Yearly Archives: 2014

Lessons From the Past – The More Things Change…

Today the August/ September issue of School Librarian’s Workshop will be emailed to subscribers.  It is the 35th volume year. On this major anniversary it seems fitting to look back in time.  The first issue appeared on September 1980.  It

Tagged with: , , , , , ,
Posted in General

Paradigms and Predictions – Exciting or Terrifying?

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines a paradigm as “a … group of ideas  about how something should be done, made, or thought about.”  Unconsciously, we approach almost everything in life through a certain mindset.  It is why those of us

Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Career, Librarian Life

Do You Know Your Stakeholders and How To Reach Them

As school librarians we know students are our first priority.  Most of us recognize that teachers follow close behind. Indeed where flexible scheduling exists, it’s hard to reach students without some connection with teachers.  But what about your other stakeholders?

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Career

Transformation – A New Mission Statement for Us All

AASL just changed its Mission Statement to the extremely succinct and very powerful, “The American Association of School Librarians empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.”  It assumes that librarians are and will be leaders and it’s putting its resources

Posted in Uncategorized

Can They Picture It?

I have been a voracious reader since I was a young child.  Words have always been an important part of my life, so I never thought much about the pictures words were painting in my head.  Sure, I knew seeing

Tagged with: , , , , ,
Posted in Career

How Do You Get PD?

Professional development is not simple for school librarians.  Most of the time, what your school and district offer have only a tangential relationship to what you need  - and want – to learn.  In order to grow professionally, you must

Posted in Uncategorized

Ethics and Values – What Guides You Through Rough Days

This past Tuesday, June 19, the American Library Association (ALA) commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Library Bill of Rights, adopted by the association at its Annual Conference in 1939.  It still forms the basis of the work done by

Posted in Uncategorized

Connecting in the 21st Century

Those of us in education throw around the phrase “21st Century Learning,” and while the phrase resonates with parents and others who want their children to be prepared for their future (or “College and Career Readiness” as the Common Core

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Career, Librarian Life

Creating and Extending Community

Most school—and public—librarians are committed to libraries being “open” 24/7.  Our users can access resources from home or on the go from multiple devices.  But we also need to be mindful of another function we serve.  Our libraries should be

Posted in Librarian Life

Linguistic Kinesthetic Intelligence

Most of you are familiar with Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, so you know Linguistic Intelligence and Kinesthetic Intelligence are very different. Linguistic Intelligence is associated with verbal skills, people who “use words effectively.” Those with Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence have a “keen

Posted in Uncategorized