Member Benefits- 23 November 2021

New offerings and updates

About this presentation

This session, Management Committee members Melanie Walker, Cath Havenaar and Di Laycock, presented on SLANSW Special Interest Groups (SIG) and Project Groups that members can join. It was an opportunity to share how SLANSW can best support you as a teacher librarian or non-teaching library staff member in your role in a NSW school. The session showcased the benefits of personal and/or institutional membership, including  the SLANSW Awards, Research Grant and other benefits of membership.

Mentoring SIG

In 2022 SLANSW is looking to pilot a one-year mentoring scheme as part of its professional development program. The pilot will run from February to November 2022.  This pilot scheme aims to:

• Connect teacher librarians from across the state
• Provide an opportunity for sustained and structured professional learning
• Help you tailor your PD to best meet your student and school needs

In this session, Melanie outlined further details of the program. 

Non-Teaching School Library Staff SIG

The Non-Teaching School Library Staff Special Interest Group is an informal gathering held at the beginning of each term. Participants are encouraged to bring along their coffee and simply connect with others. The hour long session involves a short presentation from different speakers, followed by small group discussions, which provide practical ideas and inspiration for members to use in their own libraries.

Research SIG

The aim of the Research Special Interest Group is to encourage and support its members to engage in reflective practices that explore and communicate the impact of the services, programs, and spaces in their school libraries. Group members are encouraged to identify a change they would like to make in their libraries or a new strategy they would like to try and will be supported in areas such as data collection and analysis, and appropriate ways to communicate their project findings for maximum impact. The hour-long meetings of the group comprise a short information session followed by discussion and the sharing of ideas and practices.

Micro-Credentialling Project Group

This group's focus is on the use of micro-credentialled courses to deliver content generated through the school library in areas such as information literacy, digital literacy and citizenship, and library orientation. The emphasis is on the sharing of ideas as to how courses can be shaped and delivered to suit the particular context of group members.

Suggested Standard Descriptors for this Meet-up: 

6.2.2 Participate in learning to update knowledge and practice targeted to professional needs and school and/or system priorities.

6.3.2 Contribute to collegial discussions and apply constructive feedback from colleagues to improve professional knowledge and practice.

7.4.2 Participate in professional and community networks and forums to broaden knowledge and improve practice.