What Makes a “Busy” Library in an International School – and Why It Matters

A New Definition of Busy in the School Library

In an international school setting, the library is more than a room filled with books. It’s a dynamic space where cultures intersect, curiosity thrives, and the seeds of lifelong learning are planted. But when we call a library “busy,” what do we really mean?

A busy school library isn’t just about foot traffic or the number of books on shelves. It’s about purposeful activity, student engagement, and the central role the library plays in teaching and learning. In international schools – where curricula vary, student populations are diverse, and community cohesion is essential – a busy library is an indicator of a thriving learning environment.

The Library as the Pulse of the School

International schools often serve multilingual, multicultural communities. This adds depth and complexity to the work of educators and librarians. The library can – and should – serve as a unifying space.

So, what defines a truly busy library in this context?

1. A Centre for Literacy and Learning

A busy library sees constant, intentional use. It might mean a student browsing for an independent reading book, a teacher collaborating with the librarian to develop a research project, or a group of students huddled around a digital resource during study block or playing a board game.

Accessit Library expands your centre of learning beyond the physical library with tools like One Search, a unified platform that connects all library and school resources in a single search. Whether a student is looking for historical archives or a current news database, it’s all discoverable in one place – making research easy and intuitive.

2. Engaged Readers, Not Just Frequent Borrowers

A circulation report can show how many books are checked out or issued – but does it measure engagement? Busy libraries cultivate reader identity and encourage student voice through reading programs, student reviews, and curated lists.

Accessit Library allows librarians to create custom dashboards and reading lists aligned to curriculum, interests, or genres. Whether it’s Staff Picks, Books Set in Asia, or Novels for IB English, students discover what resonates with them.

3. Collaboration Across Departments

A library is only truly busy when it supports all parts of the school, not just language arts. In international schools where departments often span multiple curricula (IB, British, American, etc.), integration matters.

The Accessit customisable dashboard and content tagging let you tailor resources by subject, department, or grade level – helping teachers embed library content directly into their lesson planning.

4. Student-Centered Technology Use

Being busy also means being smart about digital engagement. A modern school library should feel as relevant and interactive as any online learning space.

The Accessit responsive web app and integration with major databases (like EBSCO, Gale, Britannica, LibGuides, and more) give students secure, age-appropriate access to research tools – on any device. Students can track holds, renew books, and engage in self-service borrowing, reducing reliance on librarian time while fostering independence.

Why It Matters: The Impact of an Active Library

Academic Success

Libraries play a measurable role in improving student outcomes. When resources are easily accessible and aligned with the curriculum, students are better prepared – and teachers are better supported.

A study-ready library means students spend more time learning and less time searching.

Student Well-Being and Belonging

For international students learning new languages and cultures, the library can be a safe space. It’s often one of the first places they feel at home – a space where books reflect their background. Digital tools are an additional help to close gaps in learning.

Busy libraries become centers of cultural inclusion, empathy, and emotional well-being.

Whole-School Efficiency

Busy doesn’t mean chaotic – with the right tools, busy means efficient. Automation features in Accessit reduce librarian workload by simplifying cataloging, tracking overdue materials, and updating student records via school data systems.

As one librarian put it:

“Accessit notifies me regarding books that have been placed on hold and any new updates. It makes sending overdue notices so easy, and I actually get responses from students now.” – Stephanie DeYoung, Everett Alvarez High School

Building a Busy Library: Key Ingredients for International Schools

1. Diverse and Inclusive Collections
   Offer books that reflect global voices and multilingual texts that support ELL students and heritage speakers.
2. Student Autonomy
   Enable self-service borrowing, renewals, and personalized dashboards.
3. Teacher Collaboration
   Provide tools for teachers to build reading lists, integrate library content, and align resources to assessments.
4. Data-Informed Practices
   Use engagement and borrowing analytics to guide collection development and demonstrate impact to leadership.
5. Reliable Automation
   Automate cataloging, batch imports, and overdue communications, so your staff can focus on high-value engagement.

A Busy Library Is a Visible Library.

When your library is bustling – not just in foot traffic but in activity, engagement, and impact – it becomes indispensable to your school. And when you can track that impact with clean data and easy reporting? That’s when school leaders take notice.

