5 Read-Alouds and Draw-Alongs To Celebrate World Read Aloud Day on February 4th!

On February 4, 2026, we celebrate World Read Aloud Day.

Our friends at StoryVoice have brought together 5 special read-alouds and draw-alongs to celebrate this amazing day.

There are so many great authors and illustrators, and even a NASA astronaut.

You don't want to miss it, friends. RSVP now at https://bit.ly/4jTKeEh.

 

The NEW Spring 2026 Capstone Catalog Is Filled With Books, Expert Tips from ME, a Fun Contest, Valentine's, and More!

 

I LOVE when the new catalogs from publishers come out each season. I especially love when the Capstone catalog shows up in my school mailbox as it's filled with so many wonderful new books each season.  

Well, friends...wait until you see the Spring 2026 Capstone catalog! 

From the moment I saw the Cute VS Gross cover, I knew it was going to be extra special! 

Along with 100's of new books, there are so many other things that are helpful to us as librarians, and things to share with our readers and teachers too. 

I was excited to contribute to the catalog!  You will find Expert Tips From Shannon McClintock Miller and Library Lingo on pages 4 and 5. 

Starting on page 85, there is a Cute Books VS Gross Books contest.  

All of the directions and Kid's Voting Form are in the catalog to use with your readers. It will be so much fun. 

And on the back cover, 

there are these adorable Valentine's to cut out and share. 

Thank you Capstone friends for creating such amazing books and for thinking about us in your fantastic catalogs too. 

You will find the Spring 2026 Capstone catalog here, friends. 

It's Creativity Month....Time To Celebrate With Book Creator and these Collaborative Classroom Exercises For January!

 

January is International Creativity Month! 

You can celebrate in your classroom and library with these collaborative challenges in the...

....International Creativity Month Activity Notebook from Book Creator. 

It is filled with six wonderful activities that are meant to be collaborative.  

Our students will love...

....all of these amazing collaborative activities. 

You can remix it into your Book Creator here, friends.

Kicking Off Our Future Ready Librarians Webinar Series On January 29 With This Amazing Webinar and Work!

 

On January 29, we kick off a new year of the amazing 2026 Future Ready Librarians Webinar Series.  

I couldn't be more excited about the first one, Charting Your Course-Leading with Framework 3.0. 

My dear friends and amazing library leaders, Len Bryan, Becky Calzada, and Lindsey Kimery, will be joining me for this important conversation and work. 

This session introduces the updated Future Ready Librarians® Framework 3.0 and positions librarians as instructional leaders, collaborators, and advocates for student-centered learning. Participants will explore how the framework supports leadership, innovation, and equity across their schools.

We will:

• Begin mapping a personalized Future Ready journey for the year ahead
• Understand the key updates and focus areas of the Future Ready Librarians Framework 3.0
• Identify leadership opportunities aligned to district and school priorities

You can register for this webinar, and the entire series, here.  If you can't make it live, don't worry as they are recorded and sent out to everyone who registers after the webinar.

To get ready for our time together, you will want to print off the NEW Future Ready Librarians 3.0 Framework that you will find here.  It will be very helpful to have that in front of you, not only for this first webinar, but for the work we will do together all year long.  

We can't wait to see you next week, friends. 

Common Ground: Shannon's Digital World by Christie Vilsack

 

I am truly honored and grateful that Christie Vilsack, Iowa’s former First Lady, took the time to write this special article about my work as a teacher librarian at Van Meter Community School, my books, and the powerful impact school librarians have on teaching, learning, and literacy.

I met Christie several years ago when she and her family moved into the Van Meter Community School District. From the very beginning, she graciously volunteered her time and talents in our school, working alongside our students and teachers.

Over the years, we have shared many meaningful conversations about the importance of teacher librarians and the powerful impact we can have within schools, communities, and in the lives of our students, teachers, and families. It is essential that we continue to advocate for how we support our students and our community in today’s world—one shaped by technology, media and digital literacy, AI, and so much more.

