Episode 18: The Library Is a Community Center with Melissa Silerio

We say the library is the heart of the school. Mel Silerio thinks we can do better than that.

In this episode of The Library Stage, Amanda Hunt welcomes Melissa Silerio, in her sixteenth year in education and now the librarian at Charlene McKenzie Middle School in Mansfield ISD, where she also serves on TLA's Reading List Committee and the North Texas Teen Book Festival Steering Committee.

Her argument: "heart of the school" is a beautiful sentiment and a vague job description. What does being the heart actually mean? Underneath that sits a reframe she's carried for years: you are the facilitator. You plan the programming, one kid shows up, and you feel like a failure. But your job was to provide the opportunity...and you did.

Then she gets practical with Create & Connect, the monthly drop-in program she ran all last year. Low tech, low cost, no sign-up. Plus where she finds ideas and supplies on almost no budget, and the free author visits worth knowing about.

Pillar: 🩵 Discovery

💡 Steal-this-idea: Make it a drop-in, not a club. No Google Form, no cap, no passes. It's less work for you and it lowers the barrier for the kid who's never been to the library.

Curtain Call: 📱Edtech tools:

• Beanstack⁠ — for reading challenges and contests
• Bookelicious⁠ — inexpensive and sometimes free author webinars and student book review opportunities

🛠️ Resources mentioned:

• Latinx Kidlit Book Festival — free virtual author visits, plus an entire back catalog on YouTube

• North Texas Teen Book Festival - March 5-6, 2027

📌 Mel presented the full-length version of this talk as a TCEA webinar, released August 13

Follow Melissa: 📱 Instagram: @melsilerio | Her library: @cmmslibrary

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 #LibraryProgramming #CommunityBuilding #SchoolLibrary #TeacherLibrarian #PassiveProgramming #TLA #TxASL

The Library Stage is an independent podcast, not affiliated with TED Conferences LLC.