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The study determined the extent of the special science curriculum implementation in public secondary schools in the Division of Rizal for the school year 2022-2023. This research employed a descriptive survey design to determine the assessment of the teachers and school heads on the program's implementation. The findings revealed a commendable adherence to guidelines in admission and retention processes, garnering high ratings from respondents. However, the lower rating for student transfers from regular to SSC classes signals a need for enhancement. Regarding Curriculum and Instruction, there is a solid commitment to critical thinking and 21st-century skills; however, a lower rating for scientific research suggests a targeted need for improvement. For Learning Resources and Facilities, concerns arise regarding the science laboratory's functionality and the library's overall state. Regarding Faculty Development, the mean is lower for providing opportunities for training and seminars on research and advanced subjects, suggesting a need for improvement. There is no significant difference between the perceptions of the two groups of respondents regarding the extent of implementation of the Special Science Curriculum in terms of the different aspects. In general, teachers and school heads perceive the overall implementation of the Special Science Curriculum as a High Extent.

This qualitative study explores the state of school media resource centres (SMRCs) and their impact on fostering scientific literacy among early-grade learners in Staff Primary Schools. Perspectives of primary school librarians were gathered through photovoice methodology and semi-structured interviews from four selected schools within Owerri Education Zone 1, Nigeria. Thematic analysis was employed to scrutinise the data, ensuring credibility and trustworthiness through member checking and triangulation. Findings reveal a glaring absence of functional SMRCs despite the presence of school libraries, impeding effective teaching and learning processes. Librarians expressed the significance of SMRCs in advancing scientific literacy, yet perceived constraints hinder their efficacy. Challenges include inadequate funding, technological infrastructure, security concerns, and outdated resources. Recommendations highlight the necessity for prioritised financing, professional development opportunities, and collaboration with external stakeholders to enhance SMRCs. Moreover, addressing electricity-related challenges, updating library collections, strengthening security measures, involving parents, and implementing talent development programmes are crucial. In conclusion, the absence of functional SMRCs in staff primary schools significantly impedes the progress and holistic development of scientific literacy of early-grade learners. Addressing these deficiencies is imperative to foster scientific literacy and ensure quality education in the 21st century.

The recent spike in book challenges has put school libraries at the center of heated political debates. I investigate the relationship between local politics and school library collections using data on books with controversial content from a sample of 6,631 public school libraries. Libraries in conservative areas have fewer titles with LGBTQ, race/racism, or abortion content and more Christian fiction and discontinued Dr. Seuss books. This is true even though most libraries have at least some controversial content. State laws that restrict curricular content are negatively related to access to some LGBTQ and race/racism titles. Finally, I present short-term evidence that book challenges in the 2021-22 school year are associated with decreases in the acquisition of new LGBTQ materials.

This paper presents one elementary school librarian's experience using gamification and game-based learning in the specialist classroom. While the academic literature on gamification and game-based learning is increasing, there has not been much written on using these techniques in the specialist classroom. Using a case study method, the researcher explored the question, "How might a specialist teacher apply gamification and game-based learning techniques in the specialist classroom to improve student engagement and overall classroom management?" Data for this case study included a comparison of student work over 3 years, 1 year without gamification and game-based learning, and 2 years with gamification and game-based learning, and direct observation of student participation, attentiveness, and overall behavior. Analysis of the data showed that students responded positively to gamification and game-based learning, and the quality of student work improved when game-based learning and gamification techniques were employed in the specialist classroom.

