Can you believe it’s that time again? School is back! With all the planning and preparation that goes into a school year, you may be looking for some additional inspiration for activities.

This article from the School Library Journal features 26 ideas from innovative library folk all over the country, preparing to start the school year off right. The topics featured are Reading, Tech, Passive and Participatory Programming, ELL Environments, and Research Support. See below for a few of the ideas featured in the article:

• In order to get his students engaged in election season, media specialist Travis Jonker in Michigan will have his students read a children’s book and then vote to elect their favorite character.
• School Librarian IdaMae Craddock in Virginia wants to take her Makerspace activities to the next step, by allowing her students to figure out ways to create and experiment without use of the kits’ instructions.
•  To help teens cope with stress and learn different ways to relax, Texas librarian Maggie Knapp will feature activities that are not technology based, like coloring books and puzzles.
• The reading buddies program started by librarian Alla Umanskaya in New York gives ELL students an opportunity to develop their English skills while keeping their native language abilities. Middle school and elementary students read together in both English and their families’ native languages.
• A new program that Oregon School Corps librarian Jacqui Partch helped introduce is aimed at helping middle and high school educators teach their students about digital citizenship, cyberbullying, and password safety.

Even if you don’t incorporate any of the ideas from the article, it’s fun to hear about what is happening in school libraries and media centers around the country!