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Looking for silver linings: Educating about privacy and security in our increasingly online world
By Dr Kay Oddone
Issue 114, Term 3 2020
ve, and future-focused pedagogies. However, increasing use of technologies is accompanied by increasing digital security risks. We who work in school libraries, are challenged to fulfil our role as leaders of digital and critical literacies, to ensure that as new technology continues to be introduce
School Library Spotlight: Forest Hill College
By Helen Farch
Issue 117, Term 2 2021
staff at SCIS are knowledgeable and always ready to help with any queries. SCIS provides an invaluable service that enhances the value of all school libraries. Image credits Images supplied by Helen Farch
Supporting Australian book creators
By Anna Fienberg
Issue 116, Term 1 2021
ack on track, like the needle on vinyl as it finds your favourite song. My need to escape into stories – reading and writing them – has sprung from libraries. My mother Barbara, co-writer of Tashi and retired teacher librarian, enthused her class about a new book by learning the first chapter in
What is a future ready librarian?
By Mark Ray
Issue 113, Term 2 2020
future learners is, and always has been, universal. Strategic focus As a teacher librarian for 20 years and then as a district leader overseeing libraries for another seven years, I have always believed in aligning library practices and programs with ‘what keeps administrators up at night’. Whe
Pivot! Moving a library forward when COVID gets in the way
By Catherine Barnes
Issue 117, Term 2 2021
er, in a space where learning is a purpose and a priority, this also provided opportunities to ‘pivot’ and enhance our programs in other ways. School libraries were no exception. With the awareness that we didn’t want to force a complete change of direction, both educationally and in the values our
The time to read
By Gabrielle Mace, Merrilyn Lean
Issue 117, Term 2 2021
nderstood that daily dedicated reading time would mean that staff would move quickly through their own book collections – and needed more! The school libraries were not in a position to support the increased borrowing habits of 150 staff taking part in Just Read, in addition to all our students.
Genrefication 3.5 years later: Reflections
By Susan Davenport
Issue 117, Term 2 2021
rary lesson activities that challenge them to borrow from different genres and allows for data-driven management. Managing genrefication across two libraries Where the genres are the same in both libraries, the same image and language is used. This has had a positive outcome of recognition when
School library spotlight: One Arm Point Remote Community School
By Mel Rowsell
Issue 115, Term 4 2020
e simply reading for pleasure, and where students and staff can be confident that the information they find is current, unbiased and accurate. School libraries have the opportunity to connect both staff and students to a wider world of information. In a small remote community, I hope to see our scho
Positive promotion of the school library
By Jae Rolt
Issue 93, Term 2 2015
After I was named Australia's Favourite Librarian people began asking what it is that makes me so popular with my students, families, colleagues, and community. Whilst the ideas here work for me, they may not work for everyone. Sometimes you need to try other ways to find what works for you and yo
School library spotlight: Rolleston School
By Kay Morfett
Issue 105, Term 2 2018
What is your job title, and what does your role entail? How many people work in your library? I work at Rolleston School as the librarian. My role is 25 hours a week, split over five days. I have a teacher in charge who is really wonderful and supportive and, aside from a brilliant group of stude
School library spotlight: Galston High School
By Jade Arnold
Issue 107, Term 4 2018
What is your job title, and what does your role entail? My official job title is teacher librarian. My role within the library is multifaceted. As the manager of the library, I am responsible for acquisitions, resource management, and research services, and I manage two school administrative and
The need for diverse book collections
By Helen Caple, Ping Tian
Issue 122, Term 3 2022
Australia is a diverse nation. Statistics from organisations such as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS, 2022), the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016 Census (ABS 2017), and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW, 2019) have painted a
How an old book created a commitment to better represent First Nations Australians
By Kerry Klimm, Dale Robertson
Issue 117, Term 2 2021
ous educators from across the country have approached Kerry wanting the list to take to their schools. They expressed their concerns about what their libraries housed and how there was a lack of resources and support to help them decolonise their collections. We both continue to have