Background or Context: Public school library book challenges have garnered ample media attention in recent years as many school districts and advocacy organizations have reported record numbers of book challenges. Book challenges are not a new phenomenon, historically speaking, but they have often illuminated values clashes in communities and raise questions about the rights and freedoms of public school students. Judicial rulings and school district policies that address book challenges could provide insights for many members of school communities (including, but not limited to, school board members, students, parents, and teachers) as they experience challenges, but these aspects of the legal record and their influence on responses to book challenges remains underexamined in scholarship. Purpose, Objective, Research Question, or Focus of Study: The 1982 Supreme Court case "Island Trees School District v. Pico" remains the lasting judicial precedent for interpreting public school students' First Amendment rights as they interact with school library books. We examine the extent to which school district book challenge policies align with court precedent set in "Pico" (1982) and the implications for students' rights and democratic participation during book challenges. Research Design: Drawing on elements of the law and society framework as well as political analysis categories, this study uses qualitative methods to illuminate specific elements of district policies that govern book challenges. Specifically, we examine 29 policies in school districts that experienced a publicly reported book challenge between 2017 and 2021 to understand relationships between school district book challenge policies and the "Pico" (1982) precedent. Conclusions or Recommendations: Our findings reveal ample space between judicial rulings and school district policies we examine. In fact, we find a broader array of relevant actors in book challenge processes than conceived by the courts and raise implications for students' constitutional rights and protections related to who policies indicate may or must be involved in these processes, the settings in which book challenge decisions are made, and the limited roles for public involvement during school library book challenges.

Before the 2023 AASL National Conference in Tampa, the National Conference committee shares "why" teacher librarians and school library staff working at every grade level should attend, "what" they can expect while attending, and "how" they can make the most of their conference experience.

In this article, the author finds connection between courage and a place that, at first glance, might seem to many to be among the unlikeliest of places in which to find courage: the library. The author maintains that the library--public or, as applies more directly here, school-- is precisely and even profoundly the place. How so? In the books on the shelves and in the stacks, wherein are stories of bravery and resilience that can serve as models and inspiration; in the person of the school librarian, as curator of collected tales and caretaker of rights and freedoms; and, of course, in the structure of the library itself, the room where it happens, the spot that serves as safe haven to students (and indeed anyone) in need. Yet just as the strength of the human heart must be forged and maintained in certain ways to ensure its endurance, so must the library be built and sustained to create and keep up a sense of community, a culture of care and kindness, and a physical space where kids can feel safe and discover their courage. In this way, in this place, bravery has its center. We don't call the library the "heart" of a school without reason, and in the library we find courage made manifest.

This article describes the approach to teaching and supporting learners that led, in part, to high school math teacher Sarah Zehnder and the author, Amanda Hurley, a high school librarian, being named the recipients of the 2021 American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Collaborative School Library Award. The article details the process of their joint collaboration Library Renovation Project and discusses what made the collaboration work well.

The high-quality instruction offered in the school library and in collaboration with classroom teachers helps students understand and practice the content standards. School librarians should begin by collaborating within their school building and then thoughtfully expand those connections to neighboring schools, community organizations, and state entities. Hopefully, every school librarian has established or is currently working to establish collaborations with classroom teachers, but don't forget the other educators in the building. Collaborations with school counselors can help students build mindfulness, social skills, and empathy toward others through the school library (Jacobson 2017). Collaborations with neighboring schools can be powerful. Students enjoy working with others from different grade levels. The author encourages to think beyond the traditional collaborations and consider other organizations and agencies to could work with to bring more opportunities to students and advocate for school libraries. These collaborations can not only enhance student learning and increase advocates for the school library but can also be a source of inspiration and encouragement for the role as a school librarian.

To confront the sense of isolation created by a global pandemic, a rise in book challenges, and navigating newly enacted laws pertaining to school and classroom libraries, school librarians can achieve a positive impact by creating inclusive communities for their students, while also engaging with their own professional communities to increase connection. This issue of "Knowledge Quest" presents several examples of school library-led community engagement when school librarians have implemented innovative projects leading to increased collaboration and community connections. This feature article provides an overview of ideas and approaches to building community through trying times, using current and past challenges as springboards for building stronger bonds and connections within the school and with other stakeholders.

Students' input and participation improves a library's reach, and programs are more enticing for students when librarians include learners' perspectives. The interest level for students improves drastically when their peers announce programs and/or create promotional items to share what is happening in the school library. This article describes examples of a variety of programs the author provided in their school that incorporated students' voices and ideas.

