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Website and app reviews
By Nigel Paull
Issue 99, Term 4 2016
Australia and the Vietnam War vietnam-war.commemoration.gov.au Developed by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW (BOSTES), this website offers a comprehensive range of information and resources related to Australia’s role in the Vietnam War. Aspects of the conflict cov
Supporting Australian book creators
By Nicole Richardson, Morris Gleitzman
Issue 99, Term 4 2016
tes and territories. Invitations are sent either by post or by email, and include information about ELR and instructions for running the survey. We require a minimum of 300 schools to participate. The ELR survey does not ask you to complete a questionnaire; rather, participants are asked to run an
Looking back: school library catalogues and the online revolution
By Lance Deveson
Issue 100, Term 1 2017
t as a young teacher librarian, I was excited to be using this new technology, and thought it a major leap forward in getting books onto shelves more quickly. Following some computer studies, and running a computer course for the school on Commodore VIC-20 and Commodore 64 computers, I was fortunat
SCIS is more
By Ben Chadwick
Issue 100, Term 1 2017
a powerful positive impact. Unfortunately, unlike superheroes, that impact is rarely explosive and public, but subtle, incremental, and often hard to quantify. Like all good superheroes, school library professionals need to refine and discipline their substantial powers. And like Superman juggling
Leigh Hobbs on school libraries and storytelling
By Leigh Hobbs
Issue 100, Term 1 2017
es as an art teacher for 25 years certainly honed my survival skills, and I suspect years in a classroom helped me get a sense of how children think. Quite a bit of my children’s books are set in the classroom context, and I think this comes more from my perspective as a teacher than from my point o
Collector, curator or collaborator?
By Jennie Bales
Issue 100, Term 1 2017
ive practice. It is worthy of your personal commitment. Professional engagement The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL 2014) require all teachers to ‘engage with professional learning networks and the broader community’ (AITSL 2014, p. 21). There are many formal and informal g
Guerrilla book fair: getting staff involved in your school library
By Lucas Maxwell
Issue 100, Term 1 2017
ld introduce myself. In those meetings I was able to throw around a few ideas: reading logs, research lessons, competitions — all things that would require no extra work on their part. In addition, I also attend meetings with subject leaders, where I encourage them to look over the collection with
The future role of the teacher librarian
By Dr James E Herring
Issue 100, Term 1 2017
re important for our students in the future, both in school and at home. New sources of information appear all the time, and it seems that while the quantity of information grows, the quality lessens. From primary school, students will need to be taught how to identify the need and purpose for i
School library spotlight: Chisholm Catholic College
By Monique McQueen
Issue 100, Term 1 2017
What is your job title, and what does your role entail? My name is Monique McQueen and I am a teacher librarian at Chisholm Catholic College, a secondary Brisbane Catholic Education school. My role is to manage the library program and staff; supervise the day-to-day running of the library; reso
Let’s talk seriously about series
By Julie Styles
Issue 100, Term 1 2017
Feedback received through SCIS workshops and surveys indicates that inconsistencies in series statements are an issue for many of our customers. It is also an issue for cataloguers, who love consistency. This article explores some of the challenges of cataloguing items within a series. Stand-alon
Website and app reviews
By Nigel Paull
Issue 100, Term 1 2017
NSW schools via my role as a Senior Education Officer, Library Services, NSW Department of Education and Training. After two years as editor, I relinquished the position but have continued to write for Connections for the past 20 years. Looking back at the first issue I edited (issue 24), I noted
Supporting Australian book creators
By Nicole Richardson, Frances Watts
Issue 100, Term 1 2017
en — it was certainly the case for me — the library is where they first learn to love reading and literature, a place where they have ready access to quality Australian reading material (aided, crucially, by library and teaching staff). It is, indeed, their primary source of books. Of course, this m
Leadership is not optional – it's a job requirement
By Hilda Weisburg
Issue 101, Term 2 2017
rarians comes with a high price not only to students but to the entire educational community. Leadership is no longer an option for you. It’s a job requirement. Some of you are already leaders and are well recognised, but we need more. If we are to not only survive but thrive, all of us must be lea
Librarians in the digital age: experts in e-health
By Susan Marshall
Issue 101, Term 2 2017
health of students as they navigate their way through the digital world. The librarian’s role has never before been so complex and so central to the quality of learning outcomes for students. Internet search engines have opened up a world of options for seeking information and connecting with other
What do our students really want?
By Megan Stuart
Issue 101, Term 2 2017
ress in the way information is accessed, books are published and students are interactively taught. On occasion it has caused me to ponder unsettling questions such as: Will hard-copy resources eventually become irrelevant? Will students grasp the importance of the legitimacy of information in the d
Ebooks: to subscribe, or not to subscribe?
By Martin Gray
Issue 101, Term 2 2017
nk the association of computers with entertainment further discourages focus. Either way, most students understand more clearly using print books. Equity: learning styles Quality teaching demands that we differentiate to meet student needs. A large number of students work best with printed mater
Navigating the information landscape through collaboration
By Elizabeth Hutchinson
Issue 101, Term 2 2017
ary does not make students suddenly want to start reading or researching. School libraries need to be looked after and maintained to ensure that good quality resources are available, and the school librarian has to be involved in curriculum discussions and included as part of the teaching and learni
Library catalogues and the World Wide Web: it takes two to tango
By Nicole Richardson
Issue 101, Term 2 2017
es of Web 2.0: it can become a community hub (Gisolfi 2015; Tarulli 2012). Although the notion of enhanced catalogue content is not new, studies have questioned whether content-enriched data is used to its full potential by library users, despite being an important part of ensuring library catalogue
School library spotlight: Campbelltown Performing Arts High School
By Cathy Costello
Issue 101, Term 2 2017
phisticated users of information and cannot distinguish advertising from information sources. Information literacy involves research skills and techniques to accurately locate relevant information. The next step is to critically evaluate the information source to determine if it is credible and reli
SCIS is more
By Ben Chadwick
Issue 101, Term 2 2017
es possible interfaces between the library and the World Wide Web. And Megan Stuart reminds us that we need to come back to our user’s basic needs: a quiet and comforting space to spend time with friends and discover great stories. SCIS is also showing initiative in this ever-changing digital era.