The Trapped Librarian

Make your library the center of your school

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Topics
    • Books for Kids
    • Bulletin Boards and Displays
    • FUN!
    • Helpful Hints
    • Library Advocacy
    • Life
    • Organize It!
    • School Library
    • Technology
    • TPT
  • Shop
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
You are here: Home / Professional Development / The Importance of SEL in the School Library

June 15, 2021 by: Laura

The Importance of SEL in the School Library

Last Updated on June 15, 2021 by Laura

SEL in the School Library

Most students and educators have just completed the most challenging year in their educational lives. The Covid-19 pandemic has turned our regular school routines upside down, backwards, and on their heads! This has brought stress and anxiety to a myriad of students and the adults who care for them. So, now more than ever it is important to address SEL in the school library.

What is SEL?

SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

https://casel.org

SEL stands for Social and Emotional Learning. Over 20 years ago, the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defined SEL (according to their website).  They have identified 5 key skills, or competencies, which are essential for success in school, work, and life.  These skills help center the mind and body and reduce emotional tension so students can be open to new learning.

According to CASEL, “SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.”

The CASEL 5

The CASEL 5 Competencies of SEL

If we are mindful of the 5 core competence areas of SEL, school librarians can really make a difference in the lives of their students. Let’s take a look at the “CASEL 5” and keep them in mind as we plan our library lessons and routines.

  • Self-Awareness: The ability to identify emotions and connect thoughts and feelings to behaviors.
  • Self-Management:  The ability to motivate and control oneself, and to regulate emotions.
  • Social Awareness:  The ability to embrace diversity and show empathy.
  • Relationship Skills:  The ability to collaborate and cooperate with others, as well as to solve conflicts.
  • Responsible Decision Making:  The ability to consider the well-being of oneself and others, and to evaluate the consequences of behaviors and actions.

Why is SEL important in the school library?

The library plays such a crucial role in school culture and we have a broad reach within our school community. As the school librarian, you are a leader to your students, their families, and your colleagues. Therefore, it is important that we consider these concepts in our library lessons and routines. SEL in the school library is important because…

  • Your school library is the center of your school and has an important role to play in the culture of your school. 
  • We have the unique opportunity to teach and interact with all of the students in our school. 
  • Although we have limited time with students, some will be coming back year after year and our efforts in the library can be cumulative. 

How can we support Social and Emotional Learning in our school library?

Teamwork for SEL in the School Library
Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash
  • Make sure you understand your schoolโ€™s current approach to SEL, and actively participate in programs and policies already in place.  Your school community may use PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports) like our schools in Montana (We have MBI, or the Montana Behavior Initiative). 
  • Be part of the team! SEL is most effective within a coordinated effort throughout the school while also extending to families and the community.
  • You can purchase books and materials to support SEL within your school.  Searching on Pinterest will lead you to lots of SEL book lists.  Ask for recommendations and requests from teachers and students, and let them know when these items come in.  Promote these resources with special displays in the library and the faculty room, in announcements and parent newsletters. 
  • Think about SEL concepts as your plan your library routines and lessons.  Maybe one of those books that you purchased lends itself well to a read-aloud/lesson activity. 

Strong social and emotional learning skills equip our students for success in school, work, and life. SEL in the school library needs to be a priority. Let’s do our part to give our students the tools they need!

Read more about SEL in the School Library

Check out these articles about library lessons that support SEL in the school library:

  • How Yoga Storytime Helped My Students Focus
  • Encourage Growth Mindset with the Questioneers
  • Yoga Storytime for Distance Learning
  • Characters to Inspire Your Students
Social and Emotional Learning strategies are important now more than ever! SEL in school library routines and lessons can help our students succeed in school, relationships, future careers, and LIFE. Learning more about Social and Emotional Learning today!

Be the light!

  • How to Make School Library Assessment Fun
    Social-Emotional Learning in the School Library

    Comments

    1. Joey says

      June 30, 2021 at 6:08 PM

      Hi Laura, I’ve recently started a course on becoming a teacher-librarian. I love the look of your blog, and appreciate how you are posting specific ideas and examples. SEL was my focus in teaching school, and has become an important part of my teaching practice. You have presented such great justifications for the importance of teaching SEL in the library and wider school community. SEL really does impact everything we do and set students up for success. Did you receive support in your school (admin and teachers) to teach SEL skills? As you say, it’s most effective within a coordinated effort. Have you got an SEL committee in your school?

