This month, we Feature Terry Maguire, Secondary School Librarian at The American International School of Mozambique. She has been in Maputo for the past five years. She is passionate about keeping teens reading – even into the Diploma years. She is also excited about a local library project that she and a group of committed students and community members have been working on for the past two years in the nearby community of Chiango, just outside Maputo.
Q: As you look around your library, what is a display/program/initiative that you have happening right now?
A: We recently finished setting up a display for all our e-book offerings. It’s basically a rack with the titles laminated and hanging from the rack so people can flip through to see what we have. On the posters for each book we have a QR code for it and also the QR code for the audio version if we have it. Most of our students prefer print, but we wanted to make our e-book collection more visible. The inspiration for this was a presentation I saw years ago by Katie Day in which she talked about making ebook collections more prominent.
Another simple little thing we do is post “Bottom Line” posters on the stall doors in the bathrooms featuring exciting titles. Students often come in and say they want a book they saw in one of the bathrooms. We rotate these posters every 2-3 weeks and have a middle grade and a YA book on each stall door.
Q: Tell me about a recent moment with a patron that stuck with you?
A: Last week a Grade 10 student came in with her friend and said she wanted to read Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli. She said that her friends read a lot and so she feels like she’d better start reading more and that one of her friends had recommended that book. We have been working hard to give teens time to read during the school day as a way to show that we value this. It’s heart-warming to see how many teens have books with them and talk about their reading. It takes a lot of active promotion, but it’s absolutely worth it!
Q: What’s a book (or 2–3) you’ve been recommending a lot lately?
A: I loved No Place Like Home by James Bird (middle grade realistic fiction). I am currently reading Beyond Belief by Nir Eyal (non-fiction) in hopes that I might use some of it during advisory lessons when we talk about approaches to learning skills.
Q: What is a little fun fact about you?
A: I always take the stairs!
🌟 Spotlight Project
Q: Tell us about one standout program or initiative in your library. What inspired you, how did you do it, how is it going now, what advice do you have for other librarians?
A: This past semester we started a Book Ambassador program. Book ambassadors are students committed to growing the reading culture at our school by booktalking their favorite books for other students in their Language and Literature classes or for a lower grade. They also help create displays for the library and post book reviews on social media. They are multipliers of book love at our school!
We meet weekly on Wednesdays at lunch. During these meetings students take turns practicing and giving feedback on booktalks and I do some for them, too. They also create themed displays or discuss upcoming events that they are helping with or would like to see at our library. Most recently they helped me create a “Wild Reading” set of activities for the upcoming June / July break.
