Getting Creative With Book Displays

I thought creating displays would be the most fun part of my job, but it has proved to be a bit more challenging than I expected. I mean, where do these Pinteresty librarians find the time to be so creative?! What am I supposed to do without any wall space for bulletin boards?! How do I get kids to actually check out the books I put on display?



I kept things simple for my first display of the year with an "around the world" theme. All it took was a globe and some books by international authors. It was fine for August when I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the newness of everything.



Then I read this post from Library Girl, and it changed the way I think about the purpose of displays: "Every display presents us with an opportunity to tackle big things: to address individual student needs, to awaken dormant readers, and to engage all kids in meaningful conversations about books, reading and their lives as learners." 

With that in mind, my second display was focused on the fact that ALL my junior high students wanted to read the same books, even though we have hundreds of amazing other choices. So I chose four popular series (The Giver, Hunger Games, Diary of Wimpy Kid, and Harry Potter) and then filled my display shelves with books that have similar themes, characters, and settings. The students kind of ignored it at first, but eventually it was picked over pretty nicely!



Of course, for Halloween we had to do a scary stories display--but this actually worked out great, because we were getting a lot of requests for scary stories anyway.

Also in October, we were able to consolidate the fiction section to make room for a more permanent Sports display (another common request), and a New Arrivals shelf. The big readers love being able to see what's new and being the first one to check something out!

In November, I did a Native American Heritage Month display, but to be honest it was not effective in getting students to actually check those books out. Our school is religiously diverse, so I decided to keep things secular for December. Instead of a holiday theme, I focused on books that have been made into movies. The movie display included a vintage film projector found in my husband's grandparents' basement -- the kids love it! I've also started a book club called "The Book Was Better" and we are reading some of the books from this display.

While I'm still not an expert at this, and I'd still love some wall space, I do feel more confident than before in my display making abilities. For the new year, my goal is to focus on Library Girl's tip #4: build interactive displays. I'll keep you posted!

A Rookie's Top Five

Somehow, I woke up this morning and I have been a school librarian for almost a whole semester! I've been so busy that I have not been keeping up with the blogging at all, but I'm going to try to do better. I want to document this amazing new career that I am so glad I decided to pursue. Seriously, this is the best job. I still get to teach, but I don't have to worry about grading or testing...or waiting for the bell to go to the bathroom! :)

Bu there are are quite a few things I've had to learn on the job. So to help out future rookies, here are the Top Five things I have learned about being a new school librarian:

1. They don't teach you anything practical in school! For example, my program never taught us how to upload MARC records, print bar codes, or repair old books. Luckily, You Tube has my back!

2. A good library aide is worth more than gold. I am so fortunate to not only have a full-time aide, but one who is also a library rockstar. Over the years, I have seen aides who don't read, don't like kids, or don't expect to do more than check books out. My wonderful assistant has an English degree, experience as a public library clerk, and--most importantly--she loves to read. Her experience has been invaluable and I hope she never leaves me!!!

3. Students may expect you to be similar to their old librarian. I think kids are used to getting new teachers with different personalities every year, but I have found many are either disappointed or excited that I am different from my predecessor. I have laid on the "expectations" pretty thickly, knowing that it's easier to start strict and lighten up than the other way around.

4. The library is either chaotic or dead. You have to take advantage of the dead moments and get things done (like ordering books and planning lessons) because the next thing you know, 17 people will want 17 different things from you!

5. You have to let go of your students' assignments being your assignments. I'm so grateful that many of the teachers have embraced my expertise and allowed me to teach informational literacy. However, sometimes they don't give me the time I need to do it the way I want to, or the assignments themselves don't live up to my standards. But it's not my ship, I am merely one sailor on the voyage!

When I went back to school to study school librarianship, I always expected to have to "put in my time"  at a school I didn't really like (as I did with my teaching career). Instead, I won the lottery and landed a job in a place that I can see myself staying for a long, long time. It's the kind of school that believes in investing in people and helping them grow as a professional. Whether you've found yourself in a school like mine or the kind that seems to suck the optimism right out of you, try to keep your focus on what's best for students and you'll do great!