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ELR interview with Kim Brunoro

By Education Services Australia

Issue 123, Term 4 2022

y provides up-to-date library data that ensures Australian creators and publishers can receive compensation for the free use of their books in school libraries. Why is it important for school library staff to participate in ELR if they’re invited? School library staff are in an important position

Supporting Australian book creators

By Sally Rippin

Issue 115, Term 4 2020

ces, so most of the time they were packed away in storage or wistfully handed down to a family friend. Sometimes we lived in countries where public libraries stocked few books in English or we knew we wouldn’t be there long enough to bother getting library cards. This is where I would rely on scho

ELR Interview with Alice Pung

By Article by Education Services Australia

Issue 124, Term 1 2023

Alice Pung is one of Australia’s most-loved writers; her books appear in libraries around Australia. Alice’s first novel, the prize-winning Laurinda, was recently adapted for the stage and presented by the Melbourne Theatre Company. Alice spoke to Connections about libraries, Laurinda, her most r

The story of Story Store

By Joanna Baynes

Issue 127, Term 4 2023

Joanna Baynes began her library career while still a student at school, then moved on to public libraries, before finding her dream job at King’s School, working with and for boys aged between 4 and 13 years. I loved my 35 years at King’s. Life was always busy and challenging, but in the back of

Australian Children’s Laureate 2024–25: Sally Rippin

By Interview article by the Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS)

Issue 129, Term 2 2024

that this might prompt an overhaul in our education system and hopefully mean that all children will get the teaching they need. With some school libraries experiencing budget and staffing reductions in 2024, as well as some being dissolved into classroom libraries, do you believe libraries and

The Great Aussie Book Count 2021-22

By Michelle Harvey

Issue 121, Term 2 2022

This up-to-date library book count data ensures Australian creators and publishers can receive compensation for the free use of their books in school libraries through the Australian Government’s ELR program. Five minutes is all it takes! And don’t let the name fool you: ELR is not your typical ‘s

The future is bright

By Authored by Future You and SCIS

Issue 121, Term 2 2022

ills like never before. How can schools foster a greater understanding of the possibilities of working in STEM for girls, and what role can school libraries play in that education? As part of a two-part special on primary schools and STEM, Connections spoke with astrophysicist and author Professo

SCIS is more

By Anthony Shaw

Issue 125, Term 2 2023

ts (ELR) survey each year? ELR is a great way of ensuring that Australian creators are rewarded for their efforts from books which are held in school libraries. Each year ESA works with the Office of the Arts to ensure that they have accurate data to base the ELR payments on. Thank you to those sc

School library spotlight: Toowoomba State High School

By Lorraine Petersen

Issue 113, Term 2 2020

Are there any current issues facing your library? How are you working to overcome these? Traditionally, the biggest challenge that Textbook Hire libraries face is maintaining sufficient numbers of identical textbooks in the collection, in spite of frequent book damage and loss. This issue has b

Using the Medium blogging platform to teach critical and digital literacies in art

By Tania Sheko

Issue 110, Term 3 2019

ems art can help you if you’re studying to become a doctor’ . Projects such as this one have me thinking about the issue of staffing in some school libraries. Even with well-staffed libraries, teacher librarians might not have the opportunity to explore and experiment. Some of my most valuable exp

Windows and mirrors: Visibility and representation in Australian LGBTQIA+ YA fiction

By Nell Day

Issue 113, Term 2 2020

nating panel discussion among Australian authors Alison Evans , Jordi Kerr  and Jessica Walton . We reflected on the authors’ own experiences of libraries as queer-identified young people, and discussed LGBTQIA+ writing in current Australian young adult (YA) fiction. Alison Evans recalled the

School library spotlight: Trinity Grammar School, Sydney

By Courtney Nolan, Stefanie Gaspari

Issue 116, Term 1 2021

iver innovative library services and promote a positive reading culture at Trinity Grammar School, Sydney. The role has strategic oversight for three libraries – the Arthur Holt Library at our Senior School, the Junior School Library and the Preparatory School Library. Having Courtney to manage the

School Library Spotlight: Xavier College, Burke Hall

By Fiona O'Rourke

Issue 119, Term 4 2021

e. I was particularly struck by this comment: ‘I am not a great reader but the library makes me feel safe.’ It highlights another important role that libraries play – helping to maintaining the wellbeing of our students. 4. How do you promote reading and literacy in your school? Are there any chal

Looking for silver linings: Educating about privacy and security in our increasingly online world

By Dr Kay Oddone

Issue 114, Term 3 2020

ve, and future-focused pedagogies. However, increasing use of technologies is accompanied by increasing digital security risks. We who work in school libraries, are challenged to fulfil our role as leaders of digital and critical literacies, to ensure that as new technology continues to be introduce

School Library Spotlight: Forest Hill College

By Helen Farch

Issue 117, Term 2 2021

staff at SCIS are knowledgeable and always ready to help with any queries. SCIS provides an invaluable service that enhances the value of all school libraries. Image credits Images supplied by Helen Farch

Supporting Australian book creators

By Anna Fienberg

Issue 116, Term 1 2021

ack on track, like the needle on vinyl as it finds your favourite song. My need to escape into stories – reading and writing them – has sprung from libraries. My mother Barbara, co-writer of Tashi and retired teacher librarian, enthused her class about a new book by learning the first chapter in

The Great Aussie Book Count 2023–24

By Amanda Shay

Issue 127, Term 4 2023

When authors and publishers are compensated for the free use of their content in our school libraries, they are able to produce new content for all. Together with the Australian Government’s Office for the Arts, Education Services Australia (ESA) is currently working with school libraries acros

What is a future ready librarian?

By Mark Ray

Issue 113, Term 2 2020

future learners is, and always has been, universal. Strategic focus As a teacher librarian for 20 years and then as a district leader overseeing libraries for another seven years, I have always believed in aligning library practices and programs with ‘what keeps administrators up at night’. Whe

Pivot! Moving a library forward when COVID gets in the way

By Catherine Barnes

Issue 117, Term 2 2021

er, in a space where learning is a purpose and a priority, this also provided opportunities to ‘pivot’ and enhance our programs in other ways. School libraries were no exception. With the awareness that we didn’t want to force a complete change of direction, both educationally and in the values our

The time to read

By Gabrielle Mace, Merrilyn Lean

Issue 117, Term 2 2021

nderstood that daily dedicated reading time would mean that staff would move quickly through their own book collections – and needed more! The school libraries were not in a position to support the increased borrowing habits of 150 staff taking part in Just Read, in addition to all our students.