Back in the day, my library hero and mentor, Doug Johnson, used to write a yearly wrap-up post sharing what he "shipped" in the prior 12 months. Each of these posts began with this quote from Seth Godin:
Doesn't matter whether it was a hit or not, it just matters that you shipped it. Shipping something that scares you ... is the entire point. — from What did you ship in 2010? by Seth Godin
Doug would then go on to detail what he'd accomplished in the pervious year - emphasizing things that might have been out of his comfort zone. Truth be told, I had conflicting feelings about these posts. On one hand... I looked forward to them each year, because I was inspired by Doug's work and found his ability to craft work that reached an audience outside of the library-land echo chamber to be very motivating. As a newbie librarian, I aspired to be like Doug in so many ways. I still do! On the other hand... I also found myself coming away from these posts feeling ashamed of my own output. Whatever I'd accomplished in the prior 12 months, it always seemed to pale in comparison to Doug's long list of achievements. OF COURSE, this was not Doug's intention. What's more, I now recognize my response to his annual reflection as imposter syndrome, or what RuPaul would call my "inner saboteur" - that voice in our heads who tells us we're not good enough and that we're not worthy of success, love, joy or other good things.
With that in mind, I'm not approaching this post from the perspective of what I shipped in the last year. Rather, I'm looking at it through the lens of what I shifted during the prior12 months. This distinction feels important, in part, because I began the year with the goal of being more intentional about who and what I gave my attention to —making shifts when warranted. Put another way: I often joke that I live my life being chased by deadlines, and while that continues to be true to some extent, in 2024, I tried to shift my behavior in ways that allowed my professional goals and personal passions to drive those deadlines, rather than the other way around. To be clear, I wasn't always successful. And to be sure, that voice, the one that told me I wasn't doing or being enough, still whispered in my ear from time to time in 2024. However, I can also say that this year I did a better job of turning my inner saboteur's volume waaaaaaay down.
So... rather than beginning with Seth Godin, I want to begin my own reflection on the last 12 months with a different quote:
Let me tell you this. We all have this voice, but we don’t let it drive the car. —RuPaul
In that spirit of intentionality, I've decided to write a 2024 wrap-up/reflection post largely, because we're heading into what I suspect will be a dark and uncertain few years. I don't know about you, but I've spent the last month or so trying to prepare myself for what lies ahead - with a particular emphasis on refueling my reserves and making sure my compass is pointed towards my own personal true north. Part of that work has included reflecting on what I gave my attention to in 2024, so that I can make even healthier choices about what I
devote energy to in 2025. I have a feeling that the road ahead is going to require a lot of shifting. This post is (part of) my attempt to be better prepared for those changes. That said, if at any point this refection makes you feel ashamed of your own output, or question whether or not you're doing enough... I hope you'll keep this post from Amanda Palmer in mind. Or, better yet, I hope you'll take a leaf from the book of RuPaul and tell your inner saboteur to get in the backseat, so the voices that encourage and support you can take the wheel instead.
WHAT I SHIFTED IN 2024
Including this one, I wrote 91 blog posts in 2024.
I've been blogging since 20010, but long time readers know that this space was pretty much dormant from 2020-23 as I focused on publishing my work in other ways. However, towards the end of last year, when the invoice to renew this domain landed in my inbox yet again, I decided that if I was going to continue paying for this space each year, I was also going to need to start using it more intentionally. With that in mind, I set a goal to publish at least one post per week in 2024, which I exceeded in large part, because one of the first things I realized after dusting off my blog is that, gosh... I really missed reflecting and sharing in this way! From the beginning, I've only had one rule for myself when it came to blogging — which was simply to always post content that I could be proud of even if no one ever read it. Still... It didn't hurt that a bunch of people reached out to say that they appreciated my return to this type of sharing. Social media may give us the impression that our attention spans can't handle more than 90 seconds worth of information at one time, but I've found that, like a lot of what social media wants us to believe, the truth about our ability to focus is a lot more nuanced. Of all the shifts I've made this year, refocusing some of my attention to this space and to long form reflection, has been the most rewarding.
