This first SLANSW professional learning summit for 2022 provides participants with the opportunity to engage in a number of workshops, closely linked to the keynote presentation themes of understanding the need to provide students with access to diverse and inclusive resources, how to develop diverse and inclusive programs, services, and collections to improve student literacy outcomes. Participants will reflect on their learning and practice in the topic area through discussion with academics, colleagues, and expert practitioners.

To explore more about our Professional Learning Summit or to register, please visit:  Representation Matters

In this first session of the year Megan Light (K.O.A.L.A.) and Management Committee members Rhonda Creasey and Melanie Walker will share their experiences and ideas on innovative ways to effectively recommend books to students across K-12. The content of this webinar will assist participants to provide informed reading recommendations to their students through consideration of the knowledge and strategies offered by the presenters and through discussion with colleagues.

Register now at: How do you recommend books to your students?

The dates for the SLANSW Professional Learning Calendar are set and the presenters are being finalised. Term 1 events are confirmed and you can register for these in the new year on the SLANSW website via: https://www.slansw.net.au/events

The Professional Learning Subcommittee members are very excited about our new professional learning format, which is a self-paced Flexible Blended Learning Course. Courses will be offered over a seven-week period in Terms 2 and 4, and will provide our members with a PL opportunity that can be undertaken at a time that works for you. The courses will provide approximately six PL hours and include video, required readings, optional readings and the posting of a learning reflection.

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.

Exact Editions has partnered with 39 publishers to assemble a showcase of 156 books that span a wide variety of content addressing the urgent and important challenge of climate change. These books are fully-searchable and freely-available to all institutions for 26 days starting on the 28th of October 2021: Virtual Book Showcase

This Coffee and Chat session focuses on practical strategies that help students transition from well-known series or titles, to books they may not have come across before. How can we help students to take risks in their reading yet sustain a love of reading that is often sparked by the Harry Potters or Percy Jacksons of the world? Leah Rose has had a decade working as a Library Technician in a co-educational K-12 school. She has worked with books for around 20 years and has a passion for children’s and YA literature. Leah will spend a short time presenting different ways she supports the TLs and students in recommending and reading new books. We will also have the opportunity to chat about how we are welcoming students back this term and look forward to sharing and taking away some fabulous ideas we can use in our own libraries.

Register now at: Coffee and Chat - Non-Teaching School Library SIG - Term 4 2021

If so, join the SLANSW Research Special Interest Group for an informal discussion on how practitioner research can help turn your educational hunches into evidence-based practice and how to use that evidence to support your library’s services and resources.

Bring your preferred drink and nibbles along at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 20^thOctober to get some ideas or share your ideas with others.

Register now at: https://www.slansw.net.au/event-4515092

Developmental Bibliotherapy:

What is it and why do our students need it?

Presented by Judith Wakeman

Judith’s research into the positive correlation between reading fiction and the wellbeing of young adults began with a chance conversation in mid 2018. Since then she has read thousands of pages of research and consolidated and shared her findings on her blog at Read4life.today, contributed to the Humanities on the Brink symposium hosted by Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment and UCSA (available on YouTube), and submitted a chapter for inclusion in an upcoming publication entitled Literature for Change. Before becoming a teacher librarian, Judith was a teacher of mathematics and information technology in secondary and tertiary settings. She has studied across all areas of the natural sciences, including meteorology and climatology, and has an ongoing interest in psychology and philosophy. She is also an avid reader of young adult literature and Cli-Fi.

Judith has generously prepared an article for SLANSW, in preparation for an Online Meet-Up. 

Cli-Fi EEV for SLANSW Reframing young peoples responses to climate change.pdf

If you would like to find out more please register for Judith's Online Meet-up via: Developmental Bibliotherapy: What is it and why do our students need it?

SLANSW Members will have recently received an email inviting them to attend the 2021 SLANSW Annual General Meeting. 

The AGM is to take place on Saturday 4th September 2021 at 12.40pm. 

The SLANSW Member email contains links to:

• AGM Agenda
• Minutes of the 2020 AGM
• SLANSW Nomination Form: Nominations are to reach the Secretary, by no later than 5pm on 27th August, 2021.
• SLANSW Proxy Form: Proxies will be accepted until 5.00pm Friday, 3rd September 2021

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. 

In the lead up to CBCA Book Week 2021, Story Box Library is releasing CBCA shortlisted titles from the Early Childhood, Picture Book and New Illustrator categories, and dedicated activities for kids. Find stories via the ‘CBCA Shortlist 2021’ filter option on the website.

With engaging story reads from well-known storytellers, Story Box Library’s CBCA story reads will also be accompanied by Auslan translations, in a project assisted through a Telematics Trust grant.

Story Box Library has designed a special collection of ready-made activities for digital and print use, aligning with the CBCA Book Week 2021 theme ‘Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds’ and linking to story reads. Designed to be used independently by children, making reading fun for kids of all ages, and encouraging deeper learning and connection with the stories, activities are available to download here via the website.