Twelve-year-old Jama likes elephants better than people and while her classmates gossip—especially about the new boy, Leku—she takes refuge at the watering hole outside her village. There she befriends a baby elephant she names Mbegu, Swahili for seed. When Mbegu’s mother, frightened by poachers, stampedes, Jama and Mbegu are blamed for two deaths—one elephant and one human. Now Leku, whose mysterious and imposing father is head ranger at the conservancy, may be their only lifeline. Inspired by true events, The Elephant Girl is a moving exploration of the bonds between creatures and the power of belonging. Alright, I get that my enthusiasm might not be the same back to school feeling that other educators are experiencing. Many people are burnt out, even after summer break. Maybe because of summer break. Perhaps the idea of getting back in the school building with looming faculty meetings, training, and professional development are making you less than excited. Or maybe you’re like the writer side of me and the blank page (or empty library) is daunting. Where do you even start when there is so much to do? Sometimes the idea of endless possibilities makes all possibilities feel impossible. It’s time to narrow our focus. Here are some ways to kickstart your school year, some ideas to get you started. Sometimes when the blank page is staring back at you, all you need is a little prompt to get the creative ideas flowing. I hope that some of these ideas get your creative cogs turning. Please reach out on Twitter to let me know if you tried any of these or if you have any ideas of your own you want to share! One of my favorite things about being in the librarian community is how generous everyone is with their willingness to collaborate. If you’re interested in reading more about libraries, you should read about how lost library books found their way home or how one rioter grew as a school librarian post shut down world. Thinking on a smaller physical scale can also spark information. Do you have tables parallel to a whiteboard or projector screen? Try turning them perpendicular and see how that feels. This way, all the students at the tables can see the board without half of them having to turn all the way around while the other half sit comfortably. It keeps everyone more engaged. Have a cozy reading nook? Move some of the seats or rugs around to give it a fresh feel. Is there something you can paint? Ask an art teacher to collaborate with you on having students paint a mural in the library or on the circulation desk. Put colored bulletin board paper behind the shelves to delineate different subjects or genres. Is there an outlier table that keeps getting shoved in a corner? Move it to a high traffic area and fill it with a simple display to catch patrons’ attention. Think about the flow of traffic and what books, items, or activities you wish got more attention. Moving them to a more prominent place might be just what that BookTok display really needs to get the traction it needs to take off. That unused classroom or teaching space because it doesn’t have a projector can be turned into a game room. One center for board games. One center for word games. Another center for card games. Lure the students in with games and keep them there with books about games like Slay by Brittany Morris, The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi, Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, or In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang. A LEGO center is another popular, inexpensive option. Ask teachers and parents to donate LEGOs they no longer want. Go on a buy nothing group or another online trading platform and ask for them. LEGOs are one of those things that accumulate quickly in a house and many people are looking for a good place to donate them. You could even build a LEGO wall where students’ architecture can also be wall art. We all know that making creative, engaging, or funny displays can be a way to circulate more books, but they can also be a way to inspire ourselves. A simple search for a display I have in mind can leave me inspired by other librarians’ work and ignite ideas of my own. Last year, I found a whiteboard on wheels not being used in the reference room and rolled it right outside the library doors where I added lyrics from pop songs I had changed to be about books and reading.
