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 

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 Pins ???https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLcOcitdu_g 

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 

https://www.irishbookawards.ie/nominee/the-compound/ 

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: