia, has created a do-it-yourself library in his classroom. Some extra books he forgot he had in his car proved a treasure trove for his students, he said.

"It was like this light bulb moment," Hitchner said. "There's a dynamic that when we're in the middle of a lesson, you're not going to go to the back and borrow a book, we need that actual dedicated space. So we started creating one, we don't have a librarian, [and] we don't have a budget. We don't have books, those are all things I had to kind of scrounge."

Hitchner has since found donors, visited garage sales, and thrift shops to find books to stock his DIY library. He added he couldn't have done it without the help of students like Egypt Luckey.

" Egypt is one of the amazing students I taught for English and creative writing who volunteered to be a library intern and get the library started all those years ago," he said. With COVID interrupting her high school career, Luckey wasn't able to complete the work, he said. "But we would have never gotten that far without her help."

Luckey said she did it because she wanted to be a part of something bigger than just Building 21.

"We had so many ideas and things we wanted to do, execute, and just talking about the lack of libraries in a lot of the public high schools and public schools in general, just excites me," Luckey said. She's hopeful that her efforts might inspire others to do the same at other schools.

Other districts around the nation have rebuilt and restored their public school library programs, Former Superintendent of Boston Public Schools (BPS), Dr. Brenda Cassellius worked in the district for three years to restore its libraries. School librarians do much more than just help children check out books, she noted; they're media technology specialists, and provide social service support for families who may not have internet at home.

"The library is the hub of learning in a school environment, and certified librarians know how to curate that learning experience and also offer their expertise to curriculum development, materials, and resourcing to teachers," Cassellius told the Capital-Star. "They're just an absolute glue to the learning experience that children have."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Philadelphia students navigate school without access to school libraries - Pennsylvania Capital-Star

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The number of school librarians in the district declined over the past decade, from about 57 in the 2012-2013 school year to just one in 2023-2024.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
‎School Librarians United with Amy Hermon on Apple Podcasts

# data[].attributes.headline
The librarian who couldn’t take it anymore

# data[].attributes.subject
The librarian who couldn’t take it anymore

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
School librarians on the decline nationwide as position evolves

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
School librarians on the decline nationwide as position evolves

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
‎School Librarians United with Amy Hermon: Teaming Up With Your Administration on Apple Podcasts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
‎Show School Librarians United with Amy Hermon, Ep Teaming Up With Your Administration - Mar 12, 2021

# data[].attributes.body
This is a presentation I gave earlier this month during my school's Mental Health Team meeting.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Check out this Presentation (4:3) designed by KC Boyd.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sheet1 School Librarians United Playlists Librarian Bucket List,Putting Ourselves FIRST E62 My Newbery Experience , E19 Podcasts and You <a...

# data[].attributes.body
Hear stories, resources and strategies from 25 attendees from 19 States!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
School Librarians United with Amy Hermon

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
25 Attendees from 19 States share their strategies, resources and EdTech tools while attending AASL23 in Tampa.&nbsp;&nbsp; I would like to thank composer Nazar Rybak at Hooksounds.com for the music you've heard today.&nbsp;&nbsp; Literati Book Fairs: Speak with the Literati team today and mention the code UNITED to see if you qualify for a $500 Titlewave gift card once you complete your first Literati Book Fair.&nbsp; Capstone *use UNITED for $20 off $100 or more on print and ebooks Editable PD Certificate FAQ's and ISO (In search of...)

# data[].attributes.body
Got some pics of AASL '23 you'd like to share? Drop' em here!

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
These are so cute as bookmarks! 👻🩷 https://t.co/YlOKEBwCuo

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
These are so cute as bookmarks! 👻🩷 https://t.co/YlOKEBwCuo

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].text
A special thank you to ⁦@melissacorey⁩ for these amazing graphics. We turned them into book marks. So sweet. #lzmss #empowerd95 https://t.co/1LPj0lN35H

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
These are so cute as bookmarks! 👻🩷 https://t.co/YlOKEBwCuo
— Melissa Corey 📖✨ | IG @melissacorey (@melissacorey) October 6, 2023

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
These are so cute as bookmarks! 👻🩷 https://t.co/YlOKEBwCuo

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.includes.tweets[].text
A special thank you to ⁦@melissacorey⁩ for these amazing graphics. We turned them into book marks. So sweet. #lzmss #empowerd95 https://t.co/1LPj0lN35H

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
These are so cute as bookmarks! 👻🩷 https://t.co/YlOKEBwCuo

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
These are so cute as bookmarks! 👻🩷 https://t.co/YlOKEBwCuo

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].text
A special thank you to ⁦@melissacorey⁩ for these amazing graphics. We turned them into book marks. So sweet. #lzmss #empowerd95 https://t.co/1LPj0lN35H

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Ghost bookmarks is such a brilliant idea! Melissa’s post inspired me to print bookmarks on transparencies and this is how they turned out! Thanks, @melissacorey, for the never-ending inspiration! https://t.co/cIS8VUK12f https://t.co/4LQ8nzRctz

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Ghost bookmarks is such a brilliant idea! Melissa’s post inspired me to print bookmarks on transparencies and this is how they turned out! Thanks, @melissacorey, for the never-ending inspiration! https://t.co/cIS8VUK12f https://t.co/4LQ8nzRctz

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].text
Ghost bookmarks! 👻 My library ambassadors have trimmed an acre of laminating this week so I grabbed some scraps to make into ghost bookmarks. Just Sharpie (let it dry!) on laminate. 📕 https://t.co/MxoEm9UIVf

