As we wrap up this unprecedented year, many of us are ready for some kind of change in our work lives – a reboot of some sort so we can start the new school year with a new outlook. An over-the-summer exercise in branding your school library program might be just the reboot you’re looking for.  
What is Branding? 
“Branding is relationship” (Sheninger and Rubin) – it’s a combination of the stories you tell and the connections you make daily – through marketing, graphic design, social media, and relationships with stakeholders. As a school librarian you are branding by default; you are branding yourself and your program with every interaction you have with your stakeholders. From book talks to book fairs to instructional services, you have so much to sell as part of your school’s library program. Why not make it intentional? 
Build your Brand 
Branding yourself and your school library program can be a big undertaking and it can be hard to know where to start. Maybe you’re ready to take a deep dive into rebranding your program from your own personal social media brand to a consistent visual identity for your library program through signage, website, and social media design. Or maybe you have just enough energy to do a visual identity re-branding. No matter the breadth of the reboot, follow these guidelines from The First Five Steps to Building a Library Brand, from The Librarian in the Middle, a school librarian who is passionate about branding: 

1. Align your goals – start with a vision and break your vision into goals. Consider starting with your school’s mission and vision and visual identity. 
   

1. Pick a name and logo – how do you want to refer online to your program? 
   

1. Identify audience and purpose – this will help you to match your content to your target audience. 
   

1. Engage your audience – what events, materials, or services do you want to promote? 
   

1. Build consistency – be reliable in promoting your events. Once you engage followers, don’t leave them hanging and waiting for more.  
   

My teaching partner and I have just started to skim the surface of branding our program by designing a simple yet intentional logo for our library program using the educator’s version of Canva. As part of the process, we did some work to align our vision and goals with our visual identity. It is our vision that our program provides a sense of place in the online world in addition to the real world space we provide to stakeholders, so we chose a location pin as part of our logo, which you can see above. And the heart represents the belief that the library is the heart of school, in addition to being a place of belonging. The simple design keeps us mindful of our purpose and our role in the school and keeps us moving forward toward reaching our collective vision.  
Want to learn more about branding? Here’s a list of resources that will help: 
Branding Your School Library (sign up at this posting for her 5-step guide) by the Librarian in the Middle. This school librarian is passionate about school library branding and advocacy. Don’t stop with this article, though. Look for others that she’s written about branding.  
BrandED: Tell Your Story, Build Relationships, and Empower Learning, a book by Eric Sheninger and Trish Rubin. Written for educational leaders of all ranks. 
Librarians: Build Your Brand by Gretchen Hazlin at BubbleUpClassroom.com pulls out some of the best ideas of the book above and gears them to school librarians specifically.  
What’s in a Brand? How to Define Your Visual Identity by Annie Crawford at Adobe might be helpful if your focus is on creating a new visual identity.  
ICYMI: Canva for Education is a must for all school librarians. Go here to sign up! 


by Beth Eilers, School Librarian, Omaha Central High School ​

As many of our libraries prepare to close for the summer, there’s no better time to look back at all of the incredible things that have happened - especially after this year. My favorite way to do this is by creating an annual report for my district’s elementary library program. [Click here to see my @elemlibraries66 Annual Reports] 

Annual reports come in a variety of formats and can contain as much or as little information as you want. It could be a 10-page document that outlines every little detail about your year, or it could be a one-page Canva graphic that highlights just a few things. Regardless of the size or the format, an annual report helps us reflect as librarians so we can set goals for our future and provide better services to our patrons. They are also a great way to advocate for your program and share with your stakeholders the impact libraries have on student learning. 

Once you get into the habit of creating a report each year, it’ll become a natural part of your journey as a librarian. All of the data you collect over the years will continue to help you advocate, set goals, and move forward in this ever-changing profession. 

Here’s a quick list of ideas to create your own annual report, and of course you can find tons of great examples on Twitter and Pinterest. 

