School Library Month Calendar of Ideas

1
Stay aware all
month of SLM news
and events!
2
…
3
…
4
Create a fun visual
display of hot titles
or new books…
5
Showcase your
Library Hero…
6
Attend a free AASL
webinar…
7
Host a “Breakfast
and Browse” or a
“Lunch and Listen”
8
Hold a title tally
contest…
9
…
10
…
11
Watch a free pre-
recorded webinar
from AASL…
12
Check out Kathy
Schrock’s Guide to
Everything...
13
Attend a free AASL
webinar…
14
Host a “Read In” in
Your School Library
15
Be a part of SLC @
the Forefront.
16
…
17
…
18
Hold a “who’s
behind the book”
contest…
19
Take a look at the
Teen Librarian
Toolbox…
20
Attend a free AASL
webinar…
21
Share an original
idea with a
teacher…
22
Create “make &
take” ideas with
colleagues…
23
…
24
…
25
Create a reading
challenge for your
students…
26
Host an author
event in school or
via Skype…
27
Attend a free AASL
webinar…
28
Are you staying
current? Try one
new thing!
29
Reflect on #slm16
and share your
thoughts…
30
…

Friday
April 1
Author/Ambassador
Quote
School librarians transform
learning by teaching children
the creed that they need to
read in order to succeed and
that a book can entertain,
enlighten, and above all,
enthrall!
~Scott Gibala-Broxholm,
author/illustrator of Maddie's
Monster Dad and Scary
Fright, Are You All Right?
Professional Development
Link of the Day
Stay aware of SLM news and
events! Sign up for
Knowledge Quest notificaiton
emails and follow AASL on
Twitter!
#slm2016 #LibrariesTransform
Suggested Daily Activity
Love Your Library: Provide
students with paper hearts. They
can place these paper hearts
around the library by their favorite
sections, books, etc. They can
write their name and/or why they
love this section, book, etc. Leave
the paper hearts up for all
students, teachers, and
administrators to see. Now
everyone can see which sections,
books, etc. get the most love at
your library. Maybe this is incentive
for increasing the budget.
Suggested Activities
by Grade
All levels: Have students
make a Wordle or a
Tagxedo describing the
school library.
Print on a color printer or
post on your library website
on a slideshow.

Saturday
April 2
Author/Ambassador
Quote
Librarians are like the helpful
wizard who shows up in
chapter three — they could
tell you all the answers, but
they know the real adventure
starts when you discover
them for yourself.
~Charles Benoit, young adult
author of Cold Calls
Link of the Day
AASL provides advocacy
toolkits that you can utilize
for your school library
program. Find a toolkit that
you could use to influence
your community this month.

Sunday
April 3
Link of the Day
Share your best or favorite
library lesson board on
Pinterest, to help further
teacher-librarian networking.
(Example)
Author/Ambassador
Quote
School libraries transform learning
by opening thousands of doors
through books. Behind every door
is a new idea, a new question, a
new fascination, a new way to look
at the world. Books build empathy
and a better understanding of the
self at every age. A school library,
then, is the place where students
can find a deeper meaning behind
everything they learn in their
classrooms. It’s like the subwoofer
of the education stereo.
~A.S. King, young adult author of I
Crawl Through It

Monday
April 4
Link of the Day
If you struggle with creating
dazzling bulletin boards or
school library displays, take
a look at Education World’s
article “From “Pretty” to
Practical: Using Bulletin
Boards to Teach”.
Author/Ambassador
Quote
School libraries transform
learning by sharing the
experience of learning one
word at a time and one
caring heart at a time
~Shane Evans, author and
illustrator of Underground
by Grade
elementary: Have students
write poems about why the
library is not just a quiet place
anymore
middle: Have students tweet
about how the school library is
a great place
high: Host a student-led poetry
reading or poetry slam in the
school library
Create a fun visual display of
hot titles or new books with
Goodreads or Librarything.
Widgets can be embedded
on your school library
website or when printed, the
book cover art just pops!

