SLAV Online Book Club – November 12th, 2023 – Short Stories and Short Books.

Our thanks to those who were able to join us for our SLAV online Book Club on Thursday November 12th, 2023, to discuss the topic: Short Stories and Short Books. We asked members to share short story collections or short books that work well with their students. As always, our members had so many wonderful contributions to share with us and we had a great deal of fun!

This was our final book club meeting for 2023, and we want to say a very special thank you to all who have attended and contributed to these informal and informative meetings. We cannot wait to see you all next year, your generosity is greatly appreciated.

We absolutely encourage you to reach out to the wonderful Jenny at The Younger Sun as an invaluable resource, for further information and recommendations. The staff at The Younger Sun are incredibly knowledgeable!

 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 student’s 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.

Titles Discussed

The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick

The Little Wave by Pip Harry

Life on the Refrigerator Door: a Novel in Notes by Alice Kuipers

Foster by Claire Keegan

Alice Oseman’s Novellas

Minutes Of Series by Jack Heath

Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link

M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock.

Only the Animals by Ceridwen Dovey

I Am the Mau and Other Stories by Chemutai Glashee

Dust Makers – edited by Penny Jaye and R.A. Stephens

Off the Map by Scott Gardner

Things a Map Won’t Show You and Where the Shoreline Used to Be Edited by Susan La Marca and Pam McIntyre

Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher”

Astonishingly Good Stories by R.A. Spratt

YOLO Juliet by Brett Wright and William Shakespeare

Darcy Swipes Left by Courtney Carbone and Jane Austen

OMG classics

All in an Hour by Kate Chopin.

The Pink Bow Tie by Paul Jennings

The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury

The Butler by Roald Dahl

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Bulletcatcher series by Chris Bradford the Mission Alert series by Benjamin Hulme-Cross

The Defenders series by Tom Palmer (sport)

Needle by Patrice Lawrence (realistic fiction)

Firebird by Elizabeth Wein (war)

Conkers series by Tom Palmer (war)

Aussie Nibbles of course for primary…have been re-issued as they were so successful. One title that was a bestseller for some reason, was “No Cat and that’s that” by Bruce Dawe illustrated by Andrew McLean.

The Saturday Portraits – Maxine Beneba Clarke

Tim Harris’ Exploding Endings have been amazing hook books for upper primary at my school.

Smart Ovens for Lonely People – Elizabeth Tan

The Mist by Stephen king

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Unbreakable, Women share stories of resilience and Hope. Edited by Jane Caro.

The Big Issue Presents Letter to my Younger self by Jane Graham

Jon Scieszka – https://jonscieszka.com › guys-read – Commissioned and edited by real-life literature legend Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: True Stories is a brain-bending collection of essays, biographies, how-to guides …

Other Short Collections – Growing up Wiradjuri / ed. by Anita Heiss.

Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia

Growing Up Muslim in Australia

Growing Up Disabled in Australia

Growing Up African in Australia

Growing Up Queer in Australia

Quick Adult/YA Reads for Secondary Students

Disclaimer – some of the books on this list contain complex adult themes, we trust you to use your discretion when stocking these titles in your library, as you know your students and your school community best.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

Sula by Toni Morrison

My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide, Eric Selland

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Train Dreams by Denis Johnson

Crudo by Olivia Laing

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, Ginny Tapley Takemori

Crimson by Niviaq Korneliussen, Anna Halager

A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Incendiaries by R. O. Kwon

Indelicacy by Amina Cain

Dolores by Lauren Aimee Curtis

Strange Hotel by Eimear McBride

Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami, Louise Heal Kawai, Jo Walker

The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker

The Death of Francis Bacon by Max Porter

Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier

The Union of Synchronised Swimmers by Cristina Sandu

Night Blue by Angela O’Keeffe

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

A Dream Life by Claire Messud

People From My Neighbourhood by Hiromi Kawakami (Y), Ted Goossen

The Disaster Tourist by Yun Ko-Eun, Lizzie Buehler

Heatwave by Victor Jestin

A Girl Returned by Donatella Di Pietrantonio, Ann Goldstein

Nostalgia Has Ruined My Life by Zarah Butcher-McGunnigle

Winter In Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami, Sam Bett, David Boyd

My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley

Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au

Burntcoat by Sarah Hall

A Slipping Down Life by Anne Tyler

Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner (Y)

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

Napoleon’s Beekeeper by José Luis de Juan, Elizabeth Bryer

Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss

ADULT – What We Have Been Reading

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Women and Children by Tony Birch

Question 7 by Richard Flanagan

The Empty Honour Board by Martin Flanagan

Exiles by Jane Harper

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

So Late in the Day: Stories of Men and Women – Clare Keegan

All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

‘The Inaugural meeting of the Fairvale book club’ – Sophie Green.

Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton

The Librarianist by Patrick Dewitt

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

All the Light we cannot See by Anthony Doer

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

SLAV Online Book Club June 16th 2022 – Non Fiction.

Child reading at Brookline Booksmith.jpg

 

Our thanks to those of you able to join us for our book club meeting to share your favourite Non Fiction picks. As always, so many of you had so many wonderful contributions to share with us, and it is very appreciated.

This was our fourth book club meeting for 2022, and we look forward to chatting with you again at our next meeting on Wednesday August 10 to discuss the topic: Books for Reluctant Readers. This topic has been one of our most popular in past book club meetings. We’d like to engage with new recommendations, revisit old favourites and consider strategies that help school libraries support their reluctant readers

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.

Biography/ Auto Biography

It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: (YA edition) Trevor Noah https://www.readings.com.au/products/26362986/its-trevor-noah-born-a-crime-ya-edition

Stolen Science: Thirteen Untold Stories of Scientists and Inventors Almost Written out of History
Ella Schwartz, Gaby D’Alessandro

https://www.readings.com.au/products/33519384/stolen-science-thirteen-untold-stories-of-scientists-and-inventors-almost-written-out-of-history

The Missing: The True Story of My Family in World War II
Michael Rosen

https://www.readings.com.au/products/33504834/the-missing-the-true-story-of-my-family-in-world-war-ii

365 Real-Life Superheroes
Valentina Camerini

https://www.readings.com.au/products/31822668/365-real-life-superheroes

Looking for Heroes: One Boy, One Year, 100 Letters
Liisa S Ogburn, Aidan A Colvin

https://www.readings.com.au/products/22984731/looking-for-heroes-one-boy-one-year-100-letters

Rescue
David Long (Author), Kerry Hyndman

https://www.readings.com.au/products/32084191/rescue

Rejected Princesses: Tales of History’s Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics by Jason Porath https://www.readings.com.au/products/22054173/rejected-princesses-tales-of-historys-boldest-heroines-hellions-and-heretics

Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls: 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed The World by Elena Favilli https://www.readings.com.au/products/32689349/good-night-stories-for-rebel-girls-100-immigrant-women-who-changed-the-world

Stories for South Asian Supergirls by Raj Kaur Khaira https://www.readings.com.au/products/34215640/stories-for-south-asian-supergirls

Rise Up: Ordinary Kids with Extraordinary Stories by Amanda Li, Amy Blackwell

https://www.readings.com.au/products/30005242/rise-up-ordinary-kids-with-extraordinary-stories

A Different Sort of Normal by Abigail Balfe https://www.readings.com.au/products/33474833/a-different-sort-of-normal

The First Scientists: Deadly Inventions and Innovations from Australia’s First Peoples by Corey Tutt https://www.readings.com.au/products/33865889/the-first-scientists-deadly-inventions-and-innovations-from-australias-first-peoples

Heroes, Rebels and Innovators: Inspiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from history by Karen Wyld, Jaelyn Biumaiwai https://www.readings.com.au/products/33495703/heroes-rebels-and-innovators-inspiring-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-people-from-history

Able: Fully Updated Edition by Dylan Alcott https://www.readings.com.au/products/28423908/able-fully-updated-edition

Holocaust by DOLAN HUGH, Adrian Barbu https://www.readings.com.au/products/33406409/holocaust

Sport

Unbelievable Football: Winner of the Telegraph Children’s Sports Book of the Year 2020
Matt Oldfield, Ollie Mann

https://www.readings.com.au/products/28351559/unbelievable-football-winner-of-the-telegraph-childrens-sports-book-of-the-year-2020

Football School Terrific Teams: 50 True Stories of Football’s Greatest Sides by Alex Bellos, Ben Lyttleton, Spike Gerrell

https://www.readings.com.au/products/33549748/football-school-terrific-teams-50-true-stories-of-footballs-greatest-sides

Football School Epic Heroes: 50 true tales that shook the world
Alex Bellos, Ben Lyttleton, Spike Gerrell

https://www.readings.com.au/products/32717105/football-school-epic-heroes-50-true-tales-that-shook-the-world