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Ghost bookmarks is such a brilliant idea! Melissa’s post inspired me to print bookmarks on transparencies and this is how they turned out! Thanks, @melissacorey, for the never-ending inspiration! https://t.co/4LQ8nzRctz pic.twitter.com/cIS8VUK12f
— Gabriela (@librarycapybara) October 11, 2023

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Ghost bookmarks is such a brilliant idea! Melissa’s post inspired me to print bookmarks on transparencies and this is how they turned out! Thanks, @melissacorey, for the never-ending inspiration! https://t.co/cIS8VUK12f https://t.co/4LQ8nzRctz

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.includes.tweets[].text
Ghost bookmarks! 👻 My library ambassadors have trimmed an acre of laminating this week so I grabbed some scraps to make into ghost bookmarks. Just Sharpie (let it dry!) on laminate. 📕 https://t.co/MxoEm9UIVf

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Ghost bookmarks is such a brilliant idea! Melissa’s post inspired me to print bookmarks on transparencies and this is how they turned out! Thanks, @melissacorey, for the never-ending inspiration! https://t.co/cIS8VUK12f https://t.co/4LQ8nzRctz

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Ghost bookmarks is such a brilliant idea! Melissa’s post inspired me to print bookmarks on transparencies and this is how they turned out! Thanks, @melissacorey, for the never-ending inspiration! https://t.co/cIS8VUK12f https://t.co/4LQ8nzRctz

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].text
Ghost bookmarks! 👻 My library ambassadors have trimmed an acre of laminating this week so I grabbed some scraps to make into ghost bookmarks. Just Sharpie (let it dry!) on laminate. 📕 https://t.co/MxoEm9UIVf

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Ghost bookmarks! 👻 My library ambassadors have trimmed an acre of laminating this week so I grabbed some scraps to make into ghost bookmarks. Just Sharpie (let it dry!) on laminate. 📕

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Ghost bookmarks! 👻 My library ambassadors have trimmed an acre of laminating this week so I grabbed some scraps to make into ghost bookmarks. Just Sharpie (let it dry!) on laminate. 📕 https://t.co/MxoEm9UIVf

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Ghost bookmarks! 👻 My library ambassadors have trimmed an acre of laminating this week so I grabbed some scraps to make into ghost bookmarks. Just Sharpie (let it dry!) on laminate. 📕 pic.twitter.com/MxoEm9UIVf
— Melissa Corey 📖✨ | IG @melissacorey (@melissacorey) October 10, 2023

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Ghost bookmarks! 👻 My library ambassadors have trimmed an acre of laminating this week so I grabbed some scraps to make into ghost bookmarks. Just Sharpie (let it dry!) on laminate. 📕 https://t.co/MxoEm9UIVf

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Ghost bookmarks! 👻 My library ambassadors have trimmed an acre of laminating this week so I grabbed some scraps to make into ghost bookmarks. Just Sharpie (let it dry!) on laminate. 📕 https://t.co/MxoEm9UIVf

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Ghost bookmarks! 👻 My library ambassadors have trimmed an acre of laminating this week so I grabbed some scraps to make into ghost bookmarks. Just Sharpie (let it dry!) on laminate. 📕

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Boss's Day 2023 - Awareness Days Events Calendar 2023

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Boss's Day, also known as National Boss's Day, is an annual observance that provides an opportunity to appreciate and show gratitude to employers,

# data[].attributes.body
I can not find the document with the final pictures, but you'll get the picture. No pun intended. https://www.canva.com/design/DAFUkEmC0JQ/5weFdD36GrzrdkKtwct4Wg/view?utm_content=DAFUkEmC0JQ&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.kellysclassroomonline.com/2021/07/pumpkin-life-cycle.html

# data[].attributes.body
My Book Club members were given 20 minutes to create something Halloweenish with books, construction paper, tape, and scissors. They made Jack o’lanterns, ghosts, haunted house, werewolf, etc.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As a parent, it can be hard to quantify "scary." One day, your child is begging you to stop reading The Berenstain Bears in the Dark, and the next, they're asking you if they're old enough to watch "The Walking Dead." Scary gets particularly hard to define in middle school, when kids are perched on that narrow threshold between innocent youth and teenaged indifference.

Is there an appropriate level of scary for middle school? As always, it varies from kid to kid, but there are some writers who seem to have truly tapped into what makes a middle-schooler squirm. Case in point: R.L. Stine, the massively popular creator of the Goosebumps series.

If your middle schooler is ready for for something a little scarier than Room on the Broom, try these spooky titles that should definitely creep them out, but shouldn't keep them up all night.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in 2015 and updated in 2019.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Spooky, Semi-Scary Books for Tweens | Brightly

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As a parent, it can be hard to quantify "scary." One day, your child is begging you to stop reading The Berenstain Bears in the Dark , and the next, they're asking you if they're old enough to watch "The Walking Dead."

# data[].attributes.body
Give them toilet paper tubes, pipe cleaners, construction paper, googly eyes, etc and just let them make!

# data[].attributes.body
Hallway bulletin board right outside the library

# data[].attributes.body
Current October library bulletin board

# data[].attributes.body
Trace these templates onto weeded books. Cut them out and use a hole puncher to cut out eyes. Now you have a boooookmark.

