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Navigating the information landscape through collaboration

By Elizabeth Hutchinson

Issue 101, Term 2 2017

School libraries and school library professionals have a huge role to play in supporting teaching and learning within a school. I often hear visiting authors comment on being able to identify a good school by how well the library is used. School librarian Caroline Roche penned the phrase ‘heart of t

School libraries then and now - in the digital environment

By Lance Deveson

Issue 120, Term 1 2022

Once again I feel very privileged to have been invited by the Connections staff to write an opinion piece. This time it is on how school libraries have changed over the past 30 years and how they might look in the rapidly evolving digital environment. How time flies when you’re having fun! Thirty ye

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 t

The Great Divide? Physical and Digital Resources in School Libraries

By Keith Grove

Issue 34, Term 3 2000

At SCIS we are grappling with the issue of school libraries' need to include Internet resources in their library catalogue. In addition, Curriculum Corporation and Education.au (which manages EdNA Online) have identified as an issue the need for schools to be able to search easily both catalogues of

International Association for School Libraries Conference Report

By Jenny Ryan

Issue 35, Term 4 2000

I have just returned from the most wonderful conference focusing on information literacy and school libraries. The conference, at which over 33 countries were represented, was held by the International Association for School Libraries (IASL) in Malmo, Sweden, on 6-10August 2000. What an incredible a

School Libraries and the Knowledge Economy of the 21st Century

By Kerry Tanner

Issue 32, Term 1 2000

and thrive-in the knowledge age. In the knowledge economy, very narrow functional specifications are giving way to more expansive professional roles. School libraries set up as stand-alone, self-contained edifices are under threat. The future lies in networking (in both the interpersonal and technol

An African library journey

By Cheryl Lopez

Issue 93, Term 2 2015

ion was approximately 1000 library books. These were all donations; either new books from sponsors and visitors or secondhand from Western Australian school libraries. While some of the books were fairly new, having been carried to Ethiopia in personal luggage by school visitors over the past few ye

The challenge of implementing change

By Angela Platt

Issue 103, Term 4 2017

beat. It takes time, patience, and understanding. After all, change is often a drizzle, not a hurricane. This article was originally published by the School Libraries Group committee of the UK’s Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), and has been republished here with

Synergy highlights: The first 15 years

By Rosemary Abbott

Issue 112, Term 1 2020

ge of informative and engaging material. In the articles chosen, student learning is paramount, and is linked to the crucial role of those working in school libraries. Prominent Australian and international researchers are featured. Carol Gordon’s articles provide wide-ranging ideas on professional

Outsourcing: time for a new look?

By Sarah Menzies

Issue 111, Term 4 2019

become widely accepted that some or all public libraries’ cataloguing and physical processing will be outsourced, although the same cannot be said of school libraries. Although school libraries in Australia and New Zealand use the services of SCIS for cataloguing, they have been slow to take up serv

School library spotlight: Glen Eira College

By Karys McEwen

Issue 102, Term 3 2017

e team of staff and a group of dedicated student library monitors that help keep the library cogs well and truly turning. How long have you worked in school libraries, and what inspired you to go down this path? I have been in school libraries for four years. My undergraduate degree was in Fine Art

Making the library the true heart of the school

By Caroline Roche

Issue 105, Term 2 2018

a new librarian, you see it in tweets, you see it in newspaper articles, and it is even the title of the All Party Parliamentary Group white paper on school libraries: ‘The beating heart of the school’. But where does this phrase that is so ubiquitous now come from? Well, actually, I know. It is a p

(Re)Designing the library through school community participation

By Dr Hilary Hughes

Issue 111, Term 4 2019

participatory design approach, as outlined in this article, can assist in generating evidence-based responses to these questions. With the view that school libraries are essential social learning spaces, I share suggestions for enabling all interested stakeholders to have a voice in designing their

Non-fiction: the elephant in the library

By Rebecca Tobler

Issue 107, Term 4 2018

ur libraries with fiction and non-fiction books that spark the imagination and create interest in reading. References ACT Government Education 2016, School Libraries: The Heart of 21st Century Learning, ACT Government Education ALIA 2017, ALIA Future of the Library and Information Science Professio

It’s time: let’s improve schools' perceptions of teacher librarians

By Bev Novak

Issue 99, Term 4 2016

The Guardian, teacher librarians still need to assert their relevance within school communities. In her article in Connections 98, ‘The importance of school libraries in the Google Age’, Kay Oddone notes the positive attributes of teacher librarians, and implores readers to use her arguments as a ‘c

Enhancing the flexibility of library services

By Claire Elliott

Issue 106, Term 3 2018

/vol73/num04/To-Clone-or-Not-To-Clone¢.aspx Commonwealth of Australia, Parliament, House of Representatives Education and Employment Committee, 2011, School Libraries and Teacher-librarians in 21st Century Australia, Canberra, www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House_of_Representatives

Do we need library lessons?

By Barbara Band

Issue 104, Term 1 2018

and national initiatives. Communication via tutors and promotional posters has a limited reach. Lifelong learning In addition to library skills, many school libraries deliver an information skills program teaching basic competencies that are essential for both further education and the workplace, an

Making connections online

By Clare Forrest

Issue 111, Term 4 2019

it seemed pertinent to expand on this on our SLANZA platform. We looked at questions like: Who are the people making decisions about what goes in our school libraries? Who and what are they thinking about when they make these decisions? Are these decisions able to be reviewed and challenged? We also

Engaging students with emerging technologies

By Chelsea Wright

Issue 94, Term 3 2015

ange as it is to still be having this conversation, we have not yet convinced every raised eyebrow to relax when it comes to the evolving identity of school libraries. If the school library is not seen as a natural place for new technologies to appear, and if technology-oriented initiatives such as

School library spotlight: Mt St Michael's College

By Sandra Mannion

Issue 106, Term 3 2018

are created in-house to provide students with subject-specific digital and interactive resources, including links to relevant websites and databases. School libraries are places where all students feel welcomed and are encouraged to grow and learn. We do a lot more than just provide books and inform