Workshop Description: Register Today!
AISA is delighted to introduce a Librarian Practice Group for members across the region, with the theme “Programming That Works.”
Hosted virtually, the practice group sessions will feature keynote inputs, collaborative discussions, and interactive workshops designed to empower librarians with practical, effective programming ideas. Sessions will highlight successful community-driven initiatives, evidence-informed strategies, and inclusive models that meet the needs of international schools across Africa.
Participants will collaborate in discussion forums, exchange templates and toolkits, and connect in virtual networking spaces. With a strong focus on real-world impact, the practice group will offer both inspiration and actionable insights. Members will finish the series with renewed confidence and a digital toolkit full of strategies to make library programming truly work in their school communities.
Come away with new ideas to bring to your library and enduring connections with fellow librarians and assistants from international schools across Africa.
Sessions:
1) Keeping Teens Reading!
Have you ever felt discouraged by the drop-off in the overall number of books that teens read for fun as the grade levels go up? This session explores ways to keep teens reading even into the DP years, as well as strategies for helping colleagues open up more opportunities for choice reading across a range of subjects. Some of the strategies explored will include:
5-minute bell-ringer book talks
Student book ambassadors
Collaborative reading challenges with Language & Literature classes
Library-led reading challenges
Subject-area book clubs
Passive promotions
Book adverts
Banned Books Week activities & staged readings
2) Critical Literacy in the AI Age
This session offers practical ways librarians can help students question information, compare sources, and build strong habits for interpreting what they read and see across digital spaces.
3) Revitalizing Classroom Libraries
As ambassadors of all things books and literacy at a school, librarians can have an integral part of extending their library services to the classrooms. Learn practical strategies to improve classroom libraries, support teachers and learners in caring for their classroom library, and ultimately get more books in the hands of students across your school.
4) Keynote: Library Wins! Celebrating Innovation, Great Ideas, and Favorite Things!
Join us for an uplifting, fast-paced session that celebrates the creativity, innovation, and joy happening in libraries! Library Wins! features a curated collection of favorite tools, digital resources, inspiring programs, and success stories from forward-thinking libraries. From tech tools to student-centered initiatives and clever programming ideas, you’ll leave with practical takeaways and fresh inspiration. Let’s celebrate what’s working—and spark new ideas together as we honor all of our library wins.
Target Audience: Librarians, Assistant Librarians, Aspiring Librarians
Fees: No cost for AISA Members
Facilitators:
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Terry Maguire is a secondary school teacher-librarian at The American International School of Mozambique. She has taught at international schools on four different continents over the past 25 years, with the majority of those years spent in Southern Africa, a region she considers home. She is dedicated to keeping the love of independent reading alive with teen readers through a wide range of programming and student-led initiatives. Additionally, she hosts regular community non-fiction book clubs, professional development book clubs, and thematic book clubs connected to units of study in the MYP & DP. She positions the library at the center of the community as a space for collaboration, learning, creativity, and discovery. Additionally, she is an Extended Essay Coordinator and Personal Project Co-Coordinator. She and a group of students are building a community library for an underserved community near Maputo. She has presented at numerous regional and international conferences.
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Jeannette Washington is a speech-language professional and international educator. She has trained teachers in over forty countries, and built resources that support literacy development and student inquiry. Jeannette is the creative director of Bearly Articulating, where she helps educators curate learning experiences that spark curiosity and strengthen student thinking.
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Leah is an international educator with 18 years of experience teaching and leading in Mexico, China, Vietnam, and Mozambique. She has worked across all Primary School grades as both a homeroom teacher and librarian, building strong connections with learners and colleagues worldwide. She currently resides in sunny San Pancho, Mexico and is partnering with international schools as a consultant to bring heart to schools through library transformations. When she’s not teaching or consulting, Leah enjoys running, camping, and reading.
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Shannon McClintock Miller is an internationally recognized teacher librarian, speaker, consultant, and author who advocates for education, technology integration, and student voice. She serves as the Director of Innovation of Instructional Technology and Library Media at the Van Meter Community School District in Iowa.