Once Upon A School - tell your school library story

Once Upon A School is a website that helps individuals find a creative way to make a difference in their local public school. The site was created by 2008 TED prize winner Dave Eggers, who wished* for 1000 members of the TED community to participate in a project for local kids. [Each year, three individuals are granted the TED Prize, which provides winners with a wish to change the world, $100,000 in seed money, and the support of the TED community in making the wish come true. Dave looked to the community to build a website that would collect these stories.]

Since Dave delivered his wish, TEDsters have stepped up and formed inspiring and creative partnerships and posted their stories on the site. There are about 200 stories so far, 800 more stories are needed, so teacher librarians tell your stories!!! Flood the site with school library stories from across the state and nation. What do you and your school do for Banned Books Week, the California Young Reader Award Medal, Battle of the Books, Library Lovers Month, Read-a-thons, Book Clubs, Teen Literacy Clubs, Teen Read Week, Poetry Slams, Recycle to Read, and library fundraisers? This is an excellent opportunity to point out what a strong school library is and what it takes to have and keep a strong school library program. It is a great opportunity to point to the research that shows how students excel when there is access to books and strong school libraries.

Thanks to a partnership with VolunteerMatch, individuals can browse existing needs out there being requested by schools in their area. The idea is to pick an opportunity, step in and then share your story to inspire others.