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You are here: Home / School Library / Reimagine Your School Library in the New Year

January 2, 2021 by: Laura

Reimagine Your School Library in the New Year

Last Updated on February 12, 2022 by Laura

Reimagine Your School Library in the New Year

I don’t know if there’s ever been a time in my life that I’ve seen so many people ready to kick the current year out the door and welcome a new beginning! The new year brings new goals in our professional lives as well as our personal lives. Are you as eager as I am to reimagine your school library in the new year? I’ve got 5 tips to help you aim in a positive direction as you consider making improvements in your school library program.

Advocacy

School Library Advocacy
Photo by Sam McGhee on Unsplash

Advocacy helps us build relationships with our supporters and stakeholders so they will be able to help our library program in meaningful ways. Advocacy doesn’t have to be a formal presentation. Regular communication through your school’s newsletter, your library Facebook page, or your school website is a form of advocacy. When we communicate with administrators, families, and community members to remind them why our library program is important, they will be ready to assist us in meeting shared goals in the future.

Read more:

  • Why You Should Advocate for Your School Library
  • How to Effectively Advocate for Your School Library

Collaboration

Collaboration for your School Library in the New Year
Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash

Team work makes the dream work! And collaboration can take on many forms within your school library in the new year. There is a reason that “Collaborate” is one of the shared foundations of the National School Library Standards.  School library collaboration can bring many benefits for our students. There are a variety of ways to collaborate with classroom teachers or content area teachers in your school. I personally have seen the most results and benefits for my students when I collaborate with my specialist teachers (the collaboration efforts spread throughout the school this way!).

Read more:

  • Students Benefit from Collaboration in the School Library
  • More Ideas for Collaboration in the School Library
  • Specialists Collaborate for School Wide Engagement
  • Energize Your School Community with Specialist Collaboration

School Library Events

School Library Events in the New Year
Photo by samaraagenstvofeeria from Pexels

If one of your goals is to make your library the center of your school, school library events can help you do it! School library events build excitement throughout your school community. Whether it’s a book fair, book tasting, or Harry Potter Week, events have the potential to get everyone involved in your library. They can spread a culture of reading and can involve parents and families. Special events inspire creativity and can help your students make connections beyond the walls of your school. We really need to think outside the box in order to plan events right now, but virtual events can be engaging and uniting experiences too!

Read more:

  • 5 Reasons to Plan School Library Events
  • Harry Potter Week for Distance Learning
  • May the 4th Be With You While Distance Learning

Musical Storytime

Musical Storytime in the School Library in the New Year
Photo by Felix Koutchinski on Unsplash

Incorporating music and movement into my lessons made the biggest difference in my youngest classes. Music and movement can set a fun atmosphere that encourages participation, whether you are in person or virtual. Before you dismiss this because you are “not musical,” let me assure you that your kindergarten and first grade students (even the older kiddos) do NOT care if you sing off key! What they do care about is that you are keeping them actively involved and motivated to learn. Using music and movement in your classes keeps learning fun and that keeps your students wanting to come back for more!

Read more:

  • The Benefits of Musical Storytime
  • Yoga Storytime for Distance Learning

Be Flexible!

Perhaps the biggest lesson of the year is that we need to be ready for anything, because our circumstances at school can change at any time. As school librarians, we have all had to pivot and stay flexible as we work hard to meet the needs of our students, teachers, and families. It’s been important to keep up on the latest research regarding the safe circulation of physical materials, while also providing education about the availability of electronic resources so that our students and teachers still have access to vital resources needed to continue their education. Many of us have adapted to teaching virtually, or from a cart, or in our spaces with social distancing protocols. Some of us have had to take on a different role (hopefully temporarily) while our schools adapted to providing education in new ways for this year.

Teamwork for your School Library in the New Year
Photo by fauxels from Pexels

I want to encourage you to be a team player, to work with your colleagues to keep your school community unified. But I also want to encourage you to keep your library’s mission and vision in mind as you adapt and prepare for the future. It will take some creative problem solving to continue to evolve and be flexible while providing the resources and services that our students and teachers need.

Read more:

  • Back to the School Library During Covid-19
  • More Ideas for Back to School in the Library

School Library PD for the New Year

Professional Development for School Librarians

If you’re ready to dive deeper as you prepare your school library for the new year, I can help! This professional development series is just for school librarians. What’s even better is that it’s completely online, on demand, so you can learn from the comfort of your own home. Take a look and start learning and planning today!

The new year is a good time to reimagine your school library! Read these 5 tips so you can make your library the center of your school in the new year! #thetrappedlibrarian #schoollibrary

Be the Light!

  • Diverse Chapter Books Not To Be Missed
    School Librarian Professional Development Just for YOU!

    Comments

    1. Dee Anderson says

      January 26, 2021 at 5:23 PM

      Is there a charge for your online courses?

      • Laura says

        January 27, 2021 at 9:17 PM

        Hi Dee – The link in this article will take you to the PD bundle in my TpT store. Yes, there is a cost. You can get the first module for free at that link as well, and you can see if this professional development is a good fit for you. Thanks for stopping by!

    2. Samantha says

      January 27, 2021 at 8:23 PM

      Thank you for taking the time to pen this informative and very timely post. Not only are these ideas important as we enter a new calendar year, but I think it is also equally important to revisit them throughout the year. If 2020 has taught us anything itโ€™s how important flexibility is in our roles as Teacher-Librarians. It was inspiring to see how quickly colleagues were able to grow and adapt to the new challenges faced last year. As we enter the latter half of this school year, I will be looking for new ways to advocate for my school library and stress the important role it plays in the lives of my students. With quarantines, lockdowns, remote learning, and more, equal access to literacy resources has never been more important.

      • Laura says

        January 27, 2021 at 9:18 PM

        Hi Samantha – I agree with you! Best wishes for continued success!

    3. Ellie says

      January 29, 2021 at 1:56 PM

      Thanks for your practical library advice. I came across your blog for an assignment for a Teacher Librarian course. While I have been teaching for over 20 years, I am brand new to the world of librarianship. There are so many aspects to the job, and this post in particular is very helpful.

      I found myself particularly drawn to two of your points: advocacy and collaboration. I want to be able to be a voice for our school libraryโ€ฆnot just because of job security but because of what an effective learning commons can do for our students, academically, socially and emotionally. And it can be much greater when there is collaboration between the TL and the classroom teacher!

      I will continue to check out your blog for other tips and suggestions!

      • Laura says

        February 11, 2021 at 9:20 AM

        I agree, Ellie! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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    ๐Ÿ“š Elementary School Librarian
    ๐ŸŒŸ NBCT 2011
    ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿซ Teacher Author
    Blog: trappedlibrarian.org

    โญ๏ธ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐˜€๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฎ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜„ ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€!โญ๏ธ These book series lists will keep your students reading and hook them on books that they love.

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This big bundle of year-round library resources is ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜†๐˜€ 30% offโ€ฆ
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โญ๏ธ Bonus guide to help you plan each month
โญ๏ธ Lessons, bulletin boards & more to carry you through the year

โœ… Preview here: https://bit.ly/3v2Pc9R
    โœจ ๐— ๐—”๐—ฌ ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—™๐—ข๐—จ๐—ฅ๐—ง โœจ ๐— ๐—”๐—ฌ ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—™๐—ข๐—จ๐—ฅ๐—ง๐—› ๐—•๐—˜ ๐—ช๐—œ๐—ง๐—› ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ! โœจ Need some fresh ideas to wrap up the school year? The Library Helpers newsletter has you covered!

Here's a peek inside:
โญ๏ธ An idea for ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐—ช๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐——๐—ฎ๐˜† + 19 more fun National Days!
โญ๏ธ Intergalactic Research Report
โญ๏ธ Popsicle-themed trivia game for review fun
โญ๏ธ An ocean-themed library catalog practice

๐Ÿ’ป Donโ€™t miss these time-saving resourcesโ€”click "๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ฏ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜„๐˜€๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€" in bio!

 #libraryhelpersnewsletter #elementarylibrary #teacherlibrarian #librariansofinstagram #elementarylibrarian #librarymediaspecialist #schoollibrarian #schoollibrary #librariansofig #schoollibrarians
    Looking for a fun way to keep your Kโ€“2 students Looking for a fun way to keep your Kโ€“2 students moving and engaged? ๐ŸŽ’
โญ๏ธ Grab this FREE School Supplies Scavenger Hunt โ€” it's low-prep, high-fun, and perfect for your library or classroom!
Sign up and get it sent straight to your inbox. ๐Ÿ“ฌ

๐Ÿ‘‰ Download it today at the link in bio!

#ElementaryLibrary #LibraryLessons #LibraryActivities #SchoolLibrarian #KindergartenTeacher #FirstGradeTeacher #TeacherFreebies #ActiveLearning
#MovementInTheClassroom #ScavengerHuntFun
    โ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿ˜Ž ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐— ๐—ฎ๐˜†/๐—๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ฏ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜„๐˜€๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ is here to help you finish the year strong and start dreaming about summer! This issue is packed with practical ideas for your school library.

 ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚โ€™๐—น๐—น ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ: 
 โ˜€๏ธEnd-of-year library lesson tips!
 โ˜€๏ธLots of book lists!
 โ˜€๏ธGreat ideas to promote Summer Reading!
 โ˜€๏ธResources to motivate your kiddos to return their books!

๐Ÿ“ฌ Check your inbox or click the link in bio to read it now!

 #libraryhelpersnewsletter #elementarylibrary #librariansofinstagram #teacherlibrarian #librarymediaspecialist #elementarylibrarian #schoollibrary #schoollibrarian #schoollibrarians
    โ˜€๏ธGet ready for May with great ideas for your โ˜€๏ธGet ready for May with great ideas for your library lessons! 

โœ… Library Review and Assessment
โœ… Ocean-themed storytime
โœ… Calming Yoga
โœ… Summer Reading Challenge

๐Ÿ˜Ž You'll be ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜…๐—ฒ๐—ฑ and ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ for the month!

๐Ÿค“ Read it on the Trapped Librarian Blog!
>>>>> https://trappedlibrarian.org/2022/05/18/may-library-lessons/

 #maylibrary #schoollibrarians #elementarylibrarylessons #librariansofig #schoollibrarian #elementarylibrarian #schoollibrary #elementarylibrary #librarymediaspecialist #librariansofinstagram
    โญ ๐—œ๐˜'๐˜€ ๐—ก๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น โญ ๐—œ๐˜'๐˜€ ๐—ก๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฃ๐—ผ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐— ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜๐—ต! โญ

Do you celebrate Poetry Month in your library??

It's a great time to....
โœ… Encourage creativity
โœ… Strengthen collaboration with classroom teachers
โœ… Renew interest in your library's poetry section

โžก๏ธ Get more ideas over on the blog >>>> https://trappedlibrarian.org/2021/04/4-fun-poetry-month-activities-for-the-school-library/

 #poetrymonth #teacherlibrarian #elementarylibrary #librariansofinstagram #librarymediaspecialist #elementarylibrarian #schoollibrary #schoollibrarian #librariansofig
    ๐™๐™š๐™–๐™ฉ๐™ช๐™ง๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™๐™–๐™ฎ๐™ก๐™ค๐™ง ๐™Ž๐™ฌ๐™ž๐™›๐™ฉ: ๐™๐™–๐™˜๐™ฉ๐™จ, ๐™Œ๐™ช๐™ž๐™ฏ๐™ฏ๐™š๐™จ, ๐˜ผ๐™˜๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ซ๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™š๐™จ ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐™ˆ๐™ค๐™ง๐™š! By Gena Chester | Capstone Press, 2025 | Ages 8-11 

๐Ÿฉท Swifties of all ages will love this engaging title packed with vibrant photos, fun facts, and interesting tidbits about the ever-popular Taylor Swift. The book includes interactive quizzes that both test fansโ€™ knowledge and invite future fans  to learn more about the starโ€™s life, music, and career. With its colorful design and high-interest content, it's sure to grab the attention of young readers.

๐Ÿฉต If your students are anything like mine, they canโ€™t get enough of Taylor Swift โ€” and this book will definitely feed their fascination. Itโ€™s perfect for skimming, reading cover to cover, sharing with friends, or diving into solo. 

๐Ÿ’œ I highly recommend adding it to your collection, and you might even want to grab more than one copy. Itโ€™s bound to be in high demand!

Thank you to NetGalley and Capstone Press for the opportunity to read a digital review copy of this title. Available 8/1/25

 #elementarylibrary #teacherlibrarian #schoollibrarian #librariansofinstagram #swifties #schoollibrarians
    We all know how lively school can get in the sprin We all know how lively school can get in the spring! ๐ŸŒธ Sometimes, a calming reset is exactly what students need. These yoga books for kids offer a gentle way to introduce mindfulness and movement, helping kids refocus and build self-control. ๐Ÿง˜โ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿ’ซ
Check out this new blog post for 14 of the best yoga books to add to your library!
๐Ÿ”— Link in bio. https://trappedlibrarian.org/2025/03/19/yoga-books-for-kids/
#YogaBooksForKids #ElementaryLibrary #MindfulnessInSchools #YogaForKids #LibraryLife #SpringReset
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