Welcome to

the Libratory
Kristina Holzweiss, SLJs 2015 School Librarian of the Year
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By Grace Hwang Lynch

P h o t o gr a p h b y J e s s e D i t t m a r

From

her blog, entitled

Bunhead

with

Duct Tape

(bunheadwithducttape.com), to her maker space program

called SLIME (Students of Long Island Maker Expo), SLJs
2015 School Librarian of the Year, Kristina Holzweiss, displays
an energetic penchant for tinkering with traditional ideas.
The thought of working in a middle school may strike fear in
the hearts of many librarians, but Holzweiss, the school librarian at Bay Shore Middle School (BSMS) in Long Island, NY,
feels she can make the most impact with this age group. Middle
school is such a crucial time because the kids are making life
decisions, she says. Theyre going through those hormones.
Theyre listening more to their peers. Theyre testing the waters.
But they still want to be kids and learn.
Holzweiss began her career as a seventh grade English teacher
at the same middle school that she attended in Hicksville, NY.
After nine years, she noticed that changes to New York State curriculum standards were putting increasing limitations on classroom teachers while librarians could do more innovative lessons
that incorporate collaboration, communication, and presenting
in multiple formats. In 2004, she earned a Masters in Library
and Information Science from Long Island University and embarked upon a new career.

A libratory for the 21st Century

BSMS is a Title I school at which nearly half of the diverse student population qualifies for free or reducedprice lunch. Many of the 1,400 students receive English
as a second language (ESL), special education, and academic intervention services. With the school library
which Holzweiss calls the libratory, a portmanteau of
library and laboratoryHolzweiss has single-handedly
brought our library into the 21st century, says Maryann
Almes, a reading specialist at the school.
Culling the collection (Its not how many books you
have on the shelf, but how many relevant books are on
the shelf, she says) was just the beginning. Gone are the
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card catalog and MARC systems, replaced by an innovative space with iPads, Chromebooks, and a whiteboard.
Holzweiss rearranged 4,000 square feet of the library to
create a maker space to foster hands-on learning. We
cant keep teaching kids the way we did when we started
teaching or the way we were taught, says Holzweiss. We
live in a society that is always changing, and we have to
change with it.
When she created the maker space two years ago, its first
supplies were some recycled yogurt containers and bottle
caps. I told the kids to make things. And they had no idea
what I was talking about, she laughs. Since then, she has
created STREAM (science, technology, research, engineerSeptember 2015

School Library Journal 23

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Finalist

Nashvilles Pride
Lakisha Brinson
Robert E. Lillard Elementary School, Nashville, TN

ing, arts, and math) programming activities for students

both in and outside of BSMS. Through the GENIUS Hour
(Generating in Education New Ideas and Understandings
for Students; geniushour.com) program, focused on student-directed, inquiry-based learning, sixth graders use the
maker space and work in small groups during class time.

Photo by Ardee Chua

It may seem counterintuitive for a librarian to ban books, but

thats what Lakisha Brinson did at Robert E. Lillard Elementary School
in Nashville, TN. To demonstrate the impact of censorship during
Banned Books Week in her first year at the school in 2013, Brinson
used caution tape to cordon off certain shelves filled with popular
series and forbade students from checking them out.
Then, Brinson taught students about the importance of having
access to information and suggested alternative titles. It was inspiring to hear such young students talking so intelligently and emotionally about censorship issues, and it was clear to me that Lakishas careful planning had made an impact, says Sarah Allen, collection development librarian for Nashville Public Librarys
(NPL) Limitless Libraries, which forges collaborations between the public library and
local schools. Brinsons Banned Books
Week project caught the attention of the
Tennessee Library Association, which featured her on their website.
In 201415, Brinson operated the
2,000-square-foot library with a budget of
$8,260 and the help of a part-time clerk.
She shines when using a wide array of
books, electronic media, and apps to bring
social studies to life. At a campus where
96 percent of the 401 students are African
American, and 84 percent qualify for free
or reduced-price lunch, Brinson used
diverse approaches to her Black History
Month lessons. During a unit about notable African Americans called Courageous
Contributors, she had kindergartners use
Nearpod, an interactive presentation and
survey program, to choose which African American leaders to study.
Third and fourth grade students created PowerPoint presentations
uploaded to Flipbook.
Teaming up with NPL, Brinson invited the public librarys puppet truck (http://ow.ly/QRjjT) and its performers to the schools family nights as part of NPLs Bringing Books to Life Program. Under her

