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PASSIONATE ABOUT SCHOOL LIBRARIES

Tag: Resources (Page 1 of 4)

Book Week 2024: Resources, Links and Ideas

July 21, 2024 / / 0 Comments

It’s almost time for Book Week. The CBCA  Book Week is one of the biggest events in the school library calendar. Book Week is a wonderful celebration of reading, Australian literature, school libraries and the people who bring books to children. Australian School Library Day sits in the middle of Book Week and is a great day to celebrate school libraries and how they help support students, reading and the Australian publishing industry.

The theme for Book Week 2024 is Reading is Magic and there is no shortage of ideas for displays, activities, events and ways to celebrate..

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SLASA – The Power of Advocating for the School Library Resources

June 21, 2024 / / 0 Comments

SLASA – The Power of Advocating for the School Library Resources

Talking about advocating for school libraries is one of my favourite things to do. I was honoured to have the opportunity to present the closing keynote at the School Library Association of South Australia Conference on the Power of Advocating for the School Library. In the session? Here are the resources and further reading I referenced. Not able to make it to the conference? Reading these will give you a bit of an insight into what we discussed.

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Resource: Library Banner Signage with Canva

December 15, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Creating Library Banners Signage with Canva – with templates

Signage can have a massive impact in a school library. Part accessibility, part marketing, your signage helps your students find and discover sections.

Depending on your shelving and wall space, large banner signage can make a big statement, and disguise old walls or hide unsightly shelving tops. When in our old library space, our graphic novel section needed a lot of love and new banner signs above the collection really gave it a lift. You can read all about how I updated the graphic novel collection here.

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Ramblings: Fantasy Library Lessons – Intro to Fantasy

November 7, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Fantasy Library Lessons – Intro to Fantasy

This semester in English, the Year 7 students are studying Fantasy. It’s a genre I love reading myself and I love that we don’t allocate them a class novel, instead the students can pick anything from the genre – graphic novel, novel, manga, short story – to read for the semester. They can read multiple books or just stick with one. They also do a film study and a creative writing piece. It’s a fun unit that has changed over time and I love where it is heading. Because I see each class once a fortnight, I can tie my library lessons into their fantasy unit.

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Reinvigorating Non-Fiction – part 4

October 13, 2023 / / 2 Comments

Reinvigorating Non-Fiction – part 4 of a 2 year journey

Non-fiction has been a bit of a hot topic in school library discussions in recent months and for good reason. On one hand we are embracing genrefication and challenging the status quo of using problematic library layout systems and on the other hand school librarians are investigating the importance of non-fiction and its place in the school library.

I believe that a beautiful, vibrant non-fiction collection is vital for all school libraries for students of all ages.

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Resource: Making Your Own Signage

September 16, 2023 / / 2 Comments

Making Your Own School Library Signage

Signage is one of the most important things you can add to your school library collections to aid access and remove the barriers students might face in trying to access the information they need. Fortunately, you can now purchase a wide range of signage options from school library suppliers, but it can be pretty expensive. I have always made my own signage for my school library collections, using a variety of different tools, software programs and resources, making my signage fully customisable and a lot more cost-effective. Using a few tips and tricks, your signage can look as professional as purchased signage.

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Ramblings: Genrefying the Teacher Reference Collection

August 2, 2023 / / 2 Comments

Genrefying The Teacher Reference Collection

What is your teacher reference collection like? Dusty and unused? Tiny and unhelpful? Large and overwhelming?

When I inherited my current school library, the junior school’s collection was in the Junior Library but the secondary school teacher reference collection was not located in the library. The junior collection was large, with class sets, literature circles and teaching resources. The secondary TR collection had been housed in a staff area under the guidance of those responsible for guiding the pedagogy of the school. A move that made sense. The collection was certainly not as large as at some of my previous schools, but that was because junior and secondary was separated and the textbook TR was housed with the textbooks. The Secondary collection was books only, no resources. The majority of items are stored within departments in different storerooms, squirrelled away and a disaster zone all of their own. In this post, I am talking about the genrefication process of the secondary school teacher reference collection.

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Ramblings: Creating a Leadership Collection

July 20, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Creating A Leadership Collection

Being slightly competitive (at least when it comes to my school library) might have been one of the reasons I created a leadership collection.

As part of reinvigorating our non-fiction collection, we have genrefied and added books on a range of topics. One of those new sections is our Entrepreneurship collection, which features a strong collection of leadership books. This collection happened quite by chance, but now that I look back, it makes so much sense.

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Ramblings: The Benefits of Reading Non-Fiction

July 12, 2023 / / 0 Comments

The Benefits of Reading Non-Fiction

The benefits of reading fiction are well established. Reading supports wellbeing and mental health, develops comprehension, expands vocabulary, develops empathy and aids sleep, just to name a few. The lists of benefits from reading fiction, immersing oneself in an imaginative world, of joining a character and facing their world and emotions, are endless.

But how does non-fiction stack up? Does reading non-fiction provide the same benefits to readers as reading fiction does? Diving into the research around this turns up some interesting results.

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