April is School Library Month, a chance to honor school librarians and the essential role they play in the learning process. First celebrated in 1985, School Library Month is sponsored by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association. This year, AASL hopes to raise awareness of the unique contributions of school librarians to both teaching and learning, as well as acknowledge their efforts during the past year of the pandemic.

To help school librarians and their communities celebrate, AASL has compiled a variety of resources and made them free to download. Each package includes social media graphics, a PowerPoint template, and a poster. The resources contain powerful messages emphasizing school libraries as welcoming places that empower students and transform learning.

There are also videos available of past School Library Month spokespeople providing testimony on the value of school libraries. These videos can be embedded on websites or shared on social media. Other resources include galleries of quotes from authors and school library ambassadors, an Open Education Resources toolkit, and the AASL Developing Inclusive Learners and Citizens activity guide.

Our friends over at the Texas Library Association also have a variety of curated reading lists for all ages—another way to foster a love for libraries, reading, and librarians!

School librarians are a key part in the growth academic success of students. ATPE thanks our public school librarians for all you do for Texas students.