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ISSN 1179–8548
The eBook Issue Collected Magazine // www.slanza.org.nz
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Featured 8
Growing importance of eBooks 10
Setting up an eBook consortium 12
eBooks at Epsom Girls’ Grammar 14
SLANZA eBook Library
Short Articles 15
Drowsy Driving Handbook 16
Murder by the book
Business Members Contributions 17
Softlink 18
2020 Communications Trust
Other 19
Librarians, Teachers and Writers - IBBY 2016 21
Bookshelving 22
Professional development report 24
Wellington SLANZA Bus Tour 25
Otago Weekend School
Regular 26
Contains graphic content 28
Book reviews 31
Region news
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issue 19/2016 EDITORIAL
There are usually two responses when people find out my occupation. The first is “must be great to be paid to read books all day”. The second is “Can’t be much of a future in that; it’s all eBooks nowadays isn’t it?” Depending on my mood, the number of wines I’ve had, and whether I really want to go there, my responses can vary. But there is one true fact in all that – eBooks are here and librarians all over the world are dealing with eBooks in their libraries, eBook borrowing and the differing ways to deal with these intangible entities. My accounts person tells me that eBooks can’t be listed as assets because they don’t physically exist. The copy of Random Harvest by James Hilton that I’m reading on my iPad seems pretty real to me. I’m consuming it in the way I consume all books. The reaction to eBooks has varied greatly. Some people have totally converted, praising their utility and efficiency. Many new writers like Cory Doctorow are great proponents of free access to authors’ works, but there are also complaints about ownership rights and the pricing model that publishers use. Many students are reading eBooks and fan fiction eBooks based on licensed characters on their phones, or creating written work and sharing it. What does all this mean for copyright and ideas of ownership? A fan published mashup of the video game Fallout and My Little Pony (Fall out Equestria) contravenes licensing laws and copyright laws but exists as both an eBook and a published book. Where does fan fiction end and copyright infringement begin? Should there be copyright? How will intellectual rights be protected? Some of these problems have been around in fandom for years. Science fiction apa’s (amateur press alliances) created science
Collected Magazine // www.slanza.org.nz
fiction stories to be shared, and Star Trek fan fiction was mimeographed and distributed to fans by mail, or through privately made fanzines. Some media encouraged this on a small scale to promote their product, but with the internet the scale has increased markedly. In an increasingly litigious world, will fan fiction survive or will people power protect such items? This issue of Collected focuses on eBooks, ePlatforms, librarians experiences and information from eBook sellers and platform providers. I hope the articles in this issue will make you think about the issue, and how eBooks may fit in with your library. At the moment, I am gingerly introducing them to my school library, but various schoolrelated technical issues have slowed the process down a little. As I write this much planning and organisation is going into our 2017 conference. Early details are in this issue and the call for abstracts has opened. Check out the details in this issue and I recommend you save the date for the Auckland 2017 SLANZA Conference, as it is bound to be a great experience. I hope all our readers enjoy this issue, and do please feel free to comment. We welcome feedback. We also want to hear your voice in your magazine. We encourage you to submit articles and reviews that you may think may be of interest to your fellow librarians. If you are interested in writing for Collected, you can contact me at slanzacollected@gmail.com Have a good term 4 and have a restful break! Greig Daniels Editor
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National Executive Communique JULIA SMITH – SLANZA COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
The National Executive met recently in Wellington at Raroa Intermediate School. Below is a summary of some of the discussions covered at the meeting. This communique is to keep members upto-date with the work being done on their behalf by the National Executive. NEWS Due to unforeseen circumstances, SLANZA President Karen Clarke has resigned. National Executive would like to acknowledge all she has done for SLANZA. During the last five years on NE Karen worked hard as Treasurer to balance the finances, and in her position of President Elect and President, she initiated many projects to improve the role of library staff. Thank you Karen for all you have contributed and we wish you well. Likewise, Jacky Reid has stepped down from her position as SLANZA Administration Officer. Jacky has been with SLANZA for a year and we wish to thank her for all her work. FEE-FREE OFFER FROM THE OPEN POLYTECHNIC We have been overwhelmed with the positive response from the free fee study opportunity offered to our members in association with The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand. Being strongly committed to raising the professional standing of school library staff, NE are very grateful to TOPNZ for their willingness to offer some Level 6 papers free of cost to SLANZA members. Read the announcement on the SLANZA website for details. We encourage members to take advantage of this amazing study opportunity in 2017.
providing our eplatform for free, as well as giving us some additional titles. You may register anytime although this offer is only available for members of our organisation. CONNECTED LIBRARIANS Congratulations to all those members who completed the Term 3 Connected Librarians online learning module. The topic was Content Curation, where participants explored how they could support students and staff by providing great digital resources. Connected online courses are free for SLANZA members and are another option for school library staff to extend their learning. GOOGLE+ COMMUNITY The discussion topic, Transforming Your Library based on the ideas of Rachel van Riel, is due to finish this week. However, you may watch the videos and add to the conversations anytime. Rachel shares valuable insight into library management with her readercentred library approach and the discussion questions aim to spark conversations and debate. READERS SURVEY Expect to see the annual SLANZA Readers Survey out towards the end of next month. SLANZA National Executive would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing commitment to SLANZA and wish you all a great Term 4. We will continue to work on your behalf and ensure that the voices of school libraries from all over the country are heard. Julia Smith, SLANZA Communications Officer
CONFERENCE SLANZA Conference 2017, Fiery Futures: Igniting and Inspiring Libraries, is now seeking abstracts for presentations at the conference. Do consider presenting a session, 15, 30 or 60 minutes long. For more information, see the conference website. Abstracts need to be in by 11 November. EBOOK LIBRARY While we are on the topic of eBooks, don’t forget our eBook library of professional development books. We appreciate Wheelers support in
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The 2017 SLANZA Conference ELIZABETH ATKINSON & TRISH WEBSTER
The next national SLANZA conference is being held in Auckland, and planning is well under way. Every single person who contributes to the school library community is valuable and we want to provide a conference that caters for and reflects the current and future needs in school libraries. We would love to see you there! School Library conferences are an amazing experience, not only do you get to hear inspiring and challenging speakers, but you get the opportunity to listen to your colleagues and to share your own experiences in a great atmosphere of togetherness and community. We are an amazing group of people, and when we get together to talk, learn, share, collaborate, inspire, reflect, connect and imagine, we create the future for school libraries in New Zealand.
There are 3 main themes within the conference: Bedrock – Solid Foundations; Lava – Flowing Ideas; Fiery Futures – Bright Spark Ideas. Have a look at the conference website and consider what you would like to share with the school library community. We would love you to arrive early - Unconference!
We would love to hear from you! Sharing what you have been doing in your library with other delegates is what makes a conference buzz! There will be plenty of opportunities to hear from your colleagues around the country in our short presentations & workshops. These can be 15 or 30 minutes in length. We have created a very easy process of submitting your presentation (abstract) on the Conference website.
Feedback from the Christchurch conference included a request for more time to network and share with other librarians, so the Auckland Conference committee has decided to hold an Unconference before the main conference begins. An Unconference is a meeting that is participant driven; the activities and discussions are decided by those attending. We are going to hold it on the Sunday night (15th July) after the National Executive Meet & Greet, before the conference begins on Monday 16th July. The format will include group discussions (think of it as the listserv but face to face), show and tell – share your useful tips, great websites, cool apps; and take a stand on some controversial topics. We expect there to be lively discussions, great collaborative learning and most importantly, fun! Elizabeth Atkinson & Trish Webster Conference Committee 2017
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The 2017 SLANZA Conference venue: King’'s College CORINNE HINTON - KING’S COLLEGE
HISTORY King’s College is surprisingly one of the youngest 19th century schools to be established in New Zealand. It was built 71 years after Christ’s College and 53 years after Auckland Grammar School. King’s College started life as a combined primary and secondary school for boys in Remuera, Auckland, and moved to its present location near Middlemore Hospital in 1922. With only 78 students in 1896, today, in 2016, it has grown to 1,032 students including girls. One of the earliest mentions of the college in the Auckland Star reports that a start has been made to build the school, but notes that “Owing to the abnormal cost of material the original scheme for the building of a new King’s College at Middlemore, near Otahuhu, has been modified”. However, three years later, the same paper was reporting that the new school had been “established for over a year, and Mr J.V. Collyns, acting headmaster, expressed the satisfaction that existed on all sides in the changed locale. The buildings were still being improved, and in a few years would, he thought, rank with the best in the Dominion.” In 1920 the Auckland Star advertised on its front page “King’s College old boys to raise 10,000 pounds for a memorial chapel”. According to John Bean, Archivist at King’s College, “The fund raising was very successful and the Chapel was dedicated on Anzac Day in 1925”.
