New school librarian? Help is here!

Truly, library school doesn’t teach you about 95% of what you need to know as a school librarian. So, I’ve decided to dedicate a section of this blog to all the new librarians out there. Please know that the struggle is real. It isn’t you; it’s all of us. We’ve all been there, and we’re here to help.

 

I’ve included tons of information for school librarians–both newbies and pros–below. But before you read any of that, I recommend new librarians start with this post first. It’s my original new school librarian post, and though I wrote it in 2016, it still rings true for Back-to-School 2020, even with all the COVID-19 mess.

Read New School Librarian? Ten Things You Should Do First

Library Challenges

The Monthly Library Challenge is a selection of related tasks for school librarians to complete over a one-month period.

The Monthly Library Challenge is a fun way for School Librarians to make their libraries even better! The Challenges started in 2019, and they have changed a lot over the

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Library Challenge #2 is all about Hosting a Book-A-Thon Fundraiser for the library.

Who needs more money for the library? We do! We do! Book-A-Thon fundraisers are a great way to celebrate World Book Day, Book Week, Literacy Month, author birthdays, Read Across

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Library Challenge #1 tasks you with an annual review (or maybe your first review) of your library's Selection and Reconsideration Policies.

LIBRARY CHALLENGE #1 Are library book challenges scary? I think so! But they are much less scary when you have a strong plan. When you know exactly what to do

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READING INCENTIVES

Starting a Reading Bingo program in your middle school? Check out these 5 tips from a middle school librarian who has done it!

For librarians and elementary schools, Reading Bingo isn’t a new idea. I’ve seen countless printable Reading Bingo cards online, both free and for sale. When I was at the elementary

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This post describes one school-wide reading challenge I tried. It includes links to other school-wide reading challenges I've done in previous years.

New Year’s Resolutions? No way! New Year’s Reading Goals? YES! I gave up on New Year’s Resolutions many years ago. Like most people I know, I rarely stick with any

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Today, I am going to share what we did for the Lone Star Celebration, as well as some ideas I haven’t tried yet. These ideas could be adapted to any

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LIBRARY IDEAS

Do you use reading interest surveys with your students? They can be so enlightening! It really helps me get to know my students’ reading interests, goals, wants, and needs, right

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Starting a Reading Bingo program in your middle school? Check out these 5 tips from a middle school librarian who has done it!

For librarians and elementary schools, Reading Bingo isn’t a new idea. I’ve seen countless printable Reading Bingo cards online, both free and for sale. When I was at the elementary

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Our school is on a six-day rotating schedule. Every day–1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6–is a different schedule. On Day 4, I have been doing a “Day 4 Kahoot”

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This post about Digital Library Bulletin Boards was originally published in 2015. Back then, I called them “Scrolling PowerPoints.” I now call them Digital Bulletin Boards, and they are now

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Articles for New Librarians

My year as an elementary Specials Rotation Librarian nearly ended my library career. I was a Specials librarian for only one year. It was all I could do. The Specials

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I’ve talked a lot in this series about my eighth graders and how they came roaring down the hall and into the library like a horde of wild animals. On

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The January Library Challenge continues in Week Two! This week, we’re looking at our posted library rules versus our procedures. We’ll start with rules. Do you have library rules? Do

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My third difficult class was eighth grade. This was not every eighth grade class, and it seemed to have a lot to do with the teacher’s attitude toward library time.

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The second difficult class I had came in the same school year and school as Difficult Class #1 (third grade). While Difficult Class #1 was difficult partly because it was

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  So what were my three most difficult classes? I’ll describe each class in three different posts (see links below). I’m going to be totally honest in that I didn’t

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A carefully-considered school library handbook helps librarians communicate important library policies and procedures to teachers.

WHY DO YOU NEED A SCHOOL LIBRARY HANDBOOK? With so much to communicate with teachers during back-to-school, a school library handbook is a MUST. From database logins to library policies

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Are professional book reviews authentic? Here's the scoop from a former SLJ reviewer.

