The Sassy Bibliophile

Every good trip to Austin, for me, includes a stop at Book People. It's magical, really.  Two glorious floors of books and various wonders. Funky and eclectic. Workers who know and love books, and who help but don't hover.obtrusively. A fantastic children's area. I could (and have) spend hours there just breathing in the air and soaking up all the goodness. It is a soul-healing space. I always find a multitude of things I want to purchase, of course, but I also am always super inspired to bring home to my own library a bit of the magic they've created in that space. As one of my favorites, Austin Kleon , says, steal like an artist .  So, here are 5 things I've taken with me this time around: 1. Book People is an Independent bookstore, so they get to do what they want, unbound by any far-away entity telling them how to market.  They know their people and they know their books, and they create the best displays to showcase their stuff.  I'm goin...

Some truths about me. I have a serious notebook addiction. I love awesome pens. I love to journal. So, I guess it stands to reason that when I do my reflections over the year, and when I do my planning for the upcoming year, I love to do it with old-school, hand-written, paper & pen, in awesome notebooks. This year, I picked up a medium-sized hot pink number at a local discount store for 2.99.  Maybe it seems odd, but I really like to start each new BuJo-ish library-planning journal right after the end of the school year. All the things are still fresh in my mind. I've just completed end-of-year reports, and all that data is handy for pondering. I've just made my state library standards review, and my EOY infographic to share with stakeholders. So, I've learned to begin at the end.  As it turns out, for me, at least, starting at the very beginning isn't necessarily a very good place to start because: 1. I want this year's data and other info cle...

"We Can Do It!"   by  US Department of State  is licensed under  CC PDM 1.0  I love Austin Kleon's work. I own & love his books, I subscribe to his awesome newsletter, and I follow him on social media. If you want more info on him, you can check out his website . I was reading his newsletter this morning, and was struck by number 10 on his list--- You are fine without advice and suggestions. . Go read it, because it is awesome. Anyhow, THIS is something I ponder often in education. Make no mistake, I'm not blaming the kids here.  This is a grown-folk issue. Clearly not ALL kids, not ALL Millenials---but many of them---want to do things Right to the point of Perfection , which leads to Anxiety , which leads to Paralysis through Analysis because of grown folks good-intentioned helicoptering ways. We don't want them to get dirty, so we don't allow them to play in the dirt. But without playing in the dirt, they are robbed of making mud pies. ...

My school's original Harry Potter club ( called M.A.G.I.C. for Magical and Gifted Individuals Club ) predates my time at the high school.  It was originally created by the students a few years before my time there, but had ceased to exist in anything but memories.  I was approached to take on the role of Head of Slytherin House shortly after arriving and was immediately all-in, baby! MAGIC was back! If you are a Harry Potter fan, I want to encourage you to start a Harry Potter club on your campus .  Honestly, it is one of the most rewarding things I do in my job.  In part, because it brings kids from all walks of life together in our mutual love for Harry Potter; in part because it is JOYFUL and we all need more joy in our lives. My friend and fellow TALL Texan, class of 2016, Jennifer De Waelsche, presented on our HP clubs at the Texas Library Conference in April this year.  Back at our TALL retreat, I mentioned our HP club, and as a fellow Potterhead,...