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Promoting literature to students
By Bob Docherty
Issue 94, Term 3 2015
I have always believed that one of the best qualities of human beings is their ability to take an emotion, an experience, a fantasy, or a fact and write it in a way that only real experience can surpass. Taking good literature to students in schools is not only essential but also the best way to ge
From the desk of a cataloguer
By Julie Styles
Issue 94, Term 3 2015
SCIS works very hard for the fantastic hit rate we consistently achieve. We strive to anticipate the needs of our subscribers, and to facilitate this we have fostered relationships with many Australian publishers, both large and small, who send resources to us for cataloguing before they are availa
SCIS is more
By Dr Ben Chadwick
Issue 94, Term 3 2015
Professional learning In May SCIS spent a delightful week with some of our Queensland subscribers. Many thanks to: Albany Creek High School, the O'Shea Centre, and Assisi Catholic College for hosting our professional learning workshops. If you missed out and would like to attend another Queenslan
Supporting Australian book creators
By Laura Armstrong
Issue 94, Term 3 2015
What Educational Lending Right (ELR) means to me… Hazel Edwards As a long-term author with a considerable backlist, PLR and ELR payments confirm that my work is being read by multiple readers for each individual library copy. Culturally this means my stories are shared, and the ideas discussed
Website and app reviews
By Nigel Paull
Issue 94, Term 3 2015
51 of the most beautiful sentences in literature www.buzzfeed.com/jenniferschaffer/i-am-i-am-i-am#.raenZyXYA From Ernest Hemingway to Leo Tolstoy, BuzzFeed has selected 51 of the most beautiful sentences in literature, according to their community. This offers an inspirational teaching tool f
Scootle Community
By Daniel Hughes
Issue 94, Term 3 2015
Imagine a social network that is all about helping you to do your job better. It doesn't feature advertising; it doesn't show unsolicited posts from singles networks; it doesn't even have videos with cats riding vacuum cleaners. It is a network for hardworking teachers who are looking for solutions
Taking note of nonfiction
By Peter Macinnis
Issue 90, Term 3 2014
Each year, in conjunction with Children's Book Week, the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) presents awards for outstanding contributions to children's literature in Australia, including the Eve Pownall Award for Information Books. Before the shortlist is revealed, usually in March or
Learning online: MOOCs for library staff
By Martin Gray
Issue 90, Term 3 2014
With teachers being required to take on regular professional development, but often being both time and funding poor, many educators are turning to the phenomenon of the Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC. A MOOC is a form of distance education which can be studied at a student's own pace and i
BlackWords: celebrating writers and storytellers
By Dr Anita Heiss
Issue 90, Term 3 2014
Looking for some assistance in embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures in your curriculum? Then spend some time exploring BlackWords: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Writers and Storytellers, created by the research community of AustLit: The Australian Literatu
Following @IndigenousX
By Michael Jongen
Issue 90, Term 3 2014
The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. - Christopher McCandless Twitter is an engaging way for teachers to hear a diverse range of authentic Aborigina
Bring the teachers in: enticing teachers into the library
By Brett Moodie
Issue 90, Term 3 2014
The primary focus of the school library has always been to support the information and learning needs of staff and students. However in most schools the focus invariably falls on providing for the needs of students, whilst supporting staff professional development is an auxiliary function. Back
Supporting Australian book creators
By Laura Armstrong
Issue 90, Term 3 2014
Educational Lending Right school library survey Educational Lending Right (ELR) is an Australian Government cultural program administered by the Ministry for the Arts, Attorney-General's Department. SCIS manages the ELR school library survey on behalf of the Ministry for the Arts. The ELR school
SCIS is more
By Pru Mitchell
Issue 90, Term 3 2014
RDA implementation update Implementation of the new cataloguing standard, Resource Description and Access (RDA), has been delayed until 2015. This means that the GMD and the 260 publication field will continue to be delivered in SCIS records as well as the new RDA fields of content type, media ty
New and revised subject headings
By Soula Kipos
Issue 90, Term 3 2014
This is a summary of new and revised SCIS subject headings implemented in June 2014. In this list the headings are marked with: * Existing allowed headings which have been updated with changes to references or notes A Headings which were previously USE references but are now headings in their ow
Website and app reviews
By Nigel Paull
Issue 90, Term 3 2014
Curious George www.curiousgeorge.com Young fans of this popular and successful book character will be delighted to discover an intriguing website filled with games, stories, puzzles, videos, and creative activities. Resource links are available for early learning teachers and parents. SCIS no
To inspire or to instruct
By Ta'afuli Andrew Fiu
Issue 91, Term 4 2014
During May and June this year, I travelled Australia as part of the Positive Schools Initiative to speak and network with teachers and educators. Doing so provided an insightful introduction to what teachers are thinking and drew thousands to Fremantle, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. The convent
SCIS is more
By Dr Ben Chadwick
Issue 91, Term 4 2014
Welcome to Connections 91. Thank you to Laura Armstrong, our Connections editor, for another sterling effort and wonderful end-product. You Say Goodbye, I say Hello There have been some significant changes in the SCIS camp since Connections 90. Perhaps the most obvious one is the departur
Taking the guesswork out of genre
By Brendan Eichholzer
Issue 91, Term 4 2014
School libraries are not just designed for accessing curriculum material; they are also a playground for young minds. Students who discover the joys of reading for pleasure are well positioned for enhanced literacy, language acquisition, cultural understanding, and social skills (Clark and Rumbold,
Graphic novels: providing a different perspective
By Karen Gray
Issue 91, Term 4 2014
Graphic stories have been told since time immemorial. From the 17,000-year old cave paintings of Lascaux, the hieroglyphics of Ancient Egypt, the tapestry panels of the Middle Ages, and the invention of the printing press; all had a graphic story to tell. Today, manga, comics, comic books, graphic
Historical fiction in the classroom: reflecting on Our Australian Girl and Do You Dare?
By Jane Goodwin
Issue 91, Term 4 2014
Our Australian Girl is a fiction series for girls featuring characters from different eras in Australian history, between 1808 and 1983. There are currently ten female characters, each with four books to their name, and each story set during a 12–18 month period of their life. The series is aime