Issue 126

Welcome to Term 3, 2023 issue of Connections.

For the SCIS team, Term 2, 2023 was a great chance to learn from our subscriber base. In-person workshops, library association conferences, and the 2023 Customer Survey have collectively provided us with helpful feedback that will inform future developments of SCIS.

At the 2023 ASLA Biennial Conference, we were proud to sponsor the Teacher Librarian award. Congratulations to winner Megan Daley for her outstanding contributions to the library community, which were recognised at the conference.

SCIS Catalogue Content Manager Renate Beilharz presents Megan Daley with the ASLA Teacher Librarian Award.

We invite you to delve into Megan's article in this edition of Connections, where she shares invaluable insights on her career and promoting reading and literacy amongst learners.

We’re thrilled to announce that Oliver, Accessit and Athenaeum users can now import Authority Files to their library management systems automatically. Our thanks to these vendors for implementing this new SCIS functionality, streamlining cataloguing processes for Authority Files for our mutual customers.

If you use one of these library management systems, you can set up automatic imports for the upcoming September update. Support setting up the feature is available through the aforementioned vendors, and via articles on the SCIS blog and help pages.

At SCIS, we value your feedback immensely, and we recently conducted a comprehensive survey to gather insights from our subscriber community. We were overwhelmed by the number of responses and the incredible positivity expressed towards SCIS by our customers.

The survey results have provided us with valuable learnings and shed light on areas where we can enhance our services. One prominent theme that emerged was the need to simplify some website functions to make them easier to use. We are actively working on plans for future developments that will create a more intuitive and user-friendly experience.

Furthermore, the survey highlighted the need to innovate our professional learning resources. We recognise the challenges of staying up to date with evolving library practices in a world where school library resources are increasingly squeezed. In response, we are developing new materials to provide you with training and guidance more suitable for tricky post-pandemic conditions.

We also received feedback regarding a desire to better understand the benefits of SCIS Authority Files, and how they can be leveraged. To address this, we are finding new and improved ways to inform subscribers about them. Our goal is to ensure that all subscribers have a comprehensive understanding of the powerful impact Authority Files can have on a library catalogue.

We extend our thanks to everyone who participated in the survey and shared their thoughts. Your input is invaluable as we strive to evolve and better serve the needs of the school library community.

As we embark on Term 3 of 2023, we take heart from the positive interactions we’ve had with the school library community across as Australia so far this year. We look forward to extending those interactions across the Tasman when we head to New Zealand for the SLANZA Regional Conference later this term.

Thank you for being part of the SCIS community, and we hope you enjoy this issue of Connections.