End of school year, 2025-2026

What an amazing final week of school at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts: with a Pride celebration that united our community, followed the very next day by a Promotion Ceremony for our departing eighth-graders.
https://youtu.be/dGNPPg2g1NE

H.R. 2616, another tool for censorship

Among worrying legislation at the federal level, H.R. 2616 recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. It’s troubling enough that, under certain circumstances, schools would be forced to “out” trans students to their parents, but I’m concerned about Section 3’s prohibition against “teaching or advancing gender ideology.”

Endlessly Ever After by Laurel Snyder and Dan Santat

Ever since the arrival in my library of Endlessly Ever After by Laurel Snyder and Dan Santat, I’ve looked forward to featuring it as a read-aloud. It features choose-your-own-adventure storytelling similar to the mass-market books I used to devour as a young person: except that Endlessly Ever After is a beautiful example of the picture-book format with its lavish, full-color, and evocative illustrations. This week, I debuted it with my school’s two third-grade classes; each class experienced a very different outcome as determined by the choices they voted upon each step along the way. Endlessly Ever After was the winner, in 2026, of the California Young Reader Medal in its “Primary” category.

Don’t comply with censorship in advance

In his recently published short book of essays, Mac Barnett emphasized the importance of children finding their experiences and emotions reflected in the stories they read. His observation was made against a backdrop of ever-increasing attempts to remove books from libraries that disproportionately target books by authors of color and authors who are LGBTQIA+.

Recent arrivals in SRCSA library: Books with YA appeal

I recently accepted an invitation to select books from the library of a local middle school that is slated to close. It was a great opportunity to add books to SRCSA library that might appeal to our sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students.

Gender-inclusive bathrooms at Berkeley Public Library

I just posted a review on Google Maps for the Berkeley Public Library, about a feature at the downtown library that felt particularly welcoming. And that was, in addition to offering gendered bathrooms, this library gives patrons the OPTION of using gender-inclusive bathrooms.

CYRM: Winners in 2026

As part of curating a library collection that appeals to reader interests, I make a point of following official results for my state’s reader’s choice award. These are books that won a popular vote among young people choosing their “favorites.” Among recent arrivals to SRCSA library, here are the winners, for 2026, of the California Young Reader Medal.
https://youtu.be/mcV9gfBpkQc

Drop in international enrollment affects my university’s bottom line

Image credit: UCM’s International Student Services

Here’s an informative article by Charles L. Welch about the economic, educational, and cultural benefits to having international students attend regional public universities: like the University of Central Missouri, through which I am pursuing my graduate studies in librarianship.

Character education: Books about Creativity

For a character-education focus on “Creativity,” here are several books from SRCSA library.
https://youtu.be/7Xoti2X2NGA

UCM’s SOLIS Book Club: Our pick for Fall 2026

In Fall 2026, SOLIS Book Club will read and discuss Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. We’re the only VIRTUAL book club at the University of Central Missouri and our discussion is open to students, faculty, alumni, and staff.
https://youtu.be/Tfh4lj4lhxA

Book-Talk: Opting Out

In my latest book-talk: I love Opting Out, the soon-to-be-published middle-grade graphic novel by Maia Kobabe and Swati “Lucky” Srikumar.

Sharing joy in reading to (hopefully) reverse its decline

An interesting column in the latest Phi Kappa Phi Forum talked about the decline of reading for pleasure in the United States.

‘Safe Haven City’ for transgender and gender non-conforming people

In Louisville, Kentucky, Councilmember J.P. Lyninger has introduced legislation to designate Louisville as a “Safe Haven City” for transgender and gender non-conforming people. Speaking as a librarian and as someone who is non-binary and gender non-conforming, the legislative and political attacks that this ordinance describes feel very real to me.

Book-Talk: An Accident of Dragons by Cheri Radke

In my latest Book-Talk: Cheri Radke’s epic fantasy, An Accident of Dragons, focuses on a middle-aged protagonist who by appearances seems to have achieved his “happy ending.” But now Teddy, a.k.a. Lord Summer, has to lead an expedition from his island kingdom to the mainland to recover his kidnapped daughter.

Video tutorial: Locating books with the library’s online catalog

Here is a video tutorial about how to use the school library’s online catalog to look for books in the library. I’m asking teachers to consider sharing and reviewing this process with their students because being able to locate books through a library’s online catalog is an important life-skill.
https://youtu.be/Bm5jZz_I1TA

UCM’s Graduate Student Achievement Award

I am the appreciative recipient of a Graduate Student Achievement Award, as selected for 2025-2026 at the University of Central Missouri. With this video, I want to express my gratitude.
https://youtu.be/X_OvPf08_98

Book-Talk: Wish I Was a Baller by Amar Shah

I’d recommend this graphic-format memoir to a variety of young readers: especially kids who love sports, who aspire to careers in journalism, maybe even to kids who combine both interests.
https://youtu.be/7fSr8qYfONg

H.R. 7661: Truly disturbing and frightening!

As a follow-up to the essay I posted earlier, here is a brief video I uploaded today about H.R. 7661. Introduced in late February by U.S. Rep. Mary E. Miller, H.R. 7661 defines “sexually oriented material” to include any material that involves “gender dysphoria or transgenderism.”

Cultural humility and a diverse library collection

Building and promoting a diverse library collection begins with materials selection. In an earlier writing I talked about the fact that communities served by libraries are increasingly diverse. “Race, ethnicity, language, physical and mental ability, socioeconomic status, gender expression, and sexual orientation are just a few ways diversity is reflected in [students’] lived experiences” (Hughes-Hassell, 2020, p. 21). My goal when building a library collection is to serve this increasingly diverse community by ensuring variety among the books in the library’s collection.

