Erica Chancellor is no stranger to challenges. Her six years in education have been spent as a middle school classroom teacher, then computer support specialist, and finally as a school librarian. In her first year in the library at Minden High, Erica set out to change her high school library's culture with a clear mission statement and a copy of the new AASL Standards Framework by her side. Here's how she is doing it in her own words:

Gone are the days where libraries are only used for checking out books and quietly entering in and out.  The school library today is adapting to the needs of its school, teachers, and students it serves. There is definitely a shift in the library culture happening throughout schools everywhere and here at Minden High School we are trying to be part of the progress. School libraries are now becoming the hubs of the school. A space where students can gather in order to collaborate, communicate, and access information.  School librarian roles are adapting with that space into becoming technology integration specialists, co-teachers, information specialists for both print and digital resources, and digital literacy experts. 

At Minden High School we have been working towards this change and curating a new library culture. Collaborating with teachers has been the greatest step in this direction thus far.  Through collaboration, as educators we are trying to increase student achievement by really holding our students accountable in the information they are seeking and then producing. We are preparing them to make critical choices about the information they are using. Making sure they are checking sources for credibility and giving credit to the sources they use. We are also striving to help students curate high quality resources that reflect the information they have learned and demonstrates their thinking.  Today, more than ever these skills are needed. As the school librarian, I am working towards being able to provide our teachers with ways to implement information literacy into the lessons they are already teaching through collaboration with them and providing them with the resources they need. Some of the classroom collaboration we have done thus far is teaching students about databases, using something other than Google slides to create a presentation, and library orientation for research. 

Another piece of the school library is to foster the love of reading. Ways we are doing this at Minden are through our book club and our student podcast.  Our podcast is led by myself, and I interview a student who volunteers to share with us the book that they have read. The student answers some fun get-to-know-you questions and then we move on to discussing the book and what happens in the book. The podcast is then uploaded to the library website and shared out through our social media platforms and library newsletter.  The hope is that it will inspire students to want to read that book and foster a love for reading at the school as they see what their peers are reading. Students really seem to love doing the podcast and we have hopes of it becoming a student led activity. Our book club meets every two weeks after school to discuss the books we are reading. We are currently getting ready to read Nothing but Sky by Amy Trueblood who has agreed to Skype us in December (thanks to our awesome English teacher Angie Oberg who coordinated this for us.)  The book club is just another great way to celebrate the love of reading and continue to encourage that. ​

Erica has a wealth of information online about her school's library and library life. To connect with her, visit any of these:
Instagram- @mhs_mediacenter 
Twitter- @mhsmediacenter1
Website- https://echancellor7.wixsite.com/library
​(Personally, I love her website the most! Constant goodies there.)

The Kearney Hub wrote a fantastic article about the student podcast here.

Megan Huenemann isn't one to shy away from a challenge. Currently working as a half time English, half time Librarian, she serves the staff and students at Norris High School. She's also a level 2 Google Certified Educator.

Megan's solution?
Make them feel like the library is their own. Here's how she does it:

​Golden Tickets are placed in new books as well as older books on display. When students find one in a book they have checked out and bring the ticket back to the library, Megan exchanges the Golden Ticket for a treat from the school cafeteria.

​Students keep track of Golden Sower novels they have read on bookmarks that the school library staff initials at checkout. Once a student has read all of the current nominees, they are entered into a drawing for a free book and free frozen yogurt at the end of the semester.

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A maker space can be anything you - or your students - want it to be. Megan keeps her maker space flexible and constantly changing to the needs to her school community. 





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Coloring is a very popular activity - especially for the ends of the semester when stress levels run high. If you don't have any coloring sheets, don't worry! Megan says it works just as well to cover the table with paper to make a doodling center.










To help use up some old, weeded materials, the Norris High School Library created a maker space with foldable books. The binder contains directions for multiple book folding options - including the popular arrow and heart configurations. 





If you're interested in starting your own book folding maker space, here is a great Pinterest board to get you started.






The current maker space on display is an origami craft station. Students have an example, step-by-step instructions, plenty of paper, and an example book in case they want to learn more about origami.






Upcoming makerspaces include magnetic tiles and erector sets. Megan hopes to add more robotics and 3D printing in the future.

Speaking of robots, the Norris High School Library has Ozobots available for patrons to check out before school, during lunch, and after school. Each kit features a checklist of items so students can create their own courses and learn through play. 




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It's "great for beginning code and general fun", says Megan. High schoolers can't seem to resist the tiny robots!

Thanks to Megan, her school library is well on its way to being her students' favorite place. Her knack for communication and involving students in their school library will make a lasting impact on her students and staff. 

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