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Becky Sniffen, librarian from the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School in Hadley, and Alissa Rosellini, Lower School Librarian at Brimmer and May School in Chestnut Hill, are going to be at the MSLA conference evangelizing Battle of the Books. Both librarians are fostering this program in Massachusetts, bringing their experiences from Oregon and Montreal. The pair hope to bring structure and sustainability to this quiz-show style program, where teams battle at local, and then (eventually, hopefully) regional and statewide levels to, as Alissa puts it, “combine a love of reading and a love of competition.” They’d like your help, too! Becky and Alissa are already thinking of next year’s battles, and if you want to get involved, email Becky at [email protected]. Links for those curious: https://www.oregonbattleofthebooks.org/  https://www.massbook.org/mass-book-awards/  https://www.salemstate.edu/mcba  https://www.massbook.org/readingchallenge  World Read Aloud Day, https://www.litworld.org/world-read-aloud-day  https://www.rituhemnani.com/lion-of-the-sky  Sora.com The Unforgettable Logan Foster, https://www.shawnpeterswrites.com/  https://www.mateenchoicebook.org/  https://battleofthebooksgt.org/  Wrath of the Rain God, https://karlavalenti.com/books/legendarios-book-1/  Duel, https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Duel/Jessixa-Bagley/9781534496545

Wilson Middle School (Natick) Special Education Administrator Andrea Gellerstein and children’s book author Erin Dionne are not only friends, but library advocates! They joined us to discuss ideas professional and personal that can help our practice in school libraries. Erin is presenting at the Mass Reading Conference (https://www.massreading.org/-conference), being held just prior to the MSLA conference and also judged in the MSLA bookmark contest. We discuss genre, AI, educating the next generation of writers and the library’s role in these ideas. Discussed stuff: Montserrat College of Art, Prof. Erin Dionne, https://www.montserrat.edu/staff/erin-dionne/  Kate Messner, Trouble with Heroes Renee Watson’s All the Blues in the Sky The Civil War of Amos Abernathy Michael Leali Special Teams by Fred Bowen History Smashers, Kate Messner Loree Griffin Burns, https://loreeburns.com/  Nancy Costaldo, https://nancycastaldo.com/  Melissa Stewart, https://melissa-stewart.com/  Brian Lies, https://www.brianlies.com/  Christine Soontornvat, All 13 https://soontornvat.com/ Christine Soontornvat, Wish in the Dark Christine Soontornvat, Last Mapmaker Erin Dionne, Shiver by the Sea, https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/VE6/shiver-by-the-sea/ Stephen King The House with a Clock in Its Walls, John Bellairs Fainth Erin Hicks, Universal Monsters: The Mummy https://www.skybound.com/universal-monsters-the-mummy/comics/issue-1  Brian “Smitty” Smith, Meet Ballpoint! https://conskipper.com/transformers-worst-bot-ever-meet-ballpoint-creators-brian-smitty-smith-and-marz-jr-the-conskipper-interview/  Hunger Games David Kelly, Ballpark Mysteries, https://davidakellybooks.com/books/series/ballpark-mysteries/  Jarrett Lerner, https://jarrettlerner.com/  Anthropic AI Class Action Lawsuit, https://www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/   If Looks Could Kill, Julie Berry https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/If-Looks-Could-Kill/Julie-Berry/9781534470811 Eli Brown, Oddity, https://www.eli-brown.com/  Eli Brown, Mooncussers Justina Ireland, Dread Nation, https://www.harpercollins.com/products/dread-nation-justina-ireland?variant=40827474313250  Warrior Girl Unearthed, Angeline Boulley, https://angelineboulley.com/  Shrinking, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15677150/  How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, https://www.netflix.com/title/81758849?fromWatch=true Derry Girls, https://www.channel4.com/programmes/derry-girls