You will find Common Ground: Shannon's Digital World  here on Christie's Substack.

Thank you, Christie.  This means the world to me. 🩷

Creator Spotlight: Brianna’s Crochet Journey...One Stitch At A Time!

 

My amazing daughter, Brianna, started crocheting about 18 months ago.  She started with a cute little Wooble penguin and since that has taught herself how to do so many beautiful and fun projects.  

I love that she has taken on this new hobby with such a passion.  I love it when she calls or texts me so excited about what she is creating that day.  And I love when she makes unique things herself and for our family.  

Brianna is going to highlight all of her work in these special books she makes in Canva.  She posted A Year of Crochet 2025 on her Instagram, so you can check it out here. Wait until you see what she has made!  

And her new project is one of my favorites!  I can't wait to see how she uniquely represents each book with such creativity and style.  

As she shared, 

I’m tracking my reading through granny squares this year! Each square will be inspired by colors and themes that stand out to me. 🧶

At the end of the year I’ll attach all the granny squares together to create a book blanket.

Loved my first read of 2026! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You can find Brianna here on Intagram. 

Brianna has fallen in love with this wonderful craft and perfects her skills each and every day. I am very proud of her and can't wait to see what she creates next. 

I know you will love following her journey.  I bet you are inspired to give crocheting a try too! 

Join Us Opening Day at ASTE for the Future Ready Librarians Summit, Mapping the Journey to Lead from the Library!

 

We are so excited to be heading to ASTE, the Alaska Society of Technology Education Conference, on February 14-16 in Anchorage, Alaska. 

Lia and I will be hosting a whole day of special professional development for librarians on the opening day, February 14. 

We would love to have you join us for the Future Ready Librarians Summit: Mapping the Journey to Lead from the Library.  

The Future Ready Librarians® Summit is designed to empower school librarians as catalysts for change. Participants will explore how to lead from the library and drive innovation in today’s evolving educational landscape. Together, we’ll strengthen leadership, collaboration, and digital literacy practices while gaining actionable tools to inspire change.

You can register for the conference and sign up for the Summit here.

I also joined Melody and Anthony from ASTE for the ASTE Community Connect Livestream last Sunday. You can listen to learn more about the Summit and all of my sessions during the conference, including those with Book Creator and Kami too.

I can't wait to see you in Alaska, friends. It's going to be an amazing week together.

Empowering Student Creativity with Book Creator in the Library...Find Our Webinar Recording and Resources Here, Friends.

                       

Last week at FETC, I loved sharing how we use Book Creator as Future Ready Librarians and educators.  

One of the webinars I shared from 2025, was the one I did with Katie Fielding in October, How Book Creator Support Future Ready Librarians.  In our webinar we explored how Book Creator helps librarians document, teach, and inspire through creative digital storytelling and so much more. 

From the updated Future Ready Librarian Framework 3.0 to the latest AI and digital literacy templates, here’s how you can use Book Creator to bring your library to life.

Find all the resources you need for your library and your professional growth on our Teacher-Librarian page, along with the webinar recording here. 

And get Book Creator for your school today, friends. 

A Special Choice Board For Martin Luther King Jr. Day With PebbleGo, Capstone Interactive eBooks, Pixel Art, An Animated I Have A Dream Speech and More!

                  

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is tomorrow on January 19, 2026.

I have put together a special set of resource to use as we learn more about and celebrate this very special day.  

The first resource is the Martin Luther King Jr. Choice Board.

On the choice board, I included the PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next articles about Martin Luther King Jr. and MLK Jr. Day; 

four Capstone Interactive eBooks, which we also have in our library for teachers and students to check out and read (You can find these interactive eBooks and print books here on the Capstone site). 

For this part of the choice board, you can add your own links to PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next, and the Capstone Interactive eBooks, if you have them for your library and school.  Or you can always add alternative resources too. 

