MASL Message: November 2025

• Breaking News
• Upcoming Events
• Spring Conference 2026
• Missouri School Librarian Spotlight
• Region Updates
• MASL Message
• Professional Learning
• Advice Column: Ivanna Rita Booke
• Board Liaison Updates
• Committee Updates
• Readers Awards
• Readers Lists

Dogwood and Denny O'Neil Lists

The deadline to submit possible 2025 copyright titles for Dogwood and Denny O'Neil lists is Nov. 28, 2025. Possible titles (for any award or list) can be submitted at the link below.

Recommend a Book Form

Spring Conference Workshop Proposal Form Deadline

Monday, December 15th

Apply here

MASL Scholarships, Grants, and Recognitions Deadline

Monday, December 15th

More information here

Dogwood and Denny O'Neil Committee Interest

The deadline to express interest for the Dogwood and Denny O'Neil committees is Dec. 31st. Please use the MASL Volunteer Form.

Reader Selector Ratings

Reader Selector ratings are due via the appropriate Google Form by 11:59pm on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Rating forms and trackers are linked below in the Readers Award section of this message as well as on the MASL website.

https://maslonline.org/award/readers-award-committee-involvement/

Click the image above to nominate a deserving librarian!

• Greater Kansas City- We are excited to see everyone on November 20 for our Fall PD! Save the Date for our Winter Virtual Business Meeting on Thursday, February 19th from 7:30 - 8 PM and our Spring Banquet on Thursday, May 7th from 5 - 8 PM (Location TBD). Our store has reopened now until November 30th, click here!

• Northwest- We are looking for ideas for our next regional meeting. Please fill out this short survey with your suggestions for PD topics, or site visits. Interested in joining your Northwest Region MASL? To renew or sign up, please complete this form.
• Northeast & South Central-

Click the image above to register for the December MASL Message Live.

Having trouble keeping up with all of the legislation being proposed and discussed in our state (and nationwide)? ALA provides a resource to help keep you informed. The Adverse Library Legislation Tracker is a helpful tool. The tracker currently indicates ten separate legislative initiatives that could impact MO libraries. Each entry provides an explanation of the proposed legislation as well as the current status of each. Though many of the bills are “dead”, it’s important for us to keep abreast of the conversations and proposals around legislation that could affect our profession.

"Promotional events sponsored by AASL, ALA, ALA units, and other organizations which provide an opportunity for school librarians to promote the critical role school libraries play in the education landscape." This calendar provides a list of events for each month and a variety of resources for each event including professional resources, classroom activities, promotional materials and more.

Click here to access the Promotional Events Calendar

The Learning Hub is a freely available, online journal dedicated to exploring the transformative role of school libraries—particularly the Library Learning Commons—in supporting K–12 learners. Our mission is to build a vibrant, inclusive community where practitioners and researchers come together to share, learn, and lead. School librarians, educators, technologists, and advocates of student-centered learning are invited to engage with a growing collection of ideas, research, and action. Whether you're working solo in your building or leading district-wide change, this space is for you!

https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/learning-hub/

Dear Ivanna,

How can libraries promote a spirit of gratitude in November?

Signed,

Bea Grateful

Dear Bea,

Create a “Wall of Thanks” where students, teachers, and staff can post notes about what they’re grateful for—books, friends, or even favorite library moments. Pair it with a “Take What You Need” board filled with encouraging words like hope, joy, and kindness.

Sincerely,

Ivanna

Santa Reads Braille

Librarians serving students with low vision or blindness can bring a little magic to their students this year through the Santa Reads Braille program provided by Braille Works. Parents, teachers, or friends can complete an online form for students to receive a free Christmas-themed Braille letter from Santa. Requests must be submitted by December 6th. For more information, visit https://brailleworks.com/santa-reads-braille/.

Multiformat Titles for Elementary and Middle Grade Readers

Wolfner Talking Book and Braille Library can help provide more ways to access reading content for students with reading disabilities. Our team has been working to pair audiobook and large print titles together so elementary and middle grade students have multiple avenues to practice decoding, engage in deeper comprehension, and extend their vocabulary. If you are working to provide more materials for students with perceptual reading disabilities, Wolfner can help extend your on-campus collection. Visit us at https://www.sos.mo.gov/wolfner/Youthschsvc or wolfner@sos.mo.gov.

Lesson Plan Ideas from TeachingBooks

You may already know about TeachingBooks’s Literary Calendar full of author birthdays, heritage celebrations, and seasonal topics. But did you know that TeachingBooks also has monthly lesson plan ideas based on this calendar? Developed for students in grades K-8, each lesson includes two titles to promote to students, along with an author study. Use them as a springboard to develop your own lessons or provide them as an activity for a substitute teacher. If you have any questions, contact Katie Dunne, Youth Services Consultant at the Missouri State Library, at katie.dunne@sos.mo.gov or 573-268-1457.

TeachingBooks is a literacy tool that is available at no-cost to you. This project is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Missouri State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.

Community Engagement is hosting their next New Librarian Workshop on Jan. 26th. This zoom will be all about Advocacy. Sign up HERE!

Are you a retired librarian? MASL would love for you to stay involved. If you are interested go to MASL and sign up for ways you can stay connected.

Curriculum Committee Lesson of the Month:

Owl Research - Exploring These Fascinating Creatures, for grades K-1

Click the image or the link below to go to the Owl Research lesson.

https://masl.libguides.com/owls

To find more great lessons, please visit MASL’s Lesson Plan Database.

Have a great lesson to share? Submit your favorite lesson using the MASL Lesson Plan Database Submission Form or contact info@maslonline.org.

See below for legislative updates!

The next Book Club meeting will be Feb. 5th. Register HERE for the Book Club!

See below for information about the MASL Mentors program.

MASL is happy to announce the slate of officers for 2026-2027. They will be sworn in at Spring Conference and start their terms July 1, 2026.

Don't forget- the deadline to apply for MASL Scholarships, Grants, and Recognitions is December 15th. Click the image below to go to the MASL website for further information and applications.

As a reminder, scoring sheets are open and available for Reader Selectors - below are links to each Readers Awards Google Form to submit your ratings. Please feel free to forward and share this form as needed to collect as many responses as possible. The deadline to complete the scoring form is the second Tuesday in January, which is Tuesday, January 13, 2026, by 11:59 p.m.

Show Me*

Mark Twain**

Truman

Gateway

*For Show Me, for adults to complete for multiple students, click here.

**For Mark Twain, for adults to complete for multiple students, click here.

Tracker Sheets – Please find the below linked tracker sheets.

Gateway
Mark Twain
Show Me
Truman

For any questions regarding the Readers Awards Committees, please visit https://maslonline.org/awards/ or contact the MASL office at info@maslonline.org or 573-893-4155.

The deadline to submit possible 2025 copyright titles for Dogwood and Denny O'Neil lists is Nov. 28, 2025. To submit a book for consideration, please use the MASL Recommend a Book form.

If you are interested in serving on the Dogwood or Denny O'Neil committees, please complete the MASL Volunteer Form. The form will close on Dec. 31st.