Sparking School-Wide Connections: Program Ideas for Your Library, created by Lauren Strohecker for presentation at the annual conference of the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association, 2015.

1. SPARKING SCHOOL-WIDE
CONNECTIONS: PROGRAM
IDEAS FOR YOUR LIBRARY
Lauren Strohecker, M.Ed., MSLIS
Librarian, McKinley Elementary
PSLA Annual Conference
1 May 2015

2. THE MCKINLEY LIBRARY

3. READING: LIGHT THE SPARK!
READ!
Be a source of
excitement
about reading
Share your
reading life

4. Email Signature:
Currently reading
Just finished
Can’t wait to
read
New in the library
READING: LIGHT THE SPARK!

5. READING: LIGHT THE SPARK!

6. OUR COLLECTION
Approx.
15,000 items
Genrefied
fiction
How & Why
FAQs

7. Create a visible
culture of reading
Invite
participation
Choice + Voice
IGNITE A CULTURE OF READING

8. McKinley Library
Website
Library blog
McKinley
Recommends
Book trailers
Multimodal
engagement
IGNITE A CULTURE OF READING

9. March: Battle of
the Books
Primary &
intermediate
brackets
Vote w/clickers
IGNITE A CULTURE OF READING

10. BATTLE OF THE BOOKS

11. BATTLE OF THE BOOKS

12. Inspired by Donalyn
Miller
Make it meaningful;
value experience
over numbers &
incentives
40 BOOK CHALLENGE

13. STAFF KIDLIT BOOK CLUB

14. STAFF KIDLIT BOOK CLUB
“I also enjoy the Kid's Lit book club that has
begun to inspire dialogue between staff and
students. This gives the children an
additional reason to connect with some of
the adults in the building which might just
be what encourages them to come to school
each day. These books have broadened my
internal database to share with parents
who ask for recommended reading.”

15. SPARKING CONNECTIONS: TEACHERS
McKinley Library
Website
Resources &
tips
Teachers on the
blog
What is helpful?

16. SPARKING CONNECTIONS: TEACHERS
Start small, keep
it simple
Demonstrate
what you can
offer
When in doubt,
offer food!

17. SPARKING CONNECTIONS: TEACHERS
“Knowledgeable,
flexible, and caring”
“It’s a pleasure to walk
into a school library and
feel so welcomed.”
“Warm and
welcoming”
“Available and
ready to offer
great
suggestions on
books, author
studies,
projects…”
“The way
you
incorporate
our
curriculum”
“Teachers are
taught how to
use a variety of
resources”
“Enthusiasm
about
reading”
“Relevant, current,
and exciting”

18. KINDLING COLLABORATION
Gathering
resources
Instructional
planning
Collaborative
rubrics &
assessment
Feedback &
reflection

19. A SCHOOL-WIDE APPROACH TO
RESEARCH
Collaboration
with teachers
Spiral approach
across all grade
levels
Involve parents

20. A SCHOOL-WIDE APPROACH TO
RESEARCH
ABCs of Note-
taking
Abbreviations
Bullet Points
Caveman
Language

21. GRADE 1
ANIMALS

22. GRADE 3
BIOGRAPHY

23. GRADE 4
COUNTRIES

24. GRADE 4
COUNTRIES

25. GRADE 6
WOMEN’S
HISTORY

26. SPARKING CONNECTIONS: FAMILIES
McKinley Library
Website
Promotion of
school/library
events
Reader’s advisory
& research tools
Other resources

27. SPARKING CONNECTIONS: FAMILIES
Open House
Book fairs
PTO meetings &
emails
Book donations
Family reading
night

28. SPARKING PROFESSIONAL
CONNECTIONS
Nerdy Book Club
Community blog based on sharing a
love of reading
edWeb
Free membership required; webinars &
community groups

29. SPARKING PROFESSIONAL
CONNECTIONS
Twitter (Tweet to Learn Livebinder)
Connect with authors, publishers, educators
#sharpschu – Monthly virtual book club
#titletalk – Monthly chat, last Sunday
#bookaday – Vacation reading challenge
#ksrachat – Monthly chat, 4th Thursday

30. THANK YOU!
Questions?
Contact:
LKStrohecker@hotmail.com
Twitter: @lkstrohecker