I am very excited about this new addition to this choice board.  Our kids can create a pixel art portrait of MLK, Jr with the StickTogether Pixel Art Canvas found here.  This is free for everyone to use and our kids always have so much fun creating pixel art.  I can't wait to see all of the different MLK Jr. pixel art they create. 

There is an Art Hub for Kids video on How To Draw Martin Luther King, and...

...several videos, including one of his I Have A Dream speech. 

I want to point out a really neat new resource from The Martin Luther King Jr Research and Education Institute at  Stanford University.  It is called Freedom Ring. It is Martin Luther King, Jr's I Have A Dream speech animated. 

You will find that in the upper left corner of the choice board and here.  It can be played as the class watches too.  

Thank you Mrs. Stem for sharing this resource with me. :) 

You can find the link to make a copy of the choice board here. You can then add your own links to PebbleGo, PebbleGo Next and the Capstone eBooks, and any other resources you might want to share.

And remember, to share with your students, just to to File, Share and Publish to the Web.  That is the link you want to share with students. 

I hope you enjoy using this choice board and these resources to celebrate this special day as we remember Martin Luther King, Jr. 

You've Been Book'd With Books To Honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day

 

January 19 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

It is always celebrated on the 3rd Monday of January.  This is a special day to honor his life and legacy. 

I brought together 17 amazing books about Martin Luther King Jr. in this choice board.  You will find each book linked to Follett Content Titlewave, and the entire Titlewave list can be found in the choice board too. 

Join Follett Software for the NEW Webinar, Destiny 23.5 Release: Product Walkthrough!

It’s here! 

The latest release of Follett Destiny® was inspired by YOU and designed around what matters most to educators. In this session, we’ll take you through all the user-requested enhancements to Destiny Library Manager, the reimagined Destiny Engage student engagement platform, and new integrated AI capabilities. 

Whether you currently use Destiny to power your library or you’re just exploring what the Destiny Library Suite has to offer, this session will show how the latest improvements can help you improve every school day.

Brought to you by Follett Software experts:

Beth Works, Sr. Director, Product Management
Peter D’Orsi, Sr. Director, Product Management
Ben Leddy, Sr. Product Manager
Nate Blue, Product Manager

Save your spot, friends. 

U.S. on January 20th at 2:00pm CST https://ow.ly/nqV250XVOwO

International on January 21st at 10:00am CST https://ow.ly/v9jB50XVOwU

#FollettDestiny #EdTech

Be A Guest On Season 12 of the Future Ready Librarians Podcast Series, Friends. We Would Love To Hear About and Celebrate Your Work.

 

We are getting ready to kick off Season 12 of the Future Ready Librarians Podcast! 

Over the last eleven seasons, I have welcomed so many wonderful librarians, educators and industry leaders to share their stories, passions and to discuss important and relevant topics to all of us as we lead within and from our libraries. 

You will find the Leading From The Library podcast page here. 

As I get ready to start recording Season 12, I am looking for new guests to join me. 

If you have a topic and story you would like to share and talk about, please fill out the short Google Form at bit.ly/FRLseason12 or by scanning this QR code. 

I can't wait to celebrate and share your stories and work, friends. 

A Special Martin Luther King Jr. Book Creator Book For Students To Learn and Reflect On Their Dreams Too.

 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is on Monday, January 19, 2026. 

As we lead up to this special holiday weekend, help your students reflect on their dreams for the future in this Book Creator book.  

Let's take a look inside at the activities you and your students can do on this special day, and throughout the week. 

You can use all of these pages, a few of them, and even create your own to include as you remix it to share with your students. 

You will find the Martin Luther King Jr. Day book here to read and remix to your library. 

And if you don't have Book Creator yet, get it here today, friends. 

Register Today for the 2026 Future Ready Librarians Webinar Series, Mapping the Journey to Lead from the Library!