Heather Thore on the campaign trail: join us for a discussion of action research into PBIS, passion for ed tech efficacy, leadership development at the South Carolina Association of School Librarians, and the transparency she hopes to bring to the AASL. Check out the candidate announcement for voting details: https://www.ala.org/news/2025/12/aasl-announces-candidates-2026-election. Robert Anderson Middle School https://robertanderson.anderson5.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=3721029&type=d&pREC_ID=2428584  Heather's research thesis: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QQOuj20OWYwXF3chY9CY23arm6K2XNYE/view SCASL https://www.scasl.net/  SCASL Summer Institute https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kx6KgBVDd8nKI5y6n0ZuQojyFGxbAL3zV1x0093GXEc/edit?tab=t.0  Ozo bots https://ozobot.com/  Sphero https://sphero.com/  3D Pens https://the3doodler.com/ Get Involved Form https://www.ala.org/aboutala/committees/volunteer/frm_vol  Capella Univeristy https://www.capella.edu/ Positive Behaiovr Intervention and Supports (PBIS) https://www.pbis.org/  North Carolina School Library Media Association (NCSLMA) — https://www.ncslma.org/  ABC - CLIO Leadership Grant https://www.ala.org/grants/abc-clio-leadership-grant  Gloria Ladson-Billings https://ed.stanford.edu/about/community/gloria-ladson-billings  Culturally Responsive Learning https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/culturally-responsive-teaching-culturally-responsive-pedagogy/2022/04  Trauma Informed Teaching https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/trauma-informed-practices  Freida McFadden, https://www.freidamcfadden.com/  Found, https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/found-release-date-news

By focusing on asks for "little things that bring you joy," to bring volunteers en masse and generate involvement, Barabra Johnson talks AASL Presidential Candidacy on this episode. We discuss her "say yes" attitude, her journey to becoming the Instructional Technology Coordinator for Colchester Public Schools, and  CTs response to artificial intelligence. Check out the candidate announcement for voting details: https://www.ala.org/news/2025/12/aasl-announces-candidates-2026-election.  https://www.colchesterct.org/technology-services-home  Maureen Schloser https://maureenschlosser20.wixsite.com/mysite  Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries https://www.bushcenter.org/topics/education/laura-bush-foundation-for-americas-libraries Joyce Valenza https://joycevalenza.me/  Sarah Kelly Johns https://ischool.syracuse.edu/sara-kelly-johns-2/#Biography CASL https://casl.wildapricot.org/  AASL Board https://www.ala.org/aasl/about/board  AASL Strategic Plan https://www.ala.org/aasl/about/govern/strategic-plan  Report of the Educators’ Common Core Implementation Task Force https://aftct.org/sites/aftct.org/files/ccss_task_force_report_0.pdf  Knowledge Quest https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/ Nerd Camp CT http://www.nerdcampct.org/  Iowa HSB 636 https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/iowa-bill-ban-public-school-172706563.html  Connecticut SB-1271 https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2025-09-15/connecticut-school-library-book-ban-law-2025  Allison Klein, Interim Executive Director, https://www.ala.org/aasl/about/staff  ALA Public Policy and Advocacy https://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/ppa  ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom https://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/oif  Florida Library Assocation https://www.flalib.org/  Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME) https://www.floridamediaed.org/  Amanda Jones https://ilovelibraries.org/article/librarian-named-to-times-list-of-the-worlds-most-influential-rising-stars/  The Librarians https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywQOCY-qDzE  CT Data Center https://www.wshu.org/connecticut-news/2026-02-27/ct-ai-data-centers-regulations  The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits, report says, NPR https://www.npr.org/2026/01/14/nx-s1-5674741/ai-schools-education  Let Them https://www.melrobbins.com/book/the-let-them-theory/  That Librarian https://soundcloud.com/bloomsburypublishing/that-librarian-by-amanda-jones  The Compound, https://www.irishbookawards.ie/nominee/the-compound/  Membership Withdrawals / Bans, https://bookriot.com/states-where-librarians-cannot-join-the-ala/