Tuesday
April 5
Link of the Day
Take an hour webinar on
teaching students how to use
Primary Sources from the
Library of Congress.
Topics covered include:
• Inquiry Overview
• Primary Sources and
Inquiry
• Inquiry in Action
(http://1.usa.gov/214n4KA)
Showcase your Library
Hero: “_____ is my library
hero because
_______________.” Have
your students complete the
sentence and post them on a
bulletin board or digital
board.
by Grade
All grades: Place a Golden
Ticket in seldom read books
in your school library and
students who select and
reads these books can
receive a prize.
Author/Ambassador
Quote
learning by bringing history
out of the dark.
~Ruta Sepetys, author of
Between Shades of Gray,
Out of the Easy, and Salt to
the Sea

Wednesday
April 6
Link of the Day
Attend the free AASL
webinar TV on a Dime:
Creating a Library TV Studio.
Many schools and districts
don't have the money to
invest in a state-of-the art
studio, so this webinar will
focus on how to create a
functional studio on a tight
budget.
Post author-made and/or
student-made book trailers of
popular books on a school
library computer or on your
school library website.
by Grade
elementary: Film students
sharing their feelings about
the school library.
middle: Have students create
commercials promoting the
school library.
high: Have students create
commercials about the
school library’s makerspace
or non-traditional ideas and
programs.
Author/Ambassador
Quote
A great librarian and library are
our best hope of creating new
readers. And reading is a
transformational force in
students' lives. Kids who read
for pleasure are less likely to
commit crimes, less likely to
use illegal drugs, less likely to
become pregnant as teenagers,
healthier, and better at math
(sources). All of which have
massive benefits, not just in our
schools, but to society as a
whole.
~Mike Mullin, author of the Ashfall
Series

Thursday
April 7
Link of the Day
Check out The Lively
Librarian’s - Emily Gover &
Michele Kirschenbaum -
discussing Makerspaces.
Host a “Breakfast and
Browse” or a “Lunch and
Listen (to an audiobook)”
event for students and/or
teachers in your school
library.
by Grade
elementary: Read a book like
Stone Soup and have
students create their own
recipes
middle: Showcase some
healthy eating books and
recipe ideas
high: Have a recipe and
healthy eating exhange in
the library
Author/Ambassador
Quote
learning by showing us what
other people's lives are like.
~Alan Gratz, author of Code
of Honor, Prisoner B-3087,
League of Seven, Fantasy
Baseball, Samurai Shortstop,
Something Wicked, and
Something Rotten

Friday
April 8
Link of the Day
Check out this great
Pinterest board “Teacher
Librarian” and get inspired to
create a new board yourself!
by Grade
create a series of text
messages from a favorite
character in a book. Here is just
one of many available
templates.
middle and high: Have students
explore book recommendation
websites like Teen Reads and
recommend books for the
library
Author/Ambassador Quote
The library was the one
place in school I could have
complete independence. I
would explore the stacks for
whatever caught my eye that
day, or simply sit in a chair
and draw. Pretty much what I
do in my local library now,
but without the naps.
~Bob Shea, author of
Dinosaur Vs. series
Title Tally: Select three popular
book titles and place these books
on display in your library. Have
students add to a jar (with a penny,
stone, bead, candy, etc.) for each
book that they have read. After a
period of time, see which book title
gets the most tallies. Make an
announcement over the
loudspeaker regarding the book
that has been read the most at
your school. Create a community
of readers!

Saturday
April 9
School Libraries transform learning
by providing the safest and most
open-minded (not to mention
frequently the coolest) space on
any campus in which to learn.
Tim Federle, author of Better Nate
Than Never
Link of the Day
Check out YALSA’s website for
Book Awards and Booklists for
recommended reading for children
ages 12-18.

Sunday
April 10
learning by feeding a child's
imagination, nourishing their
creativity, growing their
capacity to empathize with
others in their world.
~Don Tate, author and
illustrator of Poet: The
Remarkable Story of George
Moses Horton
Link of the Day
National Library Week
You can find great ideas for
celebrating libraries all year
with ALA’s Celebration
Weeks and Promotional
Events 2016-2017 calendar.
#nlw16 #slm2016 #LibrariesTransform

Monday
April 11
because...within the pages of
books, readers learn about others'
life experiences that are different
than their own. In many cases,
meeting book characters give
readers a compass. A direction.
Something to dream of, reach for,
work toward. They also teach
empathy for others. Librarians and
the characters we connect with in
books foster hope. What an
incredible gift that is.
~Linda Mullaly Hunt, author of Fish
in a Tree
Link of the Day
Strengthen your role as a
school community leader!
Learn about the ALA
initiative, Libraries
Transforming Communities,
with a complimentary
webinar presented by Ken
Stewart: Transform Your
School Community
Pop Culture Day: Host a special
event in your library based on pop
culture. Take a student interest
survey (example: Harry Potter,
Star Wars, Manga, Doctor Who,
Comic Con, etc.). Organize a
variety of workshops or stations
which can be run by the librarian or
students. Include: a reading
station, a crafting station, a gaming
station, etc. Have books on display
that relate to the pop culture event.
Also, check out supplemental
books from the public library.
by Grade
elementary: Students can create a
book review using an app like
Chatterpix, VoiceThread, etc. to
post in the library catalog or on the
school website.
middle: Students can create book
trailers about their favorite books
and add to the library catalog. Can
also display on TV announcements
or link to QR codes.
high: Students compose book
reviews to post in library catalog
and around library using QR
codes, etc.