 

Libraries are more than physical spaces—they are safe havens, innovation hubs, and the backbone of our schools. Librarians are uniquely positioned to lead digital, media, information, and AI literacies; champion equity, inclusion, and intellectual freedom; foster meaningful collaboration with educators, students, and families; and design learning environments that center student voice, well-being, and belonging. 

In 2026, we are excited to announce a new Future Ready Librarians webinar series that will focus on all of these important topics and more. Join us for Mapping the Journey to Lead from the Library, our 6-part webinar series starting on January 28, 2026. 

Hosted by myself and other amazing librarians and educators, this is a free, six-part professional learning webinar series designed to support librarians as leaders, collaborators, and change-makers—at the heart of their schools and communities.

Grounded in the Future Ready Librarians® Framework 3.0, this series empowers you to lead from the library with confidence, clarity, and purpose—strengthening your role as a catalyst for teaching, learning, and innovation across your school community.

You can register for the Future Ready Librarians webinar series here.

Here Is Where I Will Be At FETC, Friends! I Can't Wait To See You.

 

I am so excited for FETC next week in Orlando.  I will be presenting from Sunday, January 11 through Wednesday, January 14, 2025. 

I have lots of sessions that I can't wait to share with all of you. It will be wonderful connecting and learning together throughout the week.  You will find the sessions, times, and locations here in this Google Slide. 

I am very excited for my EXPO HALL TOUR on January 12 from 4:00-5:00pm. 

Meet me the DA Media Center Booth 1208 as I take you to 10 of my favorite vendor booths for learning, swag, and fun. 

And join me back at the Expo Hall for three presentations in the Book Creator, WeWillWrite, and Kami booths on January 13.  You will find the times and booth numbers above.  

Please let me know if you are going to be at FETC.  I would love to connect, catch up, and talk about the future of education with you. 

You can reach out on social at @shannonmmiller, LinkedIn, and my email is shannonmcclintockmiller@gmail.com. 

See you there, friends. 

Our BOOKHUB & Virtual BOOKHUB For January! Our Monthly Read Aloud & eBook Program Using Books, Capstone Connect & CI eBooks For All Readers!

One of our favorite ways to share special books and celebrate reading is our monthly BOOKHUB Takeout Station. 

Each month, we put together a new group of books that teachers can come pick up to read and share with their students.  You can read all about it, and find the signage I created in Canva, here in this post.

Here is our BOOKHUB Menu for January. You will find the Canva template here.

A few years ago, I thought it would also be found to create a Virtual BOOKHUB each month. 

Capstone Connect is the perfect place to help me create too! 

Capstone Connect is an amazing digital platform from our friends at Capstone that connects PebbleGo, PebbleGo Next, Capstone Interactive eBooks and teachers resources in one place with links to use that connect to each resource.

Let me show you how I put the our January Virtual BOOKHUB choice board.

First, I logged into our Capstone Connect. 

I searched Winter using the Title Search in Capstone Connect. 

When I searched Winter, it gave me the results eBooks, PebbleGo articles and teacher resources.

For the choice board I created, I needed the book cover and link to the eBook.  

To view the eBook, I clicked on All About Animals in Winter and the eBook...

...opened up in Capstone Interactive.  This let me view the eBook and also grab the cover image. 

I then clicked on Copy Link and took it to the choice board. 

I then went back to the You've Been Virtually Book'd For January choice board I created in Google Slides.  I added the screen shot of the book cover, clicked on the image, and added the link I copied to the image. 

When our students and teachers click on the book covers, it will take them straight to the ebooks within Capstone Interactive.  

We don't even have to login because by using Capstone Connect it takes us directly to the eBooks and PebbleGo resources every time.  

We love our You've Been Book'd program and can't wait to celebrate reading in one more way with our students as we share our You've Been Virtually Book'd program every month! 

I made a template for you to create your own You've Been Virtually Book'd For January.  If you have Capstone Interactive eBooks, you can find the link and add them to the book covers I have included in this choice board.

I also created this blank template for January to fill in with your own eBooks and choices for January.

You will find it here to make a copy, friends.