Professional Organizations
American Association of School Librarians
This organization offers continual professional development opportunities and the latest information for school librarians. This will be helpful for me to stay current and keep up with the latest resources. They offer national conferences, which would be useful to attend and network. Their publications are worth subscribing to as well.
American Association of School Librarians. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.ala.org/aasl/
Virginia Association of School Librarians
This state organization advocates for school librarians across the commonwealth. The event and conferences offered will be useful for networking and collaborating with other school librarians. Of particular interest is the organization’s focus on working with the Virginia General Assembly, making sure that school libraries are funded and supported. Resources such as Virginia Reader’s Choice award will help me to make informed selections for my own school library.
Virginia Association of School Librarians. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.vaasl.org/
Other Organizations
School Library Journal
This resource will be useful when I am making selection decisions. The reviews are credible and appropriate to rely on when I can’t read the book myself. The classroom and curricula section offers different ideas that will be valuable when I am planning a lesson. Finally, the updated news section will keep me informed of current concerns.
School Library Journal. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.slj.com/
National Coalition Against Censorship
It is imperative to know how to deal with book challenges, as we are seeing such a dramatic increase across the country. This webpage from the National Coalition Against Censorship has resources with advice and sample letters to combat these frequent book challenges. The NCAC recommends getting students involved, and has links to videos of students speaking out against book challenges at school board meetings. They even have a spot on the website to schedule a meeting with a staff member or report censorship. It is clear that the organization is helpful and motivated in dealing with this issue. This will be a useful site to return to for strategies to address book challenges.
National Coalition Against Censorship. (2021). Book Challenge Resource Center. https://ncac.org/resource/book-challenge-resource-center
We Need Diverse Books
This organization is so important in today’s climate. It emphasizes the importance of all students being represented in books, something that we have discussed this semester. This offers great resources for engaging students and the community. They offer subscription boxes to help stay current with new titles. Their blog features interviews with authors and ways to get involved in the organization. This will help me maintain a diverse collection that reflects all students.
We Need Diverse Books. (2021). Retrieved from https://diversebooks.org/
Social Justice Books
This website maintains a list of resources for book reviews and recommendations, including American Indians in Children’s Literature, Hijabi Librarians, and YA Pride. It also includes links to We Need Diverse Books. With a wide range of recommended resources, this site will be useful to consult when I am researching books to add to the library’s collection.
Social Justice Books. (2018). Sources for book reviews and recommendations. Teaching for Change. https://socialjusticebooks.org/sources/
Blogs, Social Media, & Podcasts
The Adventures of Library Girl
This blog is full of inspiration and ideas for school librarians. She is funny, thought-provoking, and relatable. She offers strategies and ideas, such as pumpkin painting and book displays, to encourage library usage. The #Readthisnow section offers book talks about current releases. This resource will be useful to inspire me with new ideas and help me keep up with the latest titles.
Garde, J. (2021). The adventures of library girl. https://www.librarygirl.net/blog
Kelly Passek on Twitter
I interviewed Kelly Passek for our project this semester. From speaking with her, I learned how important it is to engage all classrooms and teachers into the library. Her twitter account is a great resource for ideas and inspiration. She also highlights important issues in the field of librarianship. She is an excellent mentor and positive influence.
Passek, K [@KPassek]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Twitter. Retrieved November 5, 2021, from https://twitter.com/kpassek?lang=en
Julia Torres
I follow Julia Torres, a school librarian out of Denver, Colorado, on Twitter. She posts about many important issues facing librarians, especially diversity. I became interested in her blog when she genrefied her school library, and she provided details about how she did it and what challenges she ended up facing. Her open and honest reflections will help me in my own practice.
Torres, Julia. (2019, August 30). Genrefication motivation [blog].https://juliaetorres.blog/
The Trapped Librarian
Laura Trapp is an elementary school librarian. Her blog provides information and advice about everything from books fairs to organization. I am not sure what level I will end up in, but this blog will be helpful; her ideas could be modified to fit any grade. I appreciate her focus on organization advice, since most schools in my area have only one school librarian. It will be important to maintain a practical organizational structure.
Trapp, L. (2021). The trapped librarian [blog]. http://trappedlibrarian.org/
Mighty Little Librarian
This blog is a wealth of ideas and resources. She reflects on current struggles in her own school library, and she shares ideas for how to navigate them. She has gathered some resources for topics such as school library websites, a video tour of the library, and database organization. She shares resources she creates, such as a book recommendation google form. This blog will be useful for me to check on for ideas and inspiration in managing a school library.
Whitehead, T. (2021). Mighty little librarian [blog]. http://www.mightylittlelibrarian.com/
School Librarians United Podcast
As of this writing, this podcast contains 184 episodes giving advice about running a school library. They discuss topics such as makerspaces, evaluations, Storytime strategies, and using volunteers. Each episode is about an hour long and will be very helpful as a future school librarian. The podcast has interviews with people currently working in the field. Since it is likely that I will be the only librarian in the school, this is a helpful way of connecting with others in the field to share ideas and strategies.
Hermon, A. (2022). School librarians united [podcast]. https://schoollibrariansunited.libsyn.com/