Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to travel with Upper School Librarian Jordan West to the bi-annual AASL (American Association of School Librarians) Conference in St. Louis. The event was a vibrant celebration of all things school library—filled with inspiring speakers, practical sessions, and school tours that offered fresh ideas to bring back to our own programs.
I arrived a day early to participate in the school tours, which are always a highlight for me. This year, I joined the public school tour and visited two elementary schools and two middle schools. My favorite stop was Ralph M. Captain Elementary, an open-concept school where each grade level shares one large collaborative learning space rather than individual classrooms. The library sits at the heart of the building—both physically and symbolically—with students freely coming and going throughout the day. I was deeply impressed by how smoothly the space functioned and how engaged the students were, even in such an open environment.
Captain’s librarian, Tom Bober, shared how their innovative nonfiction reorganization has helped students better navigate and enjoy informational texts. He later led a conference session expanding on those changes—one of many sessions emphasizing library reorganization as a strategy for increasing student engagement and independence.
Here at Darlington, our “bookstore-style” shelving has already been a great success in our fiction and picture book sections, and I’m eager to apply what I learned to enhance our nonfiction collection as well.
Another highlight was connecting with librarians from schools that, like ours, support students with dyslexia through specialized programs. It was valuable to hear how others are designing collections and environments that meet the needs of all readers.
And of course, a personal highlight for both Jordan and I was meeting Mychal Threets, the new host of "Reading Rainbow." We both grew up dreaming of being one of the show’s young book reviewers—it was heartwarming to learn that Mychal once shared that same dream.
We’re so grateful for this incredible professional learning experience, and we can’t wait to build on what we learned to make Darlington’s libraries even more engaging, inclusive, and student-centered.
Professional growth and development are high priorities for Darlington. Each year, faculty and staff members participate in a professional growth cycle that includes professional learning communities, professional development days, and the ability to apply for professional development grants which fund conferences, travel, workshops, instructional supplies, outside speakers, and more. This blog series will highlight some of the opportunities that faculty and staff have participated in since they were awarded 2025-2026 Thatcher Grants last spring.
