Librarians can--and should--be on the lookout for new and unique ways to improve their instructional skill sets and service. One out-of-the-box opportunity to consider is to study--by reading, watching, or participating in--improvisational theater. Improv games and theater are like life: performers who may or may not know each other are given…

The author's current position had an established program of using high school seniors as library aides. She was comfortable with such a program, and knew the students could do a good job if taught correctly. She didn't count on the variety of memorable moments that would occur with these student workers. In this article, the author shares some of…

Parent volunteers can be an important asset to a well-run school library. Parent volunteers are that extra pair of hands and extra eyes. Monotonous and even tedious tasks can be accomplished quickly by people searching for ways to spend a little time with adult conversation while providing a benefit to their children. And eventually they can…

Classrooms are places for learning. The library media center, which is the library media specialist's classroom, should also be a major place for learning. The author, as a classroom teacher for 20 years, knows that for learning to take place, consistency is crucial. Realistic rules and enforcement of these rules helps with this consistency.…