Building Readers Who Want to Read

AFTER YOU ATTEND THIS COURSE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO:

• Understand the key role of the school librarian in supporting early literacy development.
• Understand the potential impact librarians can have on addressing the current literacy crisis.
• Define the science of reading and differentiate it from other early literacy teaching methods.
• Identify and apply the "big six" literacy skills and competencies.
• Develop strategies for effective collaboration between librarians and classroom teachers to increase student literacy rates.
• Design literacy-focused activities and programs that can be implemented in a school library setting.

WHO THIS COURSE IS FOR

If you are someone who:

• Is hearing “science of reading” everywhere and wondering what it actually means for the library.
• Wants to support foundational literacy skills without turning reading into worksheets and drills.
• Feels pressure to align with schoolwide literacy initiatives but is unsure where the library fits.
• Is trying to balance skill-building with choice, joy, and authentic reading experiences.
• Wants practical strategies that work in real library schedules, not ideal classroom blocks.

This course was built for you.

This course is especially helpful for:

• Elementary school librarians and library media specialists supporting early readers.
• Librarians collaborating with classroom teachers on literacy instruction.
• Library leaders who want clearer language for explaining the library’s role in foundational reading skills.
• School librarians navigating district or state literacy mandates.
• Solo librarians looking for structured, research-aligned approaches they can implement immediately.

If you want to strengthen reading skills while keeping reading joyful, you will see yourself in this course.

THIS COURSE CONSISTS OF 5 ON-DEMAND MODULES:

Module 1: The Librarian's Role in Literacy Development

What is the role of the school librarian in helping children develop early literacy? What kind of impact can librarians have on the current literacy crisis? This opening module discusses practical ways librarians can get involved in promoting and developing student literacy. You’ll leave with a clear understanding of the scope of your role and how best to make a positive difference at your school.

Module 2: The What and Why of the Science of Reading

What is the science of reading and how is it different from other methods for teaching early literacy? What are the “big six” literacy skills and competencies, and how can you apply them at your school? This module covers the foundations of current literacy research and offers tips for helping students gain confidence while reading.

Module 3: Making Sense of Book Selection Aligned with the Science of Reading

How can you help readers select books for different purposes? How can you critically evaluate and select texts that better align with the science of reading? This module explores book selection strategies that support reading accuracy, automaticity, knowledge building, and reader motivation. Topics include decodable texts, limitations of early leveled texts, and when to encourage students to move toward more complex texts. You’ll leave better prepared to recommend titles that support both the science and joy of reading.

Module 4: Librarian and Teacher Partnerships to Promote Literacy

How can librarians and classroom teachers partner together to increase student literacy rates? This module focuses on strategies for integrating the library more fully into classroom instruction through intentional collaboration. You’ll leave with a plan for building and maintaining meaningful partnerships that center student literacy.

Module 5: Literacy-Enriching Library Programming

What types of activities or programs can you lead in your library to support literacy? This final module highlights successful school library programs and provides both large- and small-scale ideas you can implement right away. You’ll leave with practical strategies to engage students and foster a lasting love of reading.

COURSE ADVISOR & INSTRUCTORS

Dr. Katie Egan Cunningham, Professor and Program Director of Teacher Education at Sacred Heart University

Dr. Katie Egan Cunningham supports teachers to bridge the science of reading with the joy of learning. She is an Associate Professor and Program Director of Teacher Education at Sacred Heart University where she teaches courses in foundational literacy skills, dyslexia, children’s literature, and social and emotional learning.

Katie is the author or co-author of five books for educators including Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom. She has degrees from Princeton University, New York University, and Columbia University. Katie lives with her husband, two sons, and Goldendoodle in the woods of Connecticut.

COURSE INSTRUCTORS

Dr. Elizabeth Dobler, Professor at Emporia State University in The Teachers College and author of Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet Inquiry

Jess Hesselberg, Youth Services Librarian, Bemis Public Library in Littleton, CO

Tim Jones, School Librarian, 2025 School Library Journal School Librarian of the Year, 2024 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, and the 2023 NAMLE K-12 Media Literacy Teacher of the Year.

Dr. Rita Reinsel Soulen, PhD, Assistant Professor, MLS Library Science, Interdisciplinary Professions, College of Education, East Carolina University

Vincent Hyland, Library Coordinator, North Brooklyn, Office of Library Services NYCDOE

The science of reading has changed how many schools approach literacy instruction. This course helps you translate those ideas into library practice, without turning reading into a compliance exercise or losing the joy that makes kids want to come back.

Across five modules, you will build an understanding of the foundational skills that support skilled reading (often referred to as the “big six”), and you will explore what those skills can look like in library time through book access, read-alouds, book talks, displays, routines, programming, and targeted support for developing readers.

You will also leave with practical strategies for collaboration. How to talk with classroom teachers about shared goals, how to align your library work with building literacy priorities, and how to advocate for the library’s role in creating readers who read because they want to, not because they have to.

SESSIONS AND PRICING

Early bird pricing ends one month before the session deadline. Course materials unlock on the session deadline date.

GROUP OPTIONS

Training a team? Choose the setup that matches how you want to plan and pay :

Group course enrollment: Enroll 3+ staff in this course and save.

Bulk course credits: Prepay once, get the highest per-seat discount on every course, and assign seats later.

Unlimited annual licensing: System-wide access for a year with no per-course approvals.

Request Discounted Group Pricing

Questions? Email groupsales@libraryjournal.com.

COURSE FORMAT

This is a fully self-paced, asynchronous online course consisting of 5 modules. Each module includes video instruction, slides, readings, and reflective exercises designed to connect concepts directly to your daily work.

EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT

Each module is designed to take approximately 3 hours to complete, for a total of 15 hours. You may move through the course at your own pace and on your own schedule.

COURSE ACCESS

You will have access to all course materials for six months from the material unlock date.

CREDIT & CERTIFICATE

Complete all modules to earn 15 professional development credit hours and a School Library Journal certificate of completion, which will be emailed to you.

ACCESSIBILITY

All video recordings feature auto-captioning. If you require accommodations, please email course-support@libraryjournal.com upon registration and we will make our best efforts to support your needs.

SUPPORT

For technical or course-related support, please contact course-support@libraryjournal.com.