Football Legends 2022: Top 100 stars of the modern game
David Ballheimer, Opta Sports

https://www.readings.com.au/products/33586092/football-legends-2022-top-100-stars-of-the-modern-game

F2: Ultimate Footballer: BECOME THE PERFECT FOOTBALLER WITH THE F2’S NEW BOOK!: (Skills Book 4)
The F2

https://www.readings.com.au/products/29937445/f2-ultimate-footballer-become-the-perfect-footballer-with-the-f2s-new-book-skills-book-4

Stars of the NBA
Kjartan Atli Kjartansson

https://www.readings.com.au/products/33595782/stars-of-the-nba

FIFA World Football Records 2022
Keir Radnedge

https://www.readings.com.au/products/33676082/fifa-world-football-records-2022

Animals/Environment

Finding Gobi (Younger Readers edition)
Dion Leonard

https://www.readings.com.au/products/23772562/finding-gobi-younger-readers-edition

The Gentle Genius of Trees by Phillip Bunting https://www.readings.com.au/products/33497412/the-gentle-genius-of-trees

Weird But True’ series by Nat Geo Kids https://www.readings.com.au/products/20987376/nat-geo-kids-weird-but-true-ripped-from-the-headlines-3

Tim Flannery Series https://www.readings.com.au/products/29598891/explore-your-world-weird-wild-amazing

Stand up for the future https://www.readings.com.au/products/26210620/stand-up-for-the-future-a-celebration-of-inspirational-young-australians

With a Dog’s Love: Clever Dogs Helping Humans by Gina Dawson https://www.readings.com.au/products/34251481/with-a-dogs-love-clever-dogs-helping-humans

Walking in Gagudju Country by Diane Lucas, Ben Tyler, Emma Long  https://www.readings.com.au/products/33523197/walking-in-gagudju-country

Book of Curious Birds by Jennifer Cossins https://www.readings.com.au/products/33748907/book-of-curious-birds

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Peculiar Pairs in Nature by Sami Bayly https://www.readings.com.au/products/33665861/the-illustrated-encyclopaedia-of-peculiar-pairs-in-nature

Popular Culture

Ninja: Get Good: My Ultimate Guide to Gaming by Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins https://www.readings.com.au/products/28770118/ninja-get-good-my-ultimate-guide-to-gaming

The Ultimate Superhero Movie Guide: The definitive handbook for comic book film fans
Helen O’Hara

https://www.readings.com.au/products/27754564/the-ultimate-superhero-movie-guide-the-definitive-handbook-for-comic-book-film-fans

The World of Avatar: A Visual Exploration
Joshua Izzo

https://www.readings.com.au/products/27628093/the-world-of-avatar-a-visual-exploration

Complex Presents: Sneaker of the Year: The Best Since ‘85
Complex Media, Inc., Marc Ecko

https://www.readings.com.au/products/32866170/complex-presents-sneaker-of-the-year-the-best-since-85

Crystals: Everything you need to know to Heal, Cleanse, Love, Energize by Cassandra Eason https://www.readings.com.au/products/24375598/crystals-everything-you-need-to-know-to-heal-cleanse-love-energize

Google It: A History of Google by Anna Crowley Redding

https://www.readings.com.au/products/33430860/google-it-a-history-of-google

Are You Afraid Yet?
Stephen James O’Meara, Jeremy Kaposy

https://www.readings.com.au/products/4687128/are-you-afraid-yet

Aliens, Ghosts and Vanishings: Strange and Possibly True Australian Stories
Stella Tarakson, Richard Morden

https://www.readings.com.au/products/21981225/aliens-ghosts-and-vanishings-strange-and-possibly-true-australian-stories

An Illustrated History of UFOs by Adam Allsuch Boardman

https://www.readings.com.au/products/32799126/an-illustrated-history-of-ufos

History

Underground: Marsupial Outlaws and Other Rebels of Australia’s War in Vietnam by Mirranda Burton https://www.readings.com.au/products/33712647/underground-marsupial-outlaws-and-other-rebels-of-australias-war-in-vietnam

Sapiens Graphic Novel (Volume 1) by Yuval Noah Harari, Daniel Casanave, David Vandermeulen https://www.readings.com.au/products/33022493/sapiens-graphic-novel-volume-1

The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell https://www.readings.com.au/products/33532144/the-bomber-mafia

Adult

The Boy Behind the Curtain by Tim Winton https://www.readings.com.au/products/23899122/the-boy-behind-the-curtain

Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au https://www.readings.com.au/products/34432167/cold-enough-for-snow