LISTEN UP YOU MEDALING KIDS! Wendy MacArthur, Hopkinton Middle School librarian, served on the AASL Odyssey Award Committee and Laura Gardner, Dartmouth Middle School librarian, served on the Alex Award Committee. ‘What was that like?’ we ask, and, what does it take to do it yourself? Reach us at [email protected] Resources Discussed: https://www.ala.org/news/2026/01/american-library-association-announces-2026-youth-media-award-winners  https://www.mateenchoicebook.org/  ​​https://www.ala.org/aasl/awards (Sybil, Alex, Newbery, Caldecott, Odyssey, Pura Belpre, Printz, Sibert, quick picks for Reluctant Young Readers, et. al.) Eyes of the Impossible, Dave Eggers Soundtrack, Jason Reynolds The Dead of Summer, Ryan La Sala Trans History, Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett Don’t Trust Fish, By Neil Sharpson On Tour Illustrated by Dan Santat On Tour YALSA https://www.ala.org/yalsa  YSBR https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/  SLJ https://www.slj.com/  Morris Seminar Heavy Medal: The Mock Newbery Blog Betsy Bird Sonita, Sonita Alizada https://www.zoom.com/

Former library director, school librarian, and current Director of Outreach for the MSLA, Deborah Froggatt, visits with ideas for advocacy, big and small! Lots of details are below, but Debbie's work reaches into areas beyond the school walls to bring to light and improve the work we do. Boston Arts Academy, https://bostonartsacademy.org/ MA Association of Libraries Legislative committee, https://mla.wildapricot.org/committees/legislative/ H.3595 EBook Bill, https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H3595.Html S.2696 An Act regarding free expression, passed in senate, https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2696 Milton Public Library, https://miltonlibrary.org/  Ipswich Public Library, https://www.ipswichlibrary.org/  S.428 / H.4207, An Act Relative to Effective School Library Programs, https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4207/BillHistory  NE Commission of Higher Ed. standards, https://www.neche.org/standards-for-accreditation/  MSLA Standards One Pager, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jNhq19tK5YEAww-tTy8rxaH7BIBFX6mh/view Nov. 12th Hearing Video: https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/5459  MA Teacher Assocation Boston Teacher Union, https://btu.org/  MASS Cue Northeast Regional Library System (Now MLS) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Library_System  Media Literacy Now!, Media Literacy in Massachusetts: A Landscape Scan and Policy Recommendations Samantha Harvey, Orbital, https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/orbital  Patrick Ryan, Buckeye, https://patrickryanbooks.com/books/buckeye/

Westborough Elementary School Librarian Teacher Laura D’Elia joins us for a feast of topics for the holidays. In the conversation: introverts at library conferences, a report from AASL featuring strategies to network and not go mad with a huge schedule; a screening of The Librarians, special education in the library, digital literacy, and AASL standards to plan around. Also, DESE’s new Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (SISP) Rubrics and the stigmas associated with elementary libraries. For desert: romantasy. Thanks for listening. MA Library System: https://masslibsystem.org/ The Librarians https://thelibrariansfilm.com/  Diverse Book Finder https://diversebookfinder.org/  Ashley Scotto, We are All Readers: Story Immersion and Creative Techniques to Engage Elementary Special Education: https://aasl.secure-platform.com/2025/solicitations/102001/sessiongallery/94101 Marie Langevin, Using the AASL Standards in Elementary School Library Instruction https://aasl.secure-platform.com/2025/solicitations/102001/sessiongallery/94266 Think / Create / Share / Grow, AASL standards: https://standards.aasl.org/  Kristen Mattson, Hacking Digital Citizenship into Your Read Aloud https://aasl.secure-platform.com/2025/solicitations/102001/sessiongallery/94151  https://www.teachdigcit.com/  https://ischool.illinois.edu/people/kristen-mattson  Night Owl, https://www.toniyuly.com/night-owl  Common Sense Media, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/what-we-stand-for/digital-literacy-and-citizenship  Digger and the Flower, https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-digger-and-the-flower-joseph-kuefler?variant=32130863530018  SSIP — https://www.doe.mass.edu/edeval/rubrics/updates/ Librarians SSIP–  Romantasy, https://www.penguin.co.uk/discover/articles/best-romantasy-books The Hobbit Fourth Wing Throne of Glass Ender’s Game Ready Player One Quicksilver by Callie Hart, https://calliehart.com/elementor-3349/ Seth Ring, https://sethring.com/

