School Libraries 301
Creating Programs & Activities Everyone Will Love
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Course Details Choose a session. Registration deadlines February 3, 2027 (Spring); and August 3, 2027 (Summer).
 2 Self-Paced Course Modules
 6 Credit Hours
 Recommended for K-12 non-certified school library personnel, including paraprofessionals, staff, and teachers.
 $165 | Save with group rates.
This course focuses on the kinds of programs and activities that make the library feel active, relevant, and woven into school life, not separate from it.
Take this course on its own, or complete all three courses to earn the School Library Ready Certification.
THIS COURSE IS FOR YOU IF...
This course gives you a more practical way to build programs and activities that feel engaging, useful, and doable. Need more flexibility? Once materials are released, you can start anytime during your 6-month access period and move through the course at your own pace. PART OF A PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION SERIESCreating Programs & Lessons Everyone Will Love is one course in the School Library Ready: 3-Course Certification for Library Workers series. You can take this course on its own or complete all three for the full certification.
Need an invoice or PO? Orders of $600 or greater can choose invoice at checkout. For orders under $600, submit this form, and we will process your order manually. Need approval? Email this course to your supervisor. TRAINING A TEAM?This course helps staff create stronger programs and activities by giving your team a more practical, shared foundation for student engagement and library-based learning. Multi-seat discounts are automatically calculated in the cart. Return to Full Course Catalog After You Attend This Course, You’ll Be Able To:
This course consists of 2 self-paced modules:
Module 1: Programs and Events Explore the purpose and benefits of programs and events organized by the school library. In this module, you will learn how to identify program ideas based on school initiatives, student interests, and community needs. You will also examine key strategies for planning, executing, and evaluating programs to ensure they are successful and meaningful within your school community.
Module 2: Instructional Support Understand how the school library directly supports classroom instruction and academic standards. This module explores how library staff adapt instructional support based on school context, including scheduling models and grade levels served. You will learn how library personnel collaborate with teachers, provide direct instruction, curate resources for research and projects, and offer guidance that enhances student learning across the curriculum. Regardless of your role, you will gain a clearer understanding of how your work contributes to student success. Course Advisor
Maura Madigan, NBCT Maura Madigan, NBCT, is the author of Learning Centers for School Libraries, Project-Based Learning for Elementary Grades, and The School Librarian’s Guide to (Almost) Everything (ALA Store). She has been a school librarian for ten years and has worked in education for twenty-eight years as a teacher, college instructor, and educational advisor in the United States, South Korea, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates. Maura lives and works in Fairfax County, Virginia. Course Instructors
Dr. Karina Quilantán-Garza Known to students as Dr. Q, Dr. Karina Quilantán-Garza is a state and nationally recognized school librarian and Assistant Professor at Sam Houston State University. Her work focuses on instructional design, professional development, leadership, and expanding the impact of school library programs. She is a passionate advocate for student creativity, innovation, and empowerment and researches school librarians’ professional learning and leadership development. She engages educators widely through her work and social media presence @cuethelibrarian. 
Tom Bober Tom Bober is a school librarian, Library Journal Mover & Shaker, former Teacher in Residence at the Library of Congress, and author of Elementary Educator’s Guide to Primary Sources, Building News Literacy, and Literature and Primary Sources. He writes for AASL’s KQ Blog and hosts The Primary Source Podcast. Tom works with students and educators to promote a love of nonfiction, information literacy, and historical literacy. Planning programs and activities for students can feel unpredictable. What works with one group falls flat with another. Activities that seemed solid on paper turn into crowd management in real life. And when time is tight, it’s easy to fall back on what’s familiar, even if it’s not getting the results you want. School Libraries 301 focuses on how to plan and deliver programs that actually connect with students. You’ll look at how structure, pacing, and participation shape engagement, and how to design experiences that are easier to manage while still supporting meaningful learning. You’ll also explore how to adapt programs for different groups, build lessons that align with classroom needs, and create library experiences that students want to be part of. The goal is to give you practical approaches you can use right away, not ideas you have to figure out later.
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