The School Librarian's Guide to (Almost) Everything

Because school librarians assume so many roles--leader, advocate, instructional partner, teacher, information specialist, and program administrator--their responsibilities vary widely. It's impossible to be an expert in everything related to the job, especially when some issues or tasks might only pop up a few times a year. A handy reference tool serving up wisdom on nearly one hundred topics related to school libraries, bestselling author Madigan's book provides to-the-point answers on many of the most common questions and conundrums faced by today's school librarians. Packed with current advice based on AASL Standards, Common Beliefs, and ALA/AASL Position Statements, inside its pages you'll discover

• overviews, answers, tips, and how-to steps on such topics as AI, job interviews, yearly plans, soft censorship, dynamic shelving, closing the library, social emotional learning, reluctant readers, strategic planning, and many more;
• easy-to-find information organized alphabetically and notated with cross-references, encouraging you to dip in and out as needed;
• succinct entries with supporting images and tables for quick guidance; and
• suggested sources for further exploration, all carefully vetted for quality and usefulness.

This book will become your go-to reference for answering quick questions about daily practice and your first stop when diving deeper into key issues.

Author: Maura Madigan
Publisher: ALA Editions
Published: 08/15/2025
Pages: 184
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 9.00h x 5.80w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9798892553308


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 03/01/2026 pg. 94

About the Author

Maura Madigan, NBCT is a school librarian in Fairfax County, Virginia. She's the author of Learning Centers for School Libraries and Project-Based Learning for Elementary Grades, both AASL Standards-Based Learning Series books. Maura's writing has also appeared in School Library Journal, American Libraries Magazine, and School Library Connection.