leadership, Lillard Elementary was one of the most successful sites in

the district-wide Drop Everything and Read program. Most campuses
have just a few parents or grandparents dropping in to read to a class.
Brinson took the program to a new level, involving a diverse group,
including student athletes from Tennessee State University, and each
class was treated to multiple readers.
During her popular Book Tasting event, Brinson, dressed up as a chef,
together with a teacher who played the role of a food critic, welcomed
students. The educators presented bite-size presentations about different
titles. Kids were required to taste two new books by scanning the pages
to find out what made them appealing or unappealing.
A former second grade teacher, Brinson is most proud of her
work building relationships with other teachers. Most of the schools
28 teachers had received no training in project-based learning until
Brinson led a 10-day training program. Brinson is always busy immersing herself in her work, says student teacher Shetika Coleman, who
credits Brinsons example for showing her the importance of engaging
both students and teachers. I felt quite privileged
to shadow her.
Out of 600 nominees in the Nashville public schools, Brinson won Limitless Libraries 2015
My Amazing Librarian award and a trip to the
American Library Association Annual Conference in
San Francisco in June. She also serves as a district
librarian coach, mentoring and planning professional development, such as digital bingo in which
teachers learned about a variety of digital tools to
win their classrooms a 25-minute lesson she led.
Her multiple academic degrees include an Ed.D
and Ed.S in Instructional Leadership, both from
Argosy University, an MLS from Trevecca Nazarene
University, and a B.S. in Elementary Education
from Tennessee State University. In my 39 years
in education, Dr. Brinson has been the most outstanding library, technology specialist, and instructional partner that I have had the pleasure of working [with] collaboratively, says Lillard Elementary
principal Debra B. Thompson.
This fall, Brinson begins a new position as librarian at Amqui
Elementary School in Madison, TN, where she will be the sole librarian for a diverse student body of 650, including many native Spanish
speakers who are English language learners. Its an amazing time and
season to be a librarian, she says. Not only to be able to transform
teaching, but learning.

They can also sign up to use the maker space on their own
during ninth period study hall.
The stations have grown in popularity to the point where
there is an early morning sign-up list for ninth period that is
usually filled up before the end of first period, says Jennifer
Ingold, a BSMS social studies teacher.

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In her buzzing libratory

and beyond, Holzweiss
remains dedicated to
her original mission of
supporting classroom
teachers with creative
ways to enliven lessons.
Holzweiss fundraises aggressively to supplement her
$9,000 budget. Through $25,000 raised via Donors
Choose, the library houses equipment including ebooks,
two sewing machines, a 3-D printer, iPads, Chromebooks, electronic toys (Snap Circuits, littleBits, and Spheros) and robotics (Dot and Dash, MiP, and Ozobots),
along with household donations. Scholastic Book Fairs
and Parent-Faculty Association donations bought a sound
system, headphones, and new nonfiction books.

From KNex to DeLoreans

SLIME and the community

Looking to engage students outside of her school, Holzweiss, with the help of Almes and Islip High School
librarian Gina Seymour, opened up the BSMS maker
space to 32 school districts on Long Island for the SLIME
event, an all-day fair. She spent four months planning
and raising $3,000 from local civic groups, such as the
Rotary and Lions clubs, regional museums, and Farmers
Insurance, which provided a grant. Fellow Long Islandarea librarians helped publicize the event. During the
fair in May 2014, 400 students tried their hands at over a
dozen make-and-take activities. They also created items
that could go to good causes, such as cards for soldiers,
blessing bags for the homeless, or pillows for the local
animal shelter. The event culminated in a Trash to Fashion show, where 20 contestants competed for the most
creative design made out of recycled materials, such as
empty juice pouches.
Holzweiss also trains other teachers at her school and
in the community. It is in her nature to share what she
discovers, says Leon. She is supportive and will bend
over backwards to help you incorporate her resources into
your classroom.
Holzweiss attended the ISTE (International Society
for Technology in Education) conference in June 2015,
speaking about the GENIUS Hour program and moderating a discussion on project-based learning. Through
SCOPE Educational Services, a Long Island nonprofit,
she taught courses this summer to train teachers to create their own GENIUS Hours and maker space programs as well as how to use apps for education. During a
recent quarterly regional school library system meeting,

In her buzzing libratory and beyond, Holzweiss remains

dedicated to her original mission of supporting classroom
teachers with creative ways to enliven lessons. She used
LEGO and KNex building kits with English language
learners during the GENIUS Hour as a low-pressure way
for these students to try out their new conversation skills.
Holzweiss and ESL teacher Claudia Leon received an
$800 Donors Choose grant to buy the educational toys
for Leons classroom. She saw how much the
kids were engaged with these building kits and
she suggested ways in which I could combine
learning English with building something,
SLJ presents the second annual School Librarian of the Year Award in partsays Leon. She is a spark that lights many
nership with sponsor Scholastic Library Publishing. The award honors a K12
fires.
library professional for outstanding achievement and the exemplary use of
In 201516, Holzweiss plans to do more to
21st-century tools and services to engage children and teens toward fostering
integrate subject matter standards with library
multiple literacies.
programming and to provide a deeper learnThis years award recognizes one winner and two finalists from a strong
ing of topics within the state curriculum goals.
pool of 127 applicants. The winning school librarian receives a $2,500 cash
One idea is to work with classes for two-week
award, plus $2,500 worth of print and digital materials from Scholastic Library
sessions, integrating other curriculum, such as
Publishing. The two finalists each receive $500 in materials of their choice
hosting Google Hangouts or Skype chats for
from Scholastic Library Publishing.
students learning about different states.
Thanks to our judges:
Old-fashioned field trips prompt Holzweisss
students to think about the world and their fuEvan St. Lifer, VP digital initiatives, new business
tures. Funded by a Target Field Trips Grant, she
development, Scholastic Library Publishing
brought students to visit a farm in upstate New
Michelle Colte, 2014 School Librarian of the Year;
York to learn about animals and their habitats.
Hale Kula Elementary School, Wahiawa, HI
And after screening the Back to the Future movies and becoming fascinated with the DeLorean
Leigh Ann Lewis, East Zone Leader for Lewisville ISD, TX
car, she and students visited the Autoseum in
Also judging were SLJ editors. Visit www.slj.com/awards/school-librarian-ofMineola, NY, to learn about careers in automothe-year for more information.
tive technology.