School Librarian Susan Harari, most recently of Boston Latin School, and Librarian Stephanie Tournas from the Robbins Library in Arlington, are the co-editors of the Youth Services Book Review blog. This volunteer labor-of-love is supported by 30 librarian writers, just under a third of which are school librarians, and serves as everything from a community-grown promotional resource, a form of professional development, a networking tool, and whatever you make it! Want to get involved? They’re always looking for new writers! Apply at https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/how-it-works/  Mentioned media: Publisher’s Spotlight Publisher’s Weekly Horn Book School Library Journal Deep Work, Cal Newport Grin, D.W. Gillespie Gordon Korman Shackled, Candy Cooper ⁠ Poisoned Water, Candy Cooper Death in the Jungle, Candace Fleming Notorious RBG, Young Readers Edition, Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik Scott Campbell’s Cabin Head and Tree Head Transit Children’s Editions Astro, by Manuel Marsol Donutella Hamachi and the Library Avengers Book, Kim Chi and Stephan Lee Enchanted Lion North South Buzz Boom Bang, Benjamin Gottwald Post Wave Museum of Shapes, Sven Völker Moomins! Nine Open Arms, Benny Lindelauf Finn’s War, Benny Lindelauf My Friend Mae, Julie Flett Greystone Books

MSLA Forum Editor Laura Gardner talks with friend Aaryn Silva, the cataloging middle school librarian from the Kinkaid School, an independent K-12 campus in Houston, Texas. Laura dubs her friend a fellow “monster reader,” and they discuss connecting on Bookstagram, the experience of being a librarian in Texas, the power of faculty book clubs, Labubus, censorship, social media habits, and what they’ve been reading.  Thanks for listening, and if you’d like to get involved or have an idea for the podcast reach out at [email protected]. Ideas discussed: @Librarianaaryn Insta Unstoppable Ambassador: Laura Gardner, 2016 School Librarian of the Year Finalist  SB 13 Implementation, Texas Library Association HB 900 Implementation, Texas Library Association The Kinkaid School, Libraries Go On A Whimsy Adventure And I'll Tell You Which Labubu You're Most Like, Buzzfeed  2026 Alex Award Committee Houston Area Independent Schools Library Network  MA Teen Choice Book Award  Children and YA Book Lovers Awards John Newbery Medal Busted, Dan Gemeinhart    The Road to Tender Hearts, Annie Hartnett Run for the Hills, Kevin Wilson Nothing to See Here, Kevin Wilson Candle Island, Lauren Wolk Wild Dark Shore, Charlotte McConaghy Impossible Creatures, Katherine Rundell The Poisoned King, Katherine Rundell Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures, Katherine Rundell Unwind, Neal Shusterman Blood in the Water, Tiffany Jackson April Henry The Scammer, Tiffany Jackson Please Pay Attention, Jamie Sumner False Prince, Jennifer Nielsen I Survived series Magnitude, Jennifer Nielsen The Strongest Heart, Saadia Faruqi Here I Am, I Am Me: An Illustrated Guide to Mental Health, Cara Bean Susan Hood Blue Willow Book Shop, Houston TX Tommy Greenwald Dinged, Tommy Greenwald Select, Christie Matheson Shaken, James Preller Jazz Owls: A Novel of the Zoot Suit Riots, Margarita Engle Gordon Korman The Remarkable Jounrey of Coyote Sunrise, Dan Gemeinhart Forget Me Not, Ellie Terry

MCTBA voting opens Sept. 15th-- time to promote! Wendy MacArthur, Hopkinton Middle School librarian, started her library career in the award’s debut year. She joins the pod to talk about the nuts and bolts of running an award like this (the group is already meeting to pitch books for next year's ballot), how to get involved and pitch books, and the intriguing tribulations of reading as- or for- a younger audience. Episode also features exclusive insider info on the storied bloodbath meeting the group convenes to decide final nominees! Welcome to a new year of the MSLA podcast. Visit https://www.mateenchoicebook.org/ for socials, promotional materials, booklists, and use this link to get the ballots.

