May checklist

Information overload? These are the most important DLL things to know to stay on track: 

• Complete the DLMI

• Complete the WCPSS Library Year-End Report

A North Carolina Identity Like No Other

It’s May and the year is almost over–let’s stir the pot with some food controversy. When you hear the word barbecue, what do you think of? Tomato base or vinegar base? Western or Eastern? Lexington or Smithfield? Pulled pork, whole hog, or ribs? Do you think of burgers or burnt ends, brisket or basically anything on a grill? Is the secret the dry rub or the sauce? Is barbecue a noun or a verb?

Define it how you like, May is National Barbecue Month and a sign that with Memorial Day, summer is close at hand. Beach reads, pool reads, dock reads, and porch reads are ready for you. Go ahead and fix yourself a plate; we’re in the home stretch of May/June. -Kendra

Updated: WCPSS Acronym Glossary

We’ve made recent revisions to our WCPSS Acronym Glossary. As always, we express our gratitude to Christine Jensen of Ligon Middle who had the brilliant suggestion for a glossary following her cannonball into the deep end of WCPSS. In that tradition of providing a reference guide to our newest librarians in 2026-27, we welcome your suggestions if you notice a missing acronym. Email Kendra (kallen2). 

Update: New Library Desktops for Circulation/Search

Great news! A PO for new desktop computers for all* libraries has been signed. *There are some new schools exempt because you just received new computers. Kendra will be in touch if you’re on that list.

Elementary = 4 desktops

Middle = 4 desktops

High = 6 desktops

Special = customized (again, Kendra will communicate your specifics)

More information is forthcoming. We know you’re trying to make decisions about what your school may need to purchase locally, and we want to keep you aware of the progress on this project.

DLMI 2026 

This report is required by the NC Department of Public Instruction. The data collected will be used by the state. 

Due dates for school-entered data: 

Modified Calendar: May 15, 2026

Traditional Calendar: June 4, 2026 

Year-Round Calendar: June 15, 2026

Final Deadline for Principal Signature: June 15, 2026

DLMI Directions

Access the DLMI: https://schools.nc.gov/ncdlmi 

If this is your first time signing onto the DLMI, before you can access the report, you have to subscribe.  If you are coming from another district be sure to let us know so we can reach out to DPI and have you transferred to WCPSS.

SLMCs and Tech Contacts: Select the user role of School DLMI Administrator and 920-Wake County Schools as the PSU. Fill out the rest of the form and click Subscribe to Application. You will receive an email once your access has been approved. 

DLMI Support Office Hours: Meeting link

• Friday, 8AM

  • May 8

• Wednesday, 4PM

  • May 6

  • June 3

EOY: Collecting Library Books

A reasonable effort should be made to collect library books, especially from students who will not be returning to your school. 

• Year-round schools may choose to treat the summer break like any other track out and permit returning students to keep books over the break. 

Guidelines for End-of-Year Circulation

Timelines: 

The last day for students to check out books should be set no sooner than 2 weeks before the end of the school year.  Final due dates can be set for 1 week before the last day of school, allowing the last week of classes to round up overdue books.

Supporting values: Access, Inquiry, Literacy

Notices of overdue books: 

Be thoughtful about the frequency of reminders and notices sent to students and/or families. Overdue notices or general reminders to return books should be friendly and collaborative. 

The easiest (recommended) way to make sure students know what books they need to return is to teach them to monitor their own Destiny account. This tip sheet can be sent as part of a general reminder message to families of younger students who may need support with returning library books. 

Supporting values: Collaboration, Privacy

EOY: Maintaining Instruction and Programming

End-of-year planning may need to be flexible to accommodate testing schedules and special events, but there is no need to close the library to allot time for inventory, reports, or chromebook collection. 

Consider how your instruction and programming can support the needs of your staff and students during this busy time of year.

• Set up passive SEL programming stress relievers like puzzles or crafts.

• Continue to encourage circulation; proactively plan around testing schedules

• Plan fun activities that allow students to apply the inquiry skills they've learned.

  • Provide Weekly Wonder questions for students to explore.

  • Elementary librarians - look for EOY lessons shared in the Instructional PLC

  • Plan Maker challenges

• Encourage students to make plans for summer reading. Share Wake County Public Library summer resources. 

AI Digest

An additional bullet about AI detectors was added to the AI Guidance already published on the tech toolkit.

• “AI Detection and Academic Verification: Consistent with district guiding principles that prioritize a human-centered approach, WCPSS does not support the use of AI detection programs due to their technical unreliability and potential for bias against specific student populations including those for whom English is a second language. Rather than focusing on end-product detection, educators are encouraged to focus on evaluating the learning process, providing personalized feedback, and deciding how AI may or may not support these instructional phases.”

It is important that your staff is aware that the district does not recommend entering personally identifiable information in AI tools.

Have a little fun with Gems, essentially guardrails you can create when using Gemini with students. Here’s an example from Paul’s NC TIES session and a gem Donna Laiosa made. They are super easy to create and you tell the AI how you want it to behave.

This is an AI Progression adapted by Paul Cancellieri from the AI Assessment Scale by Leon Furze. Consider sharing with your staff.

Professional Learning

• August 3rd: Bridging to the Wolfpack: Building Research-Ready Students (primarily for HS librarians)

Thank you to Becky Ashley, Tammy Weller, and Erika Henderson for organizing the August 3rd  session which will take place at Hunt Library in collaboration with the NC State Librarians. Fill out this form if you are interested in attending and giving feedback so this session might be most useful for you in helping to bridge the research skills gap from high school to college.