Alabama LM Update October 2026
We're excited to kick off another day of learning and collaboration with a special Yellowhammer Books spotlight during both sessions on October 9th.
📚 9:30 AM – ASLA: Yellowhammer Books: PSPL 563490
📚 1:30 PM – TeachingBooks for Yellowhammer Books: PSPL 563491
During our morning session, members of the ASLA team will highlight outstanding Yellowhammer Book selections and share ways these titles can support student learning and engagement. In the afternoon, TeachingBooks will demonstrate resources and strategies that can help you integrate and promote Yellowhammer Books in your library program.
Whether you're looking for new book promotion ideas, curriculum connections, or tools to support readers and educators, these sessions will provide practical ideas you can use right away.
All registration information is available on the First Fridays website, where you'll also find a graphic featuring the complete First Fridays lineup for the year. If a direct registration link does not work, simply search for the session number in PSPL.
We hope you'll join us as we continue to learn, collaborate, and grow together while celebrating great books and the resources that bring them to life!
Important Reminders:
✅ Register in PSPL before attending to receive credit
✅ If joining with a group, enter your name in the chat
✅ If your display name differs from your PSPL registration, enter your name in the chat
✅ Otherwise, no need to enter your name to avoid duplicate entries
✅ Platform login information is available in the “Notes” section of PSPL when you register
Looking for more professional learning opportunities? Check out this spreadsheet!
Our Regional Library Learning Tour is off to a great start, with successful sessions already completed in Tuscaloosa and Mobile. If you missed those opportunities, there's still time to join us in Auburn or Birmingham!
Each session may include:
- ALSDE updates and announcements
- A hands-on AMSTI engineering activity led by Britney Fureigh
- Guided tours of both an elementary and a secondary school library
- Opportunities to connect and learn with fellow librarians
Join us as we explore exemplary library programs, gather new ideas, and build connections with colleagues from across the state.
Remaining Sessions:
- October 23, 2026 | 9:00 AM-12:00 PM | PSPL 565223
- October 28, 2026 | 9:00 AM-12:00 PM | PSPL 571944
Seats are limited, so register today! 📚✨
Want to explore even more ways to grow this season? Dive into our full calendar of Fall 2026 professional learning sessions! Check out this comprehensive spreadsheet for all the details and additional opportunities!
Elementary, K-5
Secondary, 6-12
Congratulations to Kathleen Sosebee, librarian at Oneonta Middle School, on being selected for the 2026 Library of Congress Summer Teacher Institute in Washington, D.C. Kathleen was chosen from nearly 200 applicants nationwide to participate in this prestigious professional learning opportunity.
During the three-day institute, Kathleen collaborated with educators from across the country while exploring strategies for teaching with primary sources from the Library of Congress.
This year, she plans to use her learning with sixth-grade students through lessons focused on analyzing and evaluating primary sources. "The in-depth study of primary and secondary sources gave me the knowledge to create lessons and activities to instruct our students in analyzing and evaluating sources," Kathleen shared.
Interested in learning more? Kathleen recommends the LOC Teacher Blog as a great source of ideas and resources. You can email Kathleen at ksosebee@ocsredskins.com.
Looking for a creative way to connect library skills with another content area? Collette Fikes recently developed a fun and engaging 7thGrade Band and Library Scavenger Hunt that combines music education with information literacy. Students work in teams to navigate the library, explore the catalog, locate resources, investigate instrument families, practice Dewey Decimal skills, and discover connections between music and other subjects. The activity encourages collaboration, critical thinking, and hands-on research while helping students become more confident library users. Kudos to Ms. Fikes for creating an innovative lesson that showcases the power of collaboration between librarians and classroom educators!
Enjoy this book review and lesson plan from Phenicia Nunn, AMSTI Math Specialist, Grades 9-12.
The Dot and the Line: A Romance In Lower Mathematics
By Norton Juster
This is the story of a sensible straight line that finds himself hopelessly in love with a beautiful frivolous dot. The dot, though perfect in every way, is wholly unimpressed and only has eyes for a wild and unkempt squiggle. All of the line's romantic dreams were in vain — that is, until he discovered . . . angles! Now, with newfound self-expression, he can be anything he wants to be--a square, a triangle, a parallelogram. . . . And that's just the beginning! The line figures out how to create mathematical beauty in the form of hexagons, octagons, tetragrams, and other complex shapes and how to carefully control ellipses. Suddenly, he's gone from conventional, repressed, and stifled to dazzling, enigmatic, and compelling, and the squiggle doesn't stand a chance.