The Golden Book by Kate Ryan https://www.readings.com.au/products/33520392/the-golden-book

The Winter Dress by Lauren Chater https://www.readings.com.au/products/33810738/the-winter-dress

Careering by Daisy Buchanan https://www.readings.com.au/products/34295064/careering

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk https://www.readings.com.au/products/25586213/drive-your-plow-over-the-bones-of-the-dead

Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz https://www.readings.com.au/products/33470299/before-you-knew-my-name

Circe by Madeline Miller https://www.readings.com.au/products/26360827/circe

Joanne, Wantirna College – shared via email

Popular science:

  • Humble Pi : a comedy of math errors by Matt Parker (2020)
  • What if? : serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions by Randall Munroe (2015)
  • Gory details : adventures from the dark side of science by Erika Engelhaupt (2020)
  • Dr Karl books

Other:

  • Sport bios – mainly AFL and basketball
  • Guinness Book of Records
  • Ripley’s Believe it or Not
  • The animal book : a visual encyclopedia of life on Earth by David Burnie. (DK 2013)
  • Joke books

Pam Saunders – shared via email

Life in five seconds. 1623650127 #Humour #short

This is not a sex book 9781786693037 #sexed (constantly stolen or moved or falling apart)

Fifty _____ ideas you really need to know (various titles in series published by Quercus) #shortfunfacts

Sneakers the complete limited edition guide 9780500517284 (maybe dated by now) #fashion

The intelligent investor 9780060555665 #shares #makingmoney

Beginners guide to the stock market 978-1099617201 #makingmoney

Zen Pencils 9781449457952 #humour #short

How to: Absurd scientific advice for common real- world problems 9781473680333 #funfacts

30 Second Series (various titles) by Ivy Press eg 9781782405474 #quicksummaryoftopics

Factfulness: Ten reasons we are wrong about the world …..ISBN13: 9781473637467) #globaliization

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest Blog Post – SLAV Spotlight On Series

SLAV Spotlight On Sessions

Over the past couple of months I have had the pleasure of completing a virtual placement with SLAV as I near the end of my studies in librarianship at CSU. A major part of the placement included my attendance and participation in a variety of professional development sessions and events offered by SLAV. One of these sessions—and possibly the most influential and impactful, were the Spotlight On Sessions.

These sessions featured three guest teacher-librarians, who gave virtual tours of their respective libraries. We heard about a number of programs including ‘Summer Reading Challenges’ and innovative online/web-based programs to support such challenges, as well as forward-thinking initiatives to support digital literacy and future-ready skills for students. Guests shared information about some of the ways wide reading is supported within their schools, how teacher-librarians build and maintain relationships with teaching staff, and how the use of LibGuides can be maximised to support educational outcomes for students.

It was nothing short of inspiring to hear from librarians who are continually striving to develop best practices to support their students and colleagues in an environment that like many others, has had to pivot and embrace the online space due to Covid-19 and associated challenges. After attending the Spotlight On sessions, what became clear to me was that this kind of professional learning allows one to get an intimate glimpse of how colleagues within the profession continually strive for excellence in their respective roles. In turn, this exchange of ideas can help us to constantly adapt and grow as information professionals, whilst also ensuring the best possible outcomes for the communities in which we serve.

 – Vanessa Carnevale – From 2022 Community Hub Manager – Plenty Valley Christian College

Mind tools – What does it mean to be literate in the age of Google?

With the holidays here, we thought we could share a longer video with you, particularly given it’s one of the best videos I’ve watched about information literacy. It’s comprehensive, current, and logical in its flow. I thought I knew a lot about information literacy – now I know a lot more.

The presentation comes from Dr. Daniel Russell, research scientist at Google and took place in March this year at the School of Information and Library Science (SILS) at the University of North Carolina.

He begins by calling a library a mind tool that ‘amplifies your cognition’. Wonderful stuff.

We hope you have a happy, safe, chocolate filled holiday and we’ll see you next term.

 

 

PLN Plus – be the change you want to see

Kelly Gardiner, Online Learning Manager at the State Library of Victoria, is a well-known voice in the VicPLN community, particularly in relation to professional learning for educators and librarians. This post introduces the guiding questions that underpin the new PLN+ course, beginning on the 11th March.

We’ve been wondering: what’s the next logical step for people who’ve done the VicPLN course?

Last year, we found out. With support from AITSL, we carried out some research into impacts of the VicPLN courses. Many of you participated in that. The thing is that a startling number of people report that the course changes their practice. And once that’s happened, what do they do?