Tuesday
April 12
School libraries transform learning by
providing an environment which
encourages discovery. Discovery of
truth, of secrets, of fantasy and the
answers to life’s questions. Some
schools have libraries with crackling
fireplaces, deep armchairs and fresh
flowers, and some have windowless,
basement libraries with worn carpets
and sagging shelves. But if there are
books on those shelves, and a patient,
kind, resourceful, passionate,
appreciated librarian, both these
libraries can transform a child’s life.
~Sophie Blackall, illustrator of Finding
Winnie: The True Story of the World’s
Most Famous Bear
Link of the Day
National Library Week and
National Library Workers Day
Take a look at educational
technologist Kathy Schrock’s
Guide to Everything...be
prepared to get some
wonderful ideas!
Why We Love Our Library: Create
a bulletin board inside/outside of
your library. Ask students, staff,
and administration to answer the
following question: "What do you
love about your library?" Use post-
it notes or cardstock cutouts to
post these answers all over the
bulletin board to create a beautiful
display of what your school
community loves about the library.
It is a great way to show and
celebrate the value and
appreciation for the school library
program.
#nlwd2016 #nlw16 #slm2016 #LibrariesTransform
by Grade
elementary: ask students to
help create a display of book
spines that will make a
rainbow
middle and high: have
students find book spines to
create lines of poetry (find all
sorts of inspiration on
Pinterest. Search “book
spine poetry.”)

Wednesday
April 13
PD Link of the Day:
National Library Week and
National Bookmobile Day
webinar Personalized
Learning with Gooru and
discover how AASL Best
Website recipient Gooru can
support student learning in
your school
by Grade
elementary: Ask students the
following question: Which
series would Greg Heffley
like better—Captain
Underpants or Harry Potter?
middle/high: Ask students
the following question:
Which Divergent faction
would best suit Katniss?
by setting your imagination free to
explore countless lands and times,
discovering cross-curricular
connections you’d never find on
your own. Perhaps most important,
literature allows you to live as other
people, impressing empathy on an
almost chromosomal level,
essential to developing good
citizens. A library is a repository of
wisdom—not just of facts, but how
to be human.
~Margaret Dilloway, author of
Momotaro
Take photos of teachers with
their favorite childhood
book(s) and compare with
today’s students and their
favorite childhood book(s).
Make sure to post these
photos on your school library
bulletin board.

Thursday
April 14
Link of the Day
Keep up with all the
headlines from the world of
education with ASCD’s daily
newsletter or follow ASCD on
Facebook or Twitter.
Host a “Read In” in Your
School Library: Designate
several special chairs in your
school library for the “Read
In”. Get students to sign up
for 15 minute time slots to
“read in” the special chairs.
by Grade
elementary: Have a variety of
picture books, fiction, and
nonfiction available for students
to choose from and place them
in chairs and play a literary
version of musical chairs.
middle/high: Have a variety of
magazines, fiction and
nonfiction books available at
tables and set up a rotation for
students to “sample” the
selections.
School Libraries transform
learning by giving control
back to young readers, and
letting them choose their own
adventure.
~Frances Hardinge, author of
The Lie Tree

Friday
April 15
Link of the Day
Be a part of SLC @ the
Forefront. It’s free and has
ideas to keep your library
relevant. Watch one of the
free webinars.
Host a Character celebration
Day in your school library.
Have students and teachers
dress up as their favorite
literary characters.
by Grade
elementary: Have a
character parade
middle: Take pictures of
those wearing literary
costumes and let students
vote on who has the best
attire.
high: Have a famous literary
couple contest.
learning by letting kids
choose what they're going to
learn next.
~Tom Angleberger, author of
the Origami Yoda Series

Saturday
April 16
Link of the Day
Join the edWeb online
education community that
offers free webinars and
personal learning
communities with an
emphasis on technology.
learning because they are
the heart of the school, a
place that gives life to
learning where students are
inspired to read, write,
research, learn and create.
~Lisa Schroeder, author of
The Girl in the Tower

