Our tonies® Check Out Sheets With Barcodes For Cataloging the Tonie Characters and Tonieboxes!

 

We are getting ready to catalog our Tonie characters and Tonieboxes in Follett Destiny. 

The first step, we need to designate bar codes to each Tonie character and Toniebox. 

I created a template that is called tonies® Check Out in Canva. You can find the Canva template here. 

In the template I added each Tonie character and Toniebox in one of the boxes. I left room for the barcode label that we use for Destiny. We printed the sheets on cardstock. 

After we printed, we added a Destiny barcode in the template for each Tonie character and Toniebox. 

Some of the boxes had multiple barcodes if we have more than one of that Tonie character. 

We have three tonies® Check Out sheets so far.  We are now ready to catalog all of the Tonie characters and Tonieboxes in Destiny.

You can find the Follett Content tonies® and Book Bundles here, friends.

The Complete Guide to Year-Round Book Access: Helping Students Read Through the Four Seasons

Every child deserves the opportunity to discover a book they love. Whether it's a funny story, an exciting adventure, a fascinating nonfiction book, or a favorite series, having books available helps children explore new interests and develop a lifelong love of reading.

But book access shouldn't stop when the school day ends or when students leave for winter break, spring break, or summer vacation. Creating opportunities for students to find and enjoy books throughout the year takes planning, creativity, and a community working together.

Creating equitable book access for low-income children is especially important. Schools can help by providing opportunities for every student to discover and take home books they love, regardless of their family's ability to purchase them.

School librarians, teachers, administrators, families, PTO/PTA leaders, and community partners can all play a role. From school book fairs and children's book donations to classroom libraries, digital collections, and summer reading programs, there are many ways to keep books in students' hands.

One way to approach this is through the four seasons. Each season brings new opportunities to connect students with books and keep reading part of their everyday lives.

Fall: Start the Year With Books

Fall is a wonderful time to build excitement around reading and make sure students have access to books as a new school year begins.

School book fairs introduce students to new titles, authors, and series while giving them opportunities to build their home libraries. They also create opportunities for families and community members to support classroom and school collections.

Here are a few ways to expand book access during the fall:

• Host a School Book Fair: Give students and families opportunities to explore and purchase books they are excited to read. Hosting a Literati Book Fair can also support school fundraising efforts.

• Create and Share an Epic! Collection. I create a special collection of eBooks, videos, and audio books each month for our students. I share these with our teachers to share with families at home too. You will find my November Epic! Collection here. It will tell you how to do this for your readers. 

• Refresh Classroom Libraries: Add new and donated books to classroom collections, reading corners, and book baskets.

• Organize Book Donations: Invite families, staff, and community members to contribute new or gently used children's books.

• Start a Reading Challenge: Encourage students to explore different genres, authors, and topics. We use Beanstack and Epic Books for reading challenges throughout the year. 

• Partner with your public library to offer a family reading event. I always invite our public librarian to our fall book fair and conferences to make sure all of the students and families know about the programs they offer and get their public library card.

At Van Meter CSD, our Literati Book Fairs are a very special part of our school community. We also create Teacher Wishlist Trail Maps with QR codes, making it easy for families and community members to shop for books selected by our teachers. These wishlists provide another way to add books to classroom libraries and support readers in every classroom.

Online ordering also makes it easier for families and community members to support school libraries and classrooms. Through digital book fair shopping and online teacher wishlists, people can purchase books even when they cannot attend the fair in person.

Fall is also a great time to begin planning for winter break and other times students will be away from school.

Winter: Keep Reading During Winter Break

Before winter break begins, consider offering students opportunities to choose books to take home. These might come from the school library, classroom collections, book donations, or a special winter book giveaway.

A few ways to keep books accessible during the winter include:

• Winter Book Giveaways: Invite students to select a free book to keep and enjoy during break. 

• Take-Home Reading Bags: Put together small collections of books for students to share with their families.

