April is very special month for school librarians! It is officially School Library Month, AASL's initiative to celebrate school libraries and librarians. This year, I was fortunate enough to serve on the SLM committee along with some amazing fellow librarians! What an enriching experience it has been! I have learned so much from them.
If you're a school librarian and you're not sure how to celebrate, check the website here. You'll find a calendar of suggested activities, social media graphics, templates, and more. Look for the PSA by our School Library Month spokesperson, award-winning author Jason Reynolds. Watch it and be inspired! It definitely makes me tear up every time I watch it!
And do not worry! Participating in School Library Month doesn't mean you have to do anything extra or anything complicated! Just share out the amazing things you are already doing! Share what you have to offer with your school and stakeholders. Connect your library with your community! If you tweet, don't forget to use the official hashtags of #AASLslm and #slm18. By doing so, you give other librarians (including me) the benefit of your experience and you share your ideas with us! We will learn from each other!
Speaking of connecting, that is the theme for this year's celebration: MAKING CONNECTIONS. Each week there will be a different sub-theme for connecting: connecting learners, connecting educators, connecting with your community, and connecting globally. There are so many ways we can connect our libraries!
How will I celebrate? Because the theme of this week is Connecting Learners, I am offering Makerspace Monday as a way of kicking off School Library Month. With classes visiting the library, and walk-ins popping in all day, the library will definitely be buzzing (I hope!) Normally, we have Makerspace during Genius Hour on Fridays, but I am testing this out to see how it goes.
In writing this post, I remembered something. When I first became a school librarian and learned about School Library Month, I tried to always participate in some way! I made sure to tweet and check the calendar, putting up book displays, etc. (One year I put up a special banner in the hallway where learners could post cut-out hearts sharing why they loved the library.) I never could have imagined that I would one day serve on the School Library Month Committee, but this year I am doing just that, and I am so grateful for the opportunity. It goes to show that when you love what you do, you never know where you will go!
I highly encourage school librarians to join AASL and to volunteer to serve on a committee!
And I wish all of my fellow school librarians a wonderful School Library Month!
Gratefully,
Cynthia
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