Welcome to September 2025. A month for learning, exploring, or maybe just recovering from the massive month of August. I am determined to get as much professional learning as I can this month, particularly around areas of interest and relevance to me. As always I have curated a wonderful list of…

School libraries have always been more than just a room full of books. Today, in an age of AI, a need to support young people’s wellbeing, misinformation, and a complex and confusion online world, they are essential hubs for every kind of literacy students need to thrive, from media and AI literacy…

We all know the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But in school libraries, students do it every day, and they should. Book covers are designed to sell book. They’re crafted by talented illustrators and graphic designers who know how to capture attention, adhere to trends, and entice…

August - a massive month in the school library calendar here in Australia and a big month of preparing to return to school in the northern part of the world. Between all the Book Week preparations and celebrations or holding onto your last bit of summer, you might find time to squeeze in some…

At the start of this year, I wanted to really focus on my library lessons and design them to be more strategic in what I wanted to achieve. As a teacher librarian, there is so much content to cover: curriculum unit related items, reading promotion and dedicated reading time, library skills,…

Cue the confetti. Madison’s Library, this little ol’ slice of the internet, is turning 10 years (and 6 months) old today. Okay, so I kind of missed the big milestone at the beginning of the year. I had no idea that I’d been writing, reviewing and sharing for 10 years. Here’s the old cliche, time…

Book Week is not far away. If you are a fan of dressing up or need a costume idea, why not dress up as a character from one of this year's CBCA Book of the Year Award Notables. Here's a list of costume ideas to get you started. #SchoolLibraries #BookWeek #BookWeek2025 #BookAnAdventure…

Need some extra bookmarks for your Book Week celebrations? Grab the download here madisonslibrary.com/2025/07/02/b... #BookWeek2025 #BookWeek #SchoolLibraries #BookAnAdventure

Sharing a few Book An Adventure themed bookmarks and images, perfect for creating book bags and t-shirts. #BookWeek2025 #BookAnAdventure #SchoolLibraries #Reading #Bookmarks #FreeDownload

Hello July. Here's a little list of professional learning for you this month. What are you enjoying learning about? #SchoolLibraries #ProfessionalLearning #ProfessionalDevelopment #Education #SchoolLibraryStaff #Learning

Firstly, I'm sorry I'm sharing this a few days late (June already people, it's hard to believe), I was busy having so much fun at the ASLA conference in Geelong over the weekend. It reminded me about the importance of making time for professional learning. While I curate these lists designed to…

Had the most wonderful time at the ASLA Conference in Geelong. Connecting, sharing and learning. Follow along for key takeaways, ideas and moments. #SchoolLibraries #ProfessionalLearning #ASLAConference2025

There is so much to love about a makerspace in the school libraries. And you can create one no matter the size of your budget. Makerspace allow you to have the resources on hand to support creativity and hands-on learning, and it's the perfect match for literature, learning and reading.  But with…

It was time for a change. Thanks to the incredible team, today we made some changes in the makerspace, moving the drone cage into a new position, moving the esports computers, moving prototyping material shelving. I love how it looks and feels!! #SchoolLibraries #Makerspace #Change #LibraryLife

Makerspaces in school libraries, the combination of creativity, hands on learning and literature. It’s a match made in heaven. Whether you want to reinvigorate your current makerspace or start one from scratch, it’s an easy thing to do no matter what sized space you have. Makerspaces in school…

It’s been ages since I’ve read a young adult contemporary romance this good. A romance with fairly low drama, with depth of character backstory, with a quick but authentic connection between our love interest and a setting that is relaxing and enjoyable and believable. Honestly, in a time where I’m…

If only I had more time to read. Can you relate? My next reading graphic design is all about how to make time for reading. You'll find all the downloadable templates on my website, along with the other graphics in this reading series. What reading topic would you like to see…

It's time for another month’s professional learning list (don't the months just fly by?) Whether you're looking for a three-day challenge to become a future-ready school library professional, up-skill on AI and digital fakes, or grab a resource to help you unpack the CBCA Book of the Year…

I love having a (rather large) makerspace in my school library. But even if your makerspace is a few items on a trolley or tray, a makerspace can have a big impact. Should we still be making space for making in our libraries? I explore the benefits and considerations of makerspaces in school…

Back to work for the start of Term 2. Lovely to be greeted with a lovely stack of new books - thank you #AmazingLibraryTech. #BackToWork #SchoolLibraries #Term2 #DayInTheLifeofATL #SchoolLibraryStaff #NewBooks

At the start of the school year, we had the opportunity to run a reading for wellbeing session with staff. I've done a write up of how we organised this - including a link to my favourite chocolate cake recipe (because snacks). #SchoolLibraries #Staff #Reading #Wellbeing #ProfessionalDevelopement

I am loving the new features shared in Canva Create. So many wonderful ways to expand on what we can do with Canva in the library and classroom, support teachers and students to use AI and bring their ideas to life. www.canva.com/canva-create/

Time for some more reading graphics. Back to the benefits of reading with this one, 15 graphics that highlight individual benefits of reading. They are animated, so can be used as videos, as well as printables or to display on screens and presentations. Who knows, maybe they'll inspire one of your…

I’m very much enjoying putting the finishing touches on my presentation for the TLPLC conference in May. Non-fiction is one of my favourite topics and there is so much to cover and so much to love about non-fiction. Register sites.google.com/syd.catholic... #SchoolLibraries #ProfessionalDevelopment