I wrote 17 book reviews in 2024:
I'm not a fan of Good Reads, but I know that published book reviews are an important way to support authors, illustrators and others who work to create books for kids, so I set a goal of publishing at least one book review per month in 2024. While my average exceeded that goal, I didn't technically publish a review each month. In part, this is because I am crazy. I can't just write a normal book review. No... I feel compelled to make sure that each of my reviews contains resources for educators to help them connect these books to the kids whose hearts may need them most. Because of this compulsion, it takes me a little longer to put a review together than I would like. Still... I am proud of the reviews I wrote this year and of the bonus content I created to go along with them. This shift has been meaningful, but also time consuming. I am not sure what it will look like in 2025.
I created dozens of coloring sheets and Connections puzzles for readers (of all ages):
Back in January, I started creating monthly reading/coloring challenges as a way to offer some examples of how we might challenge kids to read in authentic ways that center joy and fun. These challenges were fun to create and I've decided to continue creating them in 2025 - but in a new way, so stay tuned! Additionally, this year, I created numerous book specific coloring sheets as well as book related Connections puzzles for kids. This shift was significant to me, because it emphasized something that I already knew: my heart has been craving more creative outlets. I'm planning to shift more of my attention to the pursuit of creativity in 2025.
I started a podcast in 2024!
I'm so proud of The Reader's Heart. Of all the things I accomplished in 2024, these conversations, with authors and illustrators about the magic of literature published for young people, hold a special place in my heart. In 2024, I recorded 24 episodes that I published weekly-ish for the first 2/3rds of the year. That said, I'm busy recording episodes to air in 2025, which I plan to publish on the 1st and 15th of each month, so... get your earbuds ready! This shift has fed my personal and professional life in so many important ways and I can't wait for you to join me for season two!
I continued to curate the starred review spreadsheet in 2024:
Back in 2023, Donalyn Miller and I started curating all the starred reviews (from six trade journals) awarded to books published for young people. Our work was inspired by public librarian, Jen J, who began her own starred review spreadsheet in 2020, but stopped updating it a couple of years later. This year, Donalyn had to bow out of the project, so I was left to do it on my own. I won't lie... it's been a lot of work. And I ask myself regularly if the juice is worth the squeeze. However, for now anyway, I plan to continue the project, because I hear from many people who find it useful. I predict that in order to make this shift sustainable, I'll eventually have to find someone else to partner with. In the meantime, I'm hoping to continue updating this resource once per month.
I taught nine courses in 2024:
Between those I teach for Rutgers and the ones I was asked to teach for the Hawaii Dept of Ed, I taught nine, 15 week, courses in 2025. The topics included, EdTech in School Libraries, School Library Best Practices, Information Literacy, Young Adult and Children's Literature. To be honest, while I loved each opportunity to learn and share with the students enrolled in these classes, this shift resulted in a work load that was often too heavy for me to carry. I plan to scale back in 2025.
I facilitated 47 (virtual and in person) professional development workshops in 2024:
Since "retiring" in 2017, the majority of my work has consisted of designing and delivering professional development for teachers, librarians and other educators around the world. Of all the work I do, this is the most rewarding, because it affords me the opportunity to keep one foot in schools. Many of my workshops are hands on, and take place in libraries, so we can roll up our sleeves and do work that makes a difference for kids right away. The shift from working with kids daily to working with the educators who serve them has been a tough one. However, having sat through lots of soul crushing PD myself, I've made it my goal to create learning opportunities for educators that both refill their cups AND that provide them with resources and strategies that can be implemented right away.
I facilitated 12 virtual MG Book Club sessions for Bookelicious:
Y'all, it's no secret that I love the Bookelicious Middle Grade Book Club. If you've never participated, these monthly events feature a new title written for middle grade readers and focus on helping educators create meaningful connections between these books and the readers they serve. Structured, in part, as a "build your own book club" workshop, participants leave with book lists and resources to use back at school, but the best part is that the authors and illustrators of the books we read join us in conversation! Oh, and did I mention these events are free?? As I wrote here, partnering with a vendor, like Bookelicious, has been big shift in the way I've always approached my work. That said, after a year to reflect on this shift, I feel more confident than ever that becoming part of #teambookelicious was the right move. I love these events, but more importantly, I love the people at Bookelicious who have devoted their lives to helping kids become readers. Their mission is my mission. I can't wait to share our spring MG Book Club line-up! Stay tuned!
I facilitated a virtual book club based on Developing Digital Detectives:
Another way that I partnered with Bookelicious last year was in the hosting of a three week long virtual book club based on my book (with Darren Hudgins) Developing Digital Detectives. I found the experience incredibly meaningful and continue to hear from participants who are starting to implement our learning with their students. Although my own thinking around information literacy continues to evolve, (and I'm hoping to have some shifts related to that to share *next* year), I continue to be proud of Developing Digital Detectives, and I'm so, so grateful for the opportunity to share my work with Darren in this way.
I co-lead three #TLSKYChat discussions (with many more to come!):
One seismic shift (professionally, anyway) that I made in 2024 was to leave Twitter. As I wrote at the time, leaving the app I'd come to associate with my PLN was very hard. But once I cut the cord, I truly haven't looked back. One of the ways I've been trying to build a new learning community is through weekly educator chats, on Bluesky, for teacher librarians and their supporters. Each week, Heather Turner and I co-lead a conversation with other Bluesky users that revolves around school librarianship, and y'all... so far these chats have been SO MUCH FUN! If you're looking for new ways to connect with your professional community in 2025, I hope you'll consider joining us!
I started curating my favorite books of the year:
Earlier this year, I asked Mr. Schu if he'd mind if I copied his practice of curating the books he loves on Pinterest. Of course, he said yes, so... for awhile now, I've been quietly adding books of my heart to a board of 2024 releases. I shared links to this board (which I continue to update!) and the one I've started for 2025 here. The truth is, I've tried for years, with very little success, to find the best way to curate my favorite books each year, so... while this shift to Pinterest has felt right, we'll see if it sticks!
I gave away (approximately) a zillion books:
I have a spare bedroom in my house that my husband and I affectionally refer to as "the book room." I sort, box, cart and ship these books from this room to libraries around the country countless times each year. While a do buy a large number of these books myself, I also receive them from publishers as well as from one particular author who is as generous as he is lovely. People are often surprised to learn that I keep very few books for myself. I guess, because I'm a librarian, they expect me to collect books - for a time I did. Then, many moons ago, John Schu told me that he kept books in the trunk of his car, to give away, in case he met someone whose heart happened to need them. Adding a small box of books to the trunk of my car, all those years ago, was the beginning of my shift towards becoming a book fairy - giving away books everywhere I go. Without a doubt, this has been one of the most personally rewarding parts of my journey. And while I do not keep track of the number of books I giveaway each year, I know that doing so means as much to me as it does to the people receiving them. The photo below is very generous in that this room rarely looks this neat and orderly!
SHIFTING TOWARD 2025
While I'm not one for New Year's Resolutions (single word or otherise) or for sharing my goals publicly, I will say this: lately, I've been thinking a lot about this recent instagram post from Jarrett Lerner. Its message has been sitting squarely on my heart.
I don't know if the idea of our worth being directly tied to our output is uniquely American, but I do know that it's deeply entrenched in our national identity. What's more, I think educators, in particular, are conditioned to view their labor as having so little value that we see "going above and beyond" as simply checking the "at standard" box on our professional rubrics. Maybe it's a product of age, but more and more, I'm feeling like the sense of urgency that compels us to produce, produce, produce... to go, go, go... really only benefits a system that relies on our free labor to survive. What's more, the older I get, the less inclined I feel to participate.
With that in mind, in 2025, I'm planning to continue to shift my focus toward mindfulness in a way that allows me to make wise choices about who and what I give my attention to. To be clear: I plan to continue a lot of the projects I began in 2024; I'm not planning to "slow down" in the way that phrase is often used. Rather, I'm hoping to continue my shift into a gear that feels less urgent and more intentional.
Whatever your goals are for the year ahead, I hope they bring you everything you're hoping for! And... if you're reading this: thank you for going on this journey with me. I am so, so grateful for you. Happy New Year!