About the Award

www.slj.com

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Finalist

Cultivating Passions
Sally Smollar
Plumosa School of the Arts, Delray Beach, FL

she led a session in which she shared tech tips.

In a School Library Monthly column called Common
Core Corner, Holzweiss offers ideas for using web tools,
such as Glogster, Piktochart, and PowToon, so students
can learn curriculum standards while making interactive
posters, infographics, and animated videos.
Holzweiss urges her peers to find the connection be-

Photo by Patricia Boyd

When Delray Beach, Florida mother Joan Lingmerth noticed

that her fourth grader, Wyatt, was going to bed early, she wondered
if there was a problem. Quite the opposite, her son was so enthralled
with Tyler Whitesidess book series Janitors (Shadow Mountain) that
he wanted to spend more time reading in bed. He began setting his
alarm 15 minutes early each morning to read before getting ready
for school, Lingmerth explains. I promise I owe this new passion for
reading to [Sally] Smollar.
For the past nine years, Smollar has served as the librarian at
Plumosa School of the Arts
(PSA), a Title I public choice
school in Delray Beach, FL.
The school emphasizes Spanish
dual-language immersion,
communication, and visual,
performing, and communication
arts. A full 78 percent of PSAs
615 students qualify for free or
reduced-price lunch. With the
help of federal Magnet Schools
Assistance Program grants,
the library has an annual budget of $4,180, supplemented by $1,695 raised through
Scholastic Book Fairs.
Mrs. Smollar uses all of her available resources to inspire our
students to think outside of the box, says Nancy Earley, magnet
coordinator at PSA. With the help of a TV production teacher and a
senior citizen assistant hired with funding from the AARP Worksearch
program, Smollar teaches digital media classes to third, fourth, and
fifth graders. The library is well stocked with 20 iMacs, 18 iPads, and
less common technology, such as Wacom Bamboo drawing tablets,
used for digital art, including self-portraits. Students become proficient in programs such as Keynote or PowerPoint, and some go home
and teach their parents keyboard shortcuts on the Mac.
Smollar strives to utilize library resources and access to technology to engage students in a variety of projects that encourage them

to jump out of bed in the morning, she says. To motivate reluctant readers, she taught the kids to create iMovie trailers to promote the Sunshine State Young Reader Award nominees. Over
100 students participated in her schools Battle of the Books,
which was broadcast over the schools in-house TV channel.
In addition to leading the student council and yearbook committees, Smollar works with the Palm Beach County Bar Association
to stage an annual mock trial, in the hopes of exposing students
as young as third grade to future careers in the law. You give children
opportunities to do things that they wouldnt otherwise get to do. You give
them inspiration, she says. After attending a faculty seminar about cyber
safety, she invited the speaker, Gregory Schiller, special predator enforcement prosecutor with the Florida State Attorneys office, to come to the
school. Schiller spoke to adults about the dangers of online bullying or
location tracking via GPS and Bluetooth on computers or mobile devices.
PSAs recently renovated campus is LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) Gold certified, and in keeping with this environmentally-conscious theme, Smollar
brought her passion for organic gardening to the school in order to
teach kids about where food comes
from and to instill healthier eating habits. Through the Growums
Blue Ribbon Growing Contest, students received a free seed packet and starter pellet. Growums is
an organization that sells garden
kits and offers discounts to schools
while also helping them organize
fundraisers. Twelve weeks later, 31
of Smollars students entered their
plants into a growing contest at the
South Florida Fair, and a few won
blue ribbons. Smollar has also started working with Growums to sell
seeds as a fundraiser for the school garden. Meanwhile, she had students produce videos to show how to plant seeds, as well as promote
the contest and fundraiser.
Noticing how much of a hit the Janitors series was with students
like Wyatt, Smollar invited Whitesides to visit PSA for a private lunch
with a group of kids. Whatever experiences she creates for her students, I am constantly reminded that my effect on students may not
always be apparent or immediate, Smollar says, recounting how she
ran into the mother of a girl who had taken her digital media class
back in 2001. Her daughter is now working at ABC News in New York
City, an achievement that her mother credits to Smollars guidance.

tween the bounty of digital media and the invaluable wisdom and advice a librarian can bring, whether its about
SLIME or evaluating resources. She says, I believe a library is not a library unless theres a librarian in it.
Grace Hwang Lynch, a Bay Area freelance writer on race,
culture, and parenting, blogs at HapaMama.com.

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