Communication

4 Ways Librarians Can Use School Newsletters for Internal Comms

Dr. Kara Stern
2 min read
Black cup and hands typing on a laptop.

Internal comms are the lifeblood of libraries! Check out these four best practices for a library-focused school newsletter for faculty, staff & admin.

The librarian is in the house! Let’s get this party started!

Are you looking for ways to communicate with your faculty and staff about the school library? We’ve got a great school newsletter to share with you, with props to Librarian Kristi Brawley 🙌 🙌. In four simple moves, she includes, celebrates, encourages, & educates. Let’s check out these internal comms best practices!

GIF of Beyonce and let's get this party started

1. Include everyone 👯‍♀️

Kristi opens her monthly newsletter with spotlight photo gallery of faculty & staff. Here, she celebrates faculty & staff who speak another language, each paired with a favorite book.

2. Celebrate reading 📖

Adults who love to read inspire kids who love to read. In the next section of her newsletter, Kristi gives props to everyone participating in a staff reading challenge & links to a form so folks can share what they’re reading.

3. Encourage engagement 👓

Kristi embeds a great hyperlinked infographic about the many services the library provides. She also tells her readers how to use the infographic.

4. Educate your audience 👩🏻‍🏫

With a simple button link to her newsletter archive, Kristi makes it easy for folks to access all the great tips in her past newsletters.

5. Keep it efficient!

Kristi has a smart strategy for streamlining her process, which allows her to turn out a consistent newsletter month after month. As she explains it:

🤩

“In addition to matching the Smore background and color theme to the respective month, I also utilize a framework when building my newsletter and copy/include the same section headings in each edition.”

With a newsletter like this, you won’t have to worry about getting faculty & staff to use the library — you’ll have to worry about getting them out in time for class 😜.

You can access Kristi’s complete newsletter here. And if you’d like a library newsletter for National Poetry Month, you can find one here. Happy communicating!

Want to communicate more easily?

Subscribe to Smore Blog

Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox

Dr. Kara Stern

Dr. Kara Stern began her career as an ELA teacher, then shifted into administration as a middle school principal. Dr. Stern is a fervent advocate for equitable communication and family engagement. She spent five years as Executive Director at Math for America, where she designed the professional learning community that exists to this day. An unexpected move to Tel Aviv launched her into the world of EdTech where she became the Director of Education Content for Smore and then the Head of Education Solutions at SchoolStatus. Outside of work, she indulges her love for reading, devouring two novels weekly, with a particular fondness for heists and spy stories.

Keep Reading

Jan 8, 2024

Banish winter blues with these 10 fun and helpful templates for all of your February needs. From holidays to snow days and everything in between.

Aug 27, 2023

Welcoming faculty back from summer requires a certain sleight of hand: you have to acknowledge that vacation is ending while inspiring your team with the hope and promise of the new school year. Principals as motivational speakers!

Jan 11, 2024

Classroom newsletters are a key piece of ensuring students meet with success this year. It's about building trust! Get started with these tips.