Overview

Step into a world where school libraries are genuinely transformative environments, promoting active learning, literacy, and connection. In this hands-on guide, author Hannah Little passionately advocates for recognizing school library spaces as catalysts for student success through informative interviews, enlightening case studies, and immersive facility tours. With a practical lens, this guide unveils a wealth of ideas for creating an enticing entrance that beckons students into a realm of knowledge. It emphasizes the importance of comfort and sensory engagement, fostering collaboration and active learning, and providing serene havens for focused work. Creating spaces for community, teaching, and learning, nurturing social interactions, and establishing the library as the vibrant heart of the school community, A Sense of Place inspires administrators and board members to embrace the library as an essential component of the educational ecosystem. Additionally, this guide equips librarians with indispensable insights on efficiency in the library space and offers tips for seamless collaboration with administrators. By integrating user experience principles and embracing Oldenburg's “third place” concept, the book unveils how libraries can create an immersive and captivating experience for all stakeholders involved. Whether you seek inspiration for designing cutting-edge facilities or transforming existing spaces into warm and welcoming environments, this guide helps ensure that your school library becomes an inviting sanctuary that fosters learning and enriches the lives of its users.

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Reviews

Hannah has written a thoughtful and engaging work that underscores the essential role of school libraries and the professionals who lead them. This book provides readers with a clear understanding of the multifaceted responsibilities of school librarians and the significant impact they have on student learning and school culture. It also serves as a valuable resource for those seeking practical strategies to advocate for school libraries and their continued relevance in education. -- Blake Hopper * Assistant Principal (former school librarian) Tazewell - New Tazewell Primary School *

A thoughtful and engaging work that underscores the essential role of school libraries and the professionals who lead them. This book provides readers with a clear understanding of the multifaceted responsibilities of school librarians and the significant impact they have on student learning and school culture. It also serves as a valuable resource for those seeking practical strategies to advocate for school libraries and their continued relevance in education. -- Blake Hopper * Assistant Principal (former school librarian) Tazewell - New Tazewell Primary School, USA * Packed with inspiring real-world scenarios, solid evidence and practical advice, A Sense of Place is at once a call to action, a roadmap for creativity and innovation, and a powerful tool for planning and advocacy. Hannah Byrd Little’s cohesive message describes the critical human connections that elevate school libraries and make them places, not mere spaces in our schools. Little makes the clear case that ""it Is not a library without a librarian,"" and with each chapter illustrates the multiple ways in which school libraries led by qualified librarians are essential and irreplaceable places within a school’s learning community. In response to the alarming trends of library closures, shrinking spaces, and the elimination of professional positions, this essential book provides administrators, educators, and librarians with compelling evidence and research-backed strategies needed to ensure school libraries remain as dynamic places evolving at the heart of student engagement, academic exploration, belonging, and community within our schools. -- Joyce Kasman Valenza * Associate Teaching Professor, Rutgers University, SC&I, USA *

Author Information

Hannah Byrd Little is the director of the library and archives at a top independent international college-preparatory school. An ALA, AASL, and ACRL member, she writes a monthly article for the AASL Knowledge Quest website and has written several articles for the same print journal. She was the 2022–2023 chair of the AASL Independent School Section and was recognized as an AASL Social Media Superstar in 2019 for Sensational Student Voice.

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