Hacking School Libraries: 10 Ways to Incorporate Library Media Centers into Your Learning Community

by Kristina A. Holzweiss, Stony Evans

Now you can easily modernize your school library

Whether students are using books, audiobooks, ebooks, or Chromebooks, school libraries and school librarians are more relevant than ever. They are places for research, refuge, and reflection--where students create, collaborate, communicate, and develop skills in critical thinking and compassion.

Learn 10 ways to create the library learning environment that every child deserves.

In Hacking School Libraries, 2015 School Librarian of the Year, Kristina A. Holzweiss, and 2017 Sensational Student Voice Award finalist, Stony Evans, bring you 10 practical hacks that will help you create a welcoming and exciting school library program. They show you how to rethink your library to become the hub of the school community, whether you are a veteran librarian or just beginning your career.

Hacking School Libraries isn't just for librarians. It's for any educator who wants to learn how to transform your learning space provide hands-on learning opportunities empower your students bring curriculum to life differentiate instruction effectively raise funds advocate for modern school libraries establish global connections celebrate reading What the experts "When I learned that Kristina and Stony were writing a book to fit into one of my favorite series, I was so excited and couldn’t think of a better duo to do so! School librarians will find Hacking School Libraries such an amazing read and resource in so many ways. The hacks found in this book are terrific for any grade level and will help guide librarians to make a difference in their library, school, and community!" -Shannon McClintock Miller, Teacher Librarian and Iowa Future Ready Librarian Spokesperson

"Authors Kristina Holzweiss and Stony Evans are two of the most respected thought leaders and practitioners in the school library field. Their book, Hacking School Libraries, is an essential resource for any modern-day library media specialist. It is filled with actionable tips and strategies that anyone can easily implement tomorrow." -Laura Fleming, Library Media Specialist, bestselling author of Worlds of Making and The Kickstart Guide to Making Great Makerspaces

Grab Hacking School Libraries today, and incorporate library media centers into your learning community tomorrow.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Adult

200 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 4, 2018

About the author

Kristina A. Holzweiss is a middle school media specialist on Long Island, New York. She shares ideas and resources about her school library and makerspaces on her website bunheadwithducttape.com. Kristina was named the School Library Journal Librarian of the Year in 2015. She is also the winner of the 2015 NYSCATE Lee Bryant Outstanding Teacher Award and 2015 Long Island Technology Summit Fred Podolski Leadership and Innovation Award. Kristina was also selected by the National School Board as a 2016 - 2017 "20 to Watch" emerging education technology leader.

Kristina is the President of the nonprofit organization Long Island LEADS (longislandleaders.org), a community effort to learn, educate, advocate, develop, and support the maker movement and STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, art, and math). Long Island LEADS is a founding member of the Nation of Makers. In 2015 she founded SLIME - Students of Long Island Maker Expo (slimemakerexpo.com) where schools, libraries, museums, nonprofit organizations, civic associations, and educational companies can celebrate creativity and innovation.

Kristina is an international speaker on the libraries and the Maker Movement, and has presented at conferences including ISTE, AASL, ALA, and NYSCATE. In 2016 she was invited to represent Long Island, NY in Washington, D.C. during the National Week of Making.
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Reviews

[Michelle Glatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reas

This would be a great tool for new library media specialists, and it could also be energizing and inspiring to those of us with lots of years under our belt. I highly recommend the accompanying Facebook group, too.

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come after a quick reread.

[Laura Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for anyone starting out in librarianship or looking for fresh ideas. Full disclosure: I have a two page story in here from my library!!

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well organized, useful information for those looking to make improvements at their libraries. Not everything will be useful to every library, but interesting and a quick read.

[South Brunswick High School Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic, easy-to-read guide to updating your school library! All of the information shared was practical and easy to apply to fit the needs of your specific program. Excellent for a novice or more experienced school librarian.

[Denese Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be really good for those just beginning to work in a school library. Lots of helpful tips.

