School Library Month is the AASL’s celebration of school librarians and their programs. Every April school librarians are encouraged to host activities to help their school and local community celebrate the essential role that strong school library programs play in transforming learning. The 2018 theme is Making Connections at Your School Library and the official hashtag is #AASLslm.

Here’s a way to promote School Library Month in your own community. Jason Reynolds New York Times bestselling author of  Ghost, Patina, Long Way Down, and Miles Morales: Spider-Man, calls school libraries, “places of recognition for young people” in the latest public service announcement from the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). School library professionals and advocates are encouraged to download and share this PSA throughout their communities in celebration of School Library Month.

Reynolds is this year’s spokesperson for School Library Month. On the AASL website, he talks about school librarians:

[su_quote]It’s impossible for me to talk about the importance of the school library without talking about the school librarian. In full disclosure, the library wasn’t a place I frequented in school, but if I were in school today I’d practically live there, because there’s a good chance the coolest person in the building works where the books are. Not only can the school librarian help to curate a comfortable and welcoming space for all students, not only can they usher them to a vast array of books and reference materials, librarians also usually have the ability to connect with students on a personal level, because, well, they’ve read the most stories, which makes their potential for empathy and openness ceiling-less.[/su_quote]

Learn more about School Library Month and find the PSA, School Library Month graphics, webinar links, and other resources.