# data[].attributes.headline
Episode 1 of the SLLN Podcast: Ofrendas for Banned Books from Meggan Ford! 

# data[].attributes.subject
Episode 1 of the SLLN Podcast: Ofrendas for Banned Books from Meggan Ford! 

# data[].attributes.body
GA school librarian Meggan Ford was kind enough to share her Dia de los Muertos Banned Books Ofrendas lesson with us - the episode is live over here: https://sllnpodcast.libsyn.com/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Join Steve Tetreault (@DrTLovesBooks) as he talks to school librarians about their favorite lessons, ideas, and resources!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Comparison chart

Day of the Dead

Halloween

Religion
Christianity
Paganism, Christianity (All Hallows Eve); now modernized and embraced universally as a fun festival

Origins

Day of the Dead can be traced back to indigenous cultures in Mexico dating back 2,500 to 3,000 years, who had rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors. The festival originally occurred in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar and lasted for the entire month.

Halloween is believed to have pagan roots, and is linked to the Celtic festival Samhain, when the "door" to the Otherworld was believed to be opened so that the souls of the dead could enter this world. It was also influenced by Christian All Saints' Day, which honors saints and the recently departed.

This National Geographic Channel video takes a look at the history of Halloween and how it came to be known as an appreciation of the afterlife.

Celebration

The Day of the Dead celebrates and remembers friends and family members who have died. In most parts of Mexico, the Day of the Dead is used to honor children and infant family members that died. Adults are honored on November 2nd. The atmosphere is rather that of a picnic or celebration than mourning. Mexicans embrace death and celebrate the deceased for the time they lived.

This video takes a look at the festival of the Day of the Dead, which is believed to be a celebration of life itself.

Day of the Dead is a national holiday in Mexico, and all banks are closed. It takes place on November 1st. People visit cemeteries and build private altars with the favorite food and drinks of the deceased, as well as photos and other memorabilia, to encourage the souls to visit. Graves are often decorated with orange Mexican marigolds. Toys are brought for dead children, and bottles of tequila, mescal or pulque are brought for adults. Some people wear shells on their clothing, so that the noise when dancing will wake the dead. Rituals vary from town to town.

In contemporary times, Halloween is celebrated by both children and adults. Children dress up in costumes and go trick-or-treating from house to house for candy. They ask the traditional question "trick or treat," implying that they will cause mischief if no treat is given. Costumes are traditionally supernatural or frightening, but over time, they have changes to be costumes on any theme. Popular games include apple bobbing and visiting haunted houses. Adults also enjoy Halloween with costume parties, often with varying themes that aren't necessarily related to the horror genre.

Symbols

The Day of the Dead is commonly represented by a skull. People celebrating wear skull masks, called calacas. Sugar skulls are given as gifts.

Symbols of Halloween include pumpkins and various tropes of horror literature, including vampires, ghosts and mummies.

By the Numbers

Halloween Statistics

CNN reported that 175 million Americans planned to celebrate Halloween in 2018, spending about $9 billion on the festivities.

There are about 41 million trick-or-treaters in America-children between the ages of 5 and 14. 3.8 million of them are expected to dress as a princess, 2.2 million as Batman and 1.9 million as a Star Wars character. Among adults, a little over 10% will dress as a witch.

Every year about 70,000 acres of pumpkins are harvested and about $7 million is spent on pumpkin spice products during Halloween.

References

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What's the difference between Day of the Dead and Halloween? Halloween (or All Hallows' Eve) is celebrated on October 31 in several countries. It has its roots in pagan celebrations for the end of the harvest season, various festivals of the dead, and the Celtic Samhain festival.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Comparison chart

Day of the Dead

Halloween

Religion
Christianity
Paganism, Christianity (All Hallows Eve); now modernized and embraced universally as a fun festival

Origins

Day of the Dead can be traced back to indigenous cultures in Mexico dating back 2,500 to 3,000 years, who had rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors. The festival originally occurred in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar and lasted for the entire month.

Halloween is believed to have pagan roots, and is linked to the Celtic festival Samhain, when the "door" to the Otherworld was believed to be opened so that the souls of the dead could enter this world. It was also influenced by Christian All Saints' Day, which honors saints and the recently departed.

This National Geographic Channel video takes a look at the history of Halloween and how it came to be known as an appreciation of the afterlife.

Celebration

The Day of the Dead celebrates and remembers friends and family members who have died. In most parts of Mexico, the Day of the Dead is used to honor children and infant family members that died. Adults are honored on November 2nd. The atmosphere is rather that of a picnic or celebration than mourning. Mexicans embrace death and celebrate the deceased for the time they lived.

This video takes a look at the festival of the Day of the Dead, which is believed to be a celebration of life itself.

Day of the Dead is a national holiday in Mexico, and all banks are closed. It takes place on November 1st. People visit cemeteries and build private altars with the favorite food and drinks of the deceased, as well as photos and other memorabilia, to encourage the souls to visit. Graves are often decorated with orange Mexican marigolds. Toys are brought for dead children, and bottles of tequila, mescal or pulque are brought for adults. Some people wear shells on their clothing, so that the noise when dancing will wake the dead. Rituals vary from town to town.

In contemporary times, Halloween is celebrated by both children and adults. Children dress up in costumes and go trick-or-treating from house to house for candy. They ask the traditional question "trick or treat," implying that they will cause mischief if no treat is given. Costumes are traditionally supernatural or frightening, but over time, they have changes to be costumes on any theme. Popular games include apple bobbing and visiting haunted houses. Adults also enjoy Halloween with costume parties, often with varying themes that aren't necessarily related to the horror genre.

Symbols

The Day of the Dead is commonly represented by a skull. People celebrating wear skull masks, called calacas. Sugar skulls are given as gifts.

Symbols of Halloween include pumpkins and various tropes of horror literature, including vampires, ghosts and mummies.