The students at the author's alternative, academic-recovery school come from their base schools and at the author's school are able to rewrite their own school stories. Some of that rewriting naturally happens in the library. Many of the students have experiences at multiple schools, but it is not until they come to the author's school that many of them become frequent library users for the first time. To help build inclusive libraries where all students -- especially the most vulnerable students -- are both centered and cherished, the #LibFive was born. The #LibFive is student-led professional development for librarians that the author was privileged to create with three amazing eighth-graders. The #LibFive: Five Key Foundations for Building Inclusive Libraries are--(1) See me! Listen to me; (2) Show me on the shelves and walls. Read those books yourself; (3) Graphic novels and manga are not extra; (4) Show the joy in our stories; and (5) Make the school library a sorting free zone. The work done on the #LibFive was based on key scholarship, action-based research, and student wisdom. According to the author, when librarians are there for their students, when librarians are building spaces that serve as incubators of both joy and belonging, it is a kind of bravery.

In the author's experience, students are often coming to the school library to explore new ideas and concepts that they may not be able to explore in the traditional classroom because of curricular demands or time constraints. And the library is always open to that exploration. According to the author, they build the high-interest collections for this purpose. The author ensures they have books that capitalize on students' curiosity and allow them to learn new things about themselves -- to be brave and see where they can go. Then there are those who come to learn in less traditional ways in the library. The author states they are notorious for always saying "Yes!" to trying something new in the library if students make a case for it. This is how they have gotten a bearded dragon, a sewing club, a recording studio, coding workshops, a Dungeons & Dragons club, and a forthcoming e-sports team. Saying "Yes" comes from a wish to respect students' courage to explore. But having a pet also gives the students a moment to show a different kind of bravery: feeling vulnerable but doing something anyway. In New York City, the Department of Education has an initiative called "Respect for All." The author's campus serves a primarily Afro-Caribbean population. This means students who are queer are feeling a tremendous amount of societal pressure. Books on relationships, sexuality, abuse, dealing with being arrested -- resources on topics that students are dealing with but are too nervous to check out. All of this seeking of this important and sensitive information takes bravery, even if young people choose not to interface with me to acquire it. Most of the time, it's an admission to themselves that they need guidance. It takes bravery to organize your peers, to take charge, and to build a community. It takes courage to work together and to make decisions on your own. Because the school library is a center of self-guided learning, it harnesses this brand of bravery. The school library is a proving ground for leadership, collaboration, and finding oneself. Students demonstrate this every day in school libraries across the country. Students see the school library as somewhere worth fighting for, and their bravery is the truly sustaining power in our space.

This article discusses a quest-based approach to teaching catalog skills and getting to learn more about students reading interests. Quest-based activities are meaningful and can be quite engaging, not to mention entertaining and stimulating (Snelson 2022). They provide choice and differentiate the learning experience, as well as multiple pathways to get to the end goals (Farber 2018). Quest-based activities present the opportunity for students to open learning pathways based on the choices that they make (Isaacs 2017), individualizing the learning. During this activity, students explored the library catalog as well as several tools to find a next read. They developed information-location skills, and they provided the librarians with suggestions to add to the collection.

Now more than ever school librarians need to be advocates. COVID brought to light so many things that are wrong with the education system around the country. According to the author, they learned that, although they talk about equity and access for their students, they are not even close to equity and access being a reality for all. As the president of the New York Library Association (NYLA), the author was invited to give testimony at the New York State Assembly's Standing Committee on Libraries and Education Technology's public hearing on the future of New York State's libraries. The author spoke about how school libraries are crucial to equity in education, how libraries are safe places for everyone in their communities, and how libraries are places that promote reading, teach information literacy, and foster social-emotional learning. Most importantly, according to the author, they stressed that schools need a state-certified librarian in every school to ensure that their students have robust library programs. The author spoke for five minutes. When the author began her journey in 2003, she thought that being a school librarian would mean reading stories and circulating books, but now know that being a school librarian means learning how to effectively raise and magnify not just their voice but the voice of other school librarians in service of students and learning communities.

As a recipient of an ALA Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Communities grant, the author's school was fortunate to receive funds to purchase books for a special program. With a librarian partner the author ran "Book Bites" during lunchtime. The aim of this program was to provide a platform for students to engage in meaningful conversations about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives and relationships, as well as to explore themes of compassionate empathy. By focusing on themes of compassionate empathy, the program was able to create a sense of belonging and solidarity, helping to heal some of the wounds inflicted by the pandemic.

