Library Lady’s K-12 Edition is a mostly weekly newsletter for K-12 school librarians. Today’s topic is Honoring Native Voices in the Library.
My library was dukedom large enough.- William Shakespeare
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Today’s Library Lady’s tips focus Community Engagement. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic
Tips from Library Lady
Bringing Authentic Native Voices to the Shelves
November is Native American Heritage Month—a special time to celebrate and learn from the diverse cultures, traditions, and voices of Indigenous peoples. As librarians, we have a unique opportunity to help students see that Native stories are not just part of history but part of our living world today.
Here are a few ways to honor Native American Heritage Month in your school library:
- Audit your collection: Take a quick look at your Native American titles. Are they written by Native authors? Replace outdated or stereotypical materials with those that reflect accurate, modern representation.
- Highlight Native creators: Feature books by authors and illustrators such as Joseph Bruchac, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Angeline Boulley, Traci Sorell, Kevin Noble Maillard, and Carole Lindstrom.
- Show modern life: Pair traditional tales with stories of Native characters living in today’s world. This helps students understand that Indigenous cultures are vibrant and evolving.
- Collaborate with teachers: Suggest classroom read-alouds, research projects, or writing prompts that focus on Native contributions to storytelling, art, and science.
Create a meaningful display: Include book covers, tribal maps, and “Did You Know?” facts that celebrate living cultures rather than focusing only on the past.
Resource of the Week
American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL)
Created by Dr. Debbie Reese and Dr. Jean Mendoza, this is one of the best resources available for finding and evaluating Native representation in children’s books.
👉 https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com
When we make space for authentic Native voices in our libraries, we help every student see that Indigenous peoples are an essential, living part of our shared story. It’s not just about one month—it’s about ensuring those voices are heard all year long.
| Need to do some fundraising for your library? Here are some posts on my blog which describe my fundraising camps. |
Recent Adult Book Reviews
Adult Review – Journey of the Heart – historical fiction
Recent YA Book Reviews
YA Review – Glass Across the Sea – young adult fantasy
Recent MS Book Reviews
MS Review – Knights in Manhattan – middle school fiction
Recent Kid Book Reviews
Kid Review – Tully’s Christmas Mess – picture book
Library Lady Blog Posts – November Celebrations
Native American Heritage Month
Helpful Posts from my Other Blogs
Items in my Shop
Cute animals with books – stickers, shirts and more in my Redbubble Shop
What I’m Checking Out
Affinity: A Guide for Educators
Resources for Teaching about Indigenous Peoples and Histories in North America
55 Creative Elementary Writing Prompts for K-5 Classrooms
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. These were created by a friend of mine and have great potential for helping you in your library programing.
Dinosaur Puppet Crafts Printables – Coupon: DINOSAUR10 saves $10 off now through November 10th
Bring the roar to your store with this adorable Dinosaur Paper Puppets Printable Activity Pack — perfect for kids, parents, teachers, and creators who want to add fun and profit to their day! 
Christmas Printable Creators GPT Bundle – Use Coupon code GPT10 to save $10 (ends 11/7)
The Christmas Printables GPT Bundle gives you everything you need to plan, create, and polish your holiday printables with ease — faster, smoother, and filled with cozy Christmas charm your customers will love.
Each GPT focuses on one step of your creative process, so your printables look professional, cohesive, and ready to sell.
What’s Inside:
Holly – The Holiday Printable Idea Strategist
Holly helps you brainstorm creative, niche-ready Christmas printable ideas that actually sell 
Taryn – The Template & Layout Assistant
Taryn is your layout and structure coach for festive printables! 
Authors and librarians, would you like to have a post on this blog?
I’d like to add a couple of features to my blog in the coming months and I’d like 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.
Is there a way I can help you? Drop a note in the comments or shoot me an email, I’d love to help.
See you next week.
Jane (Library Lady)
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