Thank You, Kathy

I was shocked and disappointed to learn that School Library Journal stalwart and editor in chief Kathy Ishizuka was recently laid off. The level of respect and admiration I have for Kathy and her work is immense. She cares deeply about the ways school libraries can make the world a better place.

Beyond her ferocious advocacy for our profession, I have three things I’d like to personally thank her for . . .

1. In 2010, Kathy emailed me about the possibility of writing the Digital Resources column for SLJ. Because I was scared, I said no. Kathy wrote back and encouraged me to give it a try. She didn’t have to do that. I ended up accepting the offer and writing that column for a couple of years, and it was a great learning experience. Thank you, Kathy.
2. In 2012, I wrote a snarky e-reader piece for the print edition of SLJ. Did I go overboard in my skepticism of an emerging technology? Perhaps. But when a respected school librarian took issue with the article on his blog, Kathy publicly stood up for me. That meant a lot. Thank you, Kathy.
3. Also in 2012 Kathy contacted me about bringing this blog into the SLJ fold. I had been writing 100 Scope Notes since 2007, and never expected to have that kind of opportunity. Writing this blog for SLJ has changed my life in so many good ways. Thank you, Kathy.

You can find Kathy Ishizuka on Bluesky.

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