School Library

I attended the ACL 2026 Institute on Resilience, Resistance, Rest & Recovery. The ACL of Northern California is a group of public and school librarians/ students that strives “to connect and inspire a dynamic network of library professionals to create inclusive, vibrant, and equitable library spaces that serve and empower youth in their communities.” This year’s workshops focused on “exploring resilience and resistance while centering rest, recovery, and care for ourselves and our communities.”

The 1st workshop was a conversation with author Joanna Ho, who discussed her journey toward becoming an author, how deep to go with students, book banning, questions that she wants her books to spark, how she incorporates rest into her work, and writing as a revolutionary act. As an educator and daughter of immigrants, Joanna shared the impact and internalization of never seeing herself reflecting in books. This deep invisibility inspired her to do something about it, and her work illustrates the power of positive representation.

I was most struck by Joanna Ho’s discussion of how we should harness kids’ compassion and wonder about topics rather than shielding them from the truths of the world. This is evident in her picture book, The Day the Books Disappeared, which explores the concept of book banning (in a kid-friendly way) as a “common fascist tactic to control narratives” that stems from a “culture of fear” and can be met with a “corresponding ecosystem of courage.” The story showcases how it takes a personal impact for individuals to recognize and respond to a concern. 

The 2nd workshop, “Rest as Service: From Burnout to Creativity” with Nethra, examined how to find rest in our work and strive to achieve flow state.There are different zones we move through–comfort, growth, and triggered–and flow states occur during the growth zone. Nethra’s research centers around the inquiry, “How can stillness move?” and provided a framework and practical exercises to try. She encouraged us to start small and take windows or rest throughout the day in whatever form we can–whether it’s taking a 15 minute walk at work or not checking your email at the traffic light!

The 3rd workshop, “Somatics for Resilience” with Raj Escondo, was very interactive and had participants engage in conversation about our work as well as engage in practices to bring us back to the present moment. These practices included buzzing, box breathing, 5-4-3-2-1, and shaking–all of which could be helpful for re-centering students in addition to ourselves! Raj also broke down somatics as a practice, interoception, emotional regulation, and body responses. During moments of disconnect, we either withdraw and go inward or expend outward energy that is activated. There is an optimal window of tolerance when we are present, alert, and connected, and these strategies can help bring individuals back to that window.  

Goals & Collaborations

My takeaways from these workshops connect to my goals this year of learning about best school library practices–by integrating rest and self-care into my work regime, I can be my best self, and I can also relay these strategies to students. This opportunity could lead to collaboration with other faculty through discussions about implementing calming strategies into the library, classroom, and other school settings to support students’ SEL needs. I additionally attended a Chair Yoga breakout session, which might be fun to try with students! This PD day impacts my work because I will integrate these lessons on rest and resilience into the library, which serves as a safe space for students to reset and connect with books and one another. I would highly recommend this opportunity for fruitful conversations with other library workers, authors, and educators!