TODAY When it moved to its present location King’s College was built “to be a city school in the country”. But in the last 94 years the city has grown and now well and truly laps at the school’s boundaries. The airport is only 20 minutes away and the main railway link to downtown Auckland is a convenient 5-minute walk away. Once you enter the gates of the school, the avenue of trees and the grounds surrounding the old red brick buildings are a calm oasis. The college site is very compact and the boarding houses offering accommodation are not far from the main hall, lecture theatre and classrooms. With onsite parking for 500+ vehicles, the gym, international standard track and heated swimming pool you are sure to have a very comfortable stay at conference. Corinne Hinton, Librarian, Kings College
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7 THE SCHOOL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND AOTEAROA TE PUNA WHARE MATAURANGA A KURA
ADMINISTRATION OFFICER This is a key organisational role as Administration Officer for SLANZA, and is a paid position of up to 10 hours per week. THE SUCCESSFUL APPLICANT WILL POSSESS: • excellent oral and written communication skills • financial management experience • planning, organisational and time management skills • experience using social media for communication • understanding of school libraries and the NZ education system
For further information and a job description contact admin@slanza.org.nz Applications close 20 November 2016
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The growing importance of eBooks in schools today LORENA MCDONALD – WHEELERS
The eBook experience for school libraries has come an awfully long way in the five years since its introduction. The intrepid early adopters will remember the times when there was a hit rate for titles you really wanted of about one in ten, and when the user experience scored about a one out of ten also – the Adobe based App was not easy!
Technology touches almost every aspect of a student’s educational experience at school. Going online to research and learn is as natural now as the hours past students spent poring over encyclopedias. eBooks are becoming an essential piece of this technology puzzle – providing significant literacy gains and helping libraries remain relevant and vibrant places of learning.
Nowadays the content hit rate is more like nine out of ten and the browser based reading and one-touch app makes eBook reading beyond easy – even for technophobes. In the beginning, the question was whether eBooks would replace print books. The answer to that is a resounding NO – but it has become clear that eBooks are a valuable, if not essential, resource that complements a print collection. eBooks can do things print books can’t… and an eBook platform can achieve things that are out of reach with a print book library. This together with the improved content and the much improved user experience makes it a good time to look at eBooks once again. eBook platforms are doing things print libraries can’t. The last 12 months has seen the introduction of advanced consortium technology in to the ePlatform. In its simplest form this allows schools and/or public libraries to band together to literally share some or all of their titles with their consortium group members. Five schools each with 100 hundred titles can become five schools each with 500 titles very quickly. Taking this a step further, Wheelers have created ePlatform One. In effect a Wheelers led consortium, they have purchased the 1,000 most popular titles for both primary and secondary schools. The appropriate collection is then shared with your school for an annual fee – a lot less than the $20,000 it would cost to purchase these titles. This approach has the added benefit of removing the need to worry about the high price of some of the best titles, and also the major publishers expiring titles after 2 years or 26 loans, for example. That’s now Wheeler’s problem. Multiple copies of the more popular titles ensures fair access to all. Students need access to amazing books to fall in love with reading. A large collection filled with amazing titles costs a lot of money, however ePlatform One makes it possible for even the most cost conscious school – it levels the playing field.
There is continuing research on the benefits of eBooks. Studies1 have found how eBooks are helping to better engage children in reading, and how eBooks may help readers better understand the text they are reading. This backs up the experiences of many schools that have an eBook library. The Wheelers-developed eBook lending platform (ePlatform) is helping schools transform the way that students read and learn. Since being introduced at Saint Kentigern Boys’ School, many reluctant readers have been converted. Pip Block, the School’s Arrowsmith Programme Teacher says that, “ePlatform has been a catalyst and a
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a drawcard for those that don’t usually enjoy reading.” Several cases were also reported of once fervently book-shy boys being “caught” reading eBooks at home. ePlatform’s literacy features and apps are one of the key attractions for schools. Through the app, eBooks from the library can be borrowed and read on an array of digital devices, even offline. Customisable display and dyslexia friendly settings assist those with reading challenges. ePlatform offers further support for literacy outcomes. Students can add highlighting and notes, define words and access Google links. These features encourage students to continue reading knowing they can get assistance if they are unsure about words or concepts.
To view ePlatform One’s Primary Schools demonstration site visit nzp. wheelers.co Secondary schools can visit nzh.wheelers.co If you’d like a trial login please email sales@eplatform.co or go to eplatform.co SLANZA members now have their own ePlatform to support their professional development - slanza.wheelers.co . If you’re a SLANZA member and not yet already on board you can sign up here. Lorena McDonald, Marketing Communications Manager, Wheelers
ePlatform can also help schools combat the summer reading slide. Studies2 show that limited access to books is part of the reason for summer reading loss. Students who don’t read over summer, especially reluctant readers, are more likely to lose up to three months of knowledge gained the year before.
NOTES 1.
Moody, A.K., Justice, L.M., & Cabell, S.Q. (2010). Electronic versus traditional storybooks: Relative influence of children’s engagement and communication. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 10(3), 294-313.
With ePlatform, a school’s library doors never close. Students can borrow and download an eBook at any time, even while relaxing on the beach.
Larson, L.C. (2009). E-reading and e-responding: New tools for the next generation of readers. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(2), 121-131.
For some school libraries, the concept of an eBook library has often been thought of as out of reach, perhaps even unnecessary. Yet research shows3 that librarians believe that there will be huge changes to school libraries in the future. Says one, “We have to move, we have to evolve.” eBooks are a large part of that future.
3. Susan Clephane – NZ School librarians, technology leaders, Nov 2013 researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/xmlui/bitstream/ handle/10063/3396/thesis.pdf?sequence=2
2. schools.natlib.govt.nz/creating-readers/summer-reading/ summer-reading-strategic-approach
The young live and breathe everything digital and eBooks are a natural fit. Michele Coombridge, Director of Library Services at Epsom Girls Grammar School, comments “We work with Wheelers eBooks and are so thrilled with our collection and the way it is being used by our students. The range of popular fiction titles available from Wheelers is excellent and the introduction of the ePlatform app has made access so much easier for students.”
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Setting up an EPlatform Consortium: to revitalize and reinvigorate our eBook collections TRISH WEBSTER – RANGITOTO COLLEGE
We’ve had a Wheeler’s eBook collection since 2011 but it has never really taken off as it has been difficult to find the time for the heavy promotion required, and initially it was quite a complicated process for students to get set up to borrow eBooks. With the advent of the Wheeler’s mobile app, which entails a very quick and easy three step process, it has been easier for students to use, but it has still been difficult to convince many of them to try our eBooks – and finding the time to promote them has still been an issue. Another problem has been the availability of interesting titles that students wanted to read. The digital publishing world is still relatively new and each publishing house has set their own rules for the distribution of their titles. Restrictions imposed include a time limit – one to two years is common – on how long the title can be held before it expires, or a limit on the number of times a title can be issued before it expires, or a combination of the two. Publishers can also refuse to sell to libraries, or will sell to public libraries but not school libraries, and there are geographical restrictions on some titles which means they cannot be sold in New Zealand.
included a lot of Gutenberg titles so initially I spent some time weeding our collection before sharing all our purchased titles (I didn’t share the Gutenberg titles we kept!). Once each school had shared their titles we had doubled our available eBooks. Over the following month several other schools joined and by the end of the third term our students had access to over 1800 titles including multiple copies of popular titles such as the Harry Potter series (including 2 copies of the ‘Cursed child’ script), John Green’s titles, the Divergent and Percy Jackson series.
All these factors have made it difficult to build a great eBook collection that is attractive enough for students to want to make the effort to get started. The Wheeler’s staff have been working hard to provide access to the titles that will draw in our students, and to make the process of getting started easier for users. So when at the beginning of August this year Paul du Temple (Wheeler’s Managing Director) approached me, and a number of other Auckland secondary school librarians who had a Wheeler’s ePlatform, with the suggestion that we combine our collections and form a consortium I was really excited to hear more. The premise is simple. Auckland secondary schools who have signed up to one of the Wheelers buying plans agree to set aside a percentage (determined by the group) of their purchasing commitment to buy high demand and popular titles from publishers that have restrictions in place. These titles can then be shared with the consortium group – or held privately for their own students. The schools in the consortium set the rules, can change them if they all agree, only have to share what they want, and at any time a school can leave the consortium taking their own titles with them. After the first meeting three schools agreed to form the Auckland Secondary School’s consortium and Wheelers turned on the capability to allow us to share our titles. Our Rangitoto College eBook collection
I also demonstrated how to download and use the app to our English department and asked them to share it with their students. I promoted the idea of reading books on your smart phone (a clever idea that I picked up from Michelle Coombridge at Epsom Girls
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Grammar) and waited to see if it had any impact on our borrowing statistics. I was stunned to discover that by the end of September my eBook borrowing statistics were triple those of August! The titles borrowed were 48% ours and 52% shared and it was obvious from the borrower reports that brothers were showing their sisters, and friends were teaching each other. We are excited about the possibilities with this sharing arrangement while acknowledging that we have some tweaking to do to our rules – we need a buying plan in place as we go forward, and we need to consider how we will cope as more schools join our group. We intend to meet regularly to make sure the arrangement is working and to resolve any issues that come up during this process. There may be a possibility that the Auckland Public libraries will join and share titles from their Wheeler’s platform. And of course as some of our titles come up for renewal we will need to make some collection development decisions around that. The most important thing for my school community is that they now have access to really great titles that they didn’t have before, and I have a much better idea of what works well in the collection and what I should buy in the future. My tips for encouraging eBook borrowing are now: 1. Buy the cool books – Harry Potter is still really popular, so are the Divergent and Hunger Games series 2. Keep adding regularly to your collection so there is something new when they return 3. Show them how to download the app – and be there when they do it to trouble shoot any problems 4. Make sure they know their user name and password 5. Encourage them to read on their phones as well as tablets. Thanks to Wheelers for permission to publish the photographs. Trish Webster, Library Manager, Rangitoto College
BIBLIOGRAPHY By Matt Enis on August 5, 2014. (n.d.). With All “Big Five” Ebooks Now Available, Ebook Vendors Assess the Road Ahead. Retrieved October 12, 2016, from www.thedigitalshift.com/2014/08/ebooks/ big-five-ebooks-now-available-ebook-vendors-assess-road-ahead/#_
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eBooks at Epsom Girls' Grammar School MICHELE COOMBRIDGE – EPSOM GIRLS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Last holidays I set aside some time for looking over our eBook platform; collecting and reviewing the data from the last school term, and noting any changes that could enhance this collection further.
