RAILS Member Engagement Manager Dan Bostrom speaks with Dr. Mary Moen from the School Librarians of Rhode Island about Overdue: The Value of School Librarians. The School Librarians of Rhode Island produced this short documentary style advocacy film to show the value of school librarians. Please be sure to watch the video (linked above) and check out the resources they've provided such as a discussion guide and advocacy letter.
The Library Media Center at Vernon Hills High School focuses on reading, research and fun! We host students in their classes as they seek reliable information sources and how to cite those sources; we celebrate reading with fiction arranged in 10 genres and an emphasis on books nominated for the Lincoln Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Award; and we welcome more than 500 students from study hall each day who love the bright, comfortable area to study and work on group projects. Our #VHMakeIt makerspace also gives students weekly projects to learn, make, and do.
The West Leyden High School Library, located in Northlake, IL is an amazing place to work, to engage, to read, to research, to tinker, to decompress and to learn! We are in a brand "new construction" library! Students have amazing opportunities here.
Over the past 10 years, I have utilized a number of strategies to engage my teachers and communicate the value and importance of library resources, especially the value of a certified teacher librarian. I created a library menu, using humor and visuals to offer choices from quick lessons all the way through fully co-taught units. Our teachers are split-up into subject and tracked level teams to best align curriculum and standards.