By the Numbers

Halloween Statistics

CNN reported that 175 million Americans planned to celebrate Halloween in 2018, spending about $9 billion on the festivities.

There are about 41 million trick-or-treaters in America-children between the ages of 5 and 14. 3.8 million of them are expected to dress as a princess, 2.2 million as Batman and 1.9 million as a Star Wars character. Among adults, a little over 10% will dress as a witch.

Every year about 70,000 acres of pumpkins are harvested and about $7 million is spent on pumpkin spice products during Halloween.

References

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What's the difference between Day of the Dead and Halloween? Halloween (or All Hallows' Eve) is celebrated on October 31 in several countries. It has its roots in pagan celebrations for the end of the harvest season, various festivals of the dead, and the Celtic Samhain festival.

# data[].attributes.headline
In-Library Display Highlighting Our Weeding of Fiction

# data[].attributes.subject
In-Library Display Highlighting Our Weeding of Fiction

# data[].attributes.body
During School Library Month 2022, we had four whiteboards highlighting new areas and projects in our library. This was our board that explained weeding.

# data[].attributes.headline
My coffee table art using old book pages.

# data[].attributes.subject
My coffee table art using old book pages.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Birthday Cards: 10 Of The Best Designs Using Embossing, Origami And More
We love a handmade birthday card here at PaperCrafter HQ. It's the only occasion we can craft for all year round, and the lack of a definite theme means that the...

Craft Trends: This Season's Best Creative Buys and Techniques
*ADVERTORIAL*
Fancy trying out a new technique or updating your stash? Check out our round-up of trending craft buys and tries!

Personalise Your Projects With The Silhouette Portrait
*ADVERTORIAL*

The wedding season is in full swing so now's the time to show off what you've got and gift the happy couple a keepsake to cherish forever. Why not give Vickie...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
21 Things To Make From Old Books | PaperCrafter Blog

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Although we love reading and know that books are for treasuring, there are also some amazing things you can create with those vintage tomes to be found in every thrift store across the land. Here's some of our favourite ideas! |

# data[].attributes.headline
My coffee table art using old book pages!

# data[].attributes.subject
My coffee table art using old book pages!

# data[].attributes.headline
Cue the Librarian's Directions for creating a Book Flower!

# data[].attributes.subject
Cue the Librarian's Directions for creating a Book Flower!

# data[].attributes.body
Cue the Librarian's Directions for creating a Book Flower!
https://twitter.com/cuethelibrarian/status/1624161112747827216

# data[].attributes.body
In Destiny, use Shelf List Report. Run it for just a section of the collection for a time frame. Be sure to export to Excel and add the publication date.

After it's an Excel spreadsheet, sort by Circ counts. Then select the rows with 0s and 1s and resort by date. Then select the age you want to target (before 2010 perhaps) and resort that section by Call Number. Just print that section that's now in order by Call Number so you can go along the shelf and pull the books to look at them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Less Is More: A Practical Guide to Weeding School Library Collections

# data[].attributes.body
One of my favorite resource book for weeding.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Less Is More: A Practical Guide to Weeding School Library Collections

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Amazon.com: Less Is More: A Practical Guide to Weeding School Library Collections: 9780838909195: Donna J. Baumbach, Linda L Miller: Books

# data[].attributes.headline
KQ Blog Weeding by the Numbers by Diana Rendina 

# data[].attributes.subject
KQ Blog Weeding by the Numbers by Diana Rendina 

# data[].attributes.body
https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/weed-numbers-clean-collection/

# data[].attributes.headline
KQ Blog Part 2 by Hannah Byrd Little on Weeding

# data[].attributes.subject
KQ Blog Part 2 by Hannah Byrd Little on Weeding

# data[].attributes.body
https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/weeding-without-controversy-part-two-the-process/

# data[].attributes.body
https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/weeding-without-controversy-part-one-why-weed/

# data[].attributes.body
A slide deck of books Steve pulled off the shelf in 2018. (Yes, they were still in the library in 2018.)

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/selectionpolicytoolkit/weeding

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sheet1 School Librarians United Playlists Librarian Bucket List,Putting Ourselves FIRST E62 My Newbery Experience , E19 Podcasts and You <a...

# data[].attributes.headline
The list follows ALA's recent unveiling of data showing record-shattering attempts to remove books from school and public libraries, and it shows us what types of books are being challenged the most and why.

# data[].attributes.subject
The list follows ALA's recent unveiling of data showing record-shattering attempts to remove books from school and public libraries, and it shows us what types of books are being challenged the most and why.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"What's happening with books is inextricably linked to the challenges against teaching accurate accounts of our country's history and social emotional learning. Lee & Low trusts our Black, Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQ+, and intersectional storytellers to share their truths. We trust librarians and educators for their professional expertise. And above all, we believe young people have the right to access and read the books in which they see themselves."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
2022 Book Bans | Unite Against Book Bans

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"What's happening with books is inextricably linked to the challenges against teaching accurate accounts of our country's history and social emotional learning. Lee & Low trusts our Black, Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQ+, and intersectional storytellers to share their truths. We trust librarians and educators for their professional expertise.

# data[].attributes.headline
Dolly Parton Awarded Honorary Membership in the American Library Association

# data[].attributes.subject
Dolly Parton Awarded Honorary Membership in the American Library Association

# data[].attributes.headline
Join us on #RightToReadDay and beyond by participating in the actions below to support your library and defend the freedom to read in your community.

