The School Librarian's Guide to (Almost) Everything

by Maura Madigan

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.

Genres: Nonfiction

184 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2025

About the author

Maura Madigan is a school librarian in 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, and The School Librarian's Guide to (Almost) Everything. Maura’s writing has also appeared in School Library Journal, American Libraries Magazine, and School Library Connection.

Reviews

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book for any school librarian. Much of this I already do, much are new ideas. It's arranged in alphabetical order, full of lots of references and great ideas.