• Holiday Book Collections: Create displays featuring winter stories, holiday books, graphic novels, and seasonal favorites.

• Community Partnerships: Work with local businesses and organizations to collect or purchase books for students.

• Digital Reading Opportunities: Share links and directions for accessing eBooks and digital libraries from home. I also put together a Holiday Around the World eBook collection to share with our students and families. 

• Host a Stuffie Sleepover or Other Holiday Event With Your Public Library. This is such a fun way to connect with your public library during the holidays! Kids can bring their favorite stuffie to the library for a special sleepover. The stuffies get to spend the night exploring the library, reading books, playing, and going on little adventures.

The best part? Kids love coming back to see photos of all the things their stuffies did while they were there! It is a wonderful way to build excitement around reading, create special memories, and encourage families to visit and connect with their public library.

Digital collections are especially helpful during school breaks. At Van Meter, our Virtual BOOKHUB gives students and teachers access to monthly Capstone eBook choice boards featuring books connected to holidays, seasons, and topics. We also share access to Capstone Interactive and Destiny Discover so students can continue exploring books digitally.

Sharing these resources with families before winter break helps students know where to find books even when the school library is closed.

Spring: Celebrate Reading and Prepare for Breaks

Spring brings new opportunities to celebrate reading while preparing students for spring break and summer vacation.

A spring book fair is a wonderful way to introduce students to new books before the school year ends. Like fall fairs, these events help students build their home libraries while giving families and community members opportunities to support classroom collections.

Other ideas for spring include:

• Spring Break Reading Bags: Put together small collections of books for students to take home.

• Book Drives: Collect new or gently used children's books for classrooms, school giveaways, or community distribution.

• Family Literacy Events: Invite families to explore books, participate in reading activities, and take home books.

• Reading Celebrations: Connect activities with Read Across America, National Library Week, and other literacy celebrations.

• Summer Reading Preparation: Share information about public library programs, summer reading challenges, and community book opportunities.

• Spring Break Choice Board: I create a choice board filled with places for our students to move, create, read, play, and visit.  

Spring is also a good time to review your school's book access efforts. What worked well during the year? Which classroom collections need refreshing? What opportunities could help students take books home for the summer?

Summer: Keep the Reading Going!

Summer is one of the most important times to think about year-round book access. Without regular access to school libraries and classroom collections, some students may have fewer opportunities to find books they enjoy.

Schools can help by connecting students with books before summer vacation and sharing opportunities available in their communities.

Consider these ideas:

• Summer Reading Literati Book Fair: We always have a Literati Book Fair right before school gets out to support and promote summer reading. 

The theme for the Spring 2027 is Go For Gold! I am really excited to  create a fun start of the summer experience for our students and families with this Literati Book Fair. You can find out more here.

• Summer Book Giveaways: Allow students to choose books to take home and keep.

• Public Library Partnerships: Share information about local library locations, summer reading programs, and special events.

• Community Book Distributions: Partner with local businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations to provide free books for kids.

• Summer Reading Challenges: Create fun, flexible challenges that encourage students to read books they enjoy.

• Little Free Libraries: Support neighborhood book-sharing locations where families can find books throughout the summer.

• Digital Libraries: Share links to school-approved eBook collections students can access outside the school building.

• Summer Learning Programs: Include books and reading opportunities in camps and community activities.

Remember that summer reading should include plenty of choices. Some students may love graphic novels, while others enjoy picture books, sports stories, mysteries, nonfiction, or chapter book series. Giving students opportunities to select books that match their interests makes reading more inviting.

Every Season, Every Student, Every Story

Creating year-round book access doesn't have to happen through one big program or initiative. Often, it is the collection of small, thoughtful opportunities throughout the year that make the biggest difference. A book fair, a take-home reading bag, a classroom book collection, a community book drive, or a connection with the public library can each help put more books within reach of students.