Do you purchase library books based on written professional book reviews? I sure hope you are as this is widely-accepted best practice for school and public librarians! If you do

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“Every night I lie in bed The brightest colors fill my head A million dreams are keeping me awake” —The Greatest Showman, “A Million Dreams” It’s 2:23 am, and I

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I am so excited for today’s post because it truly applies to all of us, even if you aren’t into the minimalism stuff. For the past two weeks, I’ve been

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Some schools are withholding report cards for nonpayment of library materials. Is this legal?

The question of the day: Some schools are withholding report cards due to nonpayment of fines. Is this legal? When I lived in Texas (up to 2014), my school withheld

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Are you starting in a new-to-you school library?

Wait…what? Did I miss something? Why is Mrs. ReaderPants posting an article about the first days of school…in the middle of December? As we approach Winter Break, I realized I

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Happy B2S! For the past three years, all my grade 6-12 students have eaten lunch at the same time. They have 50-minutes for lunch, and the students have lots of

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“It’s not about the money money money We don’t need your money money money” –“Price Tag” by Jessie J Kameron has an overdue fine of 85 cents. Kameron can’t checkout

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Why does every librarian need fresh ideas for library centers? Let’s see if this sounds familiar… It’s nearly Christmas break, and you are on your last leg. There simply isn’t

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This article explains how to use current events in the classroom or library. Some great lesson ideas and links here!

How do you use current events in the classroom or library? I’ve got some great ideas for you today! Please note that I originally wrote this post on December 10,

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How does my family know it’s a Wednesday? Because I’m wearing the Wednesday Dress. Yep, I wear the same dress every Wednesday. I’m not really sure how or why this

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Help your students read off library fines with this free printable bookmark.

Do you allow your students to read off library fines? I started doing this and haven’t looked back! My middle schoolers were notorious for having tiny library fines that just

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Ah, the bane of my existence. Computer lab and trolley booking. I’ve been in charge of these in my last two schools, and while both have a big advantages for

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This article describes five reasons to include Pokemon in the school library.

Do you have Pokemon in the school library? I’m here today, as a school librarian and a boy mom, that I really think you should consider it. Yes, I know

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BOOKTALKING TIPS

Looking to up-your booktalking game? Here are 31 tips and 10 Don’ts that will help make your booktalks fabulous! I don’t recommend trying to implement a lot of them at once. Pick one or two and give them a try this week!

Do your booktalks excite, with sizzle and pop? Or are they tired and dry, with fizzle and flop? Do students think your talks are cool? Or do they sit there

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Last Thursday, I discussed the first 10 of my 31 ways to jazz up your booktalks. Today, we will explore the next ten tips. This week’s tips focus on making

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It seems my Thursday posts have morphed into a sort of “how-to” section for newer school librarians. Last week’s post was about how to speed-up the book shelving process. This

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When I was working on my MLIS, I heard over and over that librarians should not booktalk a book they haven’t read. After all, why would students want to read

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Most of the librarians I know specialize in one aspect of library that they are especially good at. In my district, we have librarians who are especially awesome at research

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RANDOM RANTS

Because sometimes, I just get annoyed with things.

This post is about school librarian contract hours. What questions should you ask in an interview, and what red flags should you watch for?

This first part of my School Librarian Interview Questions and Red Flags series deals with school librarian contract hours and work days. It is based on my experience and the

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This image features an angry pomeranian! That's because this article details six children's book marketing techniques that drive this librarian nuts.

Dear publishers…we need to talk about your children’s book marketing techniques. First of all, I love you. You help put the words and ideas of thousands of authors right into

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DO YOU NEED A CHANGE IN SCENERY? For many of you, this will be a last resort. I know it is not easy to change your workplace. Really, I do.

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IS YOUR SITUATION TEMPORARY? Is the problem you have identified temporary? For example, in my previous school situation, if I knew certain administrators were leaving at the end of the

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OTHER PEOPLE DON’T FEEL THIS WAY Does everyone around you seem happy in your workplace? Do you think you are the only one who feels this way? First, I want

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BURNOUT Burnout happens when we do the same thing repeatedly for years. When our jobs are new, everything is an exciting challenge! But over years of doing it, tasks that

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It’s 9pm on Sunday night. Are you ready for school tomorrow? Excited for your lesson? Looking forward to seeing those sweet smiling faces? Or… Does a sinking feeling of dread

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