# data[].attributes.subject
Join us on #RightToReadDay and beyond by participating in the actions below to support your library and defend the freedom to read in your community.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Right to Read Day | Unite Against Book Bans

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The right to read is under attack. On Right to Read Day, April 24, 2023, take action to support your library and protect your freedom to read.

# data[].attributes.headline
 THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE OF 2023

# data[].attributes.subject
 THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE OF 2023

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Tracie D. Hall, the first African American woman to lead the American Library Association since its inception in 1876, has spent much of her professional life serving the public good.

As a librarian, she has sought to have the greatest possible diversity of books for the greatest possible public readership. She has served in and fought for public libraries -what Andrew Carnegie called the "palaces for the people."

With the resurgence of censorship and the rise of politicized redacting of history and curricula, Hall and librarians across the country have had to battle valiantly for a reader's right to read, learn, and grow. Practicing her belief that "free people read freely," Hall has led efforts against censorship that demonstrate her brave stewardship of the bulwark of democracy, our public library. Hall has labored to protect the democratic ideals of freedom of thought, assembly, press, public education, dissent, speech, and above all the freedom to imagine a liberated world through the word.

Hall's life's work teaches each of us that the love of libraries and books can free us from hatred and lies not just for the present generation but for the liberation of all to come.
Lee is a writer and serves on the boards of PEN America and the Authors Guild
Contact us at letters@time.com.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tracie D. Hall: The 100 Most Influential People of 2023

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Tracie D. Hall, the first African American woman to lead the American Library Association since its inception in 1876, has spent much of her professional life serving the public good. As a librarian, she has sought to have the greatest possible diversity of books for the greatest possible public readership.

# data[].attributes.headline
4/16/23 - School Library Month 2023 Check In

# data[].attributes.subject
4/16/23 - School Library Month 2023 Check In

# data[].attributes.headline
Welcoming Library from I'm Your Neighbor

# data[].attributes.subject
Welcoming Library from I'm Your Neighbor

# data[].attributes.body
These books can be borrowed from many locations and the book list is a great starting point for refugee and immigrant stories.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Welcoming Library is a pop-up conversation on immigration.

That conversation is driven by a collection of acclaimed picture books featuring New Arrival and New American families. Readers of all ages "meet" these families on the page and explore the commonalities shared by all families. This exploration is done with I'm Your Neighbor Books-created discussion questions as well as companion programming and education materials. The collection - with its pop-up display unit - packs into two crates and travels between schools, libraries, and community centers in a given region, building an environment of welcoming and belonging.

The Welcoming Library is an American Association of School Librarians Commendation Recipient.

Discover how to or a Welcoming Library.

Download an information sheet.

100% of the Welcoming Library readers surveyed indicated a positive response to immigration.

67% said, "Reading this book reinforced my feeling that immigrants should be welcomed."

42% said, "I feel inspired by this book and project to find a way to be actively welcoming."

Each Welcoming Library contains 30 acclaimed picture books featuring New Arrival and New American families.

With each implementation, the curated collection adapts and grows to reflect national and local immigrant communities.

Conversation Starters

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Welcoming Library from I'm Your Neighbor Books

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
That conversation is driven by a collection of acclaimed picture books featuring New Arrival and New American families. Readers of all ages "meet" these families on the page and explore the commonalities shared by all families. This exploration is done with I'm Your Neighbor Books-created discussion questions as well as companion programming and education materials.

# data[].attributes.body
"The book award has a mission is to provide educators and parents with an annual list of quality, diverse children's literature to be used in classrooms, homes, and libraries to provide students with the opportunity to experience windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors in children's literature."

# data[].attributes.body
Nigeria Jones / Zoboi
Red White and Whole / LaRocca

# data[].attributes.body
In Michigan we have an annual list that is created each year called the MISelf (pronounced myself) in Books. These are read and recommended by school librarians as part of Michigan Association of School Librarians (MASL).  This is a list with books from preschool through 12th grade. This is the link to the app https://miselfinbooks.glideapp.io/dl/6471c6

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.ala.org/aasl/awards/toor-scholarship

# data[].attributes.body
Don’t forget to read KQ blogs for your own personal PD!
https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/

# data[].attributes.body
Linked to the website but also available on your favorite podcast app.

# data[].attributes.body
https://sites.google.com/ualberta.ca/iasl2023/home

# data[].attributes.headline
"How to 'Cheat' at Professional Development" - a KQ post by Steve T.

# data[].attributes.subject
"How to 'Cheat' at Professional Development" - a KQ post by Steve T.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Wait, What?

Let's be clear right up front: I'm talking about things that might seem like cheating because they make PD easier. But they're better described as "productivity hacks" - ways to increase your efficiency.

And pretty much all the "cheats" I'm going to share are possible because there are SO MANY digital opportunities for professional development. You'll have to find out whether or not your district will accept these opportunities as counting toward any PD hour requirements. It may be worth having a conversation with your supervisor - pointing out that you can improve your work for free could be a strong selling point!

But even if they're not "official" PD, they can still help you learn better ways to improve your practice.

So let's get started!

First: Find Opportunities

The pandemic has been terrible, but the massive increase in the availability of online learning opportunities it has prompted is a real boon.

I've managed to get on several mailing lists that send me at least one free online learning opportunity a month. For example, Flipgrid offers "Flipgrid Live" events , where experts in different areas share their expertise. Not every one of these applies to education, but there are quite a few authors and educators who share ideas.