They – you  – start to enact whatever changes seem most needed in your immediate world or beyond. It might be changes to the way you do your work, the way you collaborate with colleagues, the interactions with students, simple process or system fixes, big initiatives.

It’s about leading change.

Now, we’re not all Joan of Arc.

But it seemed clear to us that after the initial PLN courses, people then need the skills, tools and resources to enable them to enact the kinds of change they want to see – in their workplace, in their classroom or library, in the wider school community, in professional networks, in disciplines, or the broader systems and structures.

How do you become an advocate for literacy or simply for more resources? How do you collaborate to create new professional networks or share ideas or raise funds? How do you involve the wider community in learning? How do you create programs that pass on what you’ve learned to students?

How do you define what you want to do, attract support, design and manage projects?

How do you keep on learning, when you have so much to do already?

And what does that mean about our VicPLN network – what do you need from it now?

We can’t promise to answer all of those huge questions in a few weeks. But let’s make a start, shall we?

If you’d like to take part in the course (and maybe change the world just a bit) you can find out more here or email learning@slv.vic.gov.au  to book a place.

Influence and Enchantment

As part of a new series on advocacy in school libraries, regular Bright Ideas contributor Catherine Hainstock shares her reflections on how school librarians can assert their place at the heart of the school.

The School Library Association of Queensland in partnership with the Queensland University of Technology has recently published research on the important contribution that school libraries and teacher librarians make to literacy development. This excellent report reinforces the findings of decades of research on the positive influence a well-resourced library with a qualified teacher librarian has on student achievement.

I read this report in tandem with Guy Kawasaki’s book, “Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions”. His book is about promotion and customer service and even though a school library is not a business, I believe it’s a useful model to explore. At the end of the day, as a teacher librarian I feel I am here to help others. The better our service, the better the result. I am also interested in how we promote what we do because no matter how much research is released, how well supported a school library is, how well it is resourced, or how qualified the teacher librarians are, there is no immunity from decisions to down-size or side-line a library service.

We must make our contribution to school life and student outcomes evident and our influence felt by everyone who comes into the library. Kawasaki’s book helped me understand that my ultimate goal is not about improving customer service, it’s about enchanting people with our service.

[Enchantment] is more than manipulating people to help you get your way. Enchantment transforms situations and relationships. It converts hostility into civility. It reshapes civility into affinity. It changes skeptics and cynics into believers.

— Guy Kawasaki

Kawasaki’s book goes right back to basics (and that’s not a bad thing). He reveals the foundation of enchantment as ‘Likeability’. You can’t enchant people if they don’t like you or your service. (I still haven’t forgot the tyrannical librarian in the public library when I was a child!) Those lady-dragons in pearls may be extinct now, but we want students and teachers not just using our services, but raving about them. Here’s a short list of points from the book that I found relevant to school Library/Information Services (and check out this infographic for more):

  • smile (and be polite)
  • accept others (and sometimes give them a break)
  • get close (get out of the library and make contact)
  • project your passions/find shared passions
  • create win-win situations
  • adopt a Yes attitude

Kawasaki also points out that likeability only goes so far – people need to be able to trust you and your service. In a chapter on the importance of trustworthiness there’s some excellent food for thought about:

  • focussing on  goodwill
  • living up to and fulfilling promises
  • giving people the benefit of the doubt
  • the importance of expertise and competence  (like keeping abreast of basic ICT skills for us)
  • showing up (physically and virtually interacting with our clientele)

Reading these two publications at the same time brought into focus the influence we have (or can have) as teacher librarians and how important it is that we recognise and actively cultivate opportunities no matter how big or small.

We used to say the library was the heart of the school; a place for students to learn, inquire, read and enjoy. But with all the technological changes occurring in education, school libraries are no longer contained within four walls. Perhaps the focus can finally shift from the physical space to the real heart of the library – teacher librarians and the services they provide. Over the next few posts, I hope to explore the idea of teacher librarians at the heart of the school. I’d like to reflect on what that can mean for us and how we can continue to grow our influence.

Other posts in this series:

Image Credit: (ca. 1910),  Interior of The Queen’s Hall, showing a member of staff sitting at the Enquiries window, State Library of Victoria Pictures Collection.

New Libguides from the State Library of Victoria

Librarians at the State Library of Victoria answer complex reference questions for patrons everyday, whether it be onsite, via email or on the phone.

After years of experience with the questions people bring to the collection, reference librarians have developed over forty library guides looking at specific research topics.

