We’re celebrating School Library Month with three of the most dedicated librarians we know. John Schumacher (the famous “Mr. Schu”) and Scholastic librarian Deimosa Webber-Bey talk with us about why they became librarians, the crucial task of finding the right book for a child, and why—as John describes it—the library is “the heart and soul of a school." Kristina Holzweiss, the 2015 School Library Journal School Librarian of the Year, also joins us to share her thoughts on why libraries matter.

Guests:

• John Schumacher (aka Mr. Schu) is a blogger, a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University, and the Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs. Before joining Scholastic, he was a teacher-librarian at Brook Forest Elementary School in Oak Brook, Illinois. In 2011, Library Journal named John "The Xtreme Librarian” for the "gears and stunts" he uses to get kids reading. Teacher Magazine named him a “Cool Teacher” in 2014 for redefining what it means to be a teacher-librarian. John served on the 2014 Newbery Committee. You can find him blogging at www.MrSchuReads.com or tweeting @MrSchuReads. 

• Deimosa Webber-Bey is the Library Manager at Scholastic and responsible for the corporate archive, readers advisory, cataloging, and the employee book club. A Dartmouth alum and native of New York City, she was in Cohort 5 of the NYC Teaching Fellows, and taught for several years in public schools in Queens, Brooklyn, Albuquerque, and the Pueblo of Jemez. Deimosa also worked as the Teen Librarian at the Rio Rancho Public Library. She has published in YALS ("Noise @ Your Library", 2008) and The Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy ("Runaway Quilt Project", 2014). The oldest of six children and a life-long vegetarian, she enjoys reading, writing, hip hop, comics, and quilting. Follow Deimosa on the Scholastic On Our Minds blog and on Twitter (@dataquilter).

• Kristina Holzweiss is a librarian at Bay Shore Middle School (BSMS) in Long Island, New York. She was named School Library Journal’s 2015 School Librarian of the Year. The award “honors a K–12 library professional for outstanding achievement and the exemplary use of 21st-century tools and services to engage children and teens toward fostering multiple literacies.” While she did not particularly enjoy attending middle school, Kristina loves being a middle school librarian. Follow her on Twitter @lieberrian. 

Additional resources: 

• Download the 2016 School Libraries Work! Report, a body of research that supports the effectiveness of school libraries.