towards the eBook platform. Smart phones are little computers in the pocket and little libraries of endless reading delight open to students.
Our eBook borrowing is going exceptionally well at the moment, doubling from where it was this time last year and continuing to rise month after month. Independent student engagement with the collection has become something that brings much “nerdy eBook joy” to us here at EGGS library. It gives us a self-satisfied sense of pride each time we look over the platform’s stats. I note that even today there are 72 eBooks showing as ‘out’ on the platform. In the month of August, 206 eBooks were borrowed.
So, why should budget-poor school libraries be adopters of eBook collections? eBook collections actually provide school libraries with a unique opportunity to support their school’s eLearning goals and their effective pedagogy, a requirement outlined in The New Zealand Curriculum document.
Over the last two years my colleague Debbie Horrocks has done a lot of work promoting the eBook platform to our Year 9 & 10 classes. In the first year Debbie began by including a comprehensive conversation about eBooks as part of the library orientation programme all Year 9 classes receive at the beginning of each year. However since then, she has added a short presentation on the large movable TV screen; displaying the Wheeler’s ePlatform site and giving students a quick visual of the popular titles page as a taster. Our other main method for delivering eBook promotion is embedded into book talks. These are done when requested by individual teachers and mostly for the classes of Year 9 to 11 students. Our English classes are not scheduled into regular library visits, so being proactive in approaching teachers and departments about book talks is essential. As you can tell, openings for getting our ‘love of reading’ messages out is limited; teachers are busy in their classrooms and we have to work hard to create book-talking opportunities and keep them fresh and appealing, using as many different modes of reading and presentation as we can. I think this is why we feel so chuffed about the uptake in eBooks. The few promotion delivery points we have on offer, have proved meaningfully relevant to the students and are showing in the results. Recently, I presented a book talk to a Year 10 class incorporating both print and eBook resources and discussed the ePlatform app. While I was still talking, I noticed several students getting out their phones and installing the app. The development, introduction and ease of use of the app has been a major game changer in drawing our students
E-LEARNING AND PEDAGOGY Information and communication technology (ICT) has a major impact on the world in which young people live. Similarly, e-learning (that is, learning supported by or facilitated by ICT) has considerable potential to support the teaching approaches outlined in the above section. For instance, e-learning may: • assist the making of connections by enabling students to enter and explore new learning environments, overcoming barriers of distance and time; • enhance opportunities to learn by offering students virtual experiences and tools that save them time, allowing them to take their learning further (The New Zealand Curriculum, p.36) Librarians can lead value-added digital learning experiences and show innovation and commitment to the goals of school leadership strategic plans by developing strong digital collections that prove their worth. There are several other factors that help create a more complete picture of the success of our eBooks. PURCHASING MOST POPULAR TITLES Last year I reviewed our top 20 most-borrowed print books and decided to purchase them in eBook format as well. I was pleased to find that almost all the titles on my list were now available as eBooks. BUYING MULTIPLE COPIES OF YOUR MOST POPULAR EBOOKS Purchase multiple copies of favourites. When one title continues to be borrowed with reservations waiting, it means your students are telling you they like it. Buy more!
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Most borrowed eBook titles over the last six months.*Note: there are two ISBNs for Divergent, making Divergent our most borrowed eBook title over the last six months, not If I Stay, which is showing in the number one position.
Most borrowed eBook titles over the last six months *Note: there are two ISBNs for Divergent, making it our most borrowed eBook title over the last six months, not If I Stay, which is showing in the number one position. Latest additions
THINKING PENNY WISE, POUND FOOLISH? Popular titles can be very expensive. Purchasing fewer, more popular titles will rock your eBook collection. Who wants 300 cheap eBooks nobody wants to read? TOP UP A FEW NEW TITLES REGULARLY Keep that home page looking fresh and enticing, with titles your students have been waiting for. Find other non-digital ways to display new eBooks on the platform such as posters & displays around your library. PURCHASE THE PAN MACMILLAN PACKAGE Gaining access to the Pan MacMillan range is worth investing in. There are many desirable YA titles in this range that cannot be purchased without first buying the package. TAILOR YOUR COLLECTION FOR YOUR OWN STUDENTS’ NEEDS Using research based evidence start curating a collection that reflects the reading tastes of your students. The ‘ePlatform One’ offer is a wonderful option for many, but tailoring your collection for your unique users is even more powerful.
Good communication with your eBook provider is also essential. Along with the increase in our eBook borrowing, has come an increase in interest around the data and statistics available to us. We often have curly questions or need help understanding deeper levels of the how, where and when our students are borrowing. Feel free to contact your provider to have queries answered and make suggestions for improvement. eBook lending is a relatively new game for everybody and like all technologies there are still many avenues yet to be explored. I am an ardent eAudio listener and would love to have eAudio resources available as part of our current platform - in a ‘one platform to rule them all’ concept, rather than confusing our users with several different platform locations to navigate. I’m hoping this product will soon be available. I’ve also been talking to Wheelers about class sets for English Departments and creating a way we can have several different lending rules for ISBN titles. It’s a work in progress but will be another great opportunity to take the lead in eLearning and eReading development in my school. Michele Coombridge, Director Of Library Services, Epsom Girls Grammar School
Librarians know about good curation. Curation and collection development is just as important for your eBook collection as it is for any other collection in your library.
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SLANZA Professional Development eBook Library JULIA SMITH – SLANZA COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER SLANZA has our own eBook library. Launched in June this year, there was such a tremendous response and uptake by members, that all the books were borrowed within hours! Our ebook library is made up of a selection of eBooks to support members’ continuing professional development. These resources are only available to SLANZA members. Wheelers have made this possible by generously providing our ePlatform at no cost. We are very grateful for their support of our organisation, and our members’ ongoing professional growth. Members who have not yet registered for the SLANZA eBook library may do so any time. To register, please use your preferred email address (not a shared library email) and your personal membership number if known. Julia Smith, SLANZA Communications Officer
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Martin S. Jenkins P.O. Box 10-386, The Terrace, Wellington 6143 64 4 473-2235 (phone) akilla@paradise.net.nz http://www.akilla.co.nz/ DVD educates the public about the “silent killer” on the roads
The Drowsy Driving DVD and Handbook Martin S. Jenkins _____________________ New Zealand Sleep Safely Ltd. Category Education/Public Safety DVD 978-0473224509 $29.95 Soft Cover 978-0473114015 $20.00 _____________________ For additional information email akilla@paradise.net.nz or phone (04) 473-2235
Young or old, we all know what it’s like to be sleep deprived. What we may not know is that drowsy driving is a potentially deadly condition that impairs driving skills and causes crashes that can kill or injure the driver or other road users unfortunate enough to be in the way. Martin S. Jenkins, whose father died in 2003 in a violent road crash, has released a new DVD designed to educate an ignorant public about this “silent killer.” The Drowsy Driving DVD thoroughly educates readers and reveals just how insidious a killer drowsiness is. In addition to dispelling some drowsy driving myths and revealing what won’t revive you when you feel drowsy behind the wheel, the book chronicles the “must knows” about drowsy driving, including:
• The causes of drowsy driving, including when, where, and why you are most at risk
• The warning signs of drowsy driving
The steps to take to minimize your risk of being a drowsy driver
• What to do if you feel drowsy to stay alive and keep other road users alive
Jenkins, who launched the AKILLA® Sleep Safety Educational Campaign after his father died, comments, “Following in-depth international research into drowsy driving crashes, sleep science, and sleep safety, I realized just how little the general public knows about the ‘silent killer’ on the roads.” Author: Martin S. Jenkins has formal qualifications in Civil Engineering and Finance from New Zealand universities. He has completed papers in both Traffic & Highway Engineering and Public Health Engineering. He has appeared on New Zealand national television and national radio and has been featured in both national and community newspapers to promote the AKILLA® sleep safety educational campaign.
