Before we get to the big events, it’s the daily moments that make the library so special. Each week, classes came in for read-alouds, book talks, and checkouts - over 9,000 books circulated this year, with countless more enjoyed right here in the library. 

Recess brought a steady stream of eager readers, curious thinkers, origami enthusiasts, chess players, and creative kids making the most of our space. It was so busy some days that we had to create a waitlist!

Some came with questions, some with discoveries, and some just looking for a quiet corner to get lost in a story. Those everyday moments - the “Can you help me find a book about…?” or “I just finished and I need the next one!” - are what truly make the library feel alive.

One of the core parts of library life is our weekly class checkouts - and this year, over 9,000 books circulated through the hands of our readers! That number doesn’t even include the countless books that were used in-library during recess, projects, and browsing time. All of that reading is amazing... but yes, it also means a lot of shelving. Phew!

On the collection side, I'm proud to share that I was also able to raise our average age of our books by one year from 2012 to 2013. (For context, when I started six years ago, our average book was from 1990!) I thoughtfully removed about 300 outdated or worn out books and added roughly 400 new titles, continuing the ongoing process of refreshing and diversifying our shelves. 

Our collection currently holds just over 6000 children books. While that may sound like a lot, the ideal goal is about 22 books per student, which would put us closer to 9600 titles. We are not there yet - but we are getting closer every year. #librarygoals. 

Fall Book Fair with the Village well 

Our fall book fair, in partnership with our local indie bookstore The Village Well, was our most successful one yet. For the first time, I got to help curate the book selection - and I was proud of every title on those tables. 

Spring Community used Book Fair

In the spring, we tried something completely new: a Community Book Fair made entirely of donated books, over 2,000 of them! With the help of a dedicated team of volunteers, we sorted them into categories and transformed the auditorium into a treasure trove of affordable books. Every book was $1 or $2, making it possible for every student to go home with something they were excited to read. Oh, and there were lots and lots of origami frogs! IYKYK...The energy and joy were contagious.

Another exciting new program this year was the launch of our Playaway audiobook section, thanks to a grant from the Del Rey Neighborhood Council. Playaways are small, preloaded audio devices that allow students to listen to books with headphones - no screens or wifi needed.

Audiobooks aren’t just convenient - they’re powerful. Research shows that listening to audiobooks activates the same parts of the brain as reading with your eyes, and that they can support vocabulary development, reading comprehension, and even better writing. They’re also especially beneficial for students with reading challenges or learning differences, but are wonderful for ALL students. 

We started with a small pilot program for our 5th graders, and the response was amazing - many students said their favorite books of the year were ones they listened to on Playaways. Because of its success, we were thrilled to receive a second grant from Del Rey Council to expand the collection next year and make audiobooks available to more students across grade levels. I’m really excited to keep growing this part of our library and expand access to audiobooks for more grades next year.

Thanks Jackie for letting me know about this grant and urging me to apply!

This year, I tried something new for the silent auction: “Librarian for a Day.” A few lucky students got to experience what it’s like to run the library - from greeting classes and reading aloud to helping with checkouts and keeping things organized behind the scenes.

It was such a hit! The students took their roles seriously (with just the right amount of fun), and it was a joy to see them step into the job with so much enthusiasm and curiosity. One even told me afterward they might want to be a librarian when they grow up - which made my day. I’m already looking forward to bringing this back next year!

Thanks to a generous realtor grant and some anonymous family donations (thank you whoever you are!), we finally got some long-coveted low tables and floor pillows. They’ve been a hit! The space feels more flexible, more inviting - and the kids have truly made it their own. It already feels like they’ve always been here.

Zine Club was back for another session of creativity. Zine Club, an after-school program led by yours truly, was so much fun! Zines (pronounced zeens), are DIY mini magazines resembling small handmade books. We focused on my favorite form, the 8 page minizine, that can be made by folding a regular piece of copy paper in a special way, creating a small 8 page "magazine". Copies can be easily made using a copy machine, allowing the kids to be published authors.

The beauty of zines lies in their limitless possibilities for self-expression and creativity. With no set rules, we dove into making zines of all shapes, sizes, and topics. And we made lots and lots of them.

To culminate our Zine Club, we hosted a mini zinefest. This special event allowed the kids to trade their unique creations with one another as a community and expand their personal zine collections.

Zine Club will be back in Spring 2026. Keep an eye out for more details next spring!

We wrapped up the year with what’s quickly becoming a cherished tradition: a special 5th Grade Goodbye Party in the library. It’s a meaningful moment for me - one last chance to celebrate and say goodbye to students I’ve known since TK or kindergarten (!) and to reflect on how much they’ve grown as readers (and people!) during their years at Short.

As part of the send-off, we held a mini zine-making workshop. The students learned what zines are, how to fold one, and then created their very own “5th Grade Wrap-Up Mini Zine”—a personal time capsule to capture who they are at this special moment in time. They chose words that describe themselves, listed their favorite books, shared what they’re passionate about and what they hope to learn in the future, wrote down a memory they don’t want to forget from school, gathered friends’ autographs (future famous people, perhaps?), and took a photo with their favorite book from our library. Look out for a display of those photos in the fall.

I’m so proud of them and wish them all the best as they head off to middle school. I hope they carry their love of books with them and come back to visit. I miss them already.

And of course, thank you to everyone that came to help volunteer this year, especially during the book fairs! We couldn't have done it without you. 

I also want to take a moment to thank two incredible volunteers: Leah, who among many things helped me keep the shelving manageable with a truly staggering number of returns, and Diana, who not only helped bring so many of my ideas to life this year but also secured the grant that made our new low tables possible. Their behind-the-scenes work made a huge difference this year, and I’m deeply grateful.