The most successful efforts happen when schools and communities work together. School librarians, teachers, principals, families, PTO/PTA leaders, local organizations, and literacy partners each bring ideas, resources, and opportunities that can help more children access books.

As you plan for the year ahead, think about what you can start, strengthen, or share in your own school community. Look at each season as another opportunity to bring books to children and make reading a visible, celebrated part of everyday life.

When we work together to make books accessible all year long, we give students more opportunities to read, explore, discover, and grow—wherever the seasons take them.

4 Ways To Make Self-Checkout Work For Your School Library

 

I am excited to share my new article, 4 Ways To Make Self-Checkout Work For Your School Library, on the District Administrator site.

Self-checkout is becoming a familiar part of everyday life, from grocery stores to airports.

In a school library, though, self-checkout is about more than speeding up the checkout process. It can give librarians something even more valuable: time. When students can handle the routine task of checking out their own books, librarians have more freedom to move throughout the library and focus on the people who need them.

With the right library management software, self-checkout can be a simple addition to the school library, giving students more independence while giving librarians more time to focus on support and connection.

That might mean helping a student find the right book, answering a teacher's question, supporting a project, or simply having a conversation with a reader. The technology handles the transaction, while librarians can focus on the relationships and interactions that make a school library a meaningful part of the community.

Making that happen takes more than installing a self-checkout station. It requires thoughtful preparation, from keeping patron records current to creating a space where students can use the system independently and planning for how librarians will use the time it creates.

Here are four ways to make self-checkout work for both students and school librarians.  You will find the article here, friends.

You've Been Book'd With Books To Celebrate Diwali!

Diwali, known as the Festival of Lights, is India’s biggest and most important holiday. It’s a time filled with joy, tradition, family gatherings, food, and light. Across India and around the world, Diwali is celebrated with fireworks, decorated homes, the exchange of sweets, and prayers for prosperity and happiness.

This year, Diwali will be celebrated for 5 days starting on November 6, 2026. To help our students learn about and celebrate this meaningful holiday and the rich traditions that surround it, I’ve put together this special You've Been Book'd With Books To Celebrate Diwali choice board featuring 14 wonderful books about Diwali. These books include picture books, nonfiction titles, and stories that highlight the customs, legends, and celebrations of Diwali in ways that readers of all ages can enjoy.

You can click on each book cover in the choice board to explore the individual titles in Titlewave, and you can view the entire curated list of Diwali books too. This is a great way to bring the spirit of the Festival of Lights into your classrooms, libraries, and homes this season.

8 Ways Librarians Can Collaborate with Teachers to Support Curriculum Goals....and 10 Ways to Put It Into Action!

Earlier this year, I joined Follett Software for a special webinar, Co-Planning for Impact: How Library–Curriculum Partnerships Move the Achievement Needle.

This week, Follett shared an amazing new infographic they created, 8 Ways Librarians Can Collaborate with Teachers to Support Curriculum Goals, featuring the information and ideas I shared during the webinar.

There are SO many ways we can use this infographic and the information in our work as teacher librarians! Here are just a few ideas for how you can put it to use, spark new conversations, build partnerships, and highlight the important role we play in supporting teaching and learning.

1. Use it during teacher meetings or PD. Share the infographic at a faculty meeting or professional development session to spark conversations about how the library can support upcoming units, projects, and learning goals.

2. Use it to build new partnerships. Share it with teachers you haven't had the opportunity to collaborate with yet as an invitation to explore possibilities together.

3. Use it for curriculum planning. Keep it handy when grade-level teams and curriculum leaders are planning units, looking for resources, or brainstorming new learning experiences.

4. Use it to celebrate collaboration. Highlight examples from your own library that connect to the ideas in the infographic. Share the projects, lessons, and partnerships happening throughout the school.

5. Use it in your library newsletter. Feature one idea at a time and show how it connects to the work happening in your school.

