School Library

As an aspiring school librarian, and current assistant to library operations for the upper & school library, I gained a plethora of valuable information from this conference hosted by AASl that can be applied to my practice.

I learned all about leadership & advocacy, DEIB, SEL, active learning & curriculum in school libraries from sessions led by authors, librarians, presenters, and other leaders in the field. It was inspiring to hear authors’ perspectives on how their writing can help children feel seen, represented, and enter new worlds; alongside skilled librarians’ perspectives on best practices and strategies for engagement.

I was particularly touched by the Author General Session with Jason Reynolds, where he shared how he hopes his books can serve as a buoy/life vest for librarians, educators, and students. He expressed how people invest in people and his goal is to pull in reluctant readers who might say “I didn’t know authors could write/talk like that!” One story he shared was how at first he experienced resistance in the publishing world, being told that “There’s no market for this, black boys don’t read.” Reynolds clapped back, “Maybe that’s because you won’t publish stuff they want to read!”

Another session that inspired me was the “Page to Peace” session on supporting students’ mental health. Session leaders shared ideas for how to make libraries safe spaces, suggesting that SEL programming and bibliotherapy be integrated into library lessons. The “Young Learners in the Library Session” further discussed curriculum suggestions that aligned with the AASL Standards and Framework: “Think, Create, Share, Grow.” 

I plan to integrate all of this new knowledge into my practice by engaging in conversations with the upper and lower school library patrons at Burke’s and implementing strategies that align with the needs of our learning communities. I learned so much from the conference, this is just scratching the surface! I listed all the sessions I attended below as well as linked the slideshows/additional resources as provided. Feel free to chat with me further if there is a specific session/topic of interest to you! 

Sessions Attended:

Leadership & Advocacy:

• From Ghost Stories to Trust Stories: School Librarians as Narrative Leaders

• Ecosystem Thinking Moves Advocacy from Good to Great with #OneVoice

• Defending Access: Building Your Book Challenge Toolkit

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging:

• Windows and Mirrors for All: Reimagining Diverse Collections

• Inclusive Literacy: Partnering with Educators to Support Special Populations

• Turning Pages, Shaping Minds: Navigating Civics, Economics, Geography, and History with Great Read-Alouds

Social Emotional Learning:

• From Page to Peace: Supporting Children’s Mental Health the Good, Better, Best Way

• Teaching Students to Make Peace in the School Library: Integrating Books, the Montessori Peace Table, and Peace Lessons for Social Emotional-Learning

Active Learning & Curriculum:

• Beyond Books: Real Talk on Active Learning in Elementary Spaces

• Loving Your Time with Young Learners in the Library

• Active Learning in the Elementary School Library

• Assessment in Action:  A Dialogue on Growth through AASL Standards

• AI Unmasked: Truth vs Myth in School Libraries

Author Sessions:

• General Session: We Need Diverse Books (Soman Chainini & Ellen Oh)

• Rooted in Story: Celebrating Identity, Legacy, and Joy in Children’s Literature (Charnelle Pinkney Barlow, Olivia Abtahi, Adib Khorram)

• Drawn to Story: Emotion, Identity and Imagination in Visual Narratives (Daniel Miyares, Mika Song, Judd Winick)

• Smart, Brave & Totally Unstoppable: Empowering Kids through Adventure and Imagination (James Ponti, Stuart Gibbs, Stephanie Bearce, Tony Weaver Jr.)

• Author General Session: Jason Reynolds

• Becoming Herself: Power, Identity, and Healing in Girls’ Coming-of-Age Stories (Laurie Halse Anderson, Tae Keller, Megan Walker, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley)