• What is School Library Month?

    School Library Month (SLM) is the American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) celebration of school librarians and their programs. Every April school librarians are encouraged to create activities to help their school and local community celebrate the essential role that strong school library programs play in a student's educational career.

    School Library Month History

    The following is excerpted and adapted from "AASL Celebrates First National School Library Media Month," which appeared in the Spring 1985 issue of School Library Media Quarterly (p. 83-84).

    The AASL efforts for a national School Library Month were spearheaded by Lucille Thomas, chair of the School Library Media Month Committee. Thomas was appointed by President Judy King in 1983.

    Thomas and her committee gather ideas from previous state and local celebrations for school libraries, and compiled a fifty-two-page handbook for the first national observance. In April 1985, members of the committee were Edna Bayliss, Elsie Brainard, Winona Jones, Elizabeth Kenneson, Elinor McCloskey, and Virginia Moore.

    The theme of the first national observance of School Library Month was "Where Learning Never Ends: The School Library Media Center."

    AASL officials, local and national dignitaries got the month off to a rousing start on April 1, 1985 with a ceremony on the west steps of the U.S. Capitol. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.) delivered the keynote address. Moynihan told the school librarians in the audience, "I want to thank you for what you do. I hope you know how important your work is. You change lives for the better. You touch people while they can still be touched."

    In 2010, the name of the celebration was changed to School Library Month after the Board of Directors voted to readopt the professional title school librarian, from the former school library media specialist.

    Other Dates in April

    School Librarian Day - April 4, 2013

    School Librarian Day honors those who serve our students in the local school libraries. The education of young minds needs to be nurtured and fed. Feeding those minds with good quality, yet challenging reading material and reference materials is what school librarians excel at.

    Take a minute today, to appreciate all the hard work that a school librarian does daily, and the patience the librarian displays, as he or she aids our youth.

    National D.E.A.R Day - National Drop Everything and Read Day - April 12, 2013

    D.E.A.R. stands for Drop Everything and Read. National D.E.A.R. Day is a special reading celebration to remind and encourage families to make reading together on a daily basis a family priority. The official event date, April 12th, is the birthday of author Beverly Cleary. D.E.A.R. is sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA); Parent Teacher Association (PTA); the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC, a division of the American Library Association}; Reading Rockets; The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC); the Newspaper Association of America Foundation (NAA); First Book; HarperCollins Children’s Books; Read Kiddo Read; Walden Media and Ramona Quimby.

    National Library Week - April 14-20, 2013

    First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries -- school, public, academic and special -- participate.

    National Library Workers Day - April 16, 2013 (Tuesday of National Library Week)

    The American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA), the organization for the advancement of library employees, annually sponsors National Library Workers Day, which falls on the Tuesday of National Library Week. First celebrated in 2004, the purpose is to recognize all library workers, including librarians, support staff and others who make library service possible every day.

    Celebrate Teen Literature Day - April 18, 2013 (Thursday of National Library Week)

    First celebrated in 2007 by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA, a division of ALA) under its original name, Support Teen Literature Day. The purpose of the renamed (starting in 2013) Celebrate Teen Literature Day is to raise awareness among the general public that young adult literature is a vibrant, growing genre with much to offer today's teens as well as showcase some award-winning authors and books in the genre as well as highlight librarians' expertise in connecting teens with books and other reading materials.