And Wakelet just wrapped up their "Wakelet Community Week 2022" that featured lots of great educators and school librarians sharing info and ideas. Those sessions were also recorded, and are posted to Wakelet's YouTube channel . A few personal favorites: Kristina A. Holzweiss and Deborah Zeman on "Creating a Legendary Library" , Wenndy Pray and Victor Domingo on "Student Portfolios" , and K.C. Boyd, Karina Quilantan, and Amanda Jones on "Freedom to Read: School Libraries Impacting Change ".

You can actually find all sorts of free upcoming virtual events and other free learning resources at the School Librarian Learning Network website.

Second: Take Advantage of Your Time

How long is your commute to work? How much time do you spend folding laundry? How long do you take to do your yardwork?

When you're in the car, listen to podcasts rather than the radio. Not only will you avoid goofy DJs and miserable news updates, you'll also expand your knowledge!

There are so many great podcasts for school librarians out there! If you're not already listening to Amy Hermon's School Librarians United podcast , you are really missing the boat! Real school library practitioners discuss real challenges and their solutions. And Amy has included a PD certificate in the show notes for each episode.

You might also check out School Library Connection's podcast "One Lesson at a Time". In the first season, host Courtney Pentland discusses a particular lesson a guest school librarian created and used with students. The show notes include a copy of the lesson plan, so listeners can dive right in to trying the lesson themselves. Each episode is available for 2 weeks from release for non-SLC subscribers. (Full disclosure: When season two starts in Fall 2022, I'll be the new host - and I'm very excited to learn along with listeners!)

And when you're doing those mindless tasks that take up your hands, you could check out some of the YouTube offerings instead of popping on Netflix. There are tons of webinars recorded and waiting for you to discover them! Amanda Jones regularly offers webinars that she presents on YouTube Live, with recordings available for viewing at your leisure . She even offers PD certificates!

Third: Take Control of Time (Literally)

When I started my graduate work for my library degree, the entire program was online. We had multiple recorded lectures to watch each week. I found myself playing around with the speed settings to help me stay mentally engaged - and to reduce the amount of time I had to sit in front of my computer!

Most podcast players offer the ability to set custom play speeds. When I first started listening, I slowly increased the default playback speed. Now I'm usually listening at 2.3x normal; if I step it back down to 1x, it feels like a slow-motion scene in a movie.

YouTube also offers some basic playback speed adjustments. But there is actually a great tool called Video Speed Controller that lets users speed up or slow down any HTML-based video online (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.). This lets me find the right speed for me, rather than the three defaults YouTube offers. It also allows users to slow down playback - great for taking notes, or deciphering tricky portions. Simply press the S key on your keyboard to slow playback by .1x, or press D to speed up by .1x. Holding the key down quickly increases the slow down/speed up factor.

Now I can watch and listen to recordings in less than half their normal play time - a huge time saver!

Fourth: Find What Works for YOU

There is a plethora of professional development out there. Look around and see what works best for you. Maybe you prefer visual learning. You might prefer to fill your brain with knowledge while you're on the go. There are presenters and topics aplenty to choose from.

And maybe you'll be inspired to create your OWN professional development offering to share with others. There is no shortage of examples to get inspired by!

However you decide to develop your mind, if it helps you, then it's right!

After 24 years as a classroom English Language Arts teacher, Steve became a school librarian in January 2022. He has earned an M.Ed. (2006) and an Ed.D. (2014) in Educational Administration and Supervision, and completed an M.I. degree in Library and Information Science (2019). He is certified as a teacher, school library media specialist, supervisor, and administrator. He is an old dog constantly learning new tricks!

Categories: Professional Development, Technology

Tags: playback, podcasts, webinars

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to "Cheat" at Professional Development -

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Wait, What? Let's be clear right up front: I'm talking about things that might seem like cheating because they make PD easier. But they're better described as "productivity hacks" - ways to increase your efficiency.

# data[].attributes.headline
School Librarian Learning Network - Events Page

# data[].attributes.subject
School Librarian Learning Network - Events Page

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SLLN: School Librarian Learning Network - Events

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Want automatic notifications when new events are added to the SLLN Events calendar? Click for directions!

# data[].attributes.headline
NJASL's Midsummer Night's BYOBook Title Share

# data[].attributes.subject
NJASL's Midsummer Night's BYOBook Title Share

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Register for this event by providing your information below. This event will be recorded; a link to the recording will be shared after the event. Participants will have the opportunity to receive a certificate for 1 hour of PD.

# data[].attributes.headline
NJASL's May Summer Reading Idea Exchange!

# data[].attributes.subject
NJASL's May Summer Reading Idea Exchange!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Register for this event by providing your information below. This event will be recorded; a link to the recording will be shared after the event. Participants will have the opportunity to receive a certificate for 1 hour of PD.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Information Literacy: Q&A and Share a Lesson 4.26.23

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Register for this event by providing your information below. This event will be recorded; a link to the recording will be shared after the event. Participants will have the opportunity to receive a certificate for 1 hour of PD.

# data[].attributes.headline
NJASL's March (Tech) Madness "Swap Meet"

# data[].attributes.subject
NJASL's March (Tech) Madness "Swap Meet"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Register for this event by providing your information below. This event will be recorded; a link to the recording will be shared after the event. Participants will have the opportunity to receive a certificate for 1 hour of PD.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
LibraryLinkNJ - The New Jersey Library Cooperative is a co-sponsor of the Spring 2022 Virtual Mini-Conference

The NJASL 2022 Spring Mini-Con is brought to you in partnership with Eduscape, a social innovation company dedicated to developing and implementing effective solutions to challenging and systemic issues that elevate the educational experience for all learners.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
LibraryLinkNJ - The New Jersey Library Cooperative is a co-sponsor of the Spring 2022 Virtual Mini-Conference The NJASL 2022 Spring Mini-Con is brought to you in partnership with Eduscape, a social innovation company dedicated to developing and implementing effective solutions to challenging and systemic issues that elevate the educational experience for all learners.