With Accessit Library by Follett Software, schools gain a secure, powerful, and adaptable platform that empowers librarians to focus on what matters: students, reading, and learning.

Learn more about Accessit Library.

Are you ready to reimagine what your library can be? Discover how Accessit Library by Follett Software can help your school create a truly busy – and deeply impactful – library.

👉 Explore Accessit Library.

How International Schools Can Automate Their Library & Free Up Time for What Matters

The Hidden Cost of Manual Library Management

Managing a school library without automation is overwhelming. You’re manually importing records, tracking overdue books, handling classroom requests, and updating spreadsheets – all while trying to support reading and instruction.

In international schools, these tasks are often harder with multiple curricula, languages, a staff changes. And when admin tasks take over, students miss out.

The good news? Library automation doesn’t just reduce workload – it transforms your capacity to serve students and support the broader school mission.

Why Automation Matters More in International Schools

International schools face unique challenges:

• High student mobility and fluctuating enrollment

• Diverse student language needs

• Limited access to IT or technical support

• Cross-curricular resource demands from multiple departments

• Cultural and curriculum diversity requiring adaptable systems

With these complexities, automation isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity.

That’s where Accessit Library by Follett Software shines. It’s a powerful, user-friendly platform that automates the most time-consuming aspects of library management – freeing you up to lead, teach, and connect.

What Library Tasks Can Be Automated?

Here’s what international school librarians are automating with Accessit Library today:

1. Borrower Synchronization

Automatically sync student details – including names, classes, year levels, and contact information – from your school’s student information system (SIS).
This means no more manual data entry when students arrive midyear or shift classes. Visit the Accessit website here to view the tools that are best fit for your school’s needs.

“It’s always easier than anticipated. I import student data with just a few clicks.”
– High School Librarian, Southeast Asia 

2. Overdue Notifications

Chasing overdue books shouldn’t take up your day. Accessit lets you send automated email reminders to students and parents, encouraging prompt returns.

You can even customize the language, frequency, and tone – making communication feel personal, not robotic. Students and parents are more likely (and willing) to respond to an email sounding personable rather than mechanical.

3. Cataloging New Books

With Accessit, you can catalog entire batches of new books in minutes.
Assign a batch number, scan the books, and let the system do the rest – including tagging them by topic, level, or funding source.

This makes it easy to process large orders and get books into students’ hands faster.

4. Self-Service Checkouts and Renewals

Offer students independence with the ability to:

• Check out and return books independently

• View their borrowing history

• Place holds or renew books from any device

This saves time at the desk and builds student ownership as students learn to take care of their library needs themselves. This makes librarians (and parents) happy!

5. Inventory and Record Management

Say goodbye to bulky spreadsheets. Accessit lets you:

• Track items by location, class, or category

• Filter and sort catalog records instantly

• See real-time status on overdue, lost, or reserved books

• Quickly reconcile inventory during audits

6. Resource Sharing Across Schools

For multicampus international schools, Accessit enables resource sharing across sites while maintaining clean data and localised borrowing policies.

This means books can flow between campuses – without confusion or mismanagement.

More Than Just Time Savings

✔ Increased Accuracy

Automation eliminates human errors in cataloging, borrower records, and circulation. That means fewer mismatched records and less frustration during audits or inspections.

✔ Better Student Service

With repetitive tasks out of the way, librarians can spend more time helping students find the right books, teaching research skills, and collaborating with teachers.

✔ Data for Advocacy

Automated reporting gives you insights you can act on – from circulation trends to underused resources. Use this data to make purchasing decisions and advocate for your library’s value.

Building a Future-Ready Library

Automation doesn’t mean replacing librarians. It means amplifying your impact.

With Accessit, you’re not just digitizing processes – you’re creating a smarter, more flexible library that adapts to the unique needs of your international school.

From streamlining admin to enabling real-time access, automation helps you:

• Improve the student experience

• Expand the reach of your library

• Reduce staff burnout

• Elevate the role of the librarian as an instructional partner

Real Stories from the Field

“Accessit has truly changed the way I manage our library. I used to spend hours sorting records – now I can actually plan reading programs and engage with classes.”
– Stacy Cameron, Library Services Coordinator

“Self-checkout and real-time dashboards give students and teachers control. It makes the library more accessible and user-driven.”
– Library Media Specialist, Middle East

What to Automate First? Start Here:

1. Borrower Imports: Get your student data synced.

2. Overdue Reminders: Set up automated emails.

3. Self-Service Setup: Support students with autonomy.

4. Batch Cataloging: Improve your next book delivery.

5. Reporting Dashboards: Start tracking trends today.

Learn More About Accessit Library

Imagine what your library could look like if you had hours back each week.
Accessit Library by Follett Software gives you the tools to automate routine tasks and focus on what matters most: your students and your school community.