In January 2021 the author read "Hey, Kiddo" by Jarrett Krosoczka. The author connected on so many levels with this graphic novel memoir, and knew that it would speak to their students, as well. Krosoczka not only wrote "Hey, Kiddo," but he illustrated it, as well. The author states they knew the healing impact a book could have when a reader connected with characters, events, or themes. The author's high school houses the district's arts magnet school, and since the Inspire Grant proposal had an art focus, they reached out to the director of the magnet program. The author shared their ideas for working with the magnet classes to connect with students to participate in what would eventually become a multilayered event. The program was voluntary, and they ended up with approximately eighty students choosing to participate. The premise behind the grant was for students to know they weren't alone and to provide them with outlets for healing. The graphic novel format removed a literacy barrier and made the book accessible to students at many reading levels throughout the school. Once the books were delivered to students, small-group sessions with counselors were scheduled to take place two weeks out, allowing students time to read the book. Copies of the book were supplied to the school counselors, as well. The goal of the small groups was to provide students a safe place to discuss the emotional story and to process feelings and personal connections that arose from their reading. The grant also included a school visit with goats. Students of all grade levels, social groups, and ability levels sat side by side with staff to pet and groom the different animals. According to the author, they were one community healing together.

As a part of a larger study titled, First Years Meet the Frames, this work explores the perceptions of first-generation students (FGS) on their readiness for college-level research as well as their first-year college experience with libraries and librarians. Although, by definition, these students lack the cultural capital normally derived from parents who went to college in order to readily assimilate into higher education institutions, depending on their high school experiences, they may be able to build social capital. Accordingly, this article investigates such opportunities which lie in high schools with strong library programs that have a full-time certified librarian working in alignment with the national school library standards of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). It addresses what aspects of this preparation facilitate the development of social capital and follows FGS into the first year of college to see how they continue to build it. It also compares FGS to their continuing generation student (CGS) counterparts from the same high schools. Findings show that FGS can build social capital via these high school library programs and continue to leverage their high school experiences and skill sets in order to create new networks and to tackle college-level research during the first year of college. FGS demonstrate similar preparedness and similar confidence in research abilities as their CGS counterparts.

Early nutrition supplementation's effect on children's reading ability was assessed during the conduct of the study. The study methodology followed children who participated in an early nutrition supplementation intervention and conducted a reading test to measure how well the children read. The effect of school resource endowment on student reading ability was assessed. School resources as a lead effect on variations in reading performance through a fixed effect regression model was discounted and confirmed that early nutrition supplementation explains variations in reading performance. However, it was found that school resources accessibility on factors such as library availability and access to reading textbooks post classroom lessons to children complements the acquisition of reading skills in children. The policy implication from the findings calls for the domestication of reading curricula and leveraging the children's nutrition to sustain reading gains.

Teachers want their students to have access to the books they need to fall in love with reading, which means having classroom and school libraries stocked with a wide variety of books. But as English teachers are well aware, Texas leads the nation in book challenges and bans. This article defines and describes the different forms of censorship and includes extensive information and resources to support classroom teachers as they prepare for and respond to book challenges, including building allies and staying in tune with organizations that provide support. The authors conclude by describing how book challenges are the current reality and that we must work toward and remain hopeful for a future in which diverse classroom libraries abound.

In 2019 the American Association of School Librarians adopted a strategic plan with three goals, including "AASL advances research that informs school librarian practice." Members of the 2020 Community of Scholars Committee undertook this study to pilot an annual aggregation and systematic review of research related to school librarian practice. The AASL Strategic Plan (2019) also included five core values: learning; innovation; equity, diversity, and inclusion; intellectual freedom; and collaboration. This review also explores how published research in 2019 reflects the core values. A scoping literature review and the search string "school libr*" were employed to provide a broad sweep of potential studies. Fifty-nine studies were identified as "in scope" and were categorized using the AASL core values. Of the 59 articles published, 24 applied to the core value of learning; 14 to innovation; nine to collaboration; three to intellectual freedom; two to equity, diversity, and inclusion; and seven to a category of "other." Subsequent systematic annual reviews of published research in the field should serve to not only document patterns and trends but also to provide guidance or inspiration to practitioners and to the faculty who prepare practitioners.

