This is an excerpt from a very interesting article from American Libraries – the home of the ALA where you can always find good info from the profession. We are sharing some useful programming info below, and you can read the entire article right here.

All the very cool programs below could be implemented in your library! If you want to chat about some ideas to get started we are here to help you with your planning so that programs meet the needs of your community. We have mini-grants available for your library, to help with some start-up money. And we can refer to you to some other great library people all around the CMLE system, in every kind of school library, who are already trying out different programs.

There are more than 200 school libraries across the twelve counties of CMLE’s system – and we want to help all of you to provide great services (and programs!) to your communities. Being part of a system means we can rely on each other to provide stronger and better resources than any library can alone. Yes: It’s good to be part of a team!

Innovative ways to get more students—and staff—engaged with your space

By Chiquita Toure

“…As the year went on, I realized that prioritizing relationships with students, teachers, staff members, administrators, and parents was the best way to resolve the issue of an underutilized space. I was reminded that the quiet school library no longer exists. The school library needs to take on a different role as it caters to present-day academic and social needs. The reality of low circulation cannot overrule the necessity of being a learning hub where student meets student, staff member meets staff member, staff member meets students, and community meets school.

“We can be seen as “the place to be” through transformational thinking. Here are some ideas for getting the community to see the school library differently:

Start a virtual book club. Social media is second nature to students. Take book club selections and prompts online, and encourage all members of the school community to participate in a digital discussion.

Host brown-bag lunch workshops. For example, in my first year I hosted a Women’s History Month–themed event at which I invited professional women in the community to speak about their careers while students ate lunch in the library.

Start a writing center. I was honored whenever students solicited my advice on writing personal essays, college applications, résumés, and informational reports. Consider forming a student-led writing center. At our school, Warrior Words, a literary publication featuring poetry, prose, opinion, and artwork, was born from this group.

Hold information literacy sessions. Teach students serious search strategies and how to dig into noteworthy databases. Show them how to handle the overload of information by focusing on research questions, not topics.

Bring in storytellers. Who says high schoolers are too old to enjoy a professional storyteller? Students learn the significance of spoken language and how to honor oral history from our cultural bearers.

Put on music. After purchasing a Bluetooth speaker for the library, I found that playing music—reggae, gospel, jazz, pop, and rap—while students gathered to chat, play cards, put puzzles together, and study was an effective strategy to get students to visit more often.

Promote the library to instructors. Market the school library as an open space where educators from different disciplines can meet to showcase interactive learning and share their course reading.

Are we meeting the needs of a new generation of school library users? As models of professional learning, we must be prepared to take the community to a higher level of engagement.