# data[].attributes.body
We do this in my district just between librarians. In 2022 we had 12 librarians participate. -Carolyn

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
If you are as upset as I am about the decision to ban books (including TWENTY of mine) in Martin County School District in FL please sign the letter below. https://t.co/yIfw3zJkt6

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
If you are as upset as I am about the decision to ban books (including TWENTY of mine) in Martin County School District in FL please sign the letter below. https://t.co/yIfw3zJkt6

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].text
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said news stories about book bans in his state are a "hoax." Here are the facts. 

Join PEN America in telling Martin County to put books back on shelves. 

➡️ https://t.co/op6BQUkrz0 #FreeTheBooks https://t.co/SYYzOhst15

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].entities.urls[].title
Join PEN America in Telling Martin County, FL to #FreeTheBooks

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].entities.urls[].description
A recent decision by supervisors in Martin Country, Fl would have damaging effects on the freedom to read and free expression.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
If you are as upset as I am about the decision to ban books (including TWENTY of mine) in Martin County School District in FL please sign the letter below. https://t.co/yIfw3zJkt6
— Jodi Picoult (@jodipicoult) March 11, 2023

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
If you are as upset as I am about the decision to ban books (including TWENTY of mine) in Martin County School District in FL please sign the letter below. https://t.co/yIfw3zJkt6

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.includes.tweets[].entities.urls[].title
Join PEN America in Telling Martin County, FL to #FreeTheBooks

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.includes.tweets[].entities.urls[].description
A recent decision by supervisors in Martin Country, Fl would have damaging effects on the freedom to read and free expression.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.includes.tweets[].text
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said news stories about book bans in his state are a "hoax." Here are the facts. 

Join PEN America in telling Martin County to put books back on shelves. 

➡️ https://t.co/op6BQUkrz0 #FreeTheBooks https://t.co/SYYzOhst15

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
If you are as upset as I am about the decision to ban books (including TWENTY of mine) in Martin County School District in FL please sign the letter below. https://t.co/yIfw3zJkt6

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
If you are as upset as I am about the decision to ban books (including TWENTY of mine) in Martin County School District in FL please sign the letter below. https://t.co/yIfw3zJkt6

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].entities.urls[].title
Join PEN America in Telling Martin County, FL to #FreeTheBooks

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].entities.urls[].description
A recent decision by supervisors in Martin Country, Fl would have damaging effects on the freedom to read and free expression.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.referenced_tweets[].text
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said news stories about book bans in his state are a "hoax." Here are the facts. 

Join PEN America in telling Martin County to put books back on shelves. 

➡️ https://t.co/op6BQUkrz0 #FreeTheBooks https://t.co/SYYzOhst15

# data[].attributes.headline
April 4th - National School Librarian Day

# data[].attributes.subject
April 4th - National School Librarian Day

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
NATIONAL SCHOOL LIBRARIAN DAY

On April 4th each year, National School Librarian Day recognizes the professionals who keep the school library in working order. School librarians spend long hours keeping the library organized. They are also dedicated to helping our children find the resources they need to keep learning. School librarians are the people who create an environment where students can learn every day of the year. Their work is an impressive accomplishment.

#NationalSchoolLibrarianDay

The school librarians provide guidance and expose our youth not only to texts, print media, and literature but to digital resources and technology, too. These resources also connect them to libraries around the world. A school librarian's ability to manage scores of media and a school full of students with numerous projects and schedules astounds us.

HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL SCHOOL LIBRARIAN DAY

Remember the school librarian on this day. Take a little gift or a card and tell them "Thank You!"

We've created a postcard just for the occasion. Download and print it on cardstock. Make sure your printer settings are set to print on both sides of the paper. The cards are 5.5 x 4.25 inches. Then color and mail the postcard to your librarian and let them know how much you appreciate them.

Share your experiences as a school librarian.

Learn more about the history of libraries and those who work in them.

Use #SchoolLibrarianDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL SCHOOL LIBRARIAN DAY HISTORY

National Day Calendar continues to research the origins of this school holiday. However, librarians and school librarians have been celebrated for decades. School districts or individual schools often launched celebrations recognizing their librarians. These celebrations took place at different times throughout the school year. It wasn't until more recent decades that the practice took place during Library Week or other reading-related celebrations.

Librarian FAQ

Q. Besides school libraries, where do librarians work?
A. Librarians work in many types of libraries. Some of them include:

Public libraries

Government libraries

Law libraries

Academic libraries

Military libraries

Museum libraries

Q. Where is the world's largest library?
A. The world's largest library is the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Q. Who was the first Librarian of Congress?
A. John Beckley served as the first Librarian of Congress from 1802-1807. President Thomas Jefferson appointed Beckley to the position.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On April 4th each year, National School Librarian Day recognizes the professionals who keep the school library in working order. School librarians spend long hours keeping the library organized. They are also dedicated to helping our children find the resources they need to keep learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Learn How To Add Choice Boards, Photos, News and More To Your Destiny Discover!

# data[].attributes.headline
The Queen of Choice Boards:  Shannon McClintock Miller

# data[].attributes.subject
The Queen of Choice Boards:  Shannon McClintock Miller

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This week, I have been working on a few things to get ready for our new year. Today, I added Our January Choice Board (that you will find in this post) to our Destiny Discover.

