International Speaker Series: 3

  

The Post-Pandemic School Library Learning Commons:
Assessing Innovation and Moving Forward

Presented by Anita Brooks Kirkland

This is the third in a series of four online professional learning events featuring international guest speakers exploring a range of topical issues relevant to teacher librarians and teachers in 2020.

Each session is being held on a Saturday morning from 9-11am, with each 2 hour session consisting of a one hour presentation with Q&A followed by one hour of practical workshop-style activities.

Each session is NESA accredited to assist our members in gaining their NESA accredited PL hours for this year. Completing this third session will provide you with a total of 2 hours of NESA accredited PL.

Each 2 hour session will take place in SLANSW's Zoom conference room.
Those who register for this event will receive an email within 24 hours before the event with details to access this online session.

A maximum of 100 places are available for each session, so get your registrations in ASAP.

If you wish to register for all 4 sessions to receive an extra members' discount,
please go the ISS Professional Learning Package on the Events page
on SLANSW's website to register for all 4 session as a package
(do not register for each individual event as you will not get the extra discount).
   
  

Description of session
Do we really matter? Do our actions improve student outcomes and have an impact on their learning and their lives? Do the strategies that we use in the library program have a positive influence on how well the school reaches its goals? These are pressing questions that can be addressed through research, especially the “homegrown” research that decision-makers trust the most. School libraries worldwide are innovating and dramatically shifting practice, particularly since the global pandemic has turned things upside-down. We need to have real plans to assess our successes and share what we are learning. The Canadian School Libraries Research Toolkit was created to address a compelling need for practitioner research in Canada, but we are sure that it is as relevant in New South Wales and all of Australia. The toolkit and other initiatives from Canadian School Libraries may help frame the path forward, post-pandemic. 

Outcomes for attendees
After attending, participants will:

• Understand the importance of integrating research into practice;
• Have a basic understanding of useful research strategies;
• Be familiar with how the CSL Research Toolkit can help frame their research approach; and
  
• Be inspired to engage in action research to assess innovations in practice.

About Anita

As a writer, presenter and consultant, Anita Brooks Kirkland specialises in school library learning commons practices, program assessment, research, and advocacy. She draws on her extensive experience as a teacher educator, both as an instructor in teacher-librarianship for the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto, and in her previous role as the Consultant for K-12 Libraries at the Waterloo Region District School Board in Ontario.

Anita was a contributing writer to Together for Learning, Ontario’s guideline document for the school library learning commons. Anita is very active in professional organisations, currently serving as chair of Canadian School Libraries (CSL) and co-editor of the CSL Journal. She was the 2014 president of the Ontario Library Association, and also served as president of the Ontario School Library Association in 2005. Anita shares an extensive collection of program resources, articles, and presentations on her website and blog, www.bythebrooks.ca.

School Library Association of NSW through the Professional Teachers’ Council NSW is endorsed to provide the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Registered Professional Development for teachers accredited at Proficient, Highly Accomplished, and Lead levels.

Completing the The Post-Pandemic School Library Learning Commons: Assessing Innovation and Moving Forward on 22/08/2020 will contribute 2 hours online of NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Registered PD addressing 3.6.2 and 6.2.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.

International Speaker Series: 4

  

Working for a New Normal

Presented by Dr R. David Lankes

This is the fourth in a series of four online professional learning events featuring international guest speakers exploring a range of topical issues relevant to teacher librarians and teachers in 2020.

Each session is being held on a Saturday morning from 9-11am, with each 2 hour session consisting of a one hour presentation with Q&A followed by one hour of practical workshop-style activities.

Each session is NESA accredited to assist our members in gaining their NESA accredited PL hours for this year. Completing this fourth and final session will provide you with a total of 2 hours of NESA accredited PL.

Each 2 hour session will take place in SLANSW's Zoom conference room.
Those who register for this event will receive an email within 24 hours before the event with details to access this online session.

A maximum of 100 places are available for each session, so get your registrations in ASAP.

If you wish to register for all 4 sessions to receive an extra members' discount,
please go the ISS Professional Learning Package on the Events page
on SLANSW's website to register for all 4 session as a package
(do not register for each individual event as you will not get the extra discount).
   
  

Description of session
During the coronavirus pandemic many people used the phrase “a new normal”, mostly in wondering what life and work would be like after the lock downs. This is almost always presented in a negative frame, as in what we will lose. No handshakes. Sustained social distancing measures. Libraries will have to deliver fewer physical services. There will be a greater divide between the haves and have nots.

