Leading From The Library....Help Your School Community Thrive In The Digital Age

I have some big news to share!  

My friend and colleague Bill Bass and I are excited to announce that we are writing a book which will be published by ISTE.  It is called Leading from the Library....Help Your School Community Thrive in the Digital Age.  

With my experience as a district teacher librarian and Bill's as the innovation coordinator for instructional technology, information and library media for the Parkway School District in St. Louis, Missouri, we will bring two unique perspectives and expertise to the librarian's ability to lead from the library. This will be a book for librarians and school leaders alike.  

As taken from the ISTE site, 

The modern school library supports education in a variety of ways. One essential role librarians play is that of a leader who works collaboratively to build relationships, mold culture and climate, and advocate for the needs of students and the community.

In this book, a librarian and an education leader team up to reflect on the librarian’s ability to build connections in two ways. First, they discuss the benefits of bringing the outside world into the library through the use of social media, videoconferencing and other tools that allow librarians to partner with others. Then they expand upon these connections by addressing how librarians can lead in the greater educational community by sharing resources and strategies, and partnering with school leaders to tell the story of the school community.

This book will:

Highlight the potential of librarians to empower their students, their schools and their communities, and be learning leaders in the digital age.

Include stories of partnerships – from librarians and administrators – illustrating how they can collaborate to create change by harnessing the influence of the school library program to enhance the educational experience.

Explore how librarians serve as mentors to their students, delving into many topics that define digital age literacy, including the librarian’s role in reading advocacy, information validity, digital citizenship and research.

Make direct connections to the ISTE Standards for Students, Educators and Administrators in each chapter.

We can't wait to share our stories, the voices of others, and our book with all of you. It will be a book for every school leader and librarian as they will discover the influence they can have on the school community as the library becomes the heart of the school, a place where problems are solved, content is explored, connections are made and discovery happens. 

You can preorder the book here.  It is due out January 1, 2019.