Box of Books are very pleased to commence a partnership with SLANSW. Our world leading resourcing service includes physical books and digital textbooks and resources, accessed using the schools single sign on, making the experience for librarians, teachers and students amazingly simple. 

At the commencement of our partnership, Box of Books would like to extend a special offer to SLANSW members:

Contact your local Box of Books regional manager for a free 30 day trial of their platform and service at your school. Remember to let Box of Books know that you are taking advantage of this Special SLANSW partnership.  If your school decides to partner with Box of Books as their main textbook provider, they will donate to your school library a complete reference set of the textbooks prescribed for students. That is, a printed copy of:

·       each booklisted title if your textbook resources are purchased by parents, or

·       each title purchased by the school as a core textbook used by students enrolled in the subject

For further information please visit: https://www.boxofbooks.com.au/

Is the way forward for teacher librarians about ensuring systems and other teachers recognise our value? Is it about ourselves recognising where our true value is? I have taken a brief look back nearly 25 years to how we were positioning the profession at that time and what we needed to think about. It seems that some things are perennial.

To read the full blog post by June Wall, click here and login to your Member Portal.

The School Library Association of New South Wales would like to acknowledge the significant contributions made by Mary Maltby in the formative years of the Association.

The Association was formed in 1964 to provide teacher librarians with professional support as education services accepted the important contribution school libraries would now be providing. In June, 1970, Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School hosted members of the Association in its new Dorothy Wilkinson Library and that must have sparked an interest, as soon after Mary joined the Council of the Association.

The Council minutes of that decade show Mary’s active participation in association activities for teacher librarians: seminars, courses and activities, including hosting the visit to Sydney by Professor Phyliss Hochstettler of the University of Portland, Oregon for UNESCO and organising the very successful national conference in Sydney in 1974.

Mary’s support of professional activities for teacher librarians and for promoting the Association among kindred organisations is recorded for history and the current Management Committee is grateful for the opportunity to acknowledge that significant contribution.

28 August, 2020

The National Centre for Australian Children's Literature offers the freely available Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Resource

The NCACL researched and identified over 300 children’s books by and about Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Peoples, published between 1974 and 2020 for young people from birth through twelve years of age. 

Access is available on NCACL’s website at: ncacl.org.au/resources/databases/ 

This year, the Indigenous Literacy Day (ILD) event is going virtual with two wonderful, celebratory events.

Indigenous Literacy Day is a celebration of language and literacy.

• Listen to a story in a language

• Learn about the value of language and why learning to read in a first language is important

• Share what it means for children in remote communities to have access to culturally appropriate books and books in first languages

• Celebrate the books that have been written and illustrated by communities, for communities.

Wednesday 2 September at 12.30pm: Join the Indigenous Literacy Day, YouTube Live Premiere - a 45-minute celebration of Indigenous language and literacy 

This inspiring virtual event is a window into the work of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF), the communities they engage and the joy of books and reading. It explores the value of language and shares how ILF builds capacity within communities. Celebrate with a story in language, a heart-felt song by ILF Ambassador, Jessica Mauboy and so much more!

Viewers are encouraged to donate a gold coin on the day of viewing. Funds go towards the purchase of books and learning resources for children in remote communities.

Subscribe to the ILF YouTube Channel today at https://go.ilf.org.au/subscribe

Wednesday 2 September at 2pm: Join us for a special virtual celebration of Indigenous language and literacy to engage, inspire and delight preschool and primary students –

It’s a time to move, shake, dance and sing with a book reading by Cheryl Lardy in Kriol and Justine Clarke (Playschool) in English, plus a catchy melody sung in multiple Indigenous languages by Australia’s favourite popstar, Jessica Mauboy and children from remote communities. Hosted by acclaimed Indigenous author and performer Gregg Dreise.

Early childhood centres and primary schools are encouraged to request children donate a gold coin on the day of viewing. Funds go towards the purchase of books and learning resources for children in remote communities.

Subscribe to the ILF YouTube Channel today at https://go.ilf.org.au/subscribe

As COVID-19 continues to affect school communities across Australia, SLANSW is hosting another one hour Open Online Forum (OOF) to reflect upon the lessons we have learnt about delivering library services in a time of disruption and uncertainty. We are once again calling upon the collective wisdom of our members to share ideas and strategies on how to continue to deliver library services through innovative practice.

We are calling for contributions on the following topics –

• Collection access, development and management
• Use of online services and social media
• Reading programs
• Student services and wellbeing
• Staff services
• Collaboration with the wider community

To learn more about how you can contribute, or register to attend the event, please visit: https://www.slansw.net.au/event-3929249

SLANSW Members will have recently received an email inviting them to attend the 2020 SLANSW Annual General Meeting. 

The AGM is to take place on Saturday 5th September 2020 at 11.30am. 

