SLANSW is pleased to be partnering with a number of sponsors for the Libraries Looking Forward: Navigating the evolving role of school libraries in the EdTech landscape. 

Registered participants will have access to the Digital Tote post-Summit for special offers.

There is still time to register: Professional Learning Summit: (9 September 2023)

SLANSW Members will have recently received an email inviting them to attend the 2023 SLANSW Annual General Meeting.  Register to attend via: SLANSW AGM 2023

The SLANSW Member email contains links to:

• AGM Agenda
• Minutes of the 2022 AGM
• SLANSW Nomination Form: Nominations are to reach the Secretary, by no later than 5pm on 8th September, 2023.
• SLANSW Proxy Form: Proxies will be accepted until 5.00pm Friday, 15th September 2023

A number of positions will 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. 

Register to attend via: SLANSW AGM 2023

Policy to acknowledge the passing of SLANSW members

For current members:

1.    Current SLANSW Members passing may be acknowledged, if SLANSW are made aware.

2.    Acknowledgement may be in the form of a brief notice in a newsletter, and a more detailed acknowledgement in the NEWS section of the SLANSW website.

3.    These acknowledgments are to be drafted by the EO and approved by the Executive Team.

For past members:

1.    Once a notification is made to SLANSW, EO to confirm past membership via – life members, past presidents, school of service, other members’ recollections.

2.    Further details to be provided to SLANSW by the notifying party.

3.    Acknowledgement may be in the form of a brief notice in a newsletter, and a more detailed acknowledgement in the NEWS section of the SLANSW website.

4.    These acknowledgments are to be drafted by the EO and approved by the Executive Team.

August 2023

Contributed by Pooja Mathur, Teacher Librarian and SLANSW Vice-President, Operations

A group of year 8 students read Mallee Boys during October school holidays in 2022. Pooja has shared some excerpts from their Literature Circle discussions. This blog post also supports some of the findings Pooja is presenting at the Research SIG event for Term 3, 2023. You can still register to attend: Special Interest Group - Research

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

The Children's Book Council Australia (CBCA) Book Week is one of the key events for school libraries in Australia, with many school library staff showcasing their creativity in engaging displays to inspire the school community. The theme for this year's CBCA Book Week, running from Saturday 19^th August – Friday 25^th August, is Read, Grow, Inspire. What ideas do you have for this year’s theme? What kind of library displays will you create? 

Our guiding question for this SLANSW Meet-Up is what makes an exceptional visual display? To help us answer this question, we've asked visual merchandising professional, Nicole Venter to join us. 

Members are welcome to share images of displays that they have previously created, and Nicole can offer advice on what works and why, through a visual merchandising lens.

Register now via: CBCA Book Week Ideas 2023

Podcasting for Teacher Librarians

Based on Karen's journey from 2019 as she navigated the sound world and upskilled herself and her students, this workshop will focus on 'the why' of podcasting from a Library perspective, setting up a podcasting space, and will look at examples of student engagement with podcasting. This topic is relevant for primary and secondary Teacher Librarians and Library staff.

About Karen Bale

Karen has been a Library Manager, then a Teacher Librarian across two 7-12 schools in the systemic Catholic sector in Port Macquarie for 33 of the past 34 years. During this time, across 4 consecutive years, she co-directed #Litfest2444: Pen Paper Pixels (a festival of story in different forms and mediums) for students in the mid coast area and beyond. Each year one of the presentations/workshops was a podcasting experience where participants contrived, scripted, created and edited their story in sound and it was from this event that her interest in audio began.

Last year, Karen took a year of leave from her role as T/L, and decided to resign from her position at the end of 2022. She currently job-shares the role of Careers Adviser (her other 'hat') one day per week at her former school, and holds a contract with Charles Sturt University to coordinate the OZTL-Net listserv. In 2022 she edited a series of podcasts being produced for one of the subjects in the Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) course at Charles Sturt University, and will be continuing with that work later this year. 

Register now via: Podcasting for Teacher Librarians

In this new blog post, SLANSW Management Committee member, Fabian Amuso, shares a process to assist in the management  of disputed materials. He also advocates for schools to have a Disputed Materials Policy (DMP), to allow stakeholders within the school to consider the suitability of a resource against their needs, in line with the processes involved in selecting an item. A Disputed Materials Form is also provided to members.

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

School Libraries: Improving the Literacy and Wellbeing Outcomes for Young People

The first SLANSW Flexible Blended Learning Course for 2023 will feature the recent work by Dr Margaret Merga. Participants will engage with the content of Dr Merga’s book, which will be supported by recordings of Professional Conversations between Dr Merga and Dr Lyn Hay about the content of the book. Sessions will also include video content only from the restricted section of the SLANSW Professional Learning Archive.  Other supporting resources have been curated to expand participants’ access to content around this very important topic. The cost of this course is $120, which represents outstanding value. All participants of the course will receive a copy of Dr Merga’s book, School Libraries Supporting Literacy and Wellbeing, as part of the registration fee. (This book retails for $105). This course will provide 10 hours of Elective Professional Learning.

Course structure 

Participants can choose to start the course anytime during Term 2. The course will open on May 1. Participants will work at their own pace to complete the viewing and reading of resources. At the end of Term 2, an optional online meetup will be offered for participants, however attendance at this meetup is not compulsory to achieve the course requirements. Due to the amount of content being offered, the course will remain open until July 21. Participants will submit a reflection on their learning at the end of the flexible blended learning course. 

Course Overview

Session 1

Introduction and assessment of current services and programs

Session 2

The Teacher Librarian as Literacy Educator

Session 3

Teacher Librarians Engaging Struggling and Reluctant Readers

Sessions 4

School Libraries and Reading Engagement for Wellbeing

Session 5

School Library Environments Supporting Students and Staff

Session 6

Visibility and Advocacy for School Libraries and Staff

Session 7

Analysis and Reflection

Registrations* for this course are now open: Flexible Blended Learning Course 1, 2023

As numbers are restricted to 24 participants, we recommend early registration to avoid disappointment.

*This course is only open to current SLANSW members.