6. Use it to start conversations with administrators. Bring it to planning meetings to discuss where the library can support school wide initiatives, curriculum priorities, and student achievement.

7. Use it as a reflection tool. Look at the eight ideas and consider which partnerships are already strong and where there might be opportunities to grow.

8. Use it to inspire new ideas with students. Think about how collaboration can create more opportunities for students to explore, research, create, read, and share their learning.

9. Use it to advocate for library involvement early. Share it with curriculum teams to encourage bringing the librarian into conversations when units and projects are being developed, not just when resources are needed.

10. Use it to share your library's impact. Include it in annual library reports, presentations, board updates, or communications with families to help tell the story of how the library supports teaching and learning.

And I especially love thinking about turning the infographic into a yearlong collaboration challenge. Choose one idea each month, connect with a teacher or grade-level team, and find a new way to bring the library into the curriculum.

I can't wait to hear how you use the infographic and information as Future Ready Librarians, friends.

You will find it here on the Follett Software site. 

 

Literati Cares: It’s the People Who Make the Difference

The best partnerships are about so much more than the products, programs, or resources we share. They are about the people who listen, take the time to understand what you need, and genuinely care about helping you bring your ideas to life.

That is one of the things I appreciate most about working with Literati.

Recently, we had the wonderful opportunity to have Megan Gray, Literati’s Creative Director, spend time with my library assistant, Natasha, and me at our school book fair. It was such a special experience, not only because Megan was there to see our fair in action, but because we got to brainstorm, create, and work together throughout the event.

As we talked about ideas and thought of little things that could make our book fair even more fun, Megan jumped right in to help us bring them to life. 

We brainstormed ideas for our marshmallow guessing game, created signs for our book fair bags, put together a preorder resource for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and made a mini-poster and an “A Gift for You” tag, and more. These were ideas that came up as we went, and Megan helped turn them into real resources we could use right away!

I loved that we could share an idea, talk it through, and watch it come together. It was such a fun and creative way to work together, and it made our book fair even more special.

And guess what, friends? I get to share these resources with you, too!

Megan put together a special collection of the assets she created for us, and now you can use them at your own Literati Book Fair. How wonderful is that? I love when something we create in our library can be shared with other librarians and schools, giving everyone a few more ideas to make their book fairs special.

You can access this special collection Megan created here.

This experience was such a great reminder of what makes Literati special. It is the people behind the books, the amazing fair themes, the creative marketing resources, and all the thoughtful details that go into making Literati Book Fairs so special. It is the willingness to listen, the excitement of brainstorming together, and the care that goes into helping schools bring their ideas to life.

One of my favorite parts of the book fair was seeing the connections Megan made with our students and families. One especially sweet moment was seeing Diana and her granddaughter, Talia, enjoy the fair together.

Diana is a Van Meter grandma, but she is also someone very special to our library. She was my library assistant in the past, so she has a special connection to our library and our book fairs. Watching her and Talia spend time together, explore the books, shop, and visit with everyone was such a joy. Moments like these remind me that a book fair is about so much more than finding your next great read. It is about bringing people together, sharing stories, and creating memories that last long after the fair is over.

And I have to give a special shout-out to our Literati sales rep, Chuck Mills, because this kind of personal connection is something we experience throughout our partnership with Literati. Chuck checks in with us well before our book fair begins, stays connected throughout the event, and follows up afterward. Whenever we have a question, need something, or have an idea we want to explore, he is there to help. That kind of consistent support means so much. It makes us feel like we have someone on our team who genuinely cares about our school, our students, and making each book fair a success.

Having Megan alongside us felt less like working with a company and more like having a creative partner on our team. And having Chuck there to support us along the way makes that partnership even stronger. It is the people who take the time to listen, build relationships, and help bring ideas to life who make such a difference.

Thank you, Megan, for spending time with us, sharing your creativity, and making our book fair even more memorable. We loved having you here, and we can't wait until you come back for our next Literati Book Fair!

