For School Library Month We Celebrate How Our Libraries Change Our Lives

Today we kick off one of the best months of the year.....School Library Month!  

All through the year we celebrate school libraries, teacher librarians, and the young people that fill these spaces and our hearts every day.  

The American Association of School Librarians has a wonderful page on the website to celebrate this month.  I especially love the banner at the top with the street sign that states....

Lives Change @ Your Library.

As s teacher librarian, we see all of the children within our schools.  We see them in the hallways, classrooms, going to the bus, at special events, and especially in the library.  And as this sign states, by coming to the library and engaging in creative, collaborative, and connected activities surrounded by beautiful books and rich reading experiences, we are changing the lives of so many. 

And these amazing children, are changing our lives too.  

Today I shared my friend Kelly Light's sweet book Louise Loves Art, which comes out this fall.  It was so fun watching reactions and hearing their little giggles and "awhhhhh's" throughout the entire book.  I love book experiences like this one.... I could just read this book over and over to them all day long.

In the middle of the day when the fourth graders were in the library, Emily from Barnes & Noble walked in.  My little friend Meridan saw her and the bag she was carrying.  She lit up and just knew what was inside.  It was Shannon Hale's new book The Unfairest of Them All, the book she had been waiting for.  

It is always very special seeing what a book means to a child who can't wait to read it.  Meridan and I then looked up Shannon's blog and tweeted a little message about her new book too. 

We wanted Shannon to know what a difference she made in her readers lives. 

After school, seven excited kids, part of the "Makerspace Dream Team", came to the library to help me with a big project happening in the library.  We are moving everything out of the library office to make room for the Van Meter Makerspace....more to come in a post tomorrow.

We went out to see Mr. Barck, our industrial technology teacher.  He is working with us on a project where we are going to create new furniture for the makerspace by recycling the old office desk and other pieces from the library.

To see them brainstorming, taking measurements, looking for thrift shops and ideas on Pinterest, and putting their clip boards safely away for tomorrow, made my heart very happy.  I love this project so much and it is going to mean the world to our school community.

We have a special school.  We have special people who make up our community.  We are blessed.

This place, this library, and these people have changed my life.  I celebrate this everyday.

Thank you everyone.  You have made this a place that definitely has changed our lives.

There are lots of resources for School Library Month on the website.  Make sure you check them out to help your library and school celebrate too.

And please share this above presentation that AASL has created by gathering together the voices of authors, illustrators, and librarians.  They all have something special to share.

Happy School Library Month.