👉 Discover Accessit Library today.

Beyond the Shelves: How Accessit Helps School Libraries Every Step of the Way

It’s not just about the software – it’s about the support.

When you choose a new library management system, you’re not just buying a product. You’re entering a partnership.

That’s why Accessit Library by Follett Software offers more than a platform – it’s a tool that helps schools get started, adjust, and succeed.

Whether you’re moving from spreadsheets or upgrading from another system, the journey can feel overwhelming. Accessit’s Customer Experience team are there to make the transition smooth, the setup easy, and your long-term success sustainable. Then when you want some help getting more out of Accessit, a quick check in or tune up as your library evolves, or just some extra help from experienced librarians, Accessit Services are specialist packages designed to give you the help you need in your busy library.

What’s included with Accessit Library?

1. Migration to Accessit

The Accessit Migration team have been there and done that when it comes to moving your library data from an old system to Accessit. From exporting your old data and importing it to Accessit, the migration team will ensure that your data is ready to get working with in Accessit.

2. Guided Implementation

Get started with confidence. Accessit’s onboarding team walks you through setup – from data migration to system configuration – with timelines tailored to your school calendar.

“Despite feeling nervous and overwhelmed at how much I had to do, I didn’t feel as though I was left to my own devices.” – Victoria Rovira, School Librarian, Croxley Danes School, UK

3. Flexible Training Options

Your staff are busy. Accessit offers role-based training that adapts to your team’s availability and learning style.

• Live sessions for in-depth walk-throughs
• On-demand tutorials for quick refreshers
• Personalized coaching for advanced users
• Resources you can share with new hires or teacher-librarians

Don’t stress about getting it right – Accessit can simply respond to your team’s needs and teach you from there.

4. Custom Configuration Support

Every school is different. Accessit helps you customize:

• Cataloging fields
• User roles and permissions
• Integrations with your SIS or LMS

This makes sure your Accessit instance feels like an extension of your school – not a cookie-cutter system.

5. Ongoing Help Desk + Local Support

Accessit’s dedicated support team offers fast, knowledgeable help – not scripted responses. You’ll also have access to local teams who understand regional needs and time zones. No matter what you need, and when, the answer will be available to you.

Bonus: there’s an active global user community, so you’re never alone in your questions.

6. Product Updates + Feature Guidance

As Accessit evolves, so do your tools. The Services team keeps you informed of:

• New feature rollouts
• Best practices for using updates
• Use cases from other schools
• Seasonal tips for catalog cleanups, audits, or reading program boosts

You’ll never have to figure it out on your own. Accessit is always changing in order to fit your needs as a librarian.

Why It Matters for Schools

Schools with rotating staff, evolving curricula, and multiple languages need fast onboarding and reliable support.

Accessit Services ensure that:

• You’re never stuck during setup
• Your staff are confident from the start
• You’re equipped to use the software to its full potential

Not Just Setup – Long-Term Partnership

You’ll gain a trusted partner who’s with you at every stage – from your first student logins to your annual report to your next library refresh.

Accessit’s approach isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s one-size-fits-YOU.

This is seen best in their Accessit Services packages, a suite of “off-the-shelf” offerings that give you access to an experienced Accessit librarian to help you do everything from making Dazzling Dashboards to performing Stocktake/Inventory. In some locations there’s even the option to have one of the team come to your school to catalogue your library and get it setup and ready to go!

Learn more about Accessit Library

From initial rollout to day-to-day operations, Accessit Customer Experience team give schools the support they need to create efficient, inclusive, and high-impact libraries.

👉 Learn more about Accessit Library services here.

