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School library spotlight: Good Shepherd Catholic School

By Helen Tomazin

Issue 104, Term 1 2018

What is your job title and what does your role entail? In my role as library technician, I assist in organising, operating and maintaining the school library. I look after loans and acquisitions, and maintain library records and equipment. I inform users of circulation policies and procedures and

Using social media to support school library services

By Helen Stower, Margaret Donaghue

Issue 98, Term 3 2016

Mt Alvernia iCentre was an early adopter of social media for school library services, and is now five years into the journey which began experimentally and involved a steep learning curve. Currently, we are in the process of drafting social media guidelines and strategies. If we were to embark on u

Down the library path

By Bernadette Bennett, Kerry Gittens, Lynette Barker

Issue 92, Term 1 2015

Three teacher librarians from the Hunter region report on the planning to create an Information Skills Strategy and programme guide for the region based on the NSW DET Information Skills Process. When you are working with like-minded people sometimes the planets align and between you, clarity c

Tinkering, making and building in the school library

By Jackie Child

Issue 102, Term 3 2017

Computers touch our lives in so many ways, from movies to medicine, education to entertainment, gaming to government, construction to commerce. Computers and digital technology are at the centre of every industry and code is the language of computers, so it makes sense that we give our children the

School libraries support digital technologies

By Martin Richards

Issue 102, Term 3 2017

Over recent times, school libraries have become much more than a place for students to read and enjoy books, conduct research, and enjoy the comforts of a pleasant, welcoming environment at lunchtimes. With the ever-increasing emergence of new digital technologies, many schools are considering how

School library spotlight: Glen Eira College

By Karys McEwen

Issue 102, Term 3 2017

What is your job title, and what does your role entail? I am the College Librarian, which means I manage the library and all the diverse, rollicking, fabulous things that entails! Every day is different, but the main tasks I focus on are collection development, encouraging a love of reading throu

School library spotlight: Rolleston School

By Kay Morfett

Issue 105, Term 2 2018

What is your job title, and what does your role entail? How many people work in your library? I work at Rolleston School as the librarian. My role is 25 hours a week, split over five days. I have a teacher in charge who is really wonderful and supportive and, aside from a brilliant group of stude

Enhancing the flexibility of library services

By Claire Elliott

Issue 106, Term 3 2018

Libraries and librarians are built around relationships. It is essential that they provide exceptional customer service as a means of ensuring sustainable growth. With this in mind, a number of changes were implemented in the Trinity Grammar Preparatory School library to improve the services that w

School library spotlight: Mt St Michael's College

By Sandra Mannion

Issue 106, Term 3 2018

What is your job title and what does your role entail? I am a qualified teacher librarian, employed at Mt St Michael’s College in the role of Curriculum Leader, Library and Information Services. It is a Catholic secondary college for young women in the tradition of the Sisters of Charity, adminis

School library spotlight: Galston High School

By Jade Arnold

Issue 107, Term 4 2018

What is your job title, and what does your role entail? My official job title is teacher librarian. My role within the library is multifaceted. As the manager of the library, I am responsible for acquisitions, resource management, and research services, and I manage two school administrative and

Promoting reading for pleasure in school libraries

By Emma Suffield

Issue 108, Term 1 2019

I have been a school librarian for five years now and what a journey it has been. The reason I applied for this role was to promote reading for pleasure and share my love of reading with young learners; there is nothing more satisfying than turning a reluctant reader into an avid one. When I star

So, you have established a reading culture: now what?

By Catherine Barnes

Issue 108, Term 1 2019

‘Fortunate’ is a word I use to describe my school. We are fortunate to be in an environment where we have a full-time teacher librarian and library technician. We are fortunate to be located within walking distance of a public library and a university library. We are fortunate that we have adequate

School library spotlight: Modbury High School

By Linda Guthrie

Issue 108, Term 1 2019

What is your job title, and what does your role entail? I am employed as a teacher librarian in a government secondary school with around 800 students. As a qualified teacher librarian, I really enjoy the range and scope of my role: teaching and learning, leadership, curriculum involvement, libra

Library makerspaces: revolution or evolution?

By Chris Harte

Issue 97, Term 2 2016

The makerspace movement is gaining momentum in the world of libraries, although it is not an entirely new concept. One of the first makerspaces built specifically to invigorate the hearts, hands, and minds of young inventors opened in 1876. Established by Thomas Edison in the New Jersey hamlet of M

School library spotlight: Melbourne High School

By Pam Saunders

Issue 99, Term 4 2016

In this issue of Connections , we introduce a new regular feature, ‘School library spotlight’. This article gives us an opportunity to interview school library staff, so we can share with our readers what is happening within school libraries in Australia and New Zealand. Do you have any quest

Guerrilla book fair: getting staff involved in your school library

By Lucas Maxwell

Issue 100, Term 1 2017

Getting staff members involved in your school library can be tough. They are busy people, and any free time they do have is precious to them. Over the past few years, I’ve identified several ways to get staff excited about library programs, which in turn helps to make your library the thrumming hea

School library spotlight: Chisholm Catholic College

By Monique McQueen

Issue 100, Term 1 2017

What is your job title, and what does your role entail? My name is Monique McQueen and I am a teacher librarian at Chisholm Catholic College, a secondary Brisbane Catholic Education school. My role is to manage the library program and staff; supervise the day-to-day running of the library; reso

School library spotlight: Campbelltown Performing Arts High School

By Cathy Costello

Issue 101, Term 2 2017

What is your job title, and what does your role entail? As a NSW Department of Education employee my job title is that of teacher librarian. I particularly appreciate that it emphasises our teaching role by putting it first. As an educator, I view my role, first and foremost, as that of a teacher

Turning the school library into a thriving community hub

By Anne Devenish

Issue 103, Term 4 2017

Location, location, location! How does this position a school library to engage successfully with the wider community? Perhaps the catchcry should be ‘Ambience, ambience, ambience’. Of course, there is much more to attracting interest and audiences in the event-rich Melbourne scene, but beautiful s

School library spotlight: Ocean Reef Senior High School

By Sarah Betteridge

Issue 109, Term 2 2019

What is your job title and what does your role entail? I am a qualified teacher librarian, employed as the school librarian at Ocean Reef Senior High School, which is a years 7–12 government co-educational school, with approximately 1,200 students. My role includes supervising the day-to-day ru