xiii Introduction In the fall of 2015, I got a call from ABC-CLIO asking if I would consider being one of the coeditors for School Library Connection (SLC). The new publication was being built on the foundations of Library Media Connection and School Library Media Activities Monthly. For years, these journals had been guiding my practice. They were places where I learned about the issues and trends in our field, where I got ideas for my programs, where I took in the sage advice of the leaders of our field, and where occasionally I had the opportunity to share my own experiences in articles. It was my honor to accept the call and to join Paige Jaeger and Rebecca Morris (and now Leslie Preddy) in building School Library Connection. We are excited to share with you some of the articles and their authors, whom we’ve had the pleasure to work with over the last seven years. Dr. Audrey Church has joined me for this project, as we combed through the SLC archives to bring you the best articles and ideas about school library management, all in one place— this eighth edition of School Library Management. School library management has always been one of the behind-the-scenes roles that a school librarian plays. Most of the time, folks don’t see everything the school librarian does to make sure that the program is run efficiently and effectively on a yearly basis. They have no idea of all the work that is involved beyond teaching and working with students and faculty. So this book shines a light on that role. We want to highlight and learn from some of the best of the best as they share ways they have worked in their school libraries—specifically, on the administrative role that school librarians play. This book was designed with two primary audiences in mind. First, this book is for the practitioner school librarian. As you read the book, consider the ideas pre- sented by the authors. Would any of them work in your school? How could you utilize an idea to improve your school library program? It could be that as you read the articles, they may spark your own ideas. I tell my school library students that if you are doing the same thing in the school library on the last day of your job that you did on your first day, you are doing something wrong. We should always be growing, evolving, and learning. Any article, book, or other piece shared online that I’ve read, I know that I could never implement it exactly as the author wrote it, but I could take their ideas and adjust them, modify them, build on them,
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