All The Posts

  • The Two Faces of the Work

    The Two Faces of the Work

    I’ve been digitally carrying this screenshot mashup for a while now. I keep coming back to this picture pairing because it so clearly shows what I know about my profession: librarianship holds joy and gravity in the same hand. In the first image, our small group is gathered around a conference table, and every face… Read more

  • Speaking Up: Considering Professional Identity in Online Engagement

    Speaking Up: Considering Professional Identity in Online Engagement

    If you work in education, you’ve no doubt seen the National Education Association’s Free Speech Cheat Sheet for Public School Educators. This list outlines professional conduct that will keep you on the right side of the law, as well as in line with almost any district policy. You can find a deeper dive into educators’… Read more

  • Reading is Life

    Reading is Life

    The last week of the school year hits different every year. While the circulation stats, anecdotal evidence, and conversations with colleagues reveal many of our students are reading more than last year, we still have so very many students who are struggling and below grade level. I do not despair for them, because the teachers… Read more

  • The Orphan in My Family Tree, Part 10

    The Orphan in My Family Tree, Part 10

    Meet the Parents (Maybe) This is Part 10 of The Orphan in My Family Tree. What is usually the true tale of my ongoing search for information about the origins of my great great grandpa Fritz (who was orphaned in New York City in the late 1870s, and whose last name appears throughout his life as both “Brandt”… Read more

  • The Orphan in My Family Tree, Part 9

    The Orphan in My Family Tree, Part 9

    This is Part 9 of The Orphan in My Family Tree. It is the true tale of my ongoing search for information about the origins of my great great grandpa Fritz, who was orphaned in New York City in the late 1870s and sent as a young boy to live with a foster family in Bow Valley, Nebraska.… Read more

  • A Taxonomy of the Middle School Library Patron

    A Taxonomy of the Middle School Library Patron

    Middle schoolers are a specific kind of human. They are simultaneously the most earnest and the most performatively indifferent people on the planet. They will die of embarrassment if you compliment their book choice in front of their friends, and then come back the next day alone to tell you they loved it and need… Read more

About Me

I’m Kate, the creator and author behind this blog. I’m a librarian who has a passion for learning about anything and everything, a love for people, and an aversion to quiet. I am a mindfulness enthusiast who is dedicated to kindness and curiosity, and to finding joy in everyday moments.