Library Management Archives

8 Ideas for School Library Month and National Library Week

As a librarian, you likely spend many weeks and months a year celebrating the library, books, and reading in general. Therefore, April may not seem particularly special. However, April is School Library Month and also contains National Library Week, which gives you the chance to spread your passion for the library and invite others to join in the celebration. What is School Library Month and National Library Week? School Library Month was started by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) to celebrate school librarians and libraries across the country. The idea is to encourage the school and community to celebrate the role libraries play in learning and education. National Library Week is an annual celebration started by the American Library Association (ALA). This week promotes the valuable role of librarians, libraries, and library workers in transforming their communities. In 2023, National Library Week is from April 23-29, and

10 Library Grants Every Librarian Should Apply For

Applying for library grants is a great way to leverage your library. While school events and fundraisers can help, they require a lot of work. Grant money can help you create a more robust library with a lot of variety to offer your students. One common misconception when it comes to writing grants is that they take a lot of time. In reality, applying for library grants does not have to be too time-consuming, and the payoff can be really big. Check out the list of the ten library grants every librarian should apply for. Dollar General Youth Literacy Grant This grant can be used for schools, public libraries, and nonprofits who work with students that need help improving their literacy skills. You can use the grant funding to expand literacy programs, purchase equipment, and technology to support literacy, and also purchase books and materials for any literacy programs.

Library Book Display Ideas for Every Month of the Year

As librarians, we are always looking for new ways and opportunities to get students reading (and enjoying it!). Having a monthly book display is a great way to bring awareness to different topics, seasons, and celebrations for each month. Plus, you can get students interested in brand-new books that might have been hidden on the shelves and out of sight. I know that coming up with library book displays can take some time (especially when you start running out of creativity mid-year).I put together a list of book library book display ideas for the entire year. You can use one of these ideas or use this list to get your creative juices flowing. January Not only is January the first month of the year, but it also includes New Year’s day, Martin Luther King Jr Day, and is a part of winter. Here are a few more creative library

Library Reward Ideas Students Will Love

It’s likely you’ve found yourself wondering at some point how you can motivate students. Maybe you want to encourage positive behaviors or help struggling students meet a goal. In these cases, offering extrinsic motivation may help! One way is to brainstorm library reward ideas. Before I share my different library reward ideas, I was to make it clear that rewarding students isn’t the only way to motivate them. I also advise against simply throwing around awards, especially for expected behavior. When Should I Use Library Rewards? Library rewards can be used in various instances, but here are two I use most often in my library. First, there are class incentives. I may have a particular group that struggles to stay on task or clean up the library. If they meet the set goal, the whole class earns a reward. I also incentive individual students. This works well for students

10 Tips on Classroom Management for Librarians

As a librarian, you might find yourself sitting in PD sessions on classroom management or reading books thinking, “This doesn’t apply to me!” As a librarian, we interact with students in a unique way, and the same classroom management techniques that work for classroom teachers might not work for us. However, I’ve compiled tips on classroom management for librarians that I’ve seen success with. You’ll find that you can use these strategies whether you see students multiple times a week or even sparingly. You can also use them no matter the size of your library, or your access to resources! 1. Mystery Student This is one of my favorite techniques because you don’t need an involved system or even an explanation. For example, you might say, “I have a mystery student. Do you know who it is? This person is quietly reading their book.” When you say this, you’ll

How to Create a Library Substitute Binder

Whether you are planning ahead for a vacation, or want to be prepared for those inevitable sick days, having a library substitute binder is a game-changer. Instead of hours spent preparing for a day out of the library or a frantic call to school trying to organize things for a day off, you have a ready-to-go sub binder. What is a library substitute binder? Think of this binder as the holder of all your library secrets (or just the really important stuff). It’s the one-stop-shop for your essential class information. It allows anyone to pop into your place, and pick up where you left off – with ease. If you’ve ever had to cover a class, you know how challenging it can be when there is no information present. Sometimes you’re lucky to get a class roster! It’s confusing. Suddenly, you’re depending on the students to know what they