IDEAS OF WHAT TO INCLUDE IN AN ANNUAL REPORT

1. Circulation Stats
   
   1. Number of resources checked out by students and staff
      
   2. Top titles 
      
2. Special events
   
3. Items added/weeded from collection
   
4. Description of any fundraising and grants 
   
5. Database usage 
   
6. Collaboration projects
   
7. Displays
   
8. Library curriculum highlights 
   
9. Goals
   

TECH TOOLS TO CREATE AN ANNUAL REPORT

1. Canva
   
2. Google Slides/Docs
   
3. Word Processing 
   
4. Powerpoint
   
5. Video 
   
6. Smore 
   

HOW TO SHARE YOUR ANNUAL REPORT

1. Library website
   
2. District website
   
3. Display a copy
   
4. Social Media 
   
5. Email to administration and building staff
   

Share your annual report creation with us on Twitter at @NSLAorg!

​Written by Kelly Kenny

From Jamie Hestermann of Syracuse Middle and High School: 

​This was a pre-COVID interactive historical fiction display. After learning the characteristics of historical fiction, fourth-graders traveled back in time and visited books from different time periods. They were issued "tickets" and instructed to visit four stations. At each stop, students selected a book from inside a suitcase, previewed it, and filled out a ticket. On the ticket, they had to explain why the book was classified as historical fiction. Many picked up on something included in the cover art, the specific time period in which the book took place, or differences in the way people talked. It helped reinforce the characteristics of the genre and introduced students to some of the historical fiction books we have in the library.

This year of the pandemic has been demanding, stressful, and more work for most librarians. When students were sent back to school in person, many librarians were frazzled about what that would look like, how we could do checkout, and how we could best assist our students’ reading needs. All specialists have been working off of a cart going classroom to classroom at my school since students have been back in person. It is a lot of work to travel to every room, but something that I have truly enjoyed is putting the perfect books into my students’ hands.

Every afternoon my library para and I prepare 6 crates full of books that we take to classrooms the next day. We have a specific number of books we pack for each room, depending on their grade level and reading level. We pack various fiction books, picture books, nonfiction books, graphic novels, and Spanish or Bilingual books. Then the next day in library class, after I teach a short lesson, I find an empty table or space on the floor where I can lay out those books in rows so that students can see them all and point out one to three books that they would like to check out. This is a very tedious process since I can only allow one student to check out at a time, and it takes anywhere between 20-30 minutes to complete this process.

Though tedious, this checkout process has been a great time to bond with my students over books. In a typical year, my students would find their books, bring them up to the counter, and my library para would assist them. With this new process, I have had to be much more involved in the checkout process, and I love it. This has allowed my students and me to have conversations about the books they are reading, students have asked me for recommendations, and I have had the chance to suggest specific books to specific students. It has also allowed me to get to know their interests more and discuss what they like to read.

Since we have to pack bins this year to bring to the classrooms, this has also given us a chance to push new books that have come in and older books that are still great but haven’t been checked out in a while. Since we have to hand-select the books that the students see, this has helped us pick books aimed at the correct level of students who will be reading them. It has also allowed us to choose books that represent the students within that classroom. This has been a great time to help our students find windows and mirrors within their library books. When I pack the bins, I try to think about which specific students are in each class, and I pack books that I believe will resonate with those students.

Although this pandemic has been a challenging and devastating time, there have also been some positive things that have come out of it. I know many people would think, well it’s not fair that your students don’t get to choose their own books, and of course we would like them to choose their own books. But, until it is safe to do so, we will be checking out in the classroom, and the students seem to be loving it. Many times what I hear from the students is, “Miss, there are too many choices!”. We do allow students 3rd -6th grade to place holds on books if they would like different ones also. So until we are allowed to go back to the library, checking out in the classroom is still very enjoyable.
​
​By: Samantha Brown

I had never done a "Blind Date with a Book" display.  So the week before Valentine's Day with help from my paraprofessional, we wrapped about 40 books, labeled them with their genre and a homemade book and off I went.  I was so shocked at how many students took a book.  I ran out before I reached all the classrooms.  By the end of the week, we had wrapped over 110 books. 

