Hitting Reset: Reflections from the AASL Board Book Discussion

 Just wrapped up an engaging discussion on the first half of Reset by Dan Heath with the AASL Board! An hour and a half later, and I’m still reflecting on those powerful aha moments. The book couldn’t be more timely—asking us to step back, examine what’s not working, and reimagine systems that are overdue for change.

Dan Heath doesn’t just tell us why change is needed—he shows us how. From navigating legacy systems to rethinking the real “goal of the goal,” Reset provides a practical framework that feels tailor-made for the challenges we face in education today.

Are you experiencing or needing a reset?

Whether it’s within your association, your district, your school, or your library, the question lingers: What’s not working—and what are we doing about it?

Heath encourages us to look deeper. Not just at the symptoms, but at the systems behind them. And perhaps most importantly, he urges us to go and see the work. This resonated with so many of us during our conversation—especially in the context of library leadership. It’s easy to get caught in reports, data dashboards, and distant decision-making. But change rarely happens from the boardroom. It begins when we get close enough to understand the lived experience of those we serve.

I was reminded of Buffy Hamilton’s 2014 post, Dendrochronology, where she writes:

“We also felt that getting ‘knee-deep’ into the collection would allow us to see patterns of usage that sometimes aren’t readily visible with traditional reports.”

That’s it, exactly. You don’t know what you don’t see. And sometimes, you need to zoom in—really zoom in—to uncover the insights that matter. But equally important is the ability to zoom out. To see the bigger picture. To ask: Can we see the forest for the trees?

What is the goal of the goal?

That deceptively simple question sparked one of our most thought-provoking discussions. Are our stated goals still aligned with our values and realities? Or are we chasing legacy targets that no longer serve our communities?

Reset challenges us to examine the assumptions we’ve inherited—and gives us permission to redesign with intention.

As we continue reading, we’re excited to think more deeply about how we can apply these insights to our own work at AASL and beyond. How can we empower school librarians to lead these resets in their own contexts? How can we model the kind of reflective, systemic thinking that sparks real transformation?

We’re only halfway through the book, but already the conversations are rippling outward. Stay tuned—more reflections to come as we continue the journey through Reset.