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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
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
Working together: collaboration between libraries and bookstores
By Kristen Proud
Issue 112, Term 1 2020
My partner Lucky and I opened Squishy Minnie, a specialist childrens and young adults (YA) bookstore, just over two years ago in Kyneton, a small regional town in Victoria. Our main aim was to increase the access local children and young people had to quality literature and to literary events. Pr
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
New Zealand school libraries respond to COVID-19
By Glenys Bichan
Issue 114, Term 3 2020
How do you run a school library when no-one can enter it? The lockdown made us all reflect on our practice and on the questions, ‘Who are we?’ and more importantly, ‘Why are we?’ School libraries are a place of transformation for our students and our staff. Students can flourish, grow and explore t
Easy access to library services: public and school libraries working together
By Adie Johansen
Issue 116, Term 1 2021
Since 2015 we’ve been modernising our library service for the Manawatū community and embracing change. Our vision is simple: to be ‘the best little library in New Zealand’. A library is more than just an avenue for books. Libraries are community hubs where you can learn, create, feel safe and eng
EAL/D in school libraries
By Nicki Moore, Martin Gray
Issue 121, Term 2 2022
At Singleton High School in New South Wales, Nikki Moore is an EAL/D teacher who is based in the school library. Situating Nikki in the school library has led to collaboration between the library staff and the EAL/D teacher, as well as the non-native English-speaking students who often use the libr
Pivot! Moving a library forward when COVID gets in the way
By Catherine Barnes
Issue 117, Term 2 2021
‘Pivot’ used to be a word from the netball court, then it became the butt of a joke from the much loved Friends TV show, but over the last 12 months it has become an everyday reality in our schools. In 2020, our school calendar was full of excursions and incursions overwritten with the word ‘Canc
The time to read
By Gabrielle Mace, Merrilyn Lean
Issue 117, Term 2 2021
As educators we often lament that our students are no longer reading books for enjoyment. Sadly, our students are not alone. With an ever growing curriculum and the frenetic pace of the academic school year many teachers are reading for enjoyment far less than ever before – or worse, not at all.
Dystopian literature: more than just the end of the world to teens
By Jessica Finden
Issue 123, Term 4 2022
It’s not the end of the world… Can you remember what it was like to be a teenager? The constant worry – about your identity, whether or not you fit in with your friends, your family, and your overall place in the world. The catch phrase, ‘it’s not the end of the world’ is regularly bandied ab
School library spotlight: University High School, Melbourne
By Stephanie Ward
Issue 123, Term 4 2022
1. What is your role and what does your job entail? My job is Head of Library and Research, so most of my work is library management and overseeing the events, programs, services and work of the team. We’re really lucky at Uni High, we’ve got a staff of five; two library technicians and three tea
The Teacher Librarian and ChatGPT
By Stephanie Strachan
Issue 126, Term 3 2023
At the end of last term, an exasperated member of staff pleaded with me: how can we stop students cheating in assessments using ChatGPT and similar AI tools? Sadly, I was not able to offer any quick fix. In fact, from what I can gather, these new technologies have turned the world of academic wri
Unheard Voices: Transforming library spine labels for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation
By Written by Education Services Australia
Issue 127, Term 4 2023
The need for change Robyn Ellis, a dedicated teacher librarian at Byron Bay High School, found herself facing a challenging task. Teachers were turning to her, seeking young adult fiction that aligned with the increased focus on the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the n