The SLANSW Member email contains links to:

• The Zoom Room
• AGM Agenda
• Minutes of the 2019 AGM
• SLANSW Nomination Form: Nominations are to reach the Secretary, by no later than 5pm on 28th August, 2020.
• SLANSW Proxy Form: Proxies will be accepted until 5.00pm Friday, 4th September 2020

There are a number of positions to be declared vacant at the AGM, please consider nominating to join our Committee. Those members wishing to represent their regions, please visit our website for the latest information: https://www.slansw.net.au/committee. 

The Post-Pandemic School Library Learning Commons: Assessing Innovation and Moving Forward

As a writer, presenter and consultant, 

Anita Brooks Kirkland specialises in school library learning commons practices, program assessment, research, and advocacy. She draws on her extensive experience as a teacher educator, both as an instructor in teacher-librarianship for the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto, and in her previous role as the Consultant for K-12 Libraries at the Waterloo Region District School Board in Ontario.

Anita was a contributing writer to Together for Learning, Ontario’s guideline document for the school library learning commons. Anita is very active in professional organisations, currently serving as chair of Canadian School Libraries (CSL) and co-editor of the CSL Journal. She was the 2014 president of the Ontario Library Association, and also served as president of the Ontario School Library Association in 2005. Anita shares an extensive collection of program resources, articles, and presentations on her website and blog, www.bythebrooks.ca.

To explore more about our International Speaker Series or to register, please visit https://www.slansw.net.au/event-3850461

It was such a pleasure to attend the online meetup on Tuesday, August 4, to hear Pooja Mathur, a SLANSW Committee member, present on the unquestionable importance of including Australian multicultural literature in our school libraries. As a teacher librarian, Reading Club coordinator and member of the Wellbeing team at The King's School, Pooja spoke from a position of personal experience about this topic. Her passion for promoting reading for pleasure amongst the students and staff of her diverse school community was evident during her presentation, and her personal anecdotes added much to the authenticity of her content.

To read the full blog post by Karen Seeneevassen, click here and login to your Member Portal.

The SLANSW Management Committee recently endorsed a revision of SLANSW regions, based on Local Government Areas. The map and following text, explains the new regions and clearly defines the parameters of each region and the LGAs they fall within.

ILLAWARRA & SOUTH COAST, representing areas 5, 6 & 7 on the map.
a.      Illawarra / Shoalhaven (5): Kiama, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly, Wollongong
b.      Far South Coast (6): Bega Valley, Eurobodalla
c.       Monaro Alpine (7): Snowy Mountains

NORTH COAST, representing areas 1,2 & 11 on the map.
a.      Far North coast (1): Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley, Tweed
b.      North Coast (2): Bellingen, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Kempsey, Nambucca, Mid-Coast
c.      New England (11): Glen Innes Severn, Tenterfield, Uralla, Walcha, Armidale

GREATER HUNTER, representing area 3 on the map.
a.     Greater Hunter (3): Cessnock, Dungog, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Muswellbrook, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Singleton, Upper Hunter

NORTH WESTERN AND SLOPES, representing areas 12 & 13 on the map.
a.      Northern slopes (12): Gunnedah, Gwydir, Inverell, Liverpool Plains, Tamworth
b.      North Western (13): Moree Plains, Narrabri, Walgett, Warrumbungle

WESTERN REGION, representing areas 14, 21 & 20 on the map.
a.      Upper Central West Plains (14): Bogan, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Warren
b.      Far Western (21): Bourke, Brewarrina, Broken Hill, Central Darling, Cobar
c.       South Western (20): Balranald, Wentworth

RIVERINA, representing areas 17, 18 & 19 on the map.
a.      Eastern Riverina (17): Albury, Coolamon, Greater Hume, Junee, Lockhart, Wagga Wagga
b.      Southern Riverina (18): Berrigan, Edward River, Federation, Murray River, Southern parts of Murrumbidgee
c.      Northern Riverina (19): Carrathool, Griffith, Hay, Leeton, Narrandera, Northern parts of Murrumbidgee

SOUTHERN RANGES & SLOPES, representing areas 9 & 16 on the map.
a.      Southern Ranges (9): Goulburn Mulwaree, Upper Lachlan, Yass Valley, Queanbeyan-Palerang
b.      Southern Slopes (16): Cootamundra-Gundagai, Hilltops, Snowy Valleys

CENTRAL RANGES & WEST PLAINS, representing areas 10 & 15 on the map.
a.      Central Ranges (10):  Bathurst, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Lithgow, Mid-Western, Oberon, Orange
b.      Lower Central West Plains (15): Bland, Forbes, Lachlan, Narromine, Parkes, Temora, Weddin, Dubbo

GREATER SYDNEY REGION, representing area 4 on the map.
a.     Greater Sydney (4): The Hills, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Burwood, Camden, Campbelltown, Canada Bay, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Hunters Hill, Kogarah, Kuring-gai, Lane Cove, Liverpool, Mosman, North Sydney, Parramatta, Penrith, Randwick, Ryde, Strathfield, Sutherland, Sydney, Waverley, Willoughby, Woollahra, Bayside, Canterbury-Bankstown, Central Coast, Cumberland, Georges River, Inner West, Northern Beaches.