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Episode 13: Circulation Is a System with Brooke King
When Brooke King asked the librarians in her district what she should talk about on the show, they had one question: how are your circulation numbers so high?
In this episode of The Library Stage, Amanda Hunt welcomes Brooke King, middle school library media specialist in Humble ISD, a school librarian since 2008, and currently Representative at Large on the Texas Library Association Executive Board.
Her answer isn't one trick. It's a stack.
It starts with ruthless weeding. Then the part her colleagues really wanted: how she finds new books, including the running note on her phone full of screenshots that becomes her first stop at purchasing time.
From there it's design and access: genre organization, "Dewey Lite" nonfiction with color labels, mini displays wedged into every available nook, a three-week checkout rotation so every student has a standing appointment, and the door open 8 to 4 for kids who finish early. Plus reading challenges with themed breakfasts, four different book clubs, passive makerspace programming, and TikToks with her library aides.
Pillar: 🩷 Literacy
🛠️ Resources mentioned:
- Genially — interactive book flicks and clickable displays
- AASL Connect & Collect — monthly genre-based book sharing among librarians
- Melissa Corey's visual book lists
- Sora — for digital reading challenges
📌 Brooke credits librarian Jessica Fitzpatrick for the athlete book club idea, the same presentation Mindy Garcia credited back in Episode 8. Good ideas travel.
Plus, stick around for her Curtain Call featuring:
- 📖 Brooke's book recommendation — How to Talk to Your Succulent, a graphic novel about grief, moving, and a girl who can talk to plants, with vine imagery carrying the emotional weight of every page
Follow Brooke: 📱 Instagram: [@brooke.the.book] (advocacy) and [@amstigerlibrary] (library ideas) | ✉️ brookebeesonking@gmail.com
Think your library story belongs on the stage? Pitch your talk: thenextgenlib@gmail.com
Hosted by Amanda Hunt, MLS (@TheNextGenLibrarian) 🌐 thenextgenlibrarian.com
#TheLibraryStage #TakeTheStage #SchoolLibrarians #MiddleSchoolLibrary #Circulation #CollectionDevelopment #Weeding #BookClubs #LibraryProgramming #SchoolLibrary #TeacherLibrarian #TLA #TxASL
The Library Stage is an independent podcast, not affiliated with TED Conferences LLC.