SRCSA library ‘Top 25’ for 2025-2026

What books are students most frequently checking out from SRCSA library?

Most popular types of books in SRCSA library

From among 3,318 circulations so far this school year (from Aug. 16, 2025 to March 9, 2026), what were the most popular types of books checked out from SRCSA library?

West Coast’s ‘largest book club’ to feature ‘They Called Us Enemy’

One Book, One Coast is a shared community reading program among more than 194 library systems in California, Oregon, and Washington that will read and discuss George Takei’s graphic-format memoir “They Called Us Enemy” this spring. Contact your local library system and encourage it to join in if you don’t see it listed among participating systems.

Scholastic Book Fair at SRCSA

Scholastic Book Fair took place this past week at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts, bringing with it a fresh infusion of new books for the school library. ’Tis now my happy task to prepare these awesome books for use. Appreciation to the many volunteers who made Scholastic Book Fair possible!

Federal bill equates trans identity with sexually explicit material

One of the core tenets that I embrace as a librarian serving young people is that readers need stories about people who are both like and who are unlike them. A diverse library collection should ideally encompass many facets: including race, sex, gender identity, differing abilities, who a person is attracted to, and more.

Marley’s Pride (Complete read-aloud for National Day of Reading)

To commemorate the National Day of Reading on Feb. 27, 2026, here is a complete reading of Marley’s Pride by Joëlle Retener with illustrations by DeAnn Wiley. I am reading this book with permission by the publisher, Barefoot Books. Marley is going to their first Pride parade with their grandparent, Zaza, who is being honored for their work supporting the transgender community. Marley has sensory sensitivities and is worried about the noise and large crowds, but wants to go in order to support Zaza.
https://youtu.be/WQyhCqdpAJY

Book haul: ALA Youth Media Awards, 2026

Among recent arrivals in SRCSA library: Here are some winners of the 2026 Youth Media Awards, which are presented each year by the American Library Association.
https://youtu.be/vah_Q3FUmqA

SRCSA library: New arrivals in January and February 2026

Here is a slideshow featuring some new arrivals during January and February 2026. This slideshow was created in Canva. Music: Funky House by Nver Avetyan. The creator has given permission for this music to be used on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/SfWuw6RDiFo

Books about Friendship, for Valentine’s Day!

For Valentine’s Day, let’s focus on friendship. Here are several books from SRCSA library that speak to various aspects of friendship.
https://youtu.be/k5DTZ2N3ZO0

Building and promoting a diverse library collection

How effectively am I creating and marketing a balanced library collection that represents the variety among residents of our community? As part of my studies in librarianship this semester, I plan to explore this question.

Books for Black History Month

To commemorate Black History Month: Here is a slideshow featuring some books from SRCSA library. The slideshow was created in Canva. Music: Wide Space by AudioCoffee. The creator has given permission for this music to be used on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/q3rpiDJ-3II

Character education: Books about Honesty

SRCSA’s character-education focus for February 2026 is “Honesty.” Here are books from the school library, which address the character trait of Honesty.
https://youtu.be/YzZk-_kysYs

Read-A-Thon at SRCSA (Update)

SRCSA’s Read-A-Thon fundraiser begins on Feb. 2 and continues through Feb. 27 with a reading goal of 5,000 minutes and a fundraising goal of $10,000. Our community is always so supportive, and I believe that the Read-A-Thon will be no exception.
https://youtu.be/L_u1GwWXeJ4

Stories of immigrant families: Books in SRCSA library

Here is a selection of books from SRCSA library that center the perspectives of children from immigrant families. The slideshow was created in Canva. Music is Wide Space by AudioCoffee. The creator has given permission for this music to be used on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/YjKbwCu29LE

“From its earliest days, the American experience has encompassed immigrants.”
- The American Library Association, 2018.

Books about consent, privacy, and personal space

To successfully navigate our place in society, we need to understand personal space and the importance of privacy and consent. Here are books from SRCSA library that address these important themes.
https://youtu.be/q6uBHWVvTnc

Value of ‘adaptive normalcy’ (Response to Emile Ennis Jr.)

A video by Emile Ennis Jr. recently came across my social media feed. I really needed to hear his message about “adaptive normalcy,” and the legitimacy of maintaining your daily routine during times of stress and uncertainty.
https://youtu.be/2MEoU04ibzg

Brochures for books in SRCSA library

Among library marketing: I used Canva to create several bifold brochures that highlight various types of books in SRCSA library. These include genres, formats, award winners, affinity groups, etc., and I periodically update the brochures to showcase fresh selections.

Read-a-Thon coming to SRCSA

An exciting development leading up to Scholastic Book Fair at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts: Our parent’s group, SACO, is going to host a Read-a-Thon during February 2026.
https://youtu.be/a-w5ugvM5po

Cataloging win: Form/genre subject headings

An interesting development in the realm of cataloging: the Library of Congress will expand its use of genre and form terms as separate subject headings instead of appending them as form subdivisions at the end of subject strings.

Character education: Books about Perseverance

SRCSA’s character-education focus for January 2026 is “Perseverance.” Here are several books from SRCSA library, which address the character trait of Perseverance.
https://youtu.be/vsBFfB005Qc

‘Read Harder’ Challenge: Some books I’m reading in 2026

I’ve set a goal to read 60 books in 2026. Many of the books will be applied toward prompts for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge.
https://youtu.be/wERb3kVZ85A