Sunday
April 17
Link of the Day
Explore The Global Teacher
Librarian Network with
hundreds of forums and
recordings available.
learning because they are
where imagination lives.
~Lori Goldstein, author of
Circle of Jinn

Monday
April 18
Link of the Day
ISTE believes in promoting
librarians as leaders and
champions of educational
technology and digital
literacy. Join their network!
by Grade
elementary: Host a reading
scavenger hunt. (Example)
middle and high: Host a
library trivia contest with
different questions about
popular literature and the
school library.
learning because Googling
the answer isn’t enough.
School librarians are
essential so our kids develop
the media literacy and
research skills they need to
be prepared to college,
careers and citizenship.
~Sarah Darer Littman, author
of Backlash
Hold a “Who’s behind the
book?” Contest in Your
School Library: Take pictures
of students and teachers
holding up their favorite book
in front of their face. Create a
guessing game to see who is
who?!

Tuesday
April 19
Link of the Day
Work with teens (or savvy
tweens)? Take a look at the
Teen Librarian Toolbox
which offers professional
development opportunities.
Create a bulletin board with
library statistics, including:
circulation stats, classes to
visit the library, teacher
collaboration, most borrowed
books, books most often on
hold, etc.
learning by introducing
students to unforgettable
teachers who fit in their
backpacks: books.
~Madelyn Rosenberg, author
of the Nanny X series
by Grade
create storyboards for their own
stories using AASL Best
Websites winners like Zooburst,
Storybird or StoryBoardThat.
middle and high: Select one of
the AASL Best Websites for
Teaching & Learning with your
students

Wednesday
April 20
Link of the Day
webinar Creating Digital
Portfolios Using Google Sites
and learn how student-
created digital portfolios can
encompass work from a
variety of classes and
activities.
Share photos with your
stakeholders regarding a
“Day in the Life of a School
Librarian.” Post these photos
to your social media
websites and your school
library website.
learning because they offer,
within easy reach, whatever
facet of the world that a child
seeks.
~Kat Yeh, author of The
Truth About Twinkie Pie
by Grade
all grades: Library
Appreciation Day: Have
students write/draw thank
you notes to their school
board and/or administrators
thanking them for providing
the students with a school
library space, library
books/materials and most
importantly a school librarian.

Thursday
April 21
Link of the Day
Follow the 52 weeks of
Guided Inquiry blog. Curated
by Leslie Maniotes, the co-
author of Guided Inquiry
Design: A Framework for
Inquiry in Your School.
Find a Guided Inquiry unit
from the PD Link of the Day
that piques your interest.
Share it or a similar original
idea with a teacher. Send
the link with a, “I ran across
this. I think we could do this
well. What do you think?”
email and follow up.
by Grade
all levels: Implement an
inquiry center in your school
library that encourages
students to generate
questions or hypothesis.
learning by tending the
garden where learning
grows.
~Jen Mann, author of the
Sunny Sweet series

Friday
April 22
Link of the Day
It’s always nice to get new
ideas! Take a tour of these
library blogs and see how
you might spruce up your
library website or blog:
• Mrs. Lodge’s Library
• Library Learners
• Search. Discover. Share.
Team together with two or
more school librarian
colleagues to develop
several “make and take”
ideas that can then be used
in each individual school
library.
by Grade
elementary: Implement an
estimation station by using a
jar filled with M&M’s or
similar objects.
middle/high: Bring back
games by implementing a
puzzle center where students
work on an ongoing basis to
complete a puzzle.
learning by offering practically
infinite opportunities for new
interests, perspectives,
imagination, and understanding,
all just right down the hall. I used
mine as a sanctuary, too.
Students have a new teacher
every grade, but school librarians
foster an individualized love of
stories over years.
~Kim Baker, author of Pickle

Saturday
April 23
Link of the Day
Be sure and like the National
Archives on Facebook or
follow them on Twitter to
receive inspiration for future
lessons.
The school library was, for me,
like a ticket to an amusement
park, a place that took me on
adventures of every kind and let
my imagination take flight. As
years passed, it was the
Google of my time, the reserve
of all treasures of knowledge,
past and present. Without the
library, I wouldn’t be a
published writer today.
~Ridley Pearson, author of the
Kingdom Keepers series

Sunday
April 24
Link of the Day
Make this your year to get
published! Knowledge Quest
is seeking original
manuscripts.
learning because they provide
resources and skills that
challenge students to learn
about the world and solve its
problems. And just as
important, at the same time,
they share stories that lead
students to discover who they
are and who they hope to
become.
~Kate Messner, author of All
the Answers

