Media release – School Library Association of Victoria (SLAV)

• 2020 Awards
• 60th Year – Collegiality, Partnerships and Showcasing Best Practice

We acknowledge and celebrate the winners for our 2020 Awards.

Penny Geoghegan Award
Lynn Swannell, Librarian, Mount Eliza Secondary College
for her dedication to the local branch and wider networks of the profession and her continued collegiate support of her colleagues.

Innovators Award
Bridget Forster, Teacher-Librarian, Strathcona Baptist Girls’ Grammar School
In recognition of The Independent Learning Project – a skills-based enrichment activity developed for remote learning.

Research Fellowship
Luke Featherston, Learning Leader, Resource Centre Manager, Trinity College Colac
For efforts to improve literacy skills through the development of a homework wide reading program.

School Leaders Award
Peter Houlihan, Principal, De La Salle College
In recognition of his outstanding and ongoing support of the reinvigoration of school library services at De La Salle College.

John Ward Award
Julie Pagliaro, Head of Libraries, St Kevin’s College
In recognition of her outstanding contribution to the profession of teacher librarianship.

The awards were presented online by the SLAV President, Di Ruffles, at our virtual conference on Friday November 27. This conference was the culmination of a year of change and new learning as the association moved to support members effectively and safely, exploring possibilities that supported and inspired our learning communities.

• Collegiality, Partnerships and Showcasing Best Practice

During 2020, the associations 60th year, the School Library Association of Victoria has sought to remain connected, use technology effectively and strengthen partnerships.

In response to the restricted environment SLAV aimed to be agile and creative. The association Modified and changed much of our professional learning program. This included:

Creating an Online Book Club for the sharing of ideas around student reading during the first pivot to remote learning. The lists created by this large and active group were then shared more widely on SLAVConnects. This relaxed online offering was collegiate and timely.

Expanding our Masterclass series online to include a series on Library Design with consultant Kevin Hennah, a masterclass on LibGuides – a curation tool for the dissemination of online resources, and a Masterclass on Media Literacy featuring Misha Ketchell, Managing Director of The Conversation.

Creating a Picture Book Showcase online exploring the work of Graeme Base, Anna Walker and Jess McGeachin and featuring the Wilderness Society’s Environment prize for Children’s Literature.

In partnership with Association colleagues in NSW (SLANSW), offering a webinar entitled Practical Preparedness: Dealing with Compounding Disasters to assist regional school libraries to prepare for the possibility of fire and flood.

In partnership with the Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre (LMERC) offering an online masterclass entitled: Powering Learning: Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives featuring keynote Professor Marcia Langton.

In partnership with LMERC, Stella Schools, and the teaching association VicTESOL, presenting online the: Culturally Diverse Literature Professional Learning Series

To end our 60th year we held our November Conference: The Power of Reading online and in partnership with the National Education Summit offered a day showcasing best practice in school libraries with featured speakers Ursula Dubosarsky, Australian Children’s Laureate, the Deakin University Teen Reading Research Project and guest creators Saroo and Sue Brierley. This day experimented with a virtual trade exhibition and interactive gamification.

Our sixtieth year has been a year of challenge, of experimentation and learning. We wish to celebrate our award winners and also the achievements of our innovative and proactive professional community in a time of change and opportunity.

For further information please contact:
Dianne Ruffles
President
School Library Association of Victoria
dmruffles@mgs.vic.edu.au

Dr Susan La Marca
Executive Officer
School Library Association of Victoria
0477 439 593
slav@slav.org.au

Our biggest thanks to those of you able to join us for our October bookclub meeting. As you can see the list is quite lengthy, which is a wonderful result! Some titles may have an indicated suitable age range next to each title, however this is merely a guide and as always we encourage you to use your own judgement, as you know your students best.

Disclaimer: The lists generated as a result of Book Club discussions are not, by any means, an exhaustive list of all titles or authors for each genre/category discussed. Nor will all titles be suitable for all libraries. We advise staff discretion when referencing these lists, to properly confirm individual title suitability for individual libraries, school and students needs. These are suggested titles only, shared by our members and inclusion on, or exclusion from, a list does not suggest SLAV endorsement or rejection of a title.

Happy reading, we hope to see you in November!