Books to Help Teach Empathy

Bev Humphrey
Accessit Library trainer, Literacy & Digital Media Consultant
www.bevhumphrey.com
Social media – https://linktr.ee/BevHumphrey

With current world events, I think it’s never been more vital that we encourage our children and young people to develop their empathy skills, and reading fiction is such a powerful way to help them step inside another person’s life and build their understanding and caring.

Here in the UK, we have an Empathy Day Festival between the 2 and 12 June and the Read for Empathy collection for 2025, has recently been launched, made up of 70 brilliant books to build empathy. I love all of the suggested books, and they are brilliant selections, but here are a few others I would add from my recent reading:

Picture Books

The Midnight Mitzvah, Ruth Horowitz
Inspired by a tale from the Jewish Talmud, this lovely story has a lot to say about giving, modesty, and helping others. It has atmospheric illustrations, an engaging storytelling, and a couple of great information pages at the back.

Step Into My Shoes, Alkisti Halikia, illustrated by Fotini Tikkou, translated by Konstantine Matsoukas
Matou, a young girl, is captivated by the shoes left outside a mosque and imagines the stories of their owners. When her mother works late, Matou wonders if trying on her mother’s shoes could foster understanding between them. This delightful story explores empathy as Matou takes the phrase ‘to step into someone’s shoes’ literally.

The Bicycle, Patricia McCormick & Mevan Babacar, illustrated by Yas Imamura
Mevan and her family, forced to flee their cherished home in Kurdistan, embark on a journey seeking safety, feeling isolated in each new country. A stranger’s unexpected gift transforms her experience. Inspired by Mevan Babakar’s childhood, this poignant story highlights the profound impact of kindness and serves as an introduction to the realities of refugee life, enhanced by subtle illustrations.

Middle Grade

My Dog, Olivia Wakeford
10-year-old Rhys loves dogs and finds a lost black Labrador named Worthington under the bed of his dying mum. With no one to claim the dog, he takes it in but must keep it a secret when he moves to London to live with his estranged father, who dislikes dogs. As the story goes on, we realise that Worthington is not an actual dog but instead is a manifestation of Rhys’s grief. Poignant, touching, and ultimately hopeful, this is a beautiful story.

How to Roller-Skate with One Leg, Ella Dove
This funny, poignant book tells us the story of Maya, who is twelve years old and a recent amputee, and the way she gets on with her life and weathers the trials of becoming a teenager. The humour in the story makes it a fun read, with several heartbreaking moments where you really feel for Maya and are rooting for her to be able to get back to what she considers to be normal.

The Bravest Word, Kate Foster
Matt is a whizz at football and is the star of his team, but lately he isn’t getting the same joy in playing, and feels he’s letting everyone down as well as feeling exhausted all the time. When he finds a neglected dog that needs his help, however, he instantly knows that he must rescue him.  Will helping the dog help Matt to recognise that he needs help too?  Very good portrayal of depression, and a lesson to be learnt about confiding in others.

Young Adult

Girl, Ultra-Processed, Amara Sage
Saffron Saldana battles with self-esteem issues and compares herself to others, feeling confident only while catfishing online. As the New Year nears, she envies her friend Poppy’s allure and her mother’s confidence as a SlimIt coach. By adopting the persona of Sydney, a stunning AI-generated Instagram model, Saffron gains power over her image, but her fun quickly spirals out of control, leaving her uncertain about how to fix the situation. Girl, Ultra-Processed explores the challenges faced by teenage girls in a body-obsessed society, including family conflicts, friendships, and major life changes.

Handle With Care, Louisa Reid
A 16-year-old girl gives birth to the baby she didn’t know she was expecting in a school classroom, the result of having a one-night stand with her best friend’s brother. The way she then unravels and gets no help from those around her is painful to read. Powerful, beautiful writing that will stay with me for a long time.

The Boy I Love, William Hussey
This heartbreaking story of love between a soldier and an officer in the First World War evoked tears and anger from me over the senseless deaths of young men, particularly gay men who fought for a country that shunned and marginalized them. Hussey’s sensitive yet realistic portrayal of war makes the book an important, albeit challenging read.

Graphic Novel

The Sad Ghost Club, Lize Meddings
The Sad Ghost Club is an accessible, meaningful graphic novel which offers understanding and help to anxiety sufferers of all ages. It’s comforting and practical, with many suggestions of things to do that might help you feel better. Based on the Sad Ghost Club community, with over 600K followers on Instagram, this is a place where everyone is accepted and everyone belongs. A helpful read for anxiety sufferers and a great way to increase understanding for non-sufferers.

