Over the past 20 years, school libraries have gone through a significant digital transformation reflecting a broader shift in education and information access. Traditional card catalogs have been replaced by online databases. Hardcover A-Z encyclopedias have given way to digital versions with numerous additional online research tools. Literature…

Over the last few decades, school libraries have undergone a tremendous transformation. The technological age has ushered in a new type of library where online databases are king for research, students are issued their own laptops in one-to-one districts, and the integration of technology into the school environment has become a major initiative…

Croft and Barnhart share their experience when learning shifted to online at the University of West Georgia and the LibraryDen, a library mini course, was developed and used in the Multiple Literacies for School Library Media Course. Particularly impressive was the transferability of skills between the academic and school library setting.

School librarians have a critical role to play in supporting the use of Ed Tech within our schools. It is an ever-changing field. Additionally, it is often the school librarian who has the unique responsibility of introducing and sharing new technology with their school community. However, school librarians also have the added responsibility of…

Many of today's new school librarians wonder how they can demonstrate their ability to lead in schools when they tend to have various roles and responsibilities within their schools. Beginning school librarians can establish leadership by assessing the needs of the school, attending grade-level planning meetings, mentoring new teachers, presenting…

The collection in a school library should reflect the community it serves. When curating information and ideas for new books and materials in the school library, the school librarian should communicate with students, faculty, parents, and administration through a variety of digital tools and resources. Input from your school community is crucial…

While many of the digital tools and pedagogical tactics the author learned prior to the pandemic offered her insight into the successful implementation of a library's resources, the question of how she would leverage school library's services has evolved into opportunities of reevaluation, growth, and transformation during a global pandemic. Her…

Whether you have a well-equipped Virtual Reality (VR) lab or are still questioning how to get started, you can be sure that virtual, augmented, and mixed-reality (VR, AR, and MR) experiences are not fads soon to fade away. In that case, then what better place than the school library to "mess about" with VR/AR/MR and expand learners'…

Heather Turner is school librarian at Solvay Middle School in Syracuse, New York. She states that "a school library is a space that continues to evolve with the needs of its users. It is unique among spaces in that it impacts the entire school." Creating a space for the needs of all students is a mighty undertaking, and the…

Librarians are leaders in growing global digital citizens. The libraries of the future are more than just housing centers for books and media. They are invigorating meeting places and communities where truly meaningful learning and discovery take place. As technology has transformed reading and learning, it has also transformed the vision of the…

Nothing is more fulfilling than a school library full of students hungry to learn--especially when they have all the tools and resources they need and, more importantly, a school librarian ready to help them gain the knowledge and understanding they need to apply technology to become fully digitally literate citizens. Therefore, it was very…

How can school librarians change the view of school librarians to better match the reality of their work? One way is to increase their explicit connections with broad, recognizable initiatives, like digital fluency and computer science. The The New York State Computer Science and Digital Fluency (CS/DF) Standards, in alignment with the "AASL…

The implementation of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts affords school librarians and their planning committees an opportunity to reinvigorate their roles in the school as curators of the school library collection, innovators in the use of instructional technology, and leaders in instructional planning. By focusing on these…

Everyone has an object that holds a special meaning. It is human nature to collect these objects and value the stories they tell. Entire buildings have been built just to hold and display such items. Museums not only house these objects but help us connect to the past and our culture as well as the culture of others. In the state of Arkansas, few…

The school library profession has begun to develop a reputation for tech-savviness. Several school librarians are nationally recognized technology leaders and present at conferences where instructional technology is at the forefront. Unfortunately, while school librarians have done a wonderful job of marketing their technological expertise in the…