Book challenges in school and public libraries reached a record high in 2023, according to data released by the American Library Association. Much has been shared about what school districts need to know when dealing with challenges to their library collections and threats to their professionalism. What is less often talked about is the personal toll this takes on school media specialists, including additional stress and altering curation practices, resulting in soft censorship. Join Sara Gold and Monica Treptow for a discussion on strategies for self care during and after a challenge experience. In addition to learning how to create a circle of support, the session will address how to navigate the dynamics between personal feelings and professional responsibilities of education and librarianship.

Over the past decade, audiobook usage has grown exponentially among readers of all ages. Chances are, you’ve seen firsthand how popular they are among your students. And though some traditionalists might decry audiobooks as “cheating”, or as a reading shortcut, it’s simply not true. In fact, some studies have shown that reading a story via audiobook stimulates the same cognitive and emotional areas of the brain as reading more conventional print books or ebooks. Audiobooks also offer many additional benefits for your students – all of which you’ll learn about in this session, led by experts from WSDLC and Sora. Interested in building your students’ critical listening skills, boosting their reading comprehension and giving them new pathways to better reading scores? Then don’t miss out on this eye-opening presentation.