And thank you, Chuck, for always being there for us, and to the entire Literati team for reminding us that it really is the people who make the difference.

Join Us For This Fun New Follett Content Webinar, Friends.... Passive Programming Ideas School Librarians Can Run With Less Effort!

                  

I am so excited about our upcoming Follett Content webinar, Passive Programming Ideas School Librarians Can Run With Less Effort, on November 17th at 2:00pm CST. 

As shared in the invite, 

You've got twenty things pulling at you before first period even starts, and "run more programming" is not what you needed on your to-do list. But your library still needs to feel alive between classes, during lunch, when kids just wander in with ten spare minutes.

Shannon McClintock Miller has spent years building low-lift, high-engagement passive programming that doesn't require another staff meeting, another hour, or another line item in your budget. She's back to walk through what actually works.

In this session, you'll:

• Identify low-prep passive programming ideas that take minutes to set up

• Build a rotating lineup so your space stays fresh without constant reinvention

• Choose free or low-cost resources that work with a tight budget

• Get ready-to-use ideas organized by grade level you can adapt immediately

Whether you're running a one-person library or leading a team, this one's for you.

You can register for the webinar here.  And don't worry if you can't make it live. The recording and resources will be shared with everyone who registers after the webinar too. 

Can't wait to see you there, friends. 

Register Today For The 7th Annual Future Ready Librarians Idea Smash!

 

The best ideas are meant to be shared!

Join us November 18 for the 7th Annual Future Ready Librarians App / Idea Smash, in partnership with the amazing support from Follett Content.

One of my favorite things about this event is seeing librarians and educators share the creative strategies and practical tools that are making a difference for students.

You'll discover fresh ideas, hear what's working in other libraries and classrooms, and leave with resources you can put to work right away.

You can preview some of the featured tools at the link below!

Find out more and register here, friends.

I Am Excited To Join SchoolAI For A Fun Booth Session At GaETC This Week!

 

I am heading to Atlanta for the GaETC Conference.  

To kick off my conference, I am excited to join SchoolAI for a fun booth session about the role AI has in the school library. 

I hope that you will join us in Booth 212/214 on Wednesday, November 4th at 10:30am EST, friends.

Our tonies® Library Is Ready!

Our tonies® Library is all ready for teachers to start checking out and using in their classrooms, too!

Last week, we cleared off a section of our nonfiction to make room for our tonies® Library. 

We put the tonies® + book bundles that we purchased from Follett Titlewave together in this area, and more that we ordered directly from tonies. 

Today, we spent the afternoon brainstorming what this space could look like and how we were going to check out the Tonie characters, books, and Tonieboxes, to our teachers. 

We decided to use these little plastic cases to hold Tonie characters teachers want to checkout and use in their classrooms. We are calling them Our Library Tonies Classroom Homes. 

I found these clear plastic cases on Amazon here. 

I created a sticker in canva. You will find the link to the sticker here.

I printed them on the Avery 5294 2 1/2 inch circle label.  You just upload that Canva design into the Avery Template 5294, download, and print. 

I put them on each plastic case and stacked them on the shelf where teachers can easily grab one as they check out the Tonie characters. 

We also created this sign in Canva that explains Our tonies Library, the newest neighborhood in our library. 

You will find this Canva template here. 

As we explained on the poster...

To check out Tonies, place your selections in a Tonies box from the shelf and ask Mrs. Watson to check them out to you. You can also check out the books that go with the Tonies. Please keep everything in the Classroom Home and return it to the library when you are finished. Thank you!

It' ready to go!  

As our teachers add their Tonieboxes to their classrooms, this is going to be a busy place in our library. 

We can't wait to see the difference it will bring to our classrooms and especially to our students. 

In the next post, I will share how we cataloged the Tonie characters and Tonieboxes and organized them for check out. 

You can find tonies® + book bundles here on Titlewave, friends.