The National Executive Life Membership Committee is pleased to announce that Life membership has been conferred upon the following members of our organisation. These Life Memberships were conferred at the SLANZA Conference earlier this month and both the Wellington and Auckland regions will hold local celebrations of these members. We congratulate both Barbara and Kaaren on their Life Membership awards. Kaaren Hirst SLANZA work has been an inherent part of Kaaren’s life for the length of her career in school libraries. She is a stalwart of the Auckland school library scene. Providing PD for school librarians in the very early days of SLANZA, Kaaren’s voice has been heard many times over the years promoting the role of school librarians across the country. A champion for librarians and proactive in all aspects of school libraries, part of the change and growth of libraries and librarians. Kaaren has sat on the National Executive twice, been the co-chair of the Auckland regional committee three times, she has been conference convener and on every Auckland conference committee. She has been a very active union advocate and a vocal supporter for school libraries everywhere. She is not done yet, during the last school holidays while we were at SLANZA conference, she was representing us at the NZEI support staff conference. Kaaren's ongoing work with NZEI advocating for support staff and school librarians in particular, has benefitted all of us. Barbara Murison Barbara Murison has spent her life promoting and working with school libraries. Barbara has been an advocate for books, libraries, school libraries and school librarians. Through her ventures in publishing, especially Around the Bookshops and her online presence, she has informed school libraries about books for young people. Barbara continues to support school libraries, librarians and students despite having been ‘retired’ for some time, actively assisting those in need providing resources and support. She still attends SLANZA meetings, mentors new librarians, helps out with the Kid’s lit Quiz and is deeply involved in the children’s literary scene. Barbara is a longstanding member of SLANZA and a supporter of school libraries across the nation. Her work to promote school libraries is of nationwide importance. We congratulate both Barbara and Kaaren on their Life Membership awards.
0 Comments
This coming week is a short one, and for secondary schools it's the last full week with seniors at school before they go on study leave. I know this is a busy time for you, and wish you all the best with those end-of-year processes that are getting under way now. Here's a quick round of up what the National Executive were doing last week. Study grants awarded for 2016We have awarded grants of $600 each to four of our members. We wish them every success in their upcoming studies:
Strategic Plan review 2015-2017At our October meeting, the National Executive began the process of redeveloping our strategic plan for the next few years. We are now in the process of pulling the information from that exercise together and identifying how the various goals and objectives will feed into our ongoing work plan. A draft of the revised strategic plan will be shared with members later this term. Conference feedback reviewJulia Smith has been reviewing the feedback from our recent survey. The information from this will be incorporated into the feedback received from those who attended conference - including vendors - and this will inform how our next conference shapes up. Submissions open for 2015 Conference edition of Collected magazine Submissions for our Conference themed edition of Collected magazine are now open. More information is available in Greig’s blog post here. Conference proceedings available nowOur Conference proceedings web page now has a number of presentations and other information available to view or download. More will be added to the page as we receive presentations and other resources from our presenters. We are very grateful to those who shared their conference experience through Twitter, it adds value for those who were there and (like me!) weren't taking notes in all the sessions. And for those who couldn't attend conference it will give you much to read and follow up on - almost as good as being there! I would particularly like to acknowledge and thank Steph Ellis who tweeted prolifically during conference, and has now created Storify collections of the Twitter stream relating to all our keynote speakers. Update to National Library service changes for 2016National Library Services to Schools have published an update to their website about the service changes for next year. We've fielded some enquiries about the update through the School Library email list. Remember that you can contact Services to Schools about the transformation using their dedicated email address [email protected] Contacting National ExecutivePlease do get in touch with me ([email protected]), or with your local representative on the National Executive if there is anything mentioned here that you'd like to discuss, or if there are any other matters you'd like our help or input with. We'd love to hear from you!
Miriam Tuohy Hello everyone
I am absolutely delighted to announce the recipients of SLANZA’s Study Grants for 2016. Our warmest congratulations go out to these successful applicants:
We all understand that working and studying takes quite some commitment. So it is especially gratifying to know that many SLANZA members are continuing their learning in the field of Information and Library Studies. SLANZA is committed to helping make this undertaking easier where we can, as we believe that it will benefit not just our members as their library careers unfold, but that the students and staff in their schools will benefit too, from working alongside a librarian with a deep understanding of their field, and a personal commitment to life-long learning, continual improvement and innovation. Best wishes once again to all our grant recipients! Sandi Faulconbridge Professional Development Team Leader Conference is over and Term 4 has begun and the new issue of Collected is being prepared.
