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Working together to ensure student access to high-quality school library services

By Holly Godfree

Issue 113, Term 2 2020

as. Janice is at the top of her game . I’m going to try some of these things  at my school.’ Later in the session, talk turns to school library advocacy: the lack of positions being advertised, qualified staff retiring and not  being replaced. What can we do? The next thing you know, Janice i

Making connections online

By Clare Forrest

Issue 111, Term 4 2019

al. It satisfies our need to experience our colleagues’ joy in what they do — not to mention giving us an opportunity to steal some of their ideas! Advocacy toolkit School librarians in Aotearoa, even those well qualified and experienced, are often not remunerated well. We ran a discussion to co

All together now: recognising the work of all school library staff

By Karys McEwen

Issue 107, Term 4 2018

fail to focus enough on the wide and vital roles of other staff and, in particular, the loss of qualified library staff in schools. ‘School library advocacy groups are mostly represented by teacher librarians and schools from the independent and Catholic sectors. I absolutely applaud the work they

The importance of school libraries in the Google Age

By Kay Oddone

Issue 98, Term 3 2016

ol Library Association 2014, ‘What is a teacher librarian?’, Australian School Library Association, viewed 11 February, 2016, http://www.asla.org.au/advocacy/what-is-a-teacher-librarian.aspx Earls, N 2015, ‘It’s not about shelving the books and keeping kids quiet’, web blog post, viewed 7 Februa

Navigating the information landscape through collaboration

By Elizabeth Hutchinson

Issue 101, Term 2 2017

the heart of learning. School librarians need to be aware of current research, the importance of their professionalism, and the power of their own advocacy. It is essential to talk to senior leaders, discussing with them the importance of embedding information literacy into the curriculum and pro

Students need great school libraries

By Nicole Richardson

Issue 109, Term 2 2019

ne is it’s an amazing job and we can have an incredible impact on young people’s lives,’ says Barbara. ‘You can’t put a value on that.’ To keep the advocacy campaigns going, Holly, Barbara and Morris ask for the support of the wider school library community. ‘We’re trying to achieve something real

Leadership is not optional – it's a job requirement

By Hilda Weisburg

Issue 101, Term 2 2017

William Shakespeare in Twelfth Night had Malvolio say ‘Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em’. Change ‘great’ to ‘leaders’ and ‘greatness’ to ‘leadership’ and you have a message for all school librarians. I am well aware our profession has experience

TikTok and libraries: a powerful partnership

By Kelsey Bogan

Issue 115, Term 4 2020

ary walls. It allows us to continue to be a positive and helpful presence in our students’ lives, even after the regular school day concludes. Advocacy efforts – As librarians, we know how critical advocacy is to the success of a library program. It is more important than ever that we – libr

Bring the teachers in: enticing teachers into the library

By Brett Moodie

Issue 90, Term 3 2014

The primary focus of the school library has always been to support the information and learning needs of staff and students. However in most schools the focus invariably falls on providing for the needs of students, whilst supporting staff professional development is an auxiliary function. Back

Positive promotion of the school library

By Jae Rolt

Issue 93, Term 2 2015

After I was named Australia's Favourite Librarian people began asking what it is that makes me so popular with my students, families, colleagues, and community. Whilst the ideas here work for me, they may not work for everyone. Sometimes you need to try other ways to find what works for you and yo

It’s time: let’s improve schools' perceptions of teacher librarians

By Bev Novak

Issue 99, Term 4 2016

I recently noticed that a work colleague shared a link to Sally Dring’s fabulous article published in 2014, ‘Don’t overlook your school librarian, they’re the unsung heroes of literacy’. When I read this article a couple of years ago, I shared it on Twitter, and was delighted to read Sally’s reply:

Ten ways to advocate for your role as a teacher librarian

By Jenny Kemp

Issue 103, Term 4 2017

One of the challenges faced by teacher librarians is that it isn’t always easy for the rest of the school to understand why we are important. In my experience, comments like ‘Surely everything’s online these days?’ and ‘What?! You went to university to get a library qualification? Isn’t it just abo

Celebrating the school library officer

By Madeleine Galbraith

Issue 103, Term 4 2017

If you were listening carefully when Leigh Hobbs began his term as the Australian Children’s Laureate, you might have heard a collective cheer coming from a westerly direction. It arose when he announced that the aim of his tenure was ‘to champion creative opportunities for children, and to highlig

School libraries: miracles and madness

By Jackie French

Issue 104, Term 1 2018

The first school I went to burnt down. This was not my fault. The library didn’t burn down, because there wasn’t one — just a classroom with a shelf of books. I won third place in the lottery to read one of the two or three new books donated each year: The Magic Pudding . Three weeks later, it was

Making the library the true heart of the school

By Caroline Roche

Issue 105, Term 2 2018

That the library is the ‘heart of the school’ is a commonly accepted phrase nowadays, certainly in the United Kingdom. You see it in ads for a new librarian, you see it in tweets, you see it in newspaper articles, and it is even the title of the All Party Parliamentary Group white paper on school l

Do we need library lessons?

By Barbara Band

Issue 104, Term 1 2018

A school library is (or should be) a whole-school facility, enabling the learning needs of all students, supporting staff to deliver the curriculum, and providing resources for reading and information within a unique space. That’s the theory. The reality, however, is likely to be library staff cons

Guerrilla book fair: getting staff involved in your school library

By Lucas Maxwell

Issue 100, Term 1 2017

Getting staff members involved in your school library can be tough. They are busy people, and any free time they do have is precious to them. Over the past few years, I’ve identified several ways to get staff excited about library programs, which in turn helps to make your library the thrumming hea

Morris Gleitzman on the uniquely contributive role of school libraries

By Morris Gleitzman

Issue 109, Term 2 2019

During my time as Australian Children’s Laureate, I have continued to visit many schools — something I have been doing for about 30 years. I speak to lots of school library staff, because of my long-held interest in the health of school libraries. Over the last 18 months, this has been particularly

Improving literacy levels in remote Indigenous communities

By Karen Williams

Issue 111, Term 4 2019

We are all about exciting, engaging, and connecting kids to the wonderful magic of books. We’re about opening a door — for young minds and imaginations — to a world without limits. The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) is an Australian organisation that works to reduce low literacy rates among A

The future of Australian educational publishing

By Lee Walker

Issue 116, Term 1 2021

The year 2020 was a year like no other, and Australian educators and students have faced extraordinary challenges as schools closed, reopened, and then closed again in response to COVID-19. Overnight, teachers had to radically change how they delivered their teaching, and I have great admiration fo