We here at School Library Connection, like most of our dear readers out there in the field, are sheltering in place today and seeking new ways to stay connected with one another, to stay optimistic about our collective future, and to stay grounded and effective in our mission-driven work during a turbulent time. Looking out my window today at the spring drear, it’s hard to remember that around the corner I’ll be looking out at magnolias and daffodils in bloom—but I know they’re coming.
We are astounded by and thankful for all the ways we see school librarians springing into action to support their teaching colleagues and students around the country—you are why we do what we do, day in and day out, 52 weeks a year.
Early spring may be a time of year that seems to drag on forever, but the peas I planted this weekend will be sending up shoots before I know it, and soon enough it will be time to plant out seedlings. This is a time not to give in to despair, but to invest in personal growth. In this spirit, for the month of April, SLC is offering four weeks of free learning to all school librarians by opening access to all to some of our favorite workshops, developed by Barbara Stripling, Gail Dickinson, and others.
Thank you for doing all you do!
David Paige
Managing Editor, School Library Connection
Assessment
In this series, library advocate and esteemed professor Dr. Barbara Stripling brings you a comprehensive look at the power of assessment. From building a relationship of trust with students to transforming their learning, assessment ensures that students leave the library with increased confidence, skills, and expertise. Learn strategies and tools for infusing rich assessments throughout your instructional program, along with practical examples that you can try right away. Empower your students for success with meaningful assessment in the library!
Putting Evidence to Work
Dr. Jeffrey DiScala has a secret that really isn’t a secret at all. It’s about helping you make both big and small leaps in your library program and working toward transformational change. What’s the secret? The power of evidence and having an evidence-based practice. Learn from these short videos as he discusses the whats, whys, and hows of using evidence in your library and practice your learning with activities to determine and refine your research purpose and create your personalized research plan.
Marketing the Library
The school library offers students innumerable resources, but sometimes students, faculty, and administrators aren’t fully aware of all the materials and programs available to them. Businesses have long benefited from the advantages of marketing their goods and services—now it’s time for you to apply these strategies to your library! Marketing can encourage participation in your library’s programs and services and ensure that the collection gets noticed and used. In this workshop, developed with Dr. Rebecca J. Morris and SLC regular Stony Evans, you’ll learn easy-to-apply steps to grow a marketing strategy from scratch or to bolster your existing one. Get tips on how to write an effective marketing plan, how to incorporate branding into your strategy, and specifics on marketing programs, services, events, and collection resources.
Teaching Leadership
Our job in schools, regardless of what our title is, is to teach and to encourage learning. Having a leadership culture in the library instills that vision in everyone. Without a leadership culture, we’re left with a series of perfunctory tasks—look this up, put this in the correct citation order, push in your chair when you’re finished, return your materials on time. In this series developed by Dr. Gail Dickinson, reflect on your leadership attributes, develop your personal leadership path, and learn to include parents, students, and other stakeholders into your library’s leadership culture.