Shelving can really make or break a school library. It provides the home for our collection, the space to showcase books and tempt students with their next great read. But shelving can also make or break a space, providing flexibility or limiting the space. And you know it if your shelving doesn't…

A small but mighty list of professional learning for school library staff for April 2025. I hope you find something to inspire you this month. #SchoolLibraries #ProfessionalLearning #AI #Education #Webinars #Podcasts

It's time for more reading graphics. I'm having lots of fun creating these graphics. Graphic number 3 is all about how to make reading a habit. Starting small, celebrating successes and creating a routine can all help create a habit. Download, edit, print, share - these graphics can be used in…

Are you starting to plan for Book Week 2025? I'm hoping to get a bit more organised this year, so I've started with a list of possible activities and ideas that fit the theme - Book An Adventure. How are you planning to celebrate? #BookWeek2025#BookWeek#BookWeek #SchoolLibraries #BookAnAdventure

I am having so much fun updaying my Techy Tidings. Any familiar tools? www.edgenie.org/12-days-of-t...

Back by popular demand...it's Edcamp Cardigan Camp! Call for proposals: forms.gle/DZ7n8qDTJuMQ... Edcamp Cardigan Camp is the only free, 24 hour, international, virtual event for librarians and people who love libraries.

Junior Library renovation update - while we wait for the completion of the space, it’s awesome to see the arrival of some of our design and feature pieces, like the hero dots that were colour matched to our design. Can’t wait to see them in place and bringing colour and fun to the space.

Instead of moving all my to-do list items from today's list to tomorrow's, I think I'll just rename Tuesday, Monday. Might save me some time. #SchoolLibraries #ToDoLists #NeverDone #Schoollibrarian

A few free downloads to get ready for Book Week 2024 - Bookmarks, Badges, and images for T-Shirts and Tote bags. #BookWeek2024 #ReadingIsMagic #Bookmarks #FreeDownload #SchoolLibraries madisonslibrary.com/2024/03/12/b...

Thanks to everyone who asked for more details about this. Here is a rundown of my Fairy Tale Library Lesson using personality quizzes and AI image generation. Super easy, lots of fun and great for digital literacy skills. madisonslibrary.com/2024/02/26/f... #AI #SchoolLibraries #LibraryLessons

Looking for school librarians to be a part of the weekly podcast. Choose a prompt and make a VM and you’ll be on the next episode. bit.ly/3UTfSax

Join us this Sunday at 7pm est as we discuss the importance of, “Celebrating ALL the Wins….No Matter the Size.” #BossLibrarianChat www.clubhouse.com/invite/DwdIq...

TY @madisonslibrary.bsky.social! Providing PD is an important way librarians make ourselves essential to our school communities. apple.co/48ur8xt

How do you empty and move an entire Library in two hours? Because you have to and you have the most incredible Library Team. Superpower on full show as we moved literal mountains (of books, shelves and resources) today. #SchoolLibraries #SchoolLibraryTeams #MovingALibrary

Learn why #DigitalCuration is so powerful for school librarians, and how to curate digital resources effectively. Register for the free Leap into the Future of School Libraries Conference, Feb 29. REGISTER: ischool.sjsu.edu/special-even... #SchoolLibraries

Do you love weeding or loathe it! Either way, it’s a vital library task that must be done. Here’s how I like to approach weeding a school library collection madisonslibrary.com/2024/02/12/t... #SchoolLibraries #CollectionDevelopment

Digital curation is a big part of my role and the start of the school year means new LibPaths for subject units and updating the general resource and how-to pages, including the multimedia, podcasting and artificial intelligence LibPaths. #SchoolLibraries #LibPaths #ResearchGuides #DigitalCuration

Hey school librarians!!! Enjoying your cold/snow day?!?! ❄️☃️How about sharing a voice recording for an upcoming episode "Hills I'll Die On" 🎧🎙️💡 bit.ly/3TI7aeN

Spent the last two days rearranging the Library space. So happy with the end result. Feels so much better, more open, actually has a useable teaching area, makes use of the flow and connection to other areas. So grateful to everyone who helped, especially @timodesignspace.bsky.social #SchoolLibrary

A treasure trove of reading and writing for pleasure research from Open University ourfp.org/publications/ #SchoolLibraries #ReadingCulture

After a wonderful break of switching off from social media (mostly) and trying not to think about work (sort of) I have been diving into Dr Merga’s new book Creating A Reading Culture. How will you be supporting reading and reading culture this year? #ReadingCultures #SchoolLibraries

Check out this NCTE article about elevating #nonfiction in the ELA classroom. tinyurl.com/ynm5twxu

NEW on the blog today! 🌟 The start of a new year is a great time for a reset -- to take a look at your workflow and decide if there are ways to save time during the school week. 🎉 Here is the new blog post: classtechtips.com/2024/01/03/l...

Always love receiving the ALIA Professional Development newsletter each month. A great way to kickoff the new year. #SchoolLibraries #ProfessionalDevelopment #ALIA

Happy 2024! Here are a bunch of #YA #books releasing this year! All 10 slides are linked in my bio! #bookrecommendations #books #library #librarian #librarians

Calling all school librarians! Start 2024 with some fun and call in your response. bit.ly/JanFebcallin