The current LGBTQIA+-hostile political climate highlights a growing need among school librarians for evidence-based support addressing inclusive professional practices. To establish a baseline of studies providing this evidence and to identify areas where further research is needed, this study used systematic literature review methodology to examine international empirical research in the field of school and youth librarianship published between the years of 2009 and 2021. The study's objectives were to identify and categorize published empirical research on LGBTQIA+ topics in school and youth librarianship and to identify and categorize gaps in that research, proposing focuses for future research studies. Findings determined that little research has been done to examine LGBTQIA+ inclusive school library services for youth. Also revealed was a monolithic approach to the discussion of LGBTQIA+ identities and expressions. More research in this area and the employment of diverse methodologies to uncover a detailed and expansive picture of what LGBTQIA+ inclusive service means are desperately needed.

Critical representation in literature and curricula requires an emancipatory agenda and examination of the ways in which people of diverse racial, cultural, linguistic, and other socially marginalized identities are portrayed, an assessment of how relevant, affirming, and accurate those representations are, and a consideration of the impact on a child's sense of self and 'other.' This essay includes sample audit criteria for critical representation highlighting five sections: Storyline & Sense of Justice; Affirmation & Self-Worth; Relationships Among People; Author/Illustrator Background; and Language & Terminology, all with a focus on 'mattering' and holistic wellbeing of students of the global majority. Audit criteria explicitly engage questions of critical race theory such as: Does the storyline encourage passive acceptance of inequity, or active resistance against it? Are there messages that limit or damage a child's aspirations or sense of self-worth? The essay concludes with examples of how practitioners are using the audit criteria to identify strengths, needs, and opportunities to improve their practice.

As learning environments shift toward meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse student population, empathy is becoming an important tool for instructors. Empathy deepens the connection between students and instructors. This connection can also emerge in the library, where librarians are teaching students in a variety of contexts, from the reference desk to the one-shot instruction session. This article references current literature on empathy in the classroom and elaborates on how empathy can lead toward relationship-building based in trust, which ultimately enables learners to put aside their apprehensions and deepen their understanding of new concepts.

Over the past 30 years, the nation has experienced a decline in the number of public school library programs. New York City has been trying to combat this trend by implementing several innovative programs. One of them is the VITAL Libraries program. VITAL stands for Vital, Instructional, Transformative, Accessible, Learning Libraries. It is a program New York City school librarians can apply to for a grant of up to $50,000 to enhance and revitalize their school libraries. The goal was to take existing school libraries to the next level by making them more sustainable. The program also sought to create model school libraries across the city. One way to make school libraries more viable and equitable was to require the school's administrators to be more heavily embedded in their school's library programs. How to persuade them to be more involved? The program would require the principals to commit to participating on the Library Advisory Committee (LAC), in return for this substantial and coveted grant. A LAC is a group consisting of the library's stakeholders, who have a vested interest in the operational success of the school library program. The purpose of the LAC is also to increase buy-in for the school library program from stakeholders and others in the school community, develop and design the school library program, and build community and create community ownership.

School librarians have a critical role to play in supporting the use of Ed Tech within our schools. It is an ever-changing field. Additionally, it is often the school librarian who has the unique responsibility of introducing and sharing new technology with their school community. However, school librarians also have the added responsibility of maintaining an ongoing awareness of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). It is a federal law that continues to be developed, expanded, and applied in new ways. The key components of COPPA are applicable each and every day in our schools. These include such aspects as "verifiable consent," for students under 13 who are using apps or websites within the school library media center, and the ongoing rights of parents to limit the disclosure and retention of their child's personal information. As a licensed New York State attorney and Connecticut school librarian, the author has always been interested in the intersection between the law and our work as school librarians. Librarians stand at the forefront of introducing new technology that can enhance and better serve the needs of all learners. Librarians are also in the significant position of ensuring that the technology is used safely, effectively, and does not overreach or breach the personal privacy protection rights of our learners.