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MURDER BY THE BOOK! Bringing Sherlock Holmes to life in secondary school libraries Secondary school librarians and English departments across the United Kingdom have been providing a new library-based challenge for their students this year: solving a murder! Using the materials provided in Box Clever Education’s recently released murder mystery kit ‘Murder by the Book’, sections of school libraries have been turned into crime scenes. The kit provides everything that is required, from the clues and scenario, to support materials such as crime scene tape, promotional posters and student support documents, allowing schools to set up their crime scene within an hour with minimal preparation.
The activity is delivered in three main stages. After completing the warm-up ‘Detective Exam’, student teams visit the crime scene and investigate the 44 different clues within a set time limit, working together to uncover the truth about how a librarian’s assistant met with a suspicious end. With three plausible suspects in the frame (including the librarian) and a number of red herrings to lead teams astray, the activity challenges students to ensure that all clues are carefully examined, recorded and cross-referenced. After visiting the crime scene, teams are encouraged to pool their ideas and formulate theories as to who did it, why, how and also how the remaining two suspects could be proven innocent. The final stage of the activity requires student teams to provide a detailed solution, either in written form or as a verbal presentation. Once all solutions have been submitted and the best overall response has been chosen, a Power Point-based solution is provided to fully explain how the crime was committed. The mystery is based upon a generic plotline suitable for any English speaking secondary school and is specifically designed to encourage the development of literacy, group communication and lateral thinking skills, in a fun and engaging manner. In particular, students are challenged to read into the wording of the clues (the majority of which are text-based) and carefully cross-reference information, deciding upon what is important and what should be discarded.
The challenge of solving the mystery also encourages fantastic constructive discussions between students and mimics the teambased problem solving requirements of a large number of future careers. ‘Murder by the Book’ is a very flexible activity, with differentiated materials helping schools successfully deliver it to different ages and abilities. It has been used in a number of different ways so far, including: • A competitive pastoral competition between student house/year groups. •
An activity to complement English departmental modules focusing on detective stories, creative writing or speaking skills.
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A promotional activity for a school library’s stock of detective mystery novels.
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A special challenge for a school’s most able students.
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A summer school activity for new-intake students.
In order to cater for different requirements and budgets, ‘Murder by the Book’ is available in two different forms: a boxed kit that provides absolutely everything required or a digital version from which schools can print all key materials. A range of detailed product information, including delivery guidance, product contents, skills’ maps, demonstration photos and testimonials is available on Box Clever Education’s website. If you would like find out more please visit: www.boxclevereducation.com
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Business Members
Shared resources: COLLABORATION BETWEEN SCHOOLS WITH OLIVER V5 DOESN'’T COST INDEPENDENCE Every school is looking for ways to improve academic outcomes and operational efficiencies. For some, co-location, multi-campus or education campus models are an effective solution that benefits the entire community. For the school libraries involved in these alliances, the discussion is often focussed on what level of resource sharing is beneficial and how to make it work effectively. The ideal vision for such collaborations may centre around the development of a library experience where the physical separation of the different library collections dissolves and it is simple to browse and borrow resources from the catalogues of other school libraries in the alliance. Critically, each school library needs to retain independent control over their own resources and processes. The success of such collaborations hinge on strong communication and a technology framework that provides the right balance of structure and flexibility. Both elements are closely linked and can be impacted by the other – strong communication helps schools define the vision, collaborate on the choice and configuration of technology, and continue to maintain a positive and productive working relationship for many years. In Blenheim, Marlborough Girls’ College is involved in one such successful collaboration with nearby Marlborough Boys’ College. The decision to enter into a co-location arrangement stemmed from extensive liquefaction and earthquake damage at the two campuses. Co-location to a new site in 2021 will allow the colleges to remain independent while benefitting from the ability to share resources. Students are already moving between the two schools and the library has proven to be an ideal starting point for collaboration. Marlborough Girls’ College Library Manager, Colleen Shipley said that one of the reasons Softlink’s Oliver v5 was selected as the new library management system was because of its multi-branch capability. By using Oliver v5’s multi-branch management tools, the two schools have been able to create an environment that supports four collections - Girls’ library and textbook resources and Boys’ library and textbook resources. Staff and students can easily search Oliver v5 and, in a single view, find resources from all four collections. “Upgrading from Alice to Oliver v5 was like moving from a Mini to a Ferrari. It was something we had wanted to do for a long time as we could see the advantages for staff and students. The joining of our library management systems with the Boys’ College has set us up for the future.” Colleen said that the Softlink’s support during the deployment of Oliver v5 was instrumental in ensuring a successful collaboration between the two libraries. “The upgrade to Oliver v5 was tricky as it was a collaboration, but Softlink were experienced in dealing with this and helped us out.” To find out more about the implementation of Oliver v5 at Marlborough Girls’ College please view the full case study on the Resources section of Softlink’s website (www.softlinkint.com/resources). Alternatively, get in touch with a Softlink consultant by emailing communications@softlinkint.com or phone 09 415 7790 (toll free 0800 476 385).
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Business Members
The New Digital Divide LAURENCE ZWIMPFER MNZM – 2020 COMMUNICATIONS TRUST On the last day of Term 3, I was invited to attend the final assembly at Sacred Heart College in Lower Hutt to present an ICDL (International Computer Driving Licence) certificate to Danica Tavite. Danica was the first student at Sacred Heart to complete seven ICDL modules and secure this international qualification. Danica was probably not fully aware of how significant her achievement was. In completing the ICDL Certificate, she is now able to demonstrate to a future employer or tertiary providers that she has bridged what is called the new digital divide. Danica, like all other students at Sacred Heart, is recognised as a digital native, a term coined by Marc Prensky in 2001 1. He was referring to people who were born during or after the general introduction of technology who have interacted with digital technology from an early age and as a result have a greater understanding of technological concepts. Everyone now assumes that anyone under the age of 20 is digitally “savvy”, and no one is likely to question the amazing abilities of young people, especially when it comes to Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. But the people who only have digital social media skills lie on one side of the new digital divide – the other side is what employers want – people who can use word processing applications efficiently, people who know how to develop a budget on a spreadsheet, people who can create a customer database. These are the practical everyday skills that New Zealand businesses desperately need to improve their productivity. A recent report released by Statistics New Zealand noted that incomes are rising in New Zealand but mostly this is because people are working harder and longer. 2 This reflects weak productivity growth – the amount we produce for each hour worked is barely increasing; some think it might even be falling. Part of the reason is that young people entering the workforce do not have the skills to use digital productivity tools. There has been a lot of focus on introducing digital technologies into the school curriculum3 ; the information technology (IT) industry has pointed to the shortage of skilled workers and has encouraged schools and tertiary providers to motivate students to think about careers in IT. Clearly this is important, but this will only ever impact on a relatively small number of students who choose IT options at school. In order to address New Zealand’s productivity challenge, every school leaver should have basic digital literacy skills and a certificate that proves this. Sacred Heart College made the headlines recently when mobile phones were banned from classrooms 4. While students might not have agreed with this at the time, in years to come, they will look back and thank their school. Smartphones are likely to leave students on the wrong side of the digital divide, with only social media skills. Qualifications like ICDL will ensure that students are not only ready for tertiary studies and the workplace, but also for life. Congratulations again to Danica and Sacred Heart College in leading the way; I look forward to the day when every student at every secondary school in New Zealand gets a digital literacy qualification before leaving school.