Accessit’s Free Empathy Dashboard

We’ve already created an amazing home for Accessit libraries to showcase their empathy resources with our ‘Empathy Action Month’ dashboard. This is a free dashboard that can be easily imported for use on your library’s Accessit website (we call it a Web App) then customised to suit the needs of your school.

This is just one of the many dashboards that our teacher-librarians are always creating to help your library reach across the curriculum. Whether it’s major events like the Olympics or curriculum topics like Climate Change, Accessit offers over 120 dashboards to help you connect with what staff are teaching and make it easier for students to engage with your library’s fantastic resources.

Try out our live Accessit Web App to see examples of what your library website can look like with Accessit!

Picture Book Picks

Bev Humphrey
Literacy & Digital Media Consultant
www. Bevhumphrey.com
Social media – https://linktr.ee/BevHumphrey

I have just checked my home library app and apparently, I have 560 picture books on my shelves… so you can probably guess that I do love an illustrated story! I don’t think that picture books are just for young children either, I’ve taught some very popular lessons with 14 year olds using picture books to focus on inference and prediction etc so it certainly isn’t just primary schools I would like to find picture books in. There are so many published each year it’s hard to keep up however so I hope this collection of recent picture books that I love will be useful:

The Midnight Mitzva, Ruth Horowitz

This gentle story that encourages children to think of others is a retelling of a 2000-year-old story from the Jewish book of law, the Talmud. Included at the end of the story are some educational endnotes about the Jewish value of tzedakah (helping those in need) as well as information about similar traditions in other faiths.

We Can! – Make a Difference, Alexandra Strick and Steve Antony

We Can! Is the second book written in this style, the first being You Can! and both are unique in that they were written with a team of children, for children, and both are empowering and fun reads. This story is about activism and making a positive change in your world.

The Language of Flowers, Shyala Smith & Aaron Asis

I’m not ashamed to say that this beautifully written and illustrated picture book brought a tear to my eye, the story is poignant and explores how a child copes with grief and finds a way to pay tribute to a lost friend.

The Story Orchestra – The Planets, illustrated by Jessica Courtney-Tickle

The Planets is one of a series of stunning picture books that explore classical music , with a play aloud sound on each page. I only have two at the moment (this one and the Nutcracker) but all of the rest of them are on my wishlist.

Are You A Hungry Monster?, Guilherme Karsten

As this is one of my granddaughter’s favourite books at the moment, I just had to include it – it’s such good fun to read! This is the third in the series about a small bespectacled monster and it would be wonderful as a read aloud with a group of children. Plenty of gross out moments – dried bogies in a sandwich anyone?! – and wind references.

Cloud Boy, Greg Stobbs

Bobby has a very vivid imagination and struggles to focus which is a little inconvenient as whenever his mind takes flight so does he and he floats up into the clouds. Hi family and friends try to help him by tethering him to the ground but by the end of the story we discover that Bobby’s way of thinking isn’t so bad after all and that we should all celebrate our differences.

Dance Just Like So, Annemarie Anang & Natelle Quek

Dance Just Like So tells the tale of Kwesi who every week dances with his grandmother and her neighbours until Gran has an accident and cannot dance standing up. Together they find a way round this however and their happiness in being together just shines off the page. Such a joyful, family centric story.

Colours of Home, Miriam Latimer

In Colours of Home we meet young Ana who has been forced to leave her home by war and is feeling very sad about it, to the extent that she no longer sees any colour in her world. The young girl she now lives with, Olive, wants to help Ana feel better and slowly the colours come back. A great book to introduce the subject of refugeeism to young children.

A Story of the Seasons, Anna Wilson & Carolina Rabei

This sumptuous large format picture book is a factual one and leads us through the seasons in nature. The full page illustrations are gorgeous and the text is full of so many facts that it would keep any nature lover occupied for ages.

Me and My Hair, Kimberley Kinloch

Young Kyla loves her afro hair but her friends don’t always understand everything she does to look after it , and she’s curious about other people’s hair, her friend Mia’s who has ginger hair for example. I learnt so much from this book and it’s interesting, fun and promotes understanding and individuality.