This article is about what the future of reading looks like. Currently many districts across the country--including New York City--are adopting research-based methods called the science of reading that focus on mechanics. Leanne Ellis surmises the future of reading holds great promise if school librarians can promote, showcase, and advocate for a reading culture that is multimodal, multidimensional, and free of judgment. As educators, they speak about learners needing tiered interventions to support their learning; the same holds for creating lifelong readers--they need a tiered approach with format, fiction, misinformation, and artificial intelligence (AI) to engage and ignite learner passion for words, ideas, and inquiry.

Schools (and some librarians) relegated librarians to the "business of books" and disregarded them of proven technological expertise. Fortunately, school librarians have either continued to insert themselves into digital technologies or emerged from the stacks to reclaim their role as digital resource experts in their schools. So, how do school librarians stay on top of issues and trends as digital leaders? For many, social media platforms help address this question.

For a librarian with an innovator's mindset, inquiry can be a collaborative strategy for continual growth. When a librarian innovates with their community, radical, human-centered change is possible. According to the author, school librarians see the needs in the communities across grades, content areas, and demographics. The best advocacy is solving somebody else's problems. When planning is human-centered and empathy-driven school librarians can design novel solutions that align with their common beliefs and shared foundations, address school and district mission and vision, "and" focus on the needs, interests, and values of those communities they serve. Ideation is critical in the planning process. One way to attack innovation ideation is to examine the roots of a thing to see how school librarians might plant and grow it a little differently. The word radical simply means proceeding from the root, relating to or affecting something's fundamental nature. Data without context are empty of impact. In addition to the counting or checking off of inputs and outputs, the range of metrics school librarians might use also includes more meaningful outcomes and impacts describing how they close identified gaps and creatively solve problems.

According to the author, we are all creators and consumers of media. Technology has made it easy to copy, paste, and transfer anything educators might want to use in their classrooms. As educators, school librarians have an obligation to honor the law and be the role models that learners and other staff members need them to be. So many times the author has heard "Fair use covers me," or "Because I'm a teacher, I'm fine." The author states they were once guilty of this themselves. If educators expect learners to respect and follow copyright rules, they must follow them as well. In most states, the library media specialist degree is one of the only graduate degrees that requires a class on copyright and intellectual property. The author states it is vital to be transparent about one's qualifications and to make it clear that any information provided is based on personal understanding and experiences, rather than professional legal advice. Fair use is a wonderful thing, however it does not provide carte blanche to everything in education. According to the author, this is probably the biggest misconception among educators. Fair use has a four-factor test that one can use in determining if a copyrighted work can be used without permission. These factors are applied on a case-by-case basis, and fair use determinations can vary depending on the specific circumstances of each use. This is a great tool to teach both learners and staff. Fair use is a flexible and context-dependent doctrine. There is no fixed percentage or word count that can be universally considered fair use in all situations. Most of the time, as the author states, we think of copyright as being a standard school librarians teach learners. It is, but if librarians also lead by partnering and supporting classroom teachers, school librarians could build a stronger knowledge of copyright with learners. Librarians should be seen as a resource for both learners and staff. School librarians may not always be able to provide professional development, so be creative on how to send out information. Advocating for copyright does not mean school librarians need to be an expert, but it is essential to promote a fair and balanced approach that respects both creators and consumers.

School librarians often find themselves betwixt two different worlds that come with quite varied expectations. They are seen as the arbiters of traditional learning and academia, with library spaces providing books and quiet places for self-enrichment and study. They are also often given the responsibility of being the building's technology experts: distributing devices, doing minor repairs to screens and keyboards, as well as helping classroom teachers better utilize educational technology. With school librarians being so firmly planted in the past and present by outside expectations of their "duties as assigned," they cannot always look towards the future of learning and how they are perfectly suited to lead that work in our schools. The human connection to learning is at the root of rethinking education. The 20th century provided a system of schooling that relied heavily on rote memorization and behavioral preparation for working in a factory. That is no longer the world we live in and is not the world we are moving into. If we truly want learners to be able to pursue their passions in life, we must provide them with an educational experience that gives them the proper tools to do so. To fully understand how to prepare young people for a future of employment and life that is still being designed, we must embrace what we have known for hundreds of years--how to be human.