The guides are aimed as a one-stop shop for subjects like bushfires in Victoria, court cases in Australiaearly Australian census records and more.

Each libguide gives background information on the topic and the Library’s holdings, key resources and related web links.

Recently published guides include:

And if you’re wondering what a reference librarian at the State Library does when they get an inquiry, here’s a video about the process.

New Year, New Resolution

Every year brings new challenges to school libraries; whether it is budget cuts or 1:1 technology roll-outs or something else. In the current education climate it is vital we all continue to demonstrate how our services benefit the school community and improve teaching and learning. This article is the first in a series that will focus on supporting Teacher Librarians in their leadership and advocacy roles.

 Resolution: noun. 1. A firm decision to do or not to do something. (Google definition)

I’ve been on school holidays, but like every other Teacher Librarian I’ve been making plans for the next year. I’m looking for ways to encourage students to read more and learn how to put information into their own words. I’m planning a Tumblr site for students and staff as we launch the iPad program plus a whole lot more. And now here it is – the start of a brand new term.

We all know that keeping New Year’s resolutions is hard. Staying committed to new plans in the library can be just as hard. They get lost in the day-to-day scramble to meet the needs of students or staff, or they get side-tracked by other ideas that crop up. It’s easy to slip into a reactive mode of operation rather than a proactive one, and that’s not good for a school library’s image. So how do we maintain our resolution and realize our wonderful plans? First, we need to lay some foundations.

Compass

Image Credit: Compass by Walt Stoneburner on Flickr

Build a Vision, State your Mission
Have you got a vision for your school library? Visioning may sound like day-dreaming, but it is a vitally important proactive step for school libraries. The vision is how you see the library in the future, it is your inspiration. It is also how you aim to meet the future with your service.

Without a vision, things can be confusing (or worse). You may find members of the school community have out-dated perceptions of the purpose of the library, the role of the Teacher Librarian and even the relevancy of the service. Share your vision and refine it with principals, staff, students, community members; it will improve your library’s position and help it to become important to the school’s overall vision and strategic planning. Now commit to the vision with a Mission statement. (No, they are not the same thing; you’re going to need both!)

Mission statements spell out how you intend to turn the vision into reality. The statements you make in it are your approaches or strategies so think broad rather than specific for this. Once you have good mission statements, you can use them to help you prioritise and decide on goals and the actions/programs to achieve your goals.

If you’ve never written a vision or a mission statement before, there is plenty of help at hand.

 

Library guides at the State Library

Librarians from the State Library of Victoria have been putting together Library guides on various subject areas to help people with their research tasks.

It’s essentially a cheat sheet that guide you through the research process by wading through the array of resources available to you.

Here’s a sample of what’s been created:
1. Aboriginal people & the law
2. Adoption & forgotten Australians
3. Bushfires
4. Companies in Australia
5. Court cases in Australia
6. Early Australian census records
7. Finding Australian legislation
8. Finding book reviews
9. Finding music scores & popular songs
10. Finding poetry

Image of research guide on census

There are 28 more guides on a range of topics but you can see the entire list here.

It’s commonplace for universities to have library guides, so do check them out for other subject areas, especially for senior students. Or you can create your own easily and quickly, in LibGuides.

Let us know if you’ve already created some LibGuides – we’d love to hear about them.

Bialik College Futures Forum

David Feighan, the Director, Libraries and Learning Resources at Bialik College has kindly shared the following information:

I can confirm that the podcasts of the Bialik Learning Futures Forum, which we promised to share with the wider school library community, are now available.

The Learning Futures / Learning Spaces Forum focused on the changes to the physical and online learning spaces in Australian schools. The forum considered:

  • How the new school libraries being built in Australia work within current and emerging education pedagogues.
  • How the physical library and online library and learning spaces work together to best meet the needs of schools.
  • The rise of learning / information commons in universities and schools, and
  • The rise of social media platforms in education settings.

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Speakers include:

A. Professor Leon Sterling, Chair of Software Innovation and Engineering, Swinburne University

B. Jon Peacock, General Manager, Learning Environments at University of Melbourne

CoLABorateC. Dr Scott Bulfin, Lecturer, Monash University Faculty of Education

D. Jenny Luca, Head of Information Services, Toorak College

E. Mary Manning, Executive Officer, School Library Association of Victoria

F. David Feighan, Director, Libraries and Learning Resources, Bialik College

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If you are involved in planning a new library or wanting to revamp your resources and services, this forum is a must listen source! Thanks David and Bialik for sharing this wonderful information and to the speakers for their knowledge and ideas.