Library Lady’s K-12 Edition is a mostly weekly newsletter for K-12 school librarians. Today’s topic is — International School Library Month
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I am what libraries and librarians have made me. Heraclitus
Tips from Library Lady
Celebrating International School Library Month: Simple Ways to Get the Whole School Involved
October is International School Library Month, and this year’s theme—“Libraries, Literacy and Artificial Intelligence”—offers school librarians plenty to work with.
But celebrating International School Library Month doesn’t have to mean adding a major program to an already full calendar.
Sometimes the best celebrations are the ones that simply help students and teachers notice what happens in the library every day: reading, researching, questioning, discovering, creating, and connecting.
Here are some manageable ways to celebrate throughout the month.
Start a “What I Learned in the Library” Wall
Invite students to finish the sentence:
“In the library, I learned…”
Their answers don’t have to be about books. A student might write:
- how to find a reliable website
- that I like mysteries
- how to cite a source
- where graphic novels are
- that AI doesn’t always give correct answers
- how to find a book by myself
- something interesting about sharks
Collect the responses throughout October and display them.
By the end of the month, you’ll have a student-created picture of just how much learning happens in the school library.
Hold a Library Skills Challenge
Create a few quick challenges students can complete during library visits.
For younger students, try:
Can you find…
- a nonfiction book about an animal?
- a book by an author whose last name begins with M?
- a biography?
- a book you’ve never noticed before?
Older students might tackle:
- Find two reliable sources about the same topic.
- Locate a primary source.
- Find the copyright date of a website.
- Find information in a database that isn’t on the first page of Google results.
- Verify a fact provided by an AI tool.
You don’t necessarily need prizes. A class chart, paper chain, sticker, or simply the satisfaction of completing the challenge may be enough.
Let Students Recommend the Books
Instead of the librarian doing all the recommending, turn October over to your readers.
Provide slips that say:
You should read this because…
Students can recommend books to other students and place their recommendations beside the books or in a designated area.
For older students, add:
If you liked ________, try ________.
It’s an easy way to turn readers into library ambassadors.
Try an “Ask a Librarian” Week
Students—and teachers—may not realize everything their librarian can help them do.
Designate a week for questions.
Encourage students to ask you something they don’t know how to find out.
- Can you help me find a book about…?
- How can I tell whether this website is reliable?
- Where can I find…?
- Is this picture okay to use in my project?
- How can I check whether this AI answer is correct?
You might be surprised by the questions you receive.
It’s also a subtle way to demonstrate that a librarian’s role extends far beyond checking out books.
Invite Teachers Into the Celebration
International School Library Month shouldn’t have to be a library-only event.
Send teachers one very simple invitation: “Is there something your students are learning this month that I can help support?”
That could lead to a book cart for a science unit, research help for a history project, a collection of picture books for an elementary classroom, database instruction, or resources for a writing assignment.
You don’t need to create an elaborate collaboration project. One useful connection is still a connection.
Conduct a Human vs. Search vs. AI Investigation
Rather than asking which tool is “best,” let older students investigate what each one does well.
Give everyone the same question and have them look for an answer using three approaches: Library resources | Search engine | AI tool
Then compare.
- Which provided sources?
- Which answer was easiest to verify?
- Which provided the most detail?
- Which required the best search terms or prompts?
- Did any leave out important information?
- Did any provide incorrect information?
The goal isn’t to declare a winner. It’s to help students recognize that different information tools require different literacy skills.
Celebrate the People Behind Information
AI makes this an especially good year to remind students that information doesn’t simply appear.
Choose books, articles, photographs, or other resources and investigate the people behind them.
- Who wrote it?
- Who illustrated it?
- Who conducted the research?
- Who took the photograph?
- Who edited or published it?
- Whose ideas are being represented?
This can naturally lead to conversations about authorship, attribution, copyright, and why sources matter.
Ask Students to Imagine the Library of the Future
Here’s one activity that can work from elementary through high school:
What will a school library look like 25 years from now?
Students might draw it, describe it, make a model, or write about it.
- What technology will it have?
- Will there still be books?
- What will students do there?
- What will librarians do?
- What shouldn’t change?
That last question may produce the most interesting answers.
Tell Your Library’s Story
Finally, don’t forget the adults.
Use your school newsletter, website, morning announcements, or social media to share small glimpses of what’s happening in the library.
Instead of simply saying, “It’s International School Library Month,” show people what that means.
- This week, 72 students learned how to use our research database.
- Fifth graders checked out 118 books.
- Seventh grade practiced verifying online information.
- Our kindergarten students learned how authors and illustrators work together to create books.
Those small stories help families, teachers, and administrators understand the library’s impact.
Celebrate What School Libraries Do Best
International School Library Month doesn’t require an elaborate event.
Choose one activity. Try something different each week. Invite students to participate. Make one new connection with a teacher. Share one library success with your school community.
And as artificial intelligence continues to change how students find and create information, October offers a timely opportunity to highlight something school librarians have understood all along:
Having access to information isn’t enough. Students need to know what to do with it.
That’s where literacy, critical thinking—and the school library—come in.
Resources of the Week
Libraries, Literacy & Artificial Intelligence: K–12 Book List https://library-lady.blog/libraries-literacy-artificial-intelligence-books/
Libraries, Literacy, and Artificial Intelligence: Bulletin Board Ideas for School Libraries https://library-lady.blog/ai-literacy-bulletin-board-ideas-school-libraries/
Best Storytime Props Under $25 for School Librarians https://library-lady.blog/best-storytime-props-under-25/
Until next time,
October Celebrations
Dan Santat Books for Kids: A K–12 Author Book List https://library-lady.blog/dan-santat-books-kids-school-library/
Celebrate Donald J. Sobol: Encyclopedia Brown, Mysteries & More https://library-lady.blog/donald-sobol-books-encyclopedia-brown/
Fire Prevention & Firefighter Books for K–12 Students https://library-lady.blog/fire-prevention-firefighter-books-k12/
| Need to raise funds for your library? Here are some posts on my blog that describe my fundraising camps. |
October Birthdays
Other Recent Blog Posts
Here are some posts you may want to check out.
Writing Research Papers in the Age of AI
What Teachers Need to Watch for in the Age of AI
What happens in October – a roundup post of Library Lady posts about October happenings
Recent Adult Book Reviews
Adult Review – Delaware Keepers – non-fiction
Recent YA Book Reviews
YA Review – For This Very Purpose – young adult Biblical Fiction
Recent MS Book Reviews
MS Review – Nora T and the Champion Tree – middle school realistic fiction
Recent Kid Book Reviews
Kid Review – Miya’s Mooncakes – picture book
Items in my Shop
Cute animals with books – stickers, shirts and more in my Redbubble Shop
What I’m Checking Out
AI guidance for school librarians
Some things that might interest you
📚 Tools for School Librarians 📚
As librarians, we’re always looking for creative ways to engage students and enhance programming. These tools are easy to use. Explore them today and see how they might fit into your toolkit.
Have you ever considered starting your own website but weren’t sure how? My friend Lori has a great course called Build a Profit Ready Website. I took the course and found it very helpful.
Authors and librarians, would you like to be featured on this blog?
I’d like to add a couple of features to my blog in the coming months and would appreciate your help. I am looking for school librarians interested in being interviewed on the blog. I am also looking for librarians and children’s or young adult authors to do guest posts on the blog. Click on the links below to fill out a survey.
How can I help? Drop a note in the comments or email me. I’d love to help.
See you next week.
Jane (Library Lady)
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Parts of this email were written with help from AI.