Our theme is “From the Ground Up Conference2015” . We would like to have reports and photos of events and gatherings. We would also welcome articles on, and responses to workshops and key notes that inspired you. You might also share your impressions of conference, and the importance of networking. There was so much to inspire us and I know our readers will have taken this inspiration and planned to put it into action. Let us know what you took away from this inspiring event! We will also accept other articles of interest and book reviews. Our deadline for this issue is November the 19th. Submissions and questions can be directed to me at [email protected]. Looking forward to hearing from all of you. Greig Daniels SLANZA Collected Magazine Welcome back to Term 4 everyone! It's been a busy week for your National Executive. Here is a round-up of what we've been up to this week which will also give you an idea of some of the extra projects we'll be working on in the coming months. Film and Literature Review Board decision made on Into the RiverOn October 14th the FLRB released their decision to lift all restrictions on Ted Dawe’s award winning young adult book Into the river. As one of the parties to make a submission to the recent review, SLANZA was pleased to be able to pass this news on to our members. Miriam Tuohy spoke on Morning Report on October 15th about the decision and what it means for school libaries. Representation on NZEI’s Support Staff Joint Initiative reference groupMiriam Tuohy and Kaaren Hirst will be participating in this group, representing school library staff in the discussions which are led by NZEI’s Support Staff Joint Initiative workstream group. Areas of interest include innovative practice, career development and pathways, professional learning, digital and information literacy. LIANZA’s Future of Libraries summit - follow up meetingKaren Clarke represented SLANZA at this gathering of library sector stakeholders, who met to discuss key issues identified at LIANZA’s recent Future of Libraries summit. Topics included:
Endorsement of BWB Publishing Trust's 'Books in School Libraries' programmeThis week Miriam Tuohy has written to the BWB Publishing Trust to again offer our support of their wonderful "Books in school libraries" initiative. The Trust has plans to make further distributions to secondary schools. If your school has received donations from the Trust, they would love to hear from you too - your feedback and letters of appreciation are very helpful to them in securing ongoing funding. New Administration OfficerCarole Gardiner has now handed over the role of Admin Officer to Jacky Reid from St Pat's College in Kilbirnie. Many thanks to Carole for her dedication to the job these past several years, she has been a huge support to the National Executive. We welcome Jacky into the role from Monday, and look forward to working with her. If you need to contact Jacky please use the email address [email protected] If you'd like to get in touch with the National Executive...You can find contact information for all our regional representatives here on the SLANZA website. You can also use [email protected] or [email protected] to get in touch with us.
One of the nicest parts of being on National Executive is the presentation of the SLANZA annual awards. It is a chance to recognise the great work that is being done in school libraries all over New Zealand.
I would like to thanks all of those who took the time to nominate their peers for awards and in this way ensuring these SLANZA members get the recognition they deserve. Some awards were presented to those in attendance at the SLANZA Meet and Greet prior to the SLANZA Conference. I’d like to extend a big thank you to the Christchurch Conference Committee for helping us to organise that opportunity. Regional NE representatives will arrange for those who did not attend the Conference, to have their awards presented at a local function. The current list of award winners and their award citations can be found on the SLANZA website. Congratulations to all the Award winners. Greig Daniels Awards Committee Just a reminder that the closing date for submitting study grant applications is Thursday 24th of September 2015, and successful applicants will be notified in October.
SLANZA offers study grants each year, to those working in school library teams. Study grants are available for courses offered by an approved library education provider. We believe that continuing professional development is vital - it helps you increase the knowledge and skills you need to deliver a valued service to your school community, and it can open you up to new and exciting possibilities in the field of librarianship. If you are thinking about undertaking Library and Information Studies next year, you may be eligible to apply for assistance. Successful applicants will receive $600 towards the cost of a paper. More information about the grants, including the application form, is available here. Sandi Faulconbridge Professional Development Team Leader The School Library Association of NZ Aotearoa (SLANZA) is surprised by the invoking of the Interim Restriction Order on Ted Dawe’s award winning novel Into the river. Having submitted our opinion as part of the Office of Film and Literature Classification’s recent review of the book, (which contributed to the age restriction being removed), it was shocking to see that the reclassification has been overruled by the President of the Film and Literature Review Board, and an order put in place which effectively constitutes a total ban on the book.