Building relationships is a crucial part of being a school librarian. But the first relationship the authors states school librarians will want to build is within themselves as a professional. According to the author, knowing yourself and your core values can help when times get tough or if your first tries at a relationship are rebuffed. Identifying your values also affords an opportunity to connect with others of a like mind. Identifying those shared values can be an essential part of making that connection and allows stakeholders a chance to connect with your library's mission and vision. Relationship-building approaches benefit the entire school community. As the author states, school librarians will want to establish trust with administrators, learners, classroom teachers, and the community. Relationship building in the school library, school, or community relies on the concept and principles of leadership. In many cases, connections will not just happen; they must be built with intention. Many leadership principles can help school librarians plan connections and set their intention for relationship building. An important part of relationship building within a school community is to think about intergenerational communication. A school community is intergenerational with every age group, including elementary and middle school students who are part of Generation Alpha, born between 2011 and 2025. Therefore, a school librarian can benefit from studying how to best communicate with each group: first-year classroom teachers working with a school librarian who has 30 years of experience; midcareer school librarians communicating with young parents; and school librarians of any age communicating with their learners. Remember that cultivating relationships is a pivotal part of the school librarian's responsibility. No matter how advanced AI, Google, or other technologies become they cannot substitute for the connections made with learners, classroom teachers, parents, and other stakeholders.

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into our daily lives is undeniable. From AI-powered email assistants like Duet AI in Gmail to the ever-present ChatGPT and other generative AI products, AI has become an integral part of our educational and professional environments. Consequently, schools must adapt to this AI-driven world by developing comprehensive Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) to guide learners, classroom teachers and school librarians, and administrators in the responsible and ethical use of AI. Gone are the days when schools could simply block AI tools and hope for the trend to pass. Learners now have access to AI through their personal devices, and AI is here to stay. It is essential for educational institutions to recognize this reality and proactively create AUPs that align with their educational goals. In this article, the author will explore why school librarians are uniquely qualified to play a leading role in shaping AI AUPs and outline key components of an effective AI AUP.

In an era where digital and media literacy is as fundamental as reading, writing, and arithmetic, the role of school librarians transcends traditional boundaries. They are the perfect teachers to nurture digital citizenship among learners, an increasingly vital role. This article delves into how these unsung heroes and digital leaders use their digital superpowers to guide young minds toward safe, savvy, and socially responsible digital interactions. These superpowers are also directly aligned with the American Association of School Librarians Standards for Learners (2018) shared foundations: inquire, include, collaborate, curate, explore, and engage, which are easily crosswalked with the International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Students (BrooksYoung 2016).

Over the past 20 years, school libraries have gone through a significant digital transformation reflecting a broader shift in education and information access. Traditional card catalogs have been replaced by online databases. Hardcover A-Z encyclopedias have given way to digital versions with numerous additional online research tools. Literature is still very much a part of library life in its print format, but ebooks and audiobooks have risen in popularity and are now a more common staple in school libraries. The advent of internet access and its widespread availability has instigated this major integration of online resources. However, what stands out as a harbinger of more drastic change is the surging popularity of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This article presents the integration of AI in school libraries.

Digital citizenship should be an embedded component of all curriculum. In order to teach students to be empowered digital citizens, school librarians must use their libraries as safe spaces to explore the layers of digital citizenship. Through classroom discussions, online learning, and unplugged activities, learners can engage with aspects of digital citizenship and practice in a somewhat controlled environment. By teaching learners digital citizenship in the learning space first, librarians equip them to effectively use the internet and be participatory citizens and empathetic learners. School librarians model ethical use of information and lead by example. A school librarian participates in the creation and use of Acceptable Use Policies, as well as digital citizenship curriculum alignment. By participating in digital professional learning communities, school librarians are able to not only learn about leading-edge technology and digital tools but also share what they know. School librarians are digital leaders.