Today is National Library Worker's Day!

Here is one of my favorite authors and humans, Jason Reynolds, talking about libraries and librarians (it is from a few years ago). 

I'd like to thank all of the librarians and library aides and student aides I have had the privilege to encounter and work with! Most of you at Spring Harbor probably don't remember Mrs. Lazorik, but she was the nurses aide and library aide when I started working here and she was such a joy to work with!  She loved the students and helped me, new to middle school and being a full time librarian, find my way!  She also kept the library clean and the circulation desk organized! I have not done a great job of the clean and organized desk since she left 🤔.  When we can have visitors back in the school building maybe you will meet her because she is such a great human (another one of my favorite humans) that she comes in and volunteers to help shelve books or process books... in other words, she comes in an volunteers to do the job she used to get paid for!  Thanks Mrs. Lazorik!

And... if you need any reminders about why school librarians are important see below... (click on the first image to open it up so you can zoom in to read it better).

It's School Library Month!!!

 

April is School Library Month (and this week is National Library Week) and we will be celebrating all month long!  Each day I will post something about the library or other library related things... and will also be highlighting what YOU want to share!  I'll be asking YOU to share some of your favorite books, booktoks, stories about the library, etc. to feature on this blog. 

As a librarian, I buy all types of books so that everyone can see themselves represented in stories AND so that you can also read about people unlike yourself, to see how other people navigate the world.  I believe in Intellectual Freedom and the Library Bill of Rights, that you have the choice to choose what you read or do not read.  I mention this, because in September/October each year we celebrate Banned Book Week... that is not a time to celebrate the banning of books though... this is a week where we talk about Intellectual Freedom and the freedom we have to read what we want.  We look at what books have been banned and challenged and many of them are some of your (and my) favorite books. 

I know it is April, and not Banned Book Week, but today is the day that the American Library Association released the most banned/challenged books of 2020. One of the things I love most about the book talks I do with students around banned/challenged books is the outrage I see and hear about "Why is this book banned?" and that, "This is my favorite book ever!"  I hear you and I see you! Look over this years list of the top 10 most banned/challenged books and the reasons for them. You can see former lists here as well. 

Here is a video presenting 2020's top 10 that shows reasons why they have been challenged"

Here is a list with some more explanation of the reasons for being challenged (if you open the link you can zoom in so you can read the explanations clearly).

Here are reasons for books being challenged... the words that appear bigger are the reasons that were brought up the most.