Librarian, assistive technology specialist, and author John O’Sullivan has written several books, has worked as a special education teacher, and joins us for this episode. As an avid reader of technology press, an integration specialist, and computer teacher, he brings skills honed at his job at Chelmsford High School to volunteer efforts for the MSLA and MassCUE. In the 1970s John was among the first special needs students to enter school under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This experience influrnece his career path to becoming a provider of these services. Technology has evolved to such a point, John says, where assistive technology is a part of our everyday lives, but understanding how and why it can be integrated into a curriculum is a step librarians can take to become better community assets. His latest book Technology for English Language Learners opens with some of his own story followed by a run through of tech basics for teachers with ELL students in their classrooms. Relevant links are below: Technology for English Language Learners  Apple Books – https://books.apple.com/us/book/technology-for-english-language-learners/id6503222438  Google Books – https://books.google.com/books/about/Technology_for_English_Language_Learners.html?id=gUYKEQAAQBAJ  John’s UDL Technology website: https://udltechnology.com/  Teachers Awesome App Guide: Apple Books - https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-teachers-awesome-app-guide/id854086263  Google Books - https://books.google.com/books?id=UoVFAwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false  How-to-Fix Chromebooks class: https://chs.chelmsfordschools.org/about-chelmsford-high-school/library/chromebook-repairs/  Learning Ally: https://learningally.org/solutions-for-home/college-adults  The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE): https://iste.org/  MassCUE: https://www.masscue.org/  James Tynion IV: https://imagecomics.com/creators/james-tynion-iv Frank Miller: https://frankmillerink.com/

Bindy Fleischman, Massachusetts State Ambassador for the International Board on Books for Young People (iBBy) spoke with us this spring about her involvement with international children’s books. We discuss areas of translation, statelessness, illustration reading differently in different places, the publishing industry, and universal design for reading. Thanks for listening! Links, resources and topics below: International Children’s Library, Hamburg https://www.ijb.de/en/about-us/the-international-youth-library  Jella Lepman https://www.ibby.org/about/jella-lepman-medal  Bridges ed. by Bindy https://www.usbby.org/bridges-newsletter/representation-visibility-and-opportunities  The Silent Books Project  https://www.ibby.org/awards-activities/activities/silent-books  Dutch Foundation for Literature https://www.letterenfonds.nl/en  USBBY / REFORMA https://www.usbby.org/uploads/1/0/7/0/107064867/aldana_report_on_usbby_ibby_support_in_central_america_.pdf  Leigh Turina, https://www.ibby-canada.org/newsletters/qa-with-leigh-turina/  IBBY Collection for Young People with Disabilities, Toronto PL, https://www.ibby.org/awards-activities/activities/ibby-collection-for-young-people-with-disabilities  Leandra Elion, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study & Human Development, https://as.tufts.edu/epcshd/  IBBY Honor List, https://www.ibby.org/awards-activities/activities/ibby-collection-for-young-people-with-disabilities/2023-ibby-selection-of-outstanding-books-for-young-people-with-disabilities Bologna Book Fair, https://www.bolognachildrensbookfair.com/en/home/878.html Mem Fox, https://memfox.com/  Ibby Calendar of events, https://www.ibby.org/news-calendar/ibby-calendar-2024