Prensky, M. Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants On the Horizon MCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5, October 2001 www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
1
Danica Tavite receives her ICDL certificate from Laurence Zwimpfer, 2020 Trust
2
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, Kiwis working harder, 78 October 2016 union.org.nz/news/2016/kiwis-working-harder
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Hon Hekia Parata, NZ curriculum to include digital technology, 5 July 2016 https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/nz-curriculum-include-digital-technology
Laura Dooney, Sacred Heart College in Lower Hutt lets students use cellphones only at lunchtime, 29 August 2016 www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/83670464/Sacred-HeartCollege-in-Lower-Hutt-lets-students-use-cellphones-only-at-lunchtime 4
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LIBRARIANS, TEACHERS, WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD MEET IN AUCKLAND 35TH IBBY CONGRESS, 18-21 AUGUST, 2017
An amazing event took place in Auckland recently. Over 500 librarians, teachers, academics and children’s writers, illustrators and publishers from 60 countries met to hear about and discuss the opportunities and challenges afforded those concerned with literature and literacy for young people in the twenty-first century. Many SLANZA members joined international and New Zealand delegates at the 35th Congress of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) at the Aotea Centre from 18th-21st August. The tone and theme of the Congress, ‘Literature in a Multi-literate World’ was established by three of our greatest New Zealand writers: Joy Cowley, Kate De Goldi and Witi Ihimaera at the Opening Ceremony preceded by a pōwhiri and followed by a magnificent kapa haka presentation from a talented young group from Baird’s Mainfreight School in Otara. Libby Limbrick and Rosemary Tisdall
with other renowned writers and illustrators, such as Gavin Bishop and Australians Nadia Wheatley, Ursula Dubosarsky, Bronwyn Bancroft, and literary commentators, Julia Eccleshare (UK) and Leonard Marcus (USA). Paper and poster presentations from 150 delegates provided a rich perspective on children’s literature and literacy education in many cultures; cultures as diverse as Greenland, Japan, Lithuania, Uganda, Sweden, Samoa, United Arab Emirates, China, and of course Australia, United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom and New Zealand
IBBY Congress Opening Kapa haka
Over the next three and a half days a plethora of presentations and discussions entranced the delegates. Amongst the celebrated invited speakers were the acclaimed author of The Book Thief, Markus Zusak; Meshack Asare, Ghanaian children’s author, 2015 winner of prestigious NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature; Leigh Hobbs, Australian Children’s Laureate; Raina Telgemeier, graphic novelist at the top of the New York Times’ best seller list for three years; and Sir Richard Taylor and Martin Baynton with some Weta Workshop secrets of how stories are transformed from ‘Print to Screen’. Previous Hans Christian Andersen winners, Nahoko Uehashi (2014 for writing, Japan), Roger Mello (2014 for illustration, Brazil) and Katherine Paterson (1998 for writing, USA) took part in panels
A highlight of the IBBY Congress was a magnificent Gala Dinner held in Auckland Waterfront’s historic Shed 10 for 550 guests at which Cao Wenxuan from China and Rotraut Susanne Berner from Germany were presented with their 2016 Hans Christian Andersen Awards (HCA) for writing and illustrating respectively. To accentuate the HCA origins of the award, the dinner started with a brass fanfare by a group of students from Papatoetoe Intermediate to accompany the opening of a three metre high ‘Book of Fairy Tales’ to reveal a splendid pop-up fairy-tale castle (a prop from a past World of Wearable Arts’ show). Delegates also had an opportunity to watch intermediate aged students from eight countries demonstrate their extraordinary depth and breadth of knowledge about literature as they competed in the World Final of the Kids’ Lit Quiz. To the delight of the New Zealand delegates this was narrowly won by Wellesley College, Wellington with an all-boy team.
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Julia Eccleshare, Leonard Marcus and Kate De Goldi
The Congress closed with two special New Zealand events: a performance for young and old of Witi Ihimaera’s The Whale Rider by Tim Bray Productions, and a moving Choral Farewell, written and narrated by Joy Cowley and ‘illustrated’ by songs performed by three outstanding Auckland choirs. Two of these choirs, Fortissimo (Dilworth School) and Choralation (Westlake Boys’ and Westlake Girls’ Choir) went on to be award winners at the National Big Sing Festival the weekend following the IBBY Congress. Thus not only were international delegates treated to some of New Zealand’s extremely talented young readers but also the very best of our youth choirs. On display at the Congress was a spectacular exhibition of 400 of the world’s greatest recent books for young people: the 2016 Honour List, books nominated by the 70+ member countries of IBBY as their best example of writing, illustrating and/or translating; books by nominees and winners of the 2016 HCA Awards; the Silent Book Exhibition (wordless picture books), developed initially to support refugee children arriving on the island of Lampedusa; and IBBY Outstanding Books for Children with Disabilities. The exhibition was superbly displayed on shelving built and donated for the use of the Congress by a wonderful company called Plankwall as described in the following article.
Lisa Allcott and Susan Court
The 35th IBBY Congress was a truly unique event in New Zealand. Not only had an IBBY Congress never been held, in the 70 years of IBBY’s existence, in the Australasia/Oceania region but, never before had such a large, culturally diverse group of people, committed to the pivotal role literature plays in young people’s education and development, met in New Zealand. This could not have happened without the support of the community and of businesses such as our major sponsors, AUT, Ministry of Education, Mainfreight, Pearson Education, Creative New Zealand and companies such as Plankwall with similar values. Dr Libby Limbrick and Rosemary Tisdall Co-Directors IBBY Congress 2016
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BOOKSHELVING: THE ANSWER TO LIBRARY DISPLAYS AND BOOK EXHIBITIONS DR LIBBY LIMBRICK AND ROSEMARY TISDALL
Organising a major international congress with so many components is a challenging task. A Congress with books and reading at its heart has a particular challenge, that of managing displays of multiple books with which delegates can interact. For the IBBY Congress additional challenges were: i) a lack of book shelving at the venue; ii) any shelving brought in had to be delivered, erected, and the books arranged between 6.00am and 8.30am on the morning the Congress opened. There was Auckland Council Libraries’ shelving available but it was stored, with a high cost of moving it from the warehouse to the Aotea Centre. Furthermore, it was neither flexible nor easy to erect quickly. Six months out from the Congress, the organisers were getting desperate. So I approached Scotty at Plankwall who has a manufacturing company that produces and exports cabinets and panels. I asked if he knew of a system to display this large exhibition of books that might meet our requirements, especially that of ease of erection and flexibility in layout. It was hard to plan the layout until the multiple boxes of books arrived from Europe. While we knew the numbers, we
tooling to produce the innovative joining system. With the clock ticking, enough joiners were produced for a test run. The shelving proved to be both flexible and easy to erect rapidly. On the opening day of the IBBY Congress, Scotty and team arrived at 6.00am and had the shelving erected by 7.00am (with a few changes of layout required on the run as the books emerged from their boxes). By the time registration opened at 8.30am an outstanding display of over 400 books for young people from around the world was ready for our international and national delegates. Moreover, not only did Plankwall supply us with custom-made shelving, they did not charge the IBBY Congress for design, production, transport or labour. A truly generous donation made, as they said, because of their belief in the importance of books and reading for young people throughout the world. The splendid book display shelving items are now available for sale at a “pre-loved” rate. Scotty would really appreciate interest in the 600mm wide shelves ($38.16 + gst) as the number we needed was many times what they hold in stock. The layout of panels can be three-way as seen in the photograph, or in a linear form, or in a combination. We can assure you the shelving is just fabulous: flexible, very fast and easy to assemble and most attractive in appearance. Height, width, colour of panel and spacing of grooves can be adjusted to suit specific needs. See the accompanying information for how to contact Plankwall.
did not know the sizes of the books, so we could not be sure, exactly, how they could be best displayed. And we would not know until the Congress was about to open! Nothing that Scotty knew of was satisfactory. So he asked his design team to look at options. This marvelous team not only came up with a unique design that could be put up rapidly and easily adapted to a number of configurations should the need arise, but also made
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Professional Development Report - October 2016 SANDI FAULCONBRIDGE – SLANZA PD TEAM LEADER
There have been some amazing, fantastic and absolutely awesome developments with our SLANZA Professional Development in 2016, which is all part of SLANZA’s strong commitment to raising the professional standing of school library staff through ongoing PD and professional qualification opportunities.
Regardless of the school we work in, or the age of the students, this is a really important aspect of being a good digital citizen. There were some interesting links shared and some great resources created. We had 14 participants take part, six of whom had completed previous modules.
EPLATFORM FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Our second module, Content Curation, took place in Term 3 and provided participants with some tricky moments as they maneuvered their way around LiveBinders, PearlTrees, FlipBoard and a number of other platforms. There were 24 participants this time, many experiencing a Connected Librarians course for the first time.
Miriam Tuohy, our then President, worked with Wheelers, and in June we were able to offer our members free access to a variety of eBooks to support their continuing professional development. Wheelers have generously provided their ePlatform at no cost, and their support of SLANZA and our members is appreciated. OPEN POLYTECHNIC STUDY OPPORTUNITY As I write this column, SLANZA has just received more fantastic news, this time from the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand. Miriam Tuohy and Karen Clarke have been in discussions with OPNZ on ways we can collaborate, and as a result of this we are able to offer our members an amazing study opportunity. After signing a Memorandum of Understanding between our two organisations, a fee free offer has been arranged for current SLANZA members studying the Certificate in Literature and Library Services for Children and Young People. This is an amazing offer, and equivalent to 25-yearsworth of SLANZA membership! CONNECTED LIBRARIANS ONLINE PD We have run two online PD modules this year. It was fantastic to see the large number of members new to our online PD and also to reconnect with those that have taken part before. The discussions that took place were thought-provoking and provided new learning and insight for all - moderators and participants alike. Our first module for 2016 took place in Term 2. The revised Digital Citizenship module concentrated on the ethical use of information and its attribution – otherwise known as referencing and citation.
