What’s missing?

I've been hearing this more and more from friends both at work and at other schools: students are missing [skill]. Sometimes that skill is something that used to be taught, but given the COVID changes, just slipped through the cracks as content was watered down due to hybrid or online teaching. Sometimes it's a "soft…

Please, don’t

Over the many years of my career I've had the pleasure(?) of weeding/deaccessioning many books. Four of the five collections I've worked with have needed serious updating and reworking -- and that's not including the collection that burned down and needed to be completely replaced. Post-fire, I also seriously weeded my personal collection, getting rid…

Friends that read together

Last week, I got a text from my childhood BFF: This started a great conversation: That book she didn't remember? Hitty: Her First Hundred Years. A friend at work had her copy (also from 1971) and I re-read it immediately. That's one of the best things about being a reader, and being friends with readers.…

Circle Game

The past few years, Milton has leaned heavily into restorative justice and circle training. This year, we've done almost nothing with all that training and time beyond a few sessions training people on how to keep a circle. I love the intent of circles (or, as another blog calls them, spaces for listening) but the…

The Struggle is Real

There was this great article in the Walrus about tote bags that got me thinking about the ones I've gotten from conferences. There are the ones I've gotten for attending (what I think of as the GWP) and the ones vendors have available (great for carrying books, but also promoting their products). I've also purchased…

New Year, New Month, New Pages

Every month I set up my notebook for the coming month, and every week I set it up for the coming week.  It's been a long process, trying to figure out what system works and how to make it consistently work for me.   Because of work, I can't go completely analog, and because (like many)…

My Year in Reading (2022 edition)

This year was a difficult reading year for me, with very few OMG YOU MUST READ THIS books. Still, there are few I will recommend, if you haven't discovered them already: Because there were so few five-stars this year, I thought I'd highlight some of the Really Good Reads that juuuust missed. I've also excluded…

As I think about What’s Next

Many years ago, as a Baby Librarian, I realized I was the youngest in the room at many AASL committee meetings. Now, "baby" was in her 30s, so that didn't feel quite right. And I've blogged about many of my issues with AASL (and ALA) before. I'm no longer the youngest, but sadly, many of…

Minor Musings

Wow, it's been a while since I did one of these.  As we move into the Winter Break season, here are some links to enjoy/bookmark/get inspiration from. Books, Reading, etc. The Cybils are always a good RA tool, and now they have playlists!  What could be better to share with students? Yes, this is a…

(from the archives) 10 Traits of Successful School Librarians

This year we have a new Dean of Faculty and a new Upper School Principal (I may have mentioned them before). One challenge we've been facing as we prepare to move to a new facility is how to educate them and the rest of the community about who we are and what we do. Doug,…