Libraries are now required to remove the book from their shelves and make the novel unavailable to their communities. Individuals who own the book are not able to loan it to any other person, and book sellers are prohibited from displaying or selling it. SLANZA believes that this unusual step by the Board of Review is not necessary, and that denying the book it’s intended audience is draconian. Removing young people’s access to literature which has been written specifically for them is a drastic step, and possibly one which works against the intentions of any restriction. This book has been recognised by a panel of experts with the highest award possible in New Zealand, for a book for young adults, when measured against all others in the year of its publication. To not allow young people access to this awarded novel does them a disservice. We believe that it is important for students to read about the world they inhabit, and for some students the world depicted in Into the river is, unfortunately, very real. For others, it offers different cultural perspectives and experiences that are far removed from their own. We believe there is considerable value in texts like these that allow students to appreciate other points of view and develop an understanding of what it means to be part of a culturally diverse society. For some students a book like Into the river provides a way of connecting with text that appeals to them, and may be an entry to the world of books. School libraries should have procedures and policies in place to guide them when selecting books. This may include input from students, staff, and parents. School librarians develop collections that work for their communities, and this includes books that might challenge and extend readers, and that reflect the reality and diversity of our students’ lives. School library staff bring a professional approach and mindfulness of their school’s unique character to that collection development. School librarians understand the needs of their community; they are knowledgeable about literature for young adults - including local writing - and know that enabling young people to make their own reading choices from a range of texts plays an important role in motivating them to read widely. When school library staff recommend books to students, they take into account different abilities, interests, age groups, cultural backgrounds and so on. They can personalise those suggestions as appropriate rather than being bound by rules such as formal classifications, which although they may provide a degree of ‘protection’ for some, unnecessarily restrict access for many others. Families who wish to restrict their children’s access to specific texts, or types of texts, must make those wishes clear. At the same time, those restrictions should not impinge on the rights of other students to make their own decisions about their reading. Likewise, members of the school community are able to raise concerns about library texts, or texts used in class instruction, directly with the school and have those concerns investigated according to school policy. SLANZA reiterates its opposition to the Interim Restriction Order issued by the Film and Literature Review Board and would like this resolved rapidly. We welcome debate and reviews about what literature is available to NZ school children, and believe this can be achieved without such measures as banning an item as has happened with Into the river. This move is contrary to our philosophy of providing a diverse and open supply of literature and resources to young people in our schools and communities. Individuals who feel that they are being disadvantaged by Into the river not being available are able to make a submission to the Film and Literature Board of Review. You can direct these via email to Julie Wall at the Department of Internal Affairs ([email protected]) Forthwith a bit of an update relating to the Interim Restriction Order placed on Ted Dawe's novel Into the River:
I haven't been able to confirm whether or not this was done, but it seems to me to be a not very satisfactory way of getting the word out, and this is something SLANZA may take up with the Censorship Compliance Unit or through the Film and Literature Review Board. My understanding is that the FLRB will meet in October, and at that point some further action will happen - it may be though that no decision is made but perhaps another review process begun... we shall see. If you'd like to listen to the audio of Radio NZ this morning, this is the link to Morning Report: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201769721/school-libraries-association-defends-banned-book And here for Nine to Noon: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201769748/row-over-banned-book And there may be further, related, news in the next day or so with more discussion about issues relating to school libraries' selection and handling of titles such as Into the River. Can I offer my thanks at this point to all those who have offered opinions and examples of their own experience with Into the River, and issues of censorship in general. It is all grist to the mill for this very important discussion. So while it's not always comfortable to have these sorts of conversations, I do believe it is so useful for us to offer and listen to different viewpoints, and to understand these big issues that affect our ability to work as library professionals. Miriam Tuohy President Updated to add follow-up item on Morning Report 9 Sept 2015 http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201769893/school-librarians-in-uproar-over-banned-book In 2016 the 35th IBBY International Congress will be held in New Zealand. The theme for the Congress is "Literature in a multi-literate world". There is a fabulous line-up of speakers already confirmed, with more to come. The attached documents contain some info about the Congress, and also a Call for Presentations. This is the first time the IBBY Congress will have been held in New Zealand, and it will bring together children's literature experts of all kinds from around the world. Please think about whether you might contribute a presentation or poster, it would be great if the Congress included some of the terrific work NZ School Librarians are doing. Registrations open in September. And the call for presentations closes on 30 September 2015. More information is available directly from the IBBY Congress website here.
|
Categories
All
Archives
July 2024
|