[Kathleen Barnet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hacking School Libraries is filled with practical, user-friendly tips and strategies that can be implemented one step at a time. The idea of asking oneself questions is helpful in focusing on one task at a time instead of being overwhelmed by the idea of changing the entire library at once. With schools generally being on tight budgets, the step about drafting a budget and seeking funding is very helpful to those who may not be sure where to start. Overall, it’s a must-have resource for every school!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great read for school librarians. Some of the "hacks" I already knew or do, but many others were inspiring and I have some new things that I'd like to try in my school. Easy to read, short chapters. Would recommend to school librarians at any stage of their career and at any grade level (K-12).

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good, practical ideas for school librarians.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but great book for making your school media center a hub for learning, especially in the elementary school. Many of them, I already knew, but it provided a great refresher, as well as reminders of valuable resources for enhancing teaching and programming.

[Tonya Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read for school librarians/media specialists, administrators, Library Science professors and students, and educators wanting to learn more about creating Future Ready schools. "Hacking School Libraries" is proving to be extremely helpful as my school district transitions to an updated model for school media programs.

A wide range of topics are included in the book; learn the authors (and others’) best tips for transforming spaces, creating makerspaces, empowering students, advocating for your library, making global connections, nurturing readers, and more. Media centers are really the most expensive room in the school. The chapter on funding tips can help you develop your own 21st century media center (or classroom!)

I have followed Holzweiss on social media for years. She’s always on the cutting edge of the newest tools and activities in education. She was one of the first school librarians I saw who had her students using Flipgrid, Breakout EDU, Bloxels, and so many other great resources. I am awestruck by her ingenuity and her passion for helping students and educators thrive. I also appreciate her ideas for empathy and diversity.

Stony Evans is another library hero of mine. His informative blog posts have helped me shape our current media program. This book is jam-packed with new ideas, highlights of programs around the country, and so much more. Thank you to both authors for creating this amazing resource for educators!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a profesisonal book, this is a great read for librarians or anyone who has a vested interest in school libraries. The information is presented concisely and is timely in its relevance with suggestions that are actually doable, for the most part. Of particular interest to me was the section on transforming the space as well as how to provide more hands-on learning opportunities for students. A good read and highly recommended.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for teacher librarians just starting out or for librarians that need a fresh perspective or ideas when changing schools. Not a lot of new ideas here if you are current on successful or trending library practices, but the break down of what you can do immediately and then long term are really great.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a MUST READ for school librarians - so much practical and applicable advice on how to make the library the heart of your school. Kudos to Kristina & Stony - best PD book for school librarians that I've read.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It had lots of great ideas that, with a little bit of creativity can be modified to fit a variety of school sizes and situations. It reinvigorated my passion for my job and encouraged me to try to do a lot of the activities I've always wanted to do, but have been hesitant to due to the size of my school and my fully fixed schedule. My only criticism of the book is that it is slightly outdated, and some of the resources and websites listed are no longer active. I would love to see a second edition published in which the resources are updated.

[Monica Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our elementary school librarians read Hacking School Libraries and did a book study. The hacks in this book are relevant, easy to implement and have so many applications for the school librarian. Each chapter is chock full of ideas and recommendations. The book is a quick and easy read and can also just be used as a reference guide. If you reach out to the author, she will respond to you, so friendly and helpful. Highly recommend!

[Nicci · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. There were a lot of good tips and ideas, but not a lot of it was "new." If you don't know that you need to advocate for your school library media center, then I'm not sure you would be reading this book. In my opinion this could use less discussion of your need to advocate and more discussion of practical tips to implement. I did find some new resources to use, so those specific tools mentioned were very helpful.

[Susan McGilvray · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many great ideas! Recommended for every school librarian! ❤️

[jahki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some ideas to 'hack' libraries - public school hacking?

[Monica Dyess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read to inspire and spark some ideas for my school library.

[Keely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for a work book study. It had some interesting ideas on how to get your school library to be relevant. Many of the ideas could easily be used in a classroom as well. Collaboration is key, along with setting up that welcoming learning environment to promote a positive reading culture.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book for school Librarians everywhere! I especially loved the "what YOU can do tomorrow" sections and all of the resources/links provided in the book. Great ideas throughout! We used this book for a book study with the elementary librarians in our district and it lead to rich conversation about things we are doing and things we would like to change. This book is great for professional development and would be a great addition to college courses for aspiring Library Media Specialists.