Monday
April 25
Link of the Day
Become more aware of
stereotypes and racism in
children’s books by reading
an article or two on the
Reading While White blog or
follow the efforts of the We
Need Diverse Books
campaign.
Host a Reading Challenge
for the week similar to
PopSugar’s. Modify it for
your age range and reward
with stickers/pencils/praise
for students who can show
you a book a day that meets
the challenge.
by Grade
All levels: let students make
paper library fortune tellers
(folded paper) to encourage
friends to try books of
different genres.
learning by creating space for
every child to make wild
discoveries of the mind and to
take solo flights of the
imagination. I never thought of
the school library as a
sanctuary. To me, it was a
launchpad.
~C. Alexander London, author
of Proxy and Tides of War

Tuesday
April 26
Link of the Day
How many resolutions have
you kept? Get reinvigorated!
Make connections with an
author. Host an author in
your school library or via
Skype.
by Grade
elementary: Provide popsicle
sticks with Dewey numbers.
Can the students find the
correct location for their Dewey
popsicle stick?
middle and high: Greet
students at the door with a pop
quiz. “Name a title, subject or
genre located in the ___s.”
(Insert a Dewey section). Have
smarties on hand for kids who
get correct answers.
School Libraries transform learning
by inspiring creativity and opening
minds to all sorts of new worlds!
My love for reading and writing
began in my elementary school
library – I'll never forget Mrs. Gross
(yes, that really was my librarian's
name) waiting for me with a stack
of books every week. The
adventures I'd go on, the
characters I'd meet...and all these
years later, I still get that exact
same feeling whenever I step into
a library. ~Erin L. Schneider,
author of Summer of Sloane

Wednesday
April 27
learning by thoughtfully and
passionately turning the role
of gatekeeper into gate
opener every time a librarian
takes the time to find just the
right book to match with a
student.
~Jen Malone, author of At
Your Service and the
upcoming Wanderlost
Link of the Day
webinar Digital Storytelling in
the Classroom: 7 Projects to
Get Students Storyboarding
and learn 7 different project
ideas to utilize storyboards
and graphic organizers.
Host a teacher luncheon
(byo lunch) to informally
meet, share and discuss
great books. Provide
cookies and a follow-up
email with all the titles
mentioned.
by Grade
All levels: Host a bookmark
challenge with the theme of
“School Libraries Transform.”
Have some “guest” judges
select the winners.

Thursday
April 28
School libraries/librarians have the great
potential to transform learning in young
people if they remember to deploy the
power of stories through books. Books
embed the human experience throughout
all time. After all, story is connecting us to
humanity. If we want to know what it was
like to be someone else in another time and
experience their situation we can only go
there adequately through the story
landscape. If we are brave, curious and
daring enough to open a book, allowing it
to change our fixed stars into the elegant
and ever changing dance of a diverse
limitless universe of the collective human
soul.
~Will Hillenbrand, children’s book author of
A Bear and Mole series
Link of the Day
DIY Technology PD: Are you
staying current? Do you
need some new digital tools?
This week, try one new thing!
April is also National Poetry
Month. Ask teachers for their
favorite poems and create a
guessing game. Which
teacher loves which poem?
Or, post excerpts from
famous poems. Which poet
wrote which poem?
by Grade
All levels: Use pages from
discarded books and let kids
make blackout poetry. Or
use excerpts from books and
have students create found
poetry.

Friday
April 29
learning by giving so many
young writers a home to
grow up in.
~Shelley Pearsall, author of
The Seventh Most Important
Thing
Link of the Day
Learn more about Buncee, a
2015 AASL Best Website:
Organize Research While
Creating Slides on Buncee.
by Grade
All levels: Take advantage of
all the freebies your
database companies
provide. Find a database
scavenger hunt (for example,
on EBSCO) and offer small
prizes for winning
answers/groups.
Reflect on the past month.
Share one of your favorite
events or activities on social
media with the hashtag
#slm2016.
Let’s keep the momentum
going!

Saturday
April 30
because they don't just teach kids
about the world...they teach kids
about worlds. The worlds of
information, and books, and stories,
and imagination, and the worlds that
exist inside their own hearts and
inside people very different from
them. They can find facts, but not
just facts; they can find books, but
not just books; in a school library,
our kids can find themselves.
~Dan Gemeinhart, teacher-librarian
and author of The Honest Truth
Link of the Day
Utilize the AASL Best
Websites for Teaching &
Learning. Add a new website
to your arsenal!

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