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School Visits: Best Practices

Though we are unable to do in person school visits, you could set-up class visits via Zoom with interested schools. We have tweaked our best practices for in person visits to be helpful as you venture into this new frontier. 

School Visit Best Practices 

  • Have a plan for technology and handouts
    • Will students be on their own devices or will you be projected on a screen? 
    • Make sure teachers know if you want them to print and provide handouts to students before the presentation. 
  • Build buy-in and teamwork with teachers
    • Make sure they know about the Niche Academy course and prizes
  • Give School Library Media Specialist (SLMS) a notification of your visit and work with them
  • Know the school culture (behavioral expectations, use of electronics, quiet/attention- getting techniques)
  • Don’t let the teacher leave the room (or virtual room) when you’re presenting!
  • Watch YALSA’s teen growth and development webinar
  • Be proactive, follow up with teachers

Speaking tips:

  • Project your voice
  • Notice if you’ve lost attention
  • Move on from tech fails
  • Use humor/bring yourself into presentations (button swag, talk about fandoms)
  • Know your limits

Be prepared for the type of visit you’ll be doing:

  • Quick Summer Reading/ Library pitch 
  • Read Aloud, followed by pitch 
  • Virtual Activity, followed by pitch  
  • Teacher staff meeting

Other helpful things to think about:

  • Educate teachers about libraries
  • Be persistent
  • Do you need a translator? Bilingual materials?
  • Be flexible

Build relationships with SLMS/teachers:

  • Remember names
  • Business card
  • Library swag
  • Thank you note
  • Phone calls

Specific Grade Level Best Practices

Elementary School

  • Ask questions by show of hands: “who has a library card?”, “who goes to their public library?”, “who did summer reading last year?”
  • Avoid questions where they verbally answer you, it is hard to reel them back in.
  • If talking to a class or smaller group of classes, talk about library services or start by reading a book to them.
  • Highlight the types of reading they can count: comic books, magazines, audiobooks, e-books, etc.
  • If talking at large assembly, keep it short & get them excited.

Middle School

  • Define who you are and why you’re there
  • So many questions - Have a straightforward presentation
  • Show instead of tell

Upper Middle Early High School

  • Abstract, boundary-pushing, need to be sold on what’s in it for them
  • Let them sit with questions (unlike 6th grade), 8th grade is the hardest to engage (in 6-8 school)

Upper High School

  • Stare of doom
  • Be yourself - are you positive? funny? They can tell if you’re faking.
  • Find 1-2 who are paying attention

If you get are able to do virtual school visits please tell us your success stories and lessons learned here, so that they can be incorporated into next year's toolkit. 

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