But what if we flipped that perspective. What do we want the new normal to be? What if the new normal was better than the “old” normal. What if virtual and physical services better reflected the community and improved learning, and we could clearly demonstrate the impacts of these changes? What if national and international copyright laws were more responsive to the needs of communities in times of crisis? What if libraries were centres not only of learning, but well-being – providing support for students, teachers, and parents alike?

In this session, David Lankes will encourage participants to think about an agenda for libraries – of all types – to create an improved “New Normal.”

Outcomes for attendees
After attending, participants will:

• Understand the importance of developing a Worldview that is informed by theory and deep concepts;
• Identify ways that facilitating access, knowledge, environment and motivation may be improved in the “New Normal”;
• Have a developing understanding of how teacher librarians can use participatory librarianship to create conversations that can support the school library in being agile, organic and responsive in new ways; and
• Recognise the importance of creating a new social compact, with an understanding that this will evolve over time as the library and education professions create an improved “New Normal”.

About Dave

R. David Lankes (known to many as ‘Virtual Dave’) is a Professor and the Director of the University of South Carolina’s School of Information Science. Dave has always been interested in combining theory and practice to create active research projects that make a difference. His work has been funded by organisations such as The MacArthur Foundation, The Institute for Library and Museum Services, NASA, The U.S. Department of Education, The U.S. Department of Defense, The National Science Foundation, The U.S. State Department, and The American Library Association.

Dave is a passionate advocate for libraries and their essential role in today’s society, earning him the American Library Association’s Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship in 2016. He also seeks to understand how information approaches and technologies can be used to transform industries. In this capacity he has served on advisory boards and study teams in the fields of libraries, telecommunications, education, and transportation including at the National Academies. He has been a visiting fellow at the National Library of Canada, The Harvard School of Education, and was the first fellow of ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy. His book, The Atlas of New Librarianship won the 2012 ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for the Best Book in Library Literature.

School Library Association of NSW through the Professional Teachers’ Council NSW is endorsed to provide the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Registered Professional Development for teachers accredited at Proficient, Highly Accomplished, and Lead levels.

Completing the Working for a new normal on 05/09/2020 will contribute 2 hours online of NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Registered PD addressing1.5.2, 3.4.2 and 7.4.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.

What have we learnt from our experiences in 2020?

As COVID-19 continues to affect school communities across Australia, SLANSW is hosting another one hour Open Online Forum (OOF) to reflect upon the lessons we have learnt about delivering library services in a time of disruption and uncertainty. We are once again calling upon the collective wisdom of our members to share ideas and strategies on how to continue to deliver library services through innovative practice.

We are calling for contributions on the following topics –

Collection access, development and management

Use of online services and social media

Reading programs

Student services and wellbeing

Staff services

Collaboration with the wider community

As we know, we can learn from failures as well as successes. We would like to hear about what has been successful in your collection management processes, access to resources, or measures to improve hygiene and sanitary practices but we would also like to know what you have learnt from your less successful strategies. What has worked for library users through your collaboration with others, including teachers and parents, and what would you change? What new learning technologies have you introduced to expand your digital services? How are you using digital platforms, including social media to promote your new or modified services?

Help us identify initiatives where school libraries can take a lead role.

The Open Online Forum format involves participants as presenters, where individuals submit an idea on a single PowerPoint slide and have 2 - 3 minutes to speak to the slide before we move on to the next slide/presenter. As a participant, it is not compulsory to be a presenter, however, we do encourage participants who are not presenting to also share their ideas in the chat as people talk to their slide. This will provide a rich text-based record of all ideas shared throughout the session on how school libraries and teacher librarians are responding to the pandemic.

Add your piece to the puzzle!

 

How do I contribute as a presenter?

It’s easy. Just email a PowerPoint slide file (including the general topic from the list above in the subject of your email) to info@slansw.net.au by 5pm on Thursday 10^th September. Please set your slide size to Widescreen 16:9 and include your name in the bottom right corner of the slide. Please note an effective slide will include a heading that reflects the nature of your idea, and no more than 2-3 bullet points using large font, supported by one or more images. Here is an example –

On the night of Tuesday 22^nd September between 7:00 – 8:00pm be prepared to speak about your slide when it is shown on the screen. Depending on the number of presenters, you will have between 2 – 3 minutes per slide.

If you have any questions, please email Karen at info@slansw.net.au.

How do I participate?

All participants must register their attendance.

About SLANSW Open Online Forums

This open online forum is not accredited by NESA, but does qualify as Teacher Identified Professional Development (TIPD).

A maximum of 100 places are available for this session, so get your registrations in ASAP.

Participation in this forum is at no cost to members.  Non-members may access the session for $35 (Payment is via credit card only).

This one-hour forum takes place in SLANSW's Zoom conference room. 

Those who register for this event will receive an email within 24 hours before the event, with details to access this online session.