Maybe Tomorrow by Boori Monty Pryor and Meme Macdonald
The Top End Girl by Miranda Tapsell
Billy Connelly Autobigraphy
Becoming by Michelle Obama
I Am Malala by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai

Lion and A Long Walk Home by Saroo Brierley
Ugly by Robert Hoge (good comparison with Wonder)
The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do
Her Fathers Daughter by Alice Pung
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
Football and Soccer player biograhies
Biographica series (scientists, artists and pop stars) infographic format
Leather Soul by Bob Murphy
Steven Curry biography
Elon Musk biography

Diary of a Young Naturalist Dara McAnulty
Jacinda Adern biography
Able by Dylan Alcott
More Than a Kick by Tayla Harris
Little People Big Dreams Series
Fourteen by Shannon Molloy
Tim and Tigon by Tim Cope
A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen
Queer Heroes (53 LGBTQ heroes)
The Girl from the Tar Paper School by Teri Kanefield

A Promised Land by Barak Obama (due November 2020)
Dreams From My Father by Barak Obama
Unmasked by Turia Pitt
Astronauts Guide to Life On Earth by Chris Hadfield
Notes From a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig
Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig
The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddi Jaku
Not All Superheroes Wear Capes by Quentin Kenihan
The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank

ADULT Reading

The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein

Just Ignore Him by Alan Davies
Electric Blue by Paul Verhoeven
To Cook a Bear by Mikael Niemi
Between a Wolf and a Dog by Georgia Blain
Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohleben
Gilgamesh by Joan London
Untwisted by Paul Jennings
The Arsonist by Chloe Hooper
Museum of Words by Georgia Blain
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
1000 Ships by Natalie Haynes
A Man Called Possum by David Harris

A big thanks to Lynda Santolin, who shared the below with us after the meeting. 

Popular non-fiction authors:

Amazing Athletes series (eg Kobe Bryant) – individual authors: Savage, Jeff; etc
Abdullah, Ian (Indigenous)
Adamson, Thomas K. eg Apollo 11 Moon Landing: An Interactive Space Exploration Adventure (You Choose: Space)
Deary, Terry – Horrible Histories
Eldridge, Jim
Ellis, Deborah (true-to-life, fiction)
French, Jackie
Grylls, Bear
Kettle, Phil (I Can Be.. Cricket series)
Nicholson, John (History)
Oldfield, Tom and Matt (sports biographies)
Perrett, Brian
Thomas, Ron & Herran, Joe (Macmillan Extreme Sports; Olympics; etc)
Tucker, Alan
Welcome to the Museum series including Botanicum (Welcome to the Museum) – by Katie Scott (Illustrator), Katie Haworth
Wilkinson, Carol (Ned Kelly books)
‘Yinti’ series – Pat Pike & Jimmy Lowe

Some amazing NF:

Becoming – Michelle Obama
Charles Darwin & Evolution – Ian Graham
Conversations with J.K. Rowling -Lindsey Fraser, J.K. Rowling
I Am Malala –
Maybe Tomorrow – Monty Boori Pryor
On Two Feet and Winds and The Boy With Two Lives – Abbas Kazerooni
Red Dog -Louis de Bernières
Rise: The Sam Thaiday Story: Young Readers’ Edition -Sam Thaiday
Selfie: The Changing Face of Self Portraits -Susie Brooks
Stephen Hawking – Nikki Sheehan
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind – William Kamkwamba
The Happiest Refugee – Anh Do
The Woman I was born to be – Susan Boyle
The Word Spy -Ursula Dubosarsky, Tohby Riddle
Young Dark Emu – Bruce Pascoe
Fictionalized true-to-life accounts, including

47 Degrees – Justin D’Ath – 2009 Bushfires
Refugee – Alan Gratz
My Story, My Australian story
Guantanamo Boy – Anna Perera
Freedom Ride – Sue Lawson
Cloud and Wallfish – Anne Nesbet

The Department of Education has circulated an operations guide for schools for term four. There are three seperate references to the school library or library materials (please do let us know if you see others).

The three references are:

Space out staff workstations as much as possible and limit the number of staff in offices. This might mean re-locating staff to other spaces (such as the library or unused classrooms). (page 18)

Schools should consider the necessity of using shared equipment at this time. Such items may include shared computers, class sets of teaching and learning materials, and musical instruments. If used, strict hand hygiene should be followed before and after use. Risk can be further minimised by users wiping down items where appropriate, for example using a disinfectant/detergent wipe or cloth.

There is no requirement for books to be placed aside for a given period after use or if loaned to students. (page 20)

Appendix 3: Quick reference of permitted school activities

You can learn more HERE

SLAV has also curated a page of resources for you to refer to, regarding library safety resources which you can access HERE.