My word for 2025 has been intentional and I've trying to make it happen each day.  This single word has helped me to take a step back at how I think and act on a daily basis.  

​I've had so many wonderful experiences lately, but I haven't captured them yet, because I'm trying to be more intentional with my time.  My friend Misty Paterson advised that I focus in on my one passion and go all in.  This means other things will have to take a back seat like my regular posts and my podcast.  They matter so much to me, but I have to focus on this project.  

This is where you come into the experience.  Only if you want to, of course. 

I've decided to go all in to help librarians.  It might sound strange, but in my home country they are under attack.  The funding for public and school libraries is so vital for the growth of our young people.  For many, it's one of the few places where they can find respite from the pressures of daily life. It's also the one place that holds the truth about events that have happened in the past, so we don't make those same mistakes in the future. 

For this reason, I am leaning into the various roles that a librarian has to take on to stay relevant in a digital world such as: education researcher, library media specialist, interior designer, maker master, literary expert, and teacher librarian.  This sounds like a lot, but it's the combined roles that transform a space into an inquiry learning hub.

How do I know?  While being a PYP Coordinator, I also became the head librarian that re-organized a collection of over 16,000 books from an empty shell into something that was meaningful for the learning community.  I've also replicated this process elsewhere and have talked about it at Toddle TIES and in webinars.  Now I am creating meaningful materials that will help librarians to re-think and grow too. 

I think the library is one of the most important places in the entire school.  It sets the tone for the rest of the campus of what authentic learning can feel like and what the school values. Yet, it's often the one place that is neglected, particularly, the role of the librarian. I'm trying to change this, but I need your help.

If you are a librarian, PLEASE SHARE WITH ME YOUR NEEDS AND WANTS!  I want to address them head on.  I want to learn from you and talk about what is working in your space and what needs to change in your role, so you can evolve.  

I am creating a community of librarians who want to join some webinars to talk about different topics and share what they need and we can problem solve ways to make it happen.  If this sounds interesting to you, please fill this form and I will be in contact with more details. 

Thank you for all that you do. You are helping our learners in more ways than you know.   

Cheers,

Lu

P.S.  Here is the first page of my new guide that I'm currently creating.  What would you like to see in it? ​

​I'm excited to launch my learner-driven library series! There are three ways to connect.

A Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjxMLxU--Tg

A Guide with Directions only

A Guide with Directions and Posters

We are all driven by a mission to change the world.  I've long since believed that the school library was part of mine, since they are the hub of all school activity.  

School libraries have evolved greatly since many of us have been in school.  When I think of librarians from my childhood, I envision an old lady sitting behind a circulation desk stamping the library card.  She is dressed in a cardigan with a flowery dress that reaches over her knees with a pair of glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose.  Does this sound familiar?  

Now, school librarians have taken on a broader set of skills that enhance what is being learned in the classroom.  The librarian is a...

To meet all of these needs, we need to consider our spaces and how they are used.  We are no longer a curator of a collection, but of tangible, digital, and human resources.  This requires a different mindset of how to create spaces that meet these needs. 

To assist with this process, I have created an overview video to help you.  Let's have some fun!

What are others ways you create a more learner-driven library space? Please post below!

I'm excited to host a webinar about learner-driven libraries in a few minutes.  This is an exciting project that I have been working on and I can wait to share it with the community. 

Library spaces have become a passion project as I was the head librarian during my time as a PYP coordinator.  I restructured the library to make it more user-friendly.  I can't wait to show what I know with fellow librarians!

How do we design a learner-driven library?  Here are some quick tips to get you started on the process.  You may like some and not the others.  No worries.  There are multiple ways to create a library space and here is mine. ​

For those who are interested in creating a transdisciplinary library, here is a brief overview to get you started.  

​In the upcoming months, I will be hosting some webinars on creating learner-driven and transdisciplinary libraries along with a whole suite of resources.  Watch this space!

I'm excited to share with you my proposal for the School Showcase about Bringing About Inquiry in Library Spaces.  

I had so much fun redesigning two libraries into transdisciplinary spaces.  Let's have a chat about it!

I had the pleasure of redesigning the library space for CB Jennings International Elementary Magnet School in New London, CT according to the transdisciplinary themes.  Take a peek at my process in transforming this space into a dynamic learning center as part of Toddle TIES School Showcase. 

By the way, it was so much fun!