Professional Learning Opportunities March 2023

It seems March 2023 is a great month for school library staff to learn something new. With so many fantastic webinars on offer, blogs and articles and, of course, our favourite podcasts releasing more episodes, there is something for everyone. 

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Webinars and videos

Celebrate School Library Month – ALA – On demand recording – $71.10 USD for members – online. 

If you missed the ALIA webinar AI, Libraries and the changing face of information literacy, you can watch the recording as well as find all the resources discussed.

AI in EDU: Know the risks – video. 

Reading Promotion in Schoo Libraries – How do you recommend books to students – SLANSW – free webinar recording. 

Scientific Illustration and non fiction books: Why their rise in popularity shows hope for the future – ASLA with Sami Bayly – 1 March, 2023, 7:30pm AEDT – $20 members, $40 non members – online. 

Professional Learning Summit: The Strength of Story – SLANSW – 4 March 2023, 8:30am-12:50pm AEDT – $150 members, $225 non members – online. 

School Library Roundtable Forum – Be Present & Promote or Perish – Eduwebinar – 8 March, 2023, 7pm AEST – free – online. 

The Collection Diversity Toolkit, Canada – SLAV – 9 March, 2023, 10am – 12pm AEDT – $120 non members – online.

Dynamic Shelving with Kelsey Bogan – Demco – 16 March, 2023 4pm ET – free – online. Register here.

Embracing Student Wellbeing – ALIA Schools – 18 March, 2023 10:30am AEDT – $44 members, $66 non members – online. 

Teacher Librarian Influence on Reading Culture – Eduwebinar with Krystal Gagen-Spriggs – 22 March, 2023, 7pm AEST – $40 non members – online. 

Data driven decision making for the school library – SLA with Alison Tarrant – 29 March 2023, 11am GMT – £30 – online.

Podcasts

Comic Boom – Episode 4 Engagement, range and school comic con with Lucas Maxwell. 

Boss Librarian and Friends meet regularly in ClubHouse to discuss important topics and they kindly share the recordings so you can catch up on sessions you’ve missed. Management of a School Library: Tips and Tricks

Independent Reading – Reading for Pleasure Research and Practice podcast.

Recent episodes from School Librarians United include Making ALL the Mistakes, Retired Librarians Rock!!! and Circulation Software: Experts Chime In

Courses

Exploring Future Ready Librarianship: Practices for the Emerging Leader – July 10 – September 3, 2023 – $186 members, $249 USD non member – online. Register here.

Books and book lists

Let’s Roll: A guide to setting up tabletop role-playing games in your school or public library by Lucas Maxwell. This book is out and available for purchase now. 

The best middle grade books for countering toxic masculinity – a list compiled by author Chad Lucas

Events and resources

Padlet on Picture books for social emotional learning and special topics created by Rene Hohls

Dr Kay Oddone has created a Flipboard of resources about AI and Education. 

Articles and Blog posts

The first edition of Scan for 2023 has been published and it includes a fabulous article by Mali Jorm on the three spheres of library skills.

A guide on how to create an artificial intelligence policy for you school by Leon Furze

Selecting First Nations Resources by Krystal Gagen. 

School library culling is not ‘book burning’, but there are dangers – and I should know by Catherine Barnes. 

Don’t say ‘prove’: How to report on conclusiveness of research findings by Denise-Marie Ordway. An interesting article about the words we use when referring to research. From a journalists’ perspective but relevant for teaching students research skills. 

Too many professional development opportunities (sorry about that!!) not enough time? Steve Tetreault has a few tips to share in How to “Cheat” at Professional Development. 

Are Librarians the next prompt engineers? by Laura Solomon.

New Library Marketer Shares Her Winning TikTok Success Secrets! from Super Library Marking with Francesca Castro.

Young adult fiction 101: A starting point for learning more about YA literature, also known as teen fiction by Karen James

Content or Technology: What makes libraries different? by Prof. Dr Andreas Degkwitz This article is about academic libraries but an interesting insight into information and information literacy in a digital world. 

Libraries in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Ben Johnson. 

NJ Information Literacy Standard: The journey from Bill to Law by Beth Thomas and Tricina Strong-Beebe

School library discards outdated and offensive books on colonisation by Adam Carey. This article includes the titles removed from Northcote High School and a list of new titles added. 

Publishers want to end how libraries lend books online by Andrew Bauld. 

An update on the #KidsLoveNonfiction movement from Melissa Stewart

Want more professional learning?

Check out my professional learning series or have a look through last month’s professional learning list.