International school librarians come from various backgrounds and work in diverse situations, but it is common for them to serve as the sole library professional in large educational institutions. Despite their shared challenges, these practitioners lack robust peer networks for knowledge sharing and to support professional growth.
This collection of narrative essays bridges that gap by bringing together the voices of experienced and award-winning librarians from around the world, including the UK, US, Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Kenya, Mexico and New Zealand. Each contributor begins with an anecdote from their career, then extrapolates that vignette into a working methodology for library practice, intertwining theory from research and applications from their own library. Each vignette addresses a particular topic or practice, such as:
Imagination and storytelling beyond the pages of a book Collection development and cultural sensitivity Transitioning from university to school librarianship AI and student wellbeing.
Written in an accessible yet professional tone, this book transforms individual experiences into collective wisdom. It serves both as a comprehensive introduction for newcomers to the field and as inspiration for seasoned professionals seeking fresh perspectives on familiar challenges.
Introduction
Chapter 1: Borders: the transformative role of CPD in International School
Librarianship - Sarah Pavey
Chapter 2: Not our diversity: collection development and resource curation in
international schools - Nadine Bailey & Katie Day
Chapter 3: AI, its not them, its us: while everyone watches this
fascinating new technology blossom, whos got their eyes on the students? -
Alan Jacques
Chapter 4: Mother tongue literature: how to promote reading in Vietnamese
when your students want to read books written in English - Truc Nguyen (Tan
Thanh)
Chapter 5: Changing the ethos, turning the tide: what are those quotation
thingies are all about? - John Royce
Chapter 6: Using the IFLA School Library Guidelines to integrate the library
into your schools educational process - Mary Rose Grieve
Chapter 7: Managing goodwill in a library nostalgia environment - Anthony
Tilke
Chapter 8: Insider perspectives from a BIPOC educator, who started life as a
BIPOC student - Catherine Bae
Chapter 9: Building Community through International School Libraries: how do
we make sure everyone belongs when no one is really from here? - Linda
Hoiseth
Chapter 10: Navigating cultural sensitivity while building a rich library
collection - Heeru Bhojwani
Chapter 11: Post-plagiarism: what relevance does plagiarism detection have in
an inter-textual world where originality itself is under challenge? - Phill
Taylor
Chapter 12: Dont mix up your gogies: lessons learned from adult education
that will increase motivation, trust, & buy-in, when librarians step into the
role of teaching the teacher - Alan Jacques
Conclusion
Alan Jacques has spent twenty years as an international school librarian and now dedicates his time to building sustainable training and support networks for this specialized community. He is the founder of 'Beyond Books', a training organization tailored to the career development of international school librarians, and 'The Librarian's Peace', a global non-profit library network. In 2020, the Emirates Literature Foundation recognized him as UAE School Librarian of the Year.