      • Laura says

        August 12, 2021 at 4:21 PM

        Hi Joey – Our school was fortunate to have therapists, counselors, psychologists, and a committee to help us focus on some of these concepts. I believe many educators are realizing the critical importance of addressing SEL concepts in our schools. Thanks for your kind words and comments. Take care and have a great school year!

    2. Nichola says

      November 17, 2021 at 4:45 PM

      Hi Laura,
      I am currently taking a course and studying how to become a teacher librarian, and have been looking at some different blogs by different teacher librarians. I am coming to learn that being a teacher librarian is so much more than maintaining a library and checking out books. In order to be a truly successful and strong teacher librarian, one must consider how to help the staff and students in various ways. Incorporating SEL in schools is incredibly important, and would be a major benefit to all. Do teachers often approach you to work on lessons that incorporate SEL ideas into the classroom?

      • Laura says

        December 9, 2021 at 8:10 PM

        Hi Nichola, No, I didn’t get a lot of requests from teachers to work on SEL concepts. But my school had a strong focus on SEL, and I made sure I was part of the team effort to meet help our students in this area.

    3. Alisha says

      February 27, 2022 at 1:55 PM

      Hi Laura, Similar to Nichola and Joey (comments below), I am also perusing teacher-librarian courses currently. When I came across your blog, I had to explore it immediately. The bright colours are inviting, your information is extremely organized and easy to follow, you have a tremendous amount of resources that you are willing to share, and you offer helpful advice (supported by evidence-based research) from an elementary school librarian perspective.
      I agree with your statement that โ€œStrong social and emotional learning skills equip our students for success in school, work, and life. SEL in the school library needs to be a priorityโ€. Last year I took an online SEL course and right now I am teaching at a Learning Centre with vulnerable youth โ€“ and both experiences (along with everybody being directly or indirectly impacted by Covid-19 and other recent world events) have made me realize the urgency for more SEL in schools.
      Thank you for being an awesome example and resource for us who are just getting started on our teacher-librarian journey!

      • Laura says

        March 1, 2022 at 2:50 PM

        Hi Alisha – Thank you for your kind words and good thoughts on SEL in the library. It sounds like you are in a very important role in your learning center. Best wishes in your studies!

    Trackbacks

    1. Social-Emotional Learning | ND State Library Blog says:
      February 24, 2022 at 10:17 AM

      […] Trapp, L. (2021, June 15). The importance of SEL in the school library. The Trapped Librarian. https://trappedlibrarian.org/2021/06/sel-in-the-school-library/. […]

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Past Posts

    Categories

    Find it Fast

    Books for Kids Bulletin Boards and Displays Collaboration Distance Learning Freebies FUN! Helpful Hints Inspiration Library Advocacy Library Decor Library Events Library Lessons Library Management Life Organize It! Professional Development Remote Learning Research School Library Seasonal Technology Tech Tips Test Prep TPT Uncategorized

    TPT Shop

    Facebook

    Pinterest

    Instagram

    thetrappedlibrarian

    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.

๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐˜‚๐—ฝ ๐˜๐—ผ 25% ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—›๐—”๐—ก๐—ž๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ25!
 
Features of this time-saving resource:
โœ…  Lists of popular chapter book series in order
โœ…  Printable or Digital lists
โœ…  Printable bookmarks have fun quotes on the back
 
๐Ÿ“š  Grab this versatile resource and make it easy for your students to find their next favorite book! ๐Ÿ“š

Grab them today! >>>>> https://bit.ly/3efDOze
    ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฝ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฏ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€!
This big bundle of year-round library resources is ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜†๐˜€ 30% offโ€ฆ
๐ŸŽ‰ ๐—•๐—จ๐—ง ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ง๐—ช๐—ข ๐——๐—”๐—ฌ๐—ฆ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—น๐˜† โ€” you can save up to 25% ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ during the TPT sale with code ๐—ง๐—›๐—”๐—ก๐—ž๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ25! (Today & tomorrow May 6-7)

โญ๏ธ ALL of my monthly library bundles
โญ๏ธ 30% off individual prices โ€” plus extra sale savings!
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
    Follow on Instagram
    • ABOUT
    • CONTACT
    • Privacy Policy

    © 2025 // Design by Laugh Eat Learn // Theme by Pretty Darn Cute Design