MSLA President Carrie Tucker is the Librarian at East Bridgewater Jr/Sr High School ​

Char Sidell retired from her elementary school library in Needham,
but continues to work as a librarian at the Codman Academy Public Charter School in Dorcherster.

Andrea Belanger is the Library Director at Hampshire Regional High School in Westhampton
​ and received a 2017 Super Librarian award.

Colleen Simpson is the Library Media Specialist at Lester J. Gates Middle School in Scituate.

Valerie Diggs is the Librarian at Lowell Catholic High School, an Adjunct Professor at Salem State University,
and a former President of MSLA

How important is a yearly report? What sort of things would you put in it besides circulation stats, collection development and classroom visits? It seems like the sort of thing that I ought to have, but I need to motivate myself!

Ahh, the quintessential annual report! The document most dreaded in May/June when we know we should be creating and delivering this to our principals and other administrators or boards. It doesn’t have to be this way. Think of an annual report as the recording of a year-long journey that both you and the students in your school embarked on in September. Does an annual report garner any attention? Is it even read by anyone, you might ask? Well, if it is in Word, with bullet points and some pictures thrown in, you can guarantee that it will most likely be “filed away” with just a cursory glance.
So why bother? An annual report is one of the best advocacy tools you can create. Done right, it should be a chronicle of your school year, and as interactive as possible. Your library program deserves to be noticed. As Deb Kachel so aptly states: “A well-crafted annual report ... can be an effective advocacy tool not just for school administrators, but also as  a vehicle to showcase the unique contributions of the school library program to parents, community members, teachers, and students.” Use the annual report to not only showcase your library program, but also as a self-evaluation tool. Have I accomplished my goals this school year? If not, then why not, and what could I have done better? Share the report widely, include statistics, but more importantly, include students, parents, teachers and other school community members learning, creating and sharing exciting new milestones.

Allegra D'Ambruoso is the Library and Technology Director at Boston Arts Academy
and is a recipient of a 2017 MSLA President's Award.

Being a librarian is a thankless job; being a school librarian is even worse.

Reason 1: Early Mornings.

The school day starts anywhere from 7am until 9am; but of course, teachers (including you!) have to be there before classes start. This means that if your school starts at 8am, you should probably be there by 7:30 or 7:45 at the latest, or else students will be lined up outside your library door, impatiently waiting for you to show up and let them in. These kids will be the kids who need to print an assignment for their class that starts at 8 (“Well, Miss, you see, what happened was...”); or who simply must tell you about their newest break-up; or who want to get your advice on what color they should dye their hair next. These kids are often the most needy kids; you’ll often realize that they need snacks, breakfast, juice, gloves, and a hug. They’re some of the best kids to get to know. They’ll be willing to help you shelve books, talk about new books to order, and always know when you need a compliment to cheer you up (“Miss, did you cut your hair? It’s cuuuuuute!”).  Accept that you are one of the reasons they come to school; that you might be the most understanding adult that they know; and realize that you are going to cry when they graduate.

Margaret Kane Schoen is a Library Teacher at Newton South High School.

Chris Swerling  is the School Library Media Coordinator K-12 for Newton Public Schools. She is the recipient of the 2017 MSLA Peggy Hallisey Lifetime Achievement  Award. 

In November 2017, I attended the 18th American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. As conferences always are, it was exhausting as well as exhilarating! From pre-conference workshops to general and individual sessions, the conference buzzed with talk about the new AASL National School Library Standards.  Attending a pre-conference afternoon workshop, I anxiously (but enthusiastically!) delved into them. As I unpacked the standards with school librarians from all over the country, I repeatedly heard “Here’s how I teach that” and “This is what it looks like in action in my school library.” I emerged from the workshop – and the conference – with respect for the common beliefs upon which the standards are grounded and can be applied equally to all schools, all levels. The shared foundations are concrete and tangible in defining how students, school librarians, and the school library program should think, create, share, and grow. I tip my hat in admiration to the AASL Standards and Guidelines Editorial Board – and for everyone who had a voice in shaping our profession’s new standards. They build on the past and point us to the new horizon – and beyond. ​

Dr. Robin Cicchetti is the Librarian at Concord-Carlisle Regional High School.

School librarians are already among the busiest people in the school. Teaching classes, prepping lessons, providing reader’s advisory services for their students and oftentimes faculty, reading review journals, ordering books, supplies and materials, and keeping the library up and running every single day. Many work without library aides and parent volunteers just aren’t the same. It’s a lot.

We have a research-based understanding of what good library programs look like; deep integration into the curriculum, collaborative planning to deliver instruction in inquiry-based learning, information and media literacy skills, technology integration, digital citizenship, fostering a love for reading and reading incentive programs, participation in school leadership activities, and many other aspects of teaching and learning. It’s a lot.

Zoe Keenan is the Library Media Specialist at Frontier Regional School in South Deerfield

Emily Remer is the librarian at the Michael E. Smith Middle School in South Hadley, MA. 

MakerSpaces (and Maker Carts) are being implemented by libraries across the nation to support the STEAM and Maker movements and to give students the opportunity to utilize tools, devices, and supplies they might otherwise never get to experience. However, despite the enthusiasm and increase in product availability, not all school libraries can accommodate a MakerSpace – they may not have the extra room, or open periods built into the schedule when students can freely use MakerSpace supplies, or staff to oversee the hundreds of small parts, or budgets large enough to purchase thousands of dollars of products, or ongoing funding to replace lost pieces or used supplies.
​ 
I was intrigued by the concept of MakerSpaces and how they could support STEAM learning when I started hearing about them a few years ago.  I wanted to support STEAM learning through some kind of MakerSpace, but when I considered developing one, I came up with a number of problems that seemed to preclude housing a MakerSpace in my library.  So, I took a page from public libraries that circulate nontraditional items like ukuleles, cake pans, and fishing poles, and created STEAM to Go.  

Emily L. Warner is the Library Director at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham
​and received a 2017 Web Seal of Excellence.