We are excited to welcome a new contributor and fresh perspective to the YSS blog with Tiffani Roltgen, a school librarian in Verona , WI. Thank you for joining us! Here's Tiffani's first column:
Dear Youth Librarians,
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| Photo by Krista Brinkmeier Photography |
Happy 2026! I am excited to be a contributor to the YSS blog this year. My name is Tiffani Roltgen, and I am the library director/teacher librarian at New Century School and Verona Area International School in Verona, WI. I completed my MLIS at UW-Milwaukee and transitioned to school library work following several years as a youth services assistant at the public library.
You may be wondering if a school librarian will have anything relevant to say related to your work in youth services. Fair question! There are certainly things I miss about the public library, namely being able to really dive into readers’ advisory and work with youth and families to find in-depth answers and resources. The elementary library is a fast-paced environment. My laser pointer is a lifesaver to help direct large numbers of students to sections they are interested in while saving steps during our limited time together.
However, I wanted to share something I’ve been working on over the past several years. In the school library, there is often a myriad of volunteers, guest teachers, principals, educational assistants, and other resource professionals who may interact with students and help with library tasks. Since I am a department of one, I’ve created a list of guiding principles to help everyone understand what I am trying to accomplish during library classes.
You can think of these as a North Star but also as a way to heal some of the library trauma I’ve encountered among caregivers, students, and family members. These beliefs are posted throughout various library work areas so all adults who enter the space can use words and actions that help change the library from a place of fear and anxiety about fines and due dates to a sanctuary of welcoming and inclusivity.
In this library, we believe:
- All are welcome, seen, heard, loved, and celebrated.
- Everyone in this space is a reader, dreamer, critical thinker, creator, and teammate.
- Physical and emotional safety are important. We walk, we take turns, we share, and we listen to understand.
- Everyone has the freedom to read and the right to choose. We never make fun of anyone for their reading choices. There is a book for every reader. (Credit: Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan)
- We would rather lose a book than a reader. We always err on the side of allowing more access to books.
- We are all storytellers, authors, and illustrators. We respect the copyrighted work of ourselves and others.
- Books can be mirrors (see ourselves), windows (peek into another person’s experiences), and sliding glass doors (step into another person’s life and perspective). We connect students and staff with books that fill these needs. (Credit: Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop)
- We all make mistakes, but we can also all problem solve, apologize, and ask what we can do to fix it.
- We are human so we sometimes judge books by their covers, and we often check out books we can see. Please tidy up the shelves and put books on display to spark interest in various topics.
- We strive to be book rich! We surround ourselves with books at all times and check out the maximum number of books offered.
- Language matters. There are no fines or overdue books. Instead, we try to bring back items on time to share with others. We sometimes choose to enjoy our books for another week and are able to renew them. We do our best to take care of our books and let the librarian know if they need a repair.
- We care for our community space by cleaning up after ourselves and leaving the library better than we found it.
What beliefs guide your library or department? Is there anything missing from this list? Would you consider posting your guiding principles for all to see? I’d love to hear from you if you have comments or feedback on this topic.
Cheers,
Tiffani Roltgen