As our students and teachers visit Destiny Discove r throughout the week, I love how I can make it a place to also share choice boards, photos, news and more from our library.

This is the first thing our library patrons see when they visit our Destiny Discover, so I want to make it an awesome place for finding books, online resources, special events, news and so much more.

It's so fun adding our monthly choice boards and the kids love finding them here too.

Let me show you how you can add these things to our Destiny Discover. It's just a few easy steps!

You can watch this YouTube video that I made here.

And here are the steps below...

Log into your Destiny Discover and click on Admin...

...at the top under More.

Once inside of Discover Admin,

go to Display Options and Featured Content.

I add the choice boards to Column B.

I click Title and add a title, something like, Check out our January Choice Board.

Then click on the little pencil,

and it will take you to Your Content where you can add photos, text, links, videos and more.

I add a screen shot of the choice board like I did with Our January Choice Board, which you can find here.

To link it, I first have to grab the published link to the choice board in the Google Slide.

I go back to Destiny with the link. If you highlight the image and click on the Link at the top, it will bring up a little pop up that asks you to Enter Link.

Paste the link from the choice board here and click Save.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Learn How To Add Choice Boards, Photos, News and More To Your Destiny Discover!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This week, I have been working on a few things to get ready for our new year. Today, I added Our January Choice Board (that you will find in this post) to our Destiny Discover.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
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.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
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.

# data[].attributes.headline
Submit a 20 minute session for NJASL's Spring '23 Virtual Mini-Con! (Or just come and enjoy!)  $10 for 5 hrs of PD, plus 1 year access to recordings of the sessions you can't make it to! 

# data[].attributes.subject
Submit a 20 minute session for NJASL's Spring '23 Virtual Mini-Con! (Or just come and enjoy!)  $10 for 5 hrs of PD, plus 1 year access to recordings of the sessions you can't make it to! 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
LibraryLinkNJ - The New Jersey Library Cooperative is a co-sponsor of the Spring 2022 Virtual Mini-Conference

The NJASL 2022 Spring Mini-Con is brought to you in partnership with Eduscape, a social innovation company dedicated to developing and implementing effective solutions to challenging and systemic issues that elevate the educational experience for all learners.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
LibraryLinkNJ - The New Jersey Library Cooperative is a co-sponsor of the Spring 2022 Virtual Mini-Conference The NJASL 2022 Spring Mini-Con is brought to you in partnership with Eduscape, a social innovation company dedicated to developing and implementing effective solutions to challenging and systemic issues that elevate the educational experience for all learners.

# data[].attributes.headline
Learn how to bring the expertise of retired librarians into your space.

# data[].attributes.subject
Learn how to bring the expertise of retired librarians into your space.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Welcome to School Librarians United, a podcast dedicated to the nuts and bolts of running a successful school library. Tune in to learn all about the issues and challenges school librarians face everyday! Feedback and episode suggestions welcome.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
School Librarians United with Amy Hermon

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn how Teri Belcher and MAME4Ever support librarians in Michigan schools all year long!&nbsp;&nbsp; I would like to thank composer Nazar Rybak at Hooksounds.com for the music you've heard today.&nbsp;&nbsp; Capstone *use UNITED for $20 off $100 or more on print and ebooks Series: Social Justice and You Editable PD Certificate FAQ's and ISO (In search of...)

# data[].attributes.body
Our science department participates in March Mammal Madness - We make a libguide and mammal book display

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Welcome to March Mammal Madness! This library guide is your official location for MMM tournament info and resources to help you fill out your bracket. March Mammal Madness originated at Mammals Suck...Milk, Dr. Katie Hinde's blog, where she founded MMM in 2013. Each year, the tournament has become more popular, elaborate, educational, and fun.

Inspired by (but in no way affiliated with or representing) the NCAA College Basketball March Madness Championship Tournament, March Mammal Madness is an annual tournament of *simulated* combat competition among animals. Scientific literature is cited to substantiate likely outcomes as a probabilistic function of the two species' attributes within the battle environment. Attributes considered in calculating battle outcome include temperament, weaponry, armor, body mass, running speed, fight style, physiology, and motivation.

Through the scientific information embedded in the bout descriptions, participants are educated about inter-species interactions, the importance of ecological context, how natural selection has shaped adaptations, and conservation management of endangered species.

For a comprehensive overview of the design, public engagement, and reach of the tournament, view our new article in the journal eLife! doi: March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach. eLife 2021;10:e65066 10.7554/eLife.65066

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
LibGuides: March Mammal Madness: How to Play

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to March Mammal Madness! This library guide is your official location for MMM tournament info and resources to help you fill out your bracket. March Mammal Madness originated at Mammals Suck...Milk, Dr. Katie Hinde's blog, where she founded MMM in 2013. Each year, the tournament has become more popular, elaborate, educational, and fun.

# data[].attributes.body
NASA has a free Graphic Novel with Interactive Experiences that will be good for Women’s History month entitled First Woman

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Issue #1: Dream to Reality follows Callie's trailblazing path as the first woman on the Moon. Callie and her robot sidekick, RT, overcome setbacks, disappointment, and tragedy along the way. From her childhood dreams of space travel to being selected as an astronaut candidate, Callie takes us on her journey to the Moon.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Issue #1: Dream to Reality follows Callie's trailblazing path as the first woman on the Moon. Callie and her robot sidekick, RT, overcome setbacks, disappointment, and tragedy along the way. From her childhood dreams of space travel to being selected as an astronaut candidate, Callie takes us on her journey to the Moon.