A comment from a teacher who had a few reluctant readers in her class, "The students were so excited to get a popular book that they didn't have to choose. Sometimes they are too overwhelmed with all the choices. Thanks for doing this."

Submitted by:
Lynn Behounek
Teacher Librarian - Ralston Public Schools

Here is my library display that I am most proud of this year. At the beginning of the year, I talked to my entire staff (teachers, paraeducators, administrative assistant, principal, custodians). I said the easiest way to get kids to read besides putting books of their choice in their hands is to spark their interest from other readers. The students expect me to recommend and be excited about books. I asked that every adult in my school send me a picture with their favorite book. EVERY adult did. The kids were so excited to see what they chose as their favorite because our kids each have at least one adult they connect with and this was just one more way to connect with them. 
    The project went on to feature their favorite place to read, favorite genre, and now we are finishing out the year with a Staff Vs. Student Recommendation board. For example, 3rd grade teachers and any other adults who work with 3rd grade recommended their "You have to check this book out!" book and then the students in 3rd grade recommended books back. 

Submitted by:
Ashley Amante
North Park Elementary Media Specialist

When I started working in my school library over 3 years ago, I was tickled. I could now organize these books in a way that made sense to the students, I could allow students to check out more than one book at a time, I got to help the library be staffed for more than a few hours a day, I could give suggestions to students and get suggestions too! Daily, I came to work and with the help of an amazing paraprofessional, we got the library in much better shape and welcomed the students each and every day. Our circulation went up, the book requests came in and we loved what we were doing.
The end of that first year came and we decided to do inventory. We found many books were missing and had never been removed from our system. We also started really taking a look at what we had on our shelves. We did research as to what other libraries had in their collection and what books were being checked out most in these libraries. We found that our books lacked variety and diversity. We are in a small, rural community and thought we were doing ok until now.
We got to work and weeded those books that we found most misrepresented certain groups. We chose to keep some of them that were suggested weeds and discussed how we would use these as conversation starters with our students. We talked about what groups were represented in our school. We also talked about what groups might be represented in our school, but students might not be willing to make them public knowledge yet. We talked about families in our school and how we could represent them in our collection. We talked about different holidays and celebrations from around the world and made a list of those we had little to no information about. We looked to see what window and mirror books we did have and what areas we wanted to add to.
We then went to work finding books for the areas that were at the top of our list. Slowly over the last few years, we have been able to add more and more books to our collection in these areas. We talked to the guidance counselor and let her know we had added some of these books to our collection so she could share with students that might come to her.
The next part of this process included library displays and the library classes that are taught to the preschool through 6th grade students. We work to include these new books in our displays and talk about them to students every chance we get. When a student reads one of these books we encourage them to talk to others about them too. During library classes,we read these books aloud or just a chapter or two depending on the student's ages. Classes learn about different traditions and holidays from around the world and work to understand a bit more about those that are not exactly like ourselves.
Through this whole process, we have grown as individuals and in our own awareness and acceptance of others. Given the events in the United States over the last year, we have seen that we still have a long way to go in our collection and our own understanding of diversity. We are proud of the work that we have done to be part of the push that helps our students become better people. We are glad that this process has started and have some great resources to keep referencing as we continue to learn and grow. Many times have we questioned if we should weed a book or should add a book. We try really hard to keep the world in mind and not just our little slice of it and just continue to do what we think is best!

​Submitted by Andrea Ripp

I scoot down the school hallway, copies in hand, shuffling my keys to unlock the library when I see her, she's standing still and looking at posters.

“Good morning,” I say quickly, shuffling by.

“Aren’t these neat,” she says--slowing my pace--gesturing so that I will stop and really look.  “They really are saying something.”

I have walked past these motivational hallway posters what feels like one million times and never taken the time to read one.  As I stand here with her, reading one after the other, I feel my shoulders soften, my to-do list feeling somehow more manageable.

Yes, we teachers and librarians move fast to get things done, but this woman also had things to get done–and one of the things on her list was to notice the good stuff around us.

The library is a great place to foster gratitude practices (intentionally noticing the good) this winter season--in virtual spaces and in real life.  While we might not feel thankful in 2021, we can mine for gratitude in ways that impact our days, our colleagues, and our students.  Here are some easy-peasy, plug-and-play ways to jumpstart gratitude at your school this season:

• Create a Gratitude Wall:  You can print and cut out physical leaves from this template (these are great for water-color if you print on card stock, or you can print on colored paper) and simply ask students to write out what they are thankful for and hang it on a bulletin board.  If you are operating virtually, you can set up a Padlet Virtual Wall in about 5 minutes and ask students and teachers to type in their gratitudes.. 
• Start a Gratitude Mail List:  Ask teachers to share a small list of gratitudes with you and then mail them out to everyone at week's end.
• Gratitude Art Center: Set out paints/markers/crayons and plain white sheets of paper in a library nook and ask patrons to draw what they are thankful for and create a mural/quilt from the blocks.  With little direction, I've been surprised at the meaningful squares that students will create.  You could also e-mail this out as a challenge and ask patrons to scan/e-mail their art.
• Gratitude Note Center: Set out cards/paper and pens and simply ask patrons to write a note of gratitude to take with them.  Or you could e-mail a student/faculty challenge to send a thank you note this week--anonymous or otherwise.
• Send Sneaky Notes. . . librarians have the opportunity to sneak gratitude notes to colleagues maybe more than anyone in the building.  Take the time once each week to slip an anonymous gratitude sticky note on the desk of a colleague.  You'll be thankful you did.

By Evi Wusk

By Crys Bauermeister, NSLA President-Elect

A reading culture. Words my ears savor, and words I love to say often. After ten years of building a reading culture at my school, it was time to tackle the next goal: renovating the library. To support the high volume of checkouts, the increased presence of students, and the number of elementary library classes, it was time to improve the library space. 

Two years of preparation were needed for the library addition to take shape. The process was challenging to convince administrators and board members that enlarging the library space was a necessity for our growing district. I attended several workshops that gave me points to ponder on how to approach this money-taxing project and how it could be made possible with fewer dollars. First, I outlined the necessity of space for our elementary students. It was once shared with me that the percentage of space should be equivalent to the percentage of students I serve at each level. Elementary students frequent the library more often than the middle and high school students; however, the space in the library tended to appeal to the older students. Second, the number of books in the square footage of the library meant very little space for teaching, learning, or relaxing. Third, it was time to upgrade our facilities for the growth of our district (and continue to find more room for books!). Finally, I convinced a National Honor Society member to tackle the process of reorganizing the library as her Individual Service Project. It was a win-win situation for us both! And, the administration along with the board members were ready to make this library addition happen. 

In the summer of 2018, the preparation for enlarging the library finally came to fruition. The preschool classroom located next to the library was vacated because the building across the street was purchased for the Tiny Tiger Early Learning Center.  An opportunity for making more space for books! A large doorway was created in the wall to connect the library and the old preschool classroom. This created an opportunity for an elementary section and a middle school/high school section for the library. The moving of bookcases, books, and furniture were completed by the NHS member. Her project also included painting the rooms, storing and reshelving the books (over 15,000). It was quite the project for her, but I am so grateful she was part of the process. Her eye for design and detail were invaluable. This endeavor made the elementary room of the library larger and allowed for library classes to be conducted more easily while other students peruse the shelves. I also purchased shelves that were lower so our young patrons no longer needed to use stools to reach the books on the top shelves. Our shelves are no longer “stuffed” so students can retrieve books more easily. 

I am a proponent of the idea that the library is the heart of the school. I want students to feel safe and comfortable in the library environment. This project gives students the opportunity to feel good about coming to an environment that supports their reading needs. Creating an addition to our library only enhanced the reading culture that was already thriving in our district. 

By Mary Gregoski