The inimitable Tressa Santillo joins us to talk about the #1 enrolled collective school digital book collection in New England (also #2 in the country, and #3 in the world)– the MA Commonwealth eBook Collection and its interface app, SORA. Join us for a talk about usability, applications for school libraries, the interface, how usage skyrocketed during COVID, curations, lending models and a lot more. Below are links and deadlines for adding this collection to your district: MA Commonwealth eBook Collection Renewal is happening right now, enrolled school librarians should have received an email to renew. Let Tressa know what the summer reading titles for your school will be so she can see if they are available to turn on for simultaneous use. Enroll in the MA Commonwealth Collection, via SORA connection to your school, starts in July, goes until December. Curriculum Requests: https://masslibsystem.libwizard.com/f/ceccurr  Title Suggestion for collection: https://masslibsystem.libwizard.com/f/cecpurchase  Collections: https://soraapp.com/library/masslibma/collections Skip the Line collection: ⁠https://soraapp.com/library/masslibma/curated-1539386/titles⁠ Real-time Dashboard: https://insights.overdrive.com/dashboards/b20f0f7943574bd88377dd9eb1bd0651 Diary of a Wimpy Kid https://wimpykid.com/ Taylor Swift https://www.taylorswift.com/ Karen McManus https://www.karenmcmanus.com/

Magenta Jasinski talks about work-life balance, being a Simmons student in two MA programs, and feeling awkward at the conference (not this one, the one we had in Amherst). They are self-described as “Your favorite Simmons student (who's drowning in research projects),” so Ella and Luke asked about those, plus their work at the Benjamin G. Brown Elementary School in Somerville and involvement in LOTS of different things. Topics discussed listed below, and congratulations to the recent graduates of library programs! Happy Spring! Q/T library: https://www.qtlibrary.org/store  WBUR Q/T Library interview: https://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2023/08/28/boston-library-lgbtq-community-sober  Cape Cod Toy Library https://www.capecodtoylibrary.org/  Gholdy Muhammad’s Historically Responsive Literacy Framework https://hillpedagogies.com/about/  Wrinkle in Time, https://www.madeleinelengle.com/books/middle-grade-young-adult/a-wrinkle-in-time/  Harry Potter, https://www.wizardingworld.com/  Divergent, https://veronicarothbooks.com/books/divergent/  Moonflower, Kacen Callender https://www.kacencallender.com/  Magical Adventures of Pretty Pearl, Virginia Hamilton, https://www.virginiahamilton.com/virginia-hamilton-books/the-magical-adventures-of-pretty-pearl/  Ghost in the Shell, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RF09G8Ymqg  Cross-stitch  Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems, https://www.pigeonpresents.com/books/dont-let-the-pigeon-drive-the-bus/   Shackled, by Candy J. Cooper, https://astrapublishinghouse.com/product/shackled-9781662620133/  The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden, https://katherineardenbooks.com/  Simmons University Student’s Snippets Blog

I’ts advocacy update time with Dr. Georgina Trebbe and Dr. Deborah Froggatt, school librarians, one current and one retired, who are working on statewide advocacy efforts through the MSLA and other organizations to provide each school with a “Licensed School Library teacher that earns certification”. Georgina and Deb talk to Luke and Ella about the different advocacy fronts– local, statewide, and federal– that impact our profession. And with so many different fronts, there are so many different ways to get involved: visit the Everyday Advocacy page on the MSLA website or check out the links below, all of which are mentioned in the ep: H.3239: An Act empowering library access to electronic books and digital audiobook. Censorship bills: HD.4389, HD.4443 and SD.2679 MBLC '25 Legislative Agenda: Top Five Reasons for a licensed School Library Teacher in Every School Massachusetts School Library Study: Equity and Access for Students in the Commonwealth, 2018 Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting and agendas  MA DESE livestream  Programing the Acceleration of Computing & Equity (PACE),   Anne DeMallie, dir. Of STEM at DESE. NEASC Standards  Pressley unveils bill to confront rise in book bans…  Ayanna Pressley Convenes Authors, Educators, & Advocates at Library of Congress to Discuss Book Bans (YouTube)  EveryLibrary Institute John Chrastka, Executive Director Legislative Breakfast info: from MA Library Association or just email Debbie at [email protected]