As I’ve mentioned before, I think one of the great things about offering online PD is that people from all over the country can participate, the conversations we have and the learning we gain from each other (both participants and moderators) enhances our original learning intentions. It is also a great way to build our personal learning networks. GOOGLE+ COMMUNITY Our Google+ community is another place to connect with fellow SLANZA members, post information and articles that you think others may find interesting and useful, and participate in some really thought-provoking discussions. Something new we instigated late last year was our Discussion Topic. We kicked this initiative off with a discussion that was highly relevant to our workplaces and the people we serve. It was based around R David Lankes’ book Expect More: Demanding better libraries for today’s complex world. In July we invited members to take us on a Virtual Tour of their libraries, using whichever method they chose. This is an open discussion and members are welcome to join in at any time. It provides a way for those of us thinking about making changes, or in the process of re-builds, to visit libraries that we would not normally
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have access to – either due to distance or getting time off to visit. All of the tours that have been posted are brilliant, and there are so many ideas that we can take away for our own spaces. As this edition of Collected goes to print we will be just finishing up our second discussion topic for the year. Continuing on from the virtual tour idea, we had a discussion on Transforming Your Library and finding out how to incorporate a Reader-Centric approach to the services we provide in our libraries. This discussion was based around four key videos from Rachel van Riel whose company, ‘Opening The Book’, specialises in school and public library design. Once again, the thought-provoking discussions, questions and comments that come out of these discussion topics provide us with some great ideas of ways we can enhance our own library spaces and services (a few of which I have already instigated). More fantastic news is that Rachel van Riel will be the keynote speaker at our 2017 Fiery Futures conference being held in Auckland next year. Make sure to check out the SLANZA 2017 conference website for more information and we’ll see you there in July.
STUDY GRANTS Another incentive for our members is that SLANZA offers the chance to apply for Study Grants. These are an opportunity for members to be supported by SLANZA to further their learning in the field of Information & Library Studies. We are just sorry that we cannot provide Study Grants to everyone, as there are many worthy applicants. We would like to congratulate this year’s recipients, and look forward to hearing about their learning experience: •
Christine Hurst (Macleans College)
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Elaine Pearson (Horowhenua College)
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Kylie Connell (Golden Bay High School)
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Patricia Lyons (Mahurangi College) Sandi Faulconbridge, Professional Development Team Leader
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Wellington Region School libraries bus tour CLARE FORREST – RAROA NORMAL INTERMEDIATE
It was a clear and windless day in September in Wellington (a good day!) when an enthusiastic group of school librarians and their friends ventured out for the Professional Development Term 3 School Library Bus Tour. First stop – Wellington College, kindly opened up and presented early on a Saturday morning by Library Manager Katherine McKenzie. Wellington College is a large boys’ college in central Wellington and its Girvan Library is a large, well-used vibrant space, full of resources and eye catching displays. After a good poke around (nothing that librarians love more than having a look at other people’s libraries), we boarded the large red double-decker bus. The bus was provided by Malcolm Little and expertly driven by Simon Cross. Girven Library at Wellington College
room, that Shelley told us the students love and respect as a sanctuary. The final stop on the tour was Cashmere Ave School, a medium sized primary school for Years 1-6 in the north-west suburbs of Wellington. Sarah Jordan, Digital Systems Manager and Rachel Huddleston, Library Manager, who had been on the tour with us all took on the role of library guide and explained how they made their more
Next stop – Samuel Marsden Collegiate, newly remodeled and refurbished. Library Manager Karen Richards explained the huge amount of planning and work that has gone into making this senior school library the work of art that it is. Lots of glass and light combined with comfortable corners and modern furniture and different types of working areas, made for an enviable space for their students to use. Samuel Marsden Collegiate is a private girls’ school that caters for Years 1-13. Back on the bus and on the road again, we travelled the winding back roads that gave those on the top deck intriguing, not usually seen, views into people’s properties and weekend lives. Next stop – Tawa Intermediate, a co-ed intermediate in the suburbs north of Wellington where Library Manager Shelley Knox gave us the guided tour and explained some of the ways she engages the students in the library. Tawa Intermediate’s library is a great example of a colourful modern learning environment, with a diverse range of furniture and spaces for students use, including a glass walled quiet
Tawa Intermediate
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School
traditional library space the vibrant, well-used and reader-centered facility that it is. I believe the tour was a great success as a professional development exercise. We got to see how different libraries and librarians ply their trade to their very different communities, were given plenty of ideas to purloin, had a chance to chat and network with fellow librarians along the way and were beautifully fed and watered. Thank you to everyone involved. Clare Forrest, Library Manager, Raroa Normal Intermediate
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Otago Weekend School GREIG DANIELS – TOKOMAIRIRO HIGH SCHOOL
The biennial Otago Weekend School was held the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of September and was an impressive two day event. It was great to see some familiar faces and meet some new colleagues over the two day programme. Events started with an event on Friday night entitled “Party like a book nerd”. This was held at the rejuvenated Captain Cook Hotel. Registration was on Saturday morning and there was much chat over coffee and many exclamations of delight over the contents of the goody bags we had prepared with the assistance of our sponsors. The full programme opened on Saturday and our first guest was Desna Wallace, fellow librarian and the author of Canterbury Quake in the Scholastic My Story series. Desna talked about the genesis of her project which came out of hearing student experiences of the quake, and giving them a place to talk about their experiences. The experience of the Fendalton Open Air School students was not the basis for the book, but Desna felt her writing about the quake might be a way for young people to come to terms with their experiences through fiction. Desna was an interesting and engaging speaker and the audience really responded to her presentation. Our next speaker was Paul du Temple of Wheelers books whose session entitled Connecting Students with eBooks and digital collections made for some interesting discussions. For those like myself just starting to integrate eBooks into our collection, this was a “must listen” presentation. I think all those who attended came away with a desire to extend this area of our collection to benefit our students. Paul has been supportive of SLANZA, providing us with an eBook platform for Professional Development. Following this was a fun, noisy and entertaining book jam chaired by Bridget Schaumann of King’s High School. There were some great suggestions, recommendations and a lot of great ideas came out of this session. A beautiful lunch followed, catered by John McGlashan College. It was nice to kick back and catch up over a meal. There were two sessions on Saturday afternoon. A panel of invited guests discussed the Pastoral Care Role of School Librarians. This discussion was based around issues of, and awareness of mental health issues; how librarians could help; and how they could provide supportive material for students. There was also discussion about
books that dealt with these issues and how we should approach these in our library. This was a huge subject that couldn’t be covered in one small session. But our guests Jenny Hurley (Director, London House Learning Centre), Rachel Kerr (Guidance Counsellor, Kaikorai Valley College), Jenny Millar (Librarian, Logan Park High School) and Krystene Todd (Librarian, Fairfield School) were very generous in sharing their expertise and experience. Saturday’s last session was a tutorial in online design, specifically using Canva and Piktochart. This session was presented by Miriam Tuohy (Palmerston North Girls’ High School), Bridget Schaumann (King’s High School) and Carole Gardiner (Queen’s High School). It was a productive session with many intending to explore these programmes when they returned to their own libraries. Local restaurant Zucchini Brothers was the venue for the event dinner on Saturday night and those who attended had a great time. On Sunday morning there were 3 more great sessions. Miriam Tuohy told us how to build a dream library collection (regardless of cost!) and Jan Simpson (Otago SLANZA Chairperson and Librarian at Bayfield High School) chaired a very informative session around activities and ideas for library week. We came away from both these sessions filled with ideas and new things to try. Our last session was presented by our guest Michelle Summerfield of the Otago University Book Shop. Michelle is their Children’s and Young Adult Book advisor and she shared a wonderful selection of picture books with us. There was much scribbling of shopping lists during the session and many attendees stayed to talk to Michelle after her presentation. There was great deal of positive feedback from attendees both verbally and through the feedback forms. It was a real pleasure for Otago to once again host this biennial event, and thanks go out to the organising committee, our sponsors Book Protection Products Ltd, Access-it Software Ltd, The University Book Shop (Otago) Ltd, Wheelers Books, HarperCollins New Zealand, Officemax, Scholastic New Zealand, Penguin Random House NZ, Otago Polytechnic and Gecko Press. Thanks also to John McGlashan College for hosting us once again. Greig Daniels, Librarian, Tokomairiro High School
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Contains Graphic Content LUMBERJANES VOL. 1: BEWARE THE KITTEN HOLY // ISBN-13: 978-1608866878 – BY NOELLE STEVENSON, SHANNON WATTERS AND BROOKE A ALLEN (ILLUSTRATOR) This graphic novel is a cool camp mystery, and a mystical quest, with some great characters, some good laughs, all leavened with a bit of adventure. There’s something going on Miss Quinzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady Types and it is pretty mysterious. Fast friends Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are keen believers in the power of friendship, brains and the skills taught them in camp. Along with Jen, their bunk leader, they investigate the mysteries of the three eyed wolves, anagrams, eagles and the secrets of the boys camp close by. Using their individual skills, they try to find out just what is going on, and get drawn deeper into the mysteries of the nearby forest. The girls are nicely realised with very different, distinctive visual designs for each character. Their world is fully realised and works on its own dynamics. The supporting characters are given their own personalities no matter how lengthy their appearance, and Stevenson and Watters have a great deal of insight into what makes them all tick: the rambunctious Ridley, the timid and nervous Molly, the enigmatic Mal, the decisive Alice and mysterious Jo all come alive in this delightful adventure.
It’s the quirky little touches that make this comic fun. The girls’ clever dialogue, their exclamations and epithets (usually referring to famous and notable women), and the sheer exuberance of the characters all make this a great verbal and visual experience. Brooke Allen’s character designs are truly individual and her frenetic and anarchic drawing style is perfectly suited to this wild adventure. The art style doesn’t strive for realism, but is very effective in portraying both the distinctive nature of the characters and the action of the story. A nice touch in the presentation of the graphic novels is the format. Each chapter begins with a “badge” page from the Lumberjanes Manual. All are real activities but are presented in the format of the fictional organisation’s field manual. My only concern in recommending this graphic novel is that Volumes 1 and 2 make up a complete story and that readers may miss out on the second part of the story. A great comic for readers young and old and I’m sure this story will definitely find a status as a cult classic. Reviewed by Greig Daniels, Tokomairiro High School
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MS MARVEL. VOL 1 // ISBN-13: 978-0785198284 – BY G WILLOW WILSON AND ADRIAN ALPHONA Commercial comics are always are a bit harder for me to review. Anything put out by Marvel or DC is intrinsically concerned with making a profit, but while corporate comics are more based on continuing stories and marketing, some of the product, albeit superhero based, can be lots of fun. Surprisingly Marvel DC put out some very entertaining comics; the creators know their market and sometimes creative risks are taken to expand the comic’s appeal. One of the many areas that have come under scrutiny in modern comics is representation. How does the comic world reflect the ethnic diversity of modern life? While comics fandom in the past was usually a male preserve, modern audiences are more discerning and widespread with comics readers being catered for at all age levels, genders and ethnic backgrounds. So Marvel’s relatively new character Ms. Marvel (the third character to bear that name) is a young Muslim woman who reluctantly becomes a superhero. Kamala Khan, the new Ms. Marvel is very much in the classic Peter Parker/Spiderman mould. She has to balance her home life as a dutiful daughter, her emotional life, her friendships with both Muslim and non-Muslim peers, with her role as reluctant hero. She worships superheroes, but her heroic behaviour comes from both her religious background and her family’s beliefs. She has a core of innate goodness that centres on
her neighbourhood, her family and friends. She doesn’t rebel against her culture, but her personal views often stretch and test its boundaries. Muslim culture is portrayed very positively, but in a non-didactic way. Kamala is a believable young woman who is finding her place in the world and testing the values she believes in. As a superhero comic it does interact with other characters from the Marvel Universe. There is an obligatory Wolverine guest appearance, but it is handled very well. The guest stars don’t overpower Kamala and her story. There are some peripheral events from the superhero world, but the focus is on Kamala and reflects her street level view of the world. G Willow Wilson is a talented writer and she makes the supporting cast come to life. Kamala’s friends, Bruno and Nakia, are well portrayed. Kamala’s family is warm and supportive even as they worry about Kamala’s course in life. The superhero plot – Kamala searches for kids missing from her neighbourhood and Bruno’s brother who’s fallen in with a local gang – is well written and believable and the story makes some nice points about so called “disengaged” youth. The dialogue is realistic as are the motivations of the characters. Alphona’s art is very light and cartoony, but he can handle the action sequences well. While not a truly realistic style, it fits the
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characters and setting of the story. The art and page layout is also really well suited to the story being told. Ms. Marvel is an exciting coming of age superhero story, with heart and style and a strong female lead character. Reviewed by Greig Daniels, Tokomairiro High School
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Book Reviews ANNUAL – EDITED BY KATE DE GOLDI AND SUSAN PARIS Reviewed by Bridget Schaumann, Kings High School, Dunedin When viewing this book on display in a bookshop recently I was as attracted to it as if it had had a glowing neon light shining above it, flashing “pick me up, pick me up”! It shines like a beacon of coralish orange sparkly embossed goodness. An object of beauty. This slightly worried me, given the target audience for this lovely looking book. Would it have more adult appeal and would it survive the rough and tumble of a messy 12 year old’s bedroom? Is this book too adult for its audience? Is it aspirational rather than what kids would really be interested in? When I was given a copy to review I knew that the best thing would be to ask it’s intended audience. First though, I decided to dip in myself, to read it in the way that I had read the annuals of my childhood. These had been mostly Ballet Annuals, I got one for Christmas often, I still have 2 of them! I also had Jackie Magazine Annuals wherein I received instructions for the generous application of blue eyeshadow and lashings of glitter which my mum does not remember fondly! I remember seeing Basil Brush Annuals, Sooty and Sweep Annuals and remembered that these provided lots of activities for me and my sisters when on holiday on rainy days (always in May - never in summer when it was fruit season, my Dad being an orchardist!) Anyway, dipping into this new annual was exactly the right thing to do. I began with Tony Fomison’s gorgeous painting of mother and son, which was lovely, I learnt something. Good I thought! I then headed
to the start, had a little read, opened it up at the midway point, loving nearly everything I read and browsed. A favourite was the useful dictionary of words for a car trip. I set the book aside for a few days, then read the Paul Beavis section. At this point I was fully engaged with the text, I couldn’t help picking it up and reading story after story. I admit to not loving all of them, but that is ok in an annual.There is always another thing over the page with the potential for me to love it instead. At this point there were greasy fingerprints on the cover from fish and chip night, a careless circle from a wineglass and the bookmark was a lolly wrapper! I think that is exactly how an annual should look, it’s loveliness slightly marred by use.
• Yes, please Miss you should put a copy in the library, probably two copies. I’ve shown it to other staff, especially those with kids the target age of Annual, some of them fell in love with it, and showed it to others. Now the Art Department are keen to buy copies for their “zine” club. It is being pitched to the English Department by one of their staff, who sees lots of potential as starters for creative writing. This is a lovely book, a book to treasure. After hanging out with it for a couple of weeks I’ve come to appreciate it and to encourage people to pick it up and browse it. A lovely thing to have out on the tables of your library and a very cool gift for a young person in your life.
I took the book to school. Brought it out at lunchtime to show to my sprawling readers, the ones who lie on the floor, who hog all the cushions, lie on top of each other, having no personal space issues at all yet clutch the picture books of their childhood tight but who also love a gory bunny suicide and are heavily invested in graphic novels and dragon fantasy and nasty adult crime novels. They loved this thing – I’ve included a photo, they are all in year 9, all great devoted quirky readers. They are the target audience for this book I think, their comments after two days with the book are these: • it is “really good, funny, different” and • yes, they would like it if someone bought this book for them as a present. • No, they wouldn’t buy it themselves.
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Students pore over Annual
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WILD FRONTIERS Reviewed by Michelle Coombridge, Epsom Girls Grammar School I’ve noticed a bit of a trend of late – young adult books with strong, independent female characters set in the American West, out on the range or working the country farm. It’s a refreshing change that opens up a range of multi-genre storylines with intriguing dramas, historical insights and admirable leading ladies. I’ve listed a few that I’ve come across recently.
THE MIRK AND MIDNIGHT HOUR – BY JANE NICKERSON
WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER – BY RAE CARSON
With a cover that looks more Vampire Diaries than Little House, The Mirk and Midnight Hour is a gripping story, full of surprises.
Lee Westfall has an unusual gift – she has the ability to sense when gold is present. Lee has discreetly managed to support her family with her “Gold-Seer’s” gift, but when her father and mother are brutally murdered, her uncle turns up to take over the family claim. Lee realises his intentions are devious and she decides to dress as a young man and join a wagon train to the California Gold Fields. Once on the trail the fantasy side of this novel fades and the story mostly focuses on the hardships of the wagon trail trip to California – engaging historical fiction. Recommended 4.5 Stars
Violet Dancey has been left to run the Mississippi family farm while her father fights with the Confederates in the Civil War. Historical Fiction lovers will enjoy this period drama involving complex extended family relationships, a forbidden romance with a wounded Union soldier and some mysterious folk practising “hoodoo” in the woods. Recommended 4.5 Stars
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UNDER A PAINTED SKY – BY STACEY LEE In this charming story set in Missouri in 1849, two runaway girls – one a slave and one a recently orphaned Chinese musician – join forces to escape the advances of the local brothel owner. Disguising themselves as boys and renaming themselves Sammy and Andy, the pair gain employment as cooks on the Oregon Trail, hoping they can make their way to New York. Hilarious scenes and conversations ensue as the two innocents try to blend in, up close and personal with a group of delightfully crass teenage cowboys. Too cute! Great for Middle School ages up. Recommended 4 Stars
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A WINDY DAY WALK – BY PAMELA DIXON Reviewed by Susan Hopkins, Hawera High School Everyone can identify with the wind, and a walk on a beach, especially for those living in windy Wellington or Taranaki, where the prevailing westerly tends to dominate. A Windy Day Walk was inspired by just such an everyday activity, when Finlay and his Gran went out for a walk on Eastbourne beach. The rhyming storyline delightfully captures the fun and frustration of the wind. Author Pamela Dixon has a lifetime of engaging with young children, both as a mother of four children, a grandmother of one, and as a trained primary school teacher with many years’ experience. She enjoys singing, and now exploring creative writing with this, her first children’s picture book. Illustrator Maree Horner has captured the simple charm of the story with a close focus on the wind, relevant to any location, and the dialogue between the two characters.
This picture book is intended for reading aloud to pre-school children, but is also a great book for 5-8 year olds to read independently. For those primary teachers working with junior students, this is a worthwhile addition to resources based around weather conditions with the focus on the wind and its associated activity. I have included it in our library collection as we have a diverse range of readers, some, too, that struggle with reading and still enjoy picture books with simple dialogue and messages they can relate to. We maintain a popular selection of picture books to also inspire young writers, and complement the teaching around different writing genres. In an increasingly complicated world this book reminds us all that the simple things in life are important, yet too often overlooked.
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Region News CENTRAL Tēnā koutou Central Region’s numbers have grown to 61 this year – up 5 from the end of 2015. Miriam Tuohy finished her term as SLANZA President in July, before taking on the role of Immediate Past President. We have had a busy year providing PD to the various areas across our large region, with both the committee and members travelling to attend. Some of the things that took place this year are:
• a Reading Recovery trainer and tutor at the University of Auckland • speak about the complicated cognitive journey that children take as they learn to decode text to create meaning. Why some children find it easy and others struggle is not understood, however we know the benefits of being able to read and how rewarding it is when reading becomes fluent. To demonstrate the process of learning to read Susan showed us a page of symbols and challenged us to work out what it was saying. Gradually she added images that helped to illustrate the text, and we realised that to decode unfamiliar ‘text’ we need to use lots of different strategies; children learning to read need to be taught these strategies so that they can read successfully. And she reminded us that the books used to teach reading should be as interesting as possible; stories that they want to read.
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Publishers evenings hosted by Paper Plus (Napier, Palmerston North & New Plymouth)
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‘Building a Reader-friendly Library’ presentation by Steph Ellis, including our AGM and a chance to look around PNGHS library (Palmerston North)
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‘Building Your Dream Library’ presentation by Miriam Tuohy, followed by library tours of Whanganui Intermediate & Whanganui High (Whanganui)
We had fun reading some of the Greedy Cat stories that can be used for both shared and guided reading, and everyone enjoyed browsing the books that the National Library librarians had gathered together for us to look at. We’d like to thank Susan, and Lisa Allcott, one of the Auckland Facilitators, for a very informative afternoon.
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‘Mobile Helpdesk’ at a local cafe where members could come along to listen, advise & cheer each other’s accomplishments (Napier & Palmerston North)
For those of you who were unable to attend or who live out of Auckland, visit Stu’s website for more information heroes.co.nz
CENTRAL COMMITTEE OFFICE HOLDERS: Chairperson: Sandi Faulconbridge, Taradale Primary School Secretary: Karen Carswell, Woodford House Treasurer: Judine Knowles, Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School
At the end of the evening we put our Super Hero persona back on, to combat our way home through the evening rush hour. Trish Webster Auckland Regional Representative to the SLANZA National Executive
AORAKI
National Executive Representative: Sandi Faulconbridge, Taradale Primary School Miriam Tuohy, Palmerston North Girls’ High School Steph Ellis, Napier Boys’ High School Maree Paterson, Reignier School Steph Gibbons, New Plymouth Boys’ High School Sasha Eastwood-Bennitt, Manchester Street School Your Central Region committee would like to wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas. We look forward to catching up with you again in 2017 for another fantastic year full of all things library. Noho ora mai. Ka kite ano. Sandi Faulconbridge Central Region Representative, SLANZA National Executive
AUCKLAND Our Professional Development event this term centred on reading, specifically Reading Recovery. On a Wednesday afternoon at the end of July we met at the National Library in Parnell to hear Susan Court
We are heading towards the end of a very fast-moving year. Aoraki SLANZA committee is very pleased to welcome two new members – Tracey Hull and Lisa Trundley-Banks – and look forward to working with them. Changes in population numbers and location densities around the city and outlying districts following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes mean there are a number of new and re-built schools going up in and around the city. In Aoraki, the number of school libraries and the shape they will take, is changing fast. One consistent factor is the dedication and passion of school librarians working in schools around the region. Many thanks to our Aoraki members for their work this year. It’s been great to see members using the SLANZA eBook platform and talking so positively about the fee-free study opportunity through OPNZ. Last term an interesting tour and talk of the ANZC (Aotearoa New Zealand Collection) at Central Manchester Library in Christchurch was followed by a pizza and chat session at nearby Winnie Bagoes. Lots of new information and interesting sites came out of the ANZC tour but it’s always really useful and important to spend the time sharing with fellow school librarians and the members who stayed on for pizzas certainly found that worthwhile.
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Free for SLANZA members
Reading Warrior
Presentations Thursday 17th November 23pm Verdon College Thursday 17th November 56pm Invercargill City Libraries Friday 18th November 23pm James Hargest College email Kirsty at kadam@jameshargest.school.nz
We are having a ‘spend the end of your budget’ book buying session at PaperPlus Merivale next week with members invited to a pubrarians get-together afterwards. Following our very successful and enjoyable quiz night at the end of 2015 we are organising another quiz to farewell the 2016 School Library year. Sally Stanley-Boden Aoraki Representative to the National Executive of SLANZA
SOUTHLAND A couple of our members made the trip to the Otago Weekend School in September and had a fantastic couple of day’s worth of dirt cheap PD! As always there was a mix of practical and inspirational workshops and the only downside to making the trip is that my “to read” list is now longer than ever. A big thank you to the organising committee and the guest speakers for a very valuable weekend and I highly recommend all librarians in the South Island put it on their to do list for 2018 – hoping of course that it is held again! We have two big events happening in Southland this term. Author, teacher and motivational guru (I made up that last title but it seems to fit) David Riley is coming to Invercargill in November for student workshops and presentations to teachers and librarians. We can always fit more people into his talks about how to motivate students – especially boys – to read, so contact me if you wish to attend.
TE TAI TOKERAU Te Tai Tokerau held two sessions for members during Term 3, both on Building a Quality Collection. These were discussion sessions on where to locate and purchase, and how to provide and promote the best resources for our school communities. One session was held in Kaitaia and the other in Whangarei, with a good turnout at both. The collection management rubric included: where do we find books, selection aids to choosing them; what format do our readers prefer; where do we shop, who are our suppliers; who do we outsource our cataloguing to, and why; what do the readers need in labelling; what’s necessary in covering, protection versus costs, products; how do we promote our collection so that students, staff, management and parents know what is available? These were discussion sessions and we wanted everyone to contribute. SLANZA professional development is always a good opportunity to hear how our colleagues work, and an opportunity for us all to share our procedures and processes and see how we can adapt our systems to improve our collection management. There was plenty of congeniality and unintentional learning (thanks Steph Ellis!) which reinforced the value of SLANZA face-to-face professional development in the regions. Julia Smith Te Tai Tokerau Representative to the SLANZA National Executive
Once again, Southland SLANZA has teamed up with the region’s public libraries to provide a cohesive and comprehensive Summer Reading Programme for the students in Southland. Last year’s launch was a lot of fun and hopefully we will get a good turn-out for our launch in Winton on the 10th November. Take care Kirsty Adam Southland Representative to the National Executive
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WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN SLANZA The benefits of membership include: Connection and networking with other school library staff locally SLANZA is committed to providing quality professional development opportunities to its members, and we are very grateful for the ongoing sponsorship of professional development provided by Book Protection Products. This sponsorship is invaluable and greatly appreciated by the National Executive as it significantly broadens options for regional committees. The funding provided by Warick Ashton and his team goes to the regional committees so they can organise professional development sessions that will fulfill your personal learning needs. Please continue to support Book Protection Products as they are SLANZA’s major sponsor, and if you have an idea or topic for professional development in your area, let your committee know!
Discounted conference and professional development registrations Support for school libraries at a national level Opportunities to gain skills and professional development from people who do what you do Opportunity to apply for the SLANZA awards Opportunity to apply for study grant assistance with library–related studies Permission to use the cover images of publications of major publishing houses Access to the LIANZA professional registration scheme Access to our collection of Professional Development eBooks Fee-free study opportunities with the Open Polytechnic
BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP Business members support the work of SLANZA. Current members are: Premier Professional Development sponsor – Book Protection Products Top Shelf Members – Hydestor Manufacturing Ltd, Kowhai Media (NZ Geographic and Mana), 2020 Communications Trust, Softlink Pacific, Syba Signs
NEWS + CONTACT If you’re not sure who does what or who can help you, check out our Contact page on our website. It links to all region representatives. Follow our blog for up to date information Like our Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter
Circulator Members – Library Plus Echelon Productions Reserved Member – Cengage Periodical Members – Antac Open Source Solutions E–Learning for Business and Education
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