Last week AASL announced the Ruth Toor Grant for Strong Public School Libraries. A brilliant woman with a far reaching career, Ruth is no longer able to be active in the profession she loves. This grant will ensure that her…
Blog Archives
Ask Me How School Librarians Transform Learning
AASL has a new advocacy campaign. At ALA Midwinter, buttons were available saying “Ask Me How School Librarians Transform Learning.” It’s a great idea—if you are able to answer the question. If you are unsure of what to say, you…
Posted in Uncategorized
Know vs. Show
School librarianship is a complex multi-layered profession requiring a broad range of knowledge, competencies, and skills. You have every reason to be proud of what you know and what you do. And yet many of you find your abilities overlooked…
Posted in Uncategorized
Defining and Supporting Literacy
It once was simple in the days before apps and the Internet. When all information came by way of books, magazines, and newspapers. Literacy was easy to define. It meant you were able to read and understand printed matter. Functional…
Tagged with: AASL, ala, American Library Association, community, Hilda K Weisburg, librarians, libraries, literacy, reading, school librarian, technology
Posted in Librarian Life, Uncategorized
Posted in Librarian Life, Uncategorized
Show Them The Evidence of Your Success
About two months ago I did a blog on reaching stakeholders by leading with emotions rather than logic. It is the best opening, but what about the follow-up? You need to show them hard evidence that a library program staffed…
Posted in Uncategorized
Tough Choices – Brave Librarians
Being a school librarian can be a lonely job. In most locations you are the only librarian in the building, and these days you rarely have any staff or even volunteers. You may be the only librarian for several schools.…
Posted in Uncategorized
You Must Be Visible To Be Valuable
In 1997, Gary Hartzell wrote an article for the November issue of School Library Journal entitled “The Invisible School Librarian: Why Others Are Blind to Your Value.” Seventeen years have passed and little has changed for many – and there…
Tagged with: administration, Hilda Weisburg, librarian, librarians, libraries, school librarian, School Librarian's Workshop, value of libraries., working with administration
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted in Uncategorized
Banned Books Week
We have just finished the annual Banned Books Week and social media sites have been filled with lists of titles that have been banned currently or over the years. Librarians and non-librarians have expressed their incredulity and horror over what…
Tagged with: AASL, ala, banned books, censorship, choosing books, controversy, Hilda K Weisburg, Hilda Weisburg, rights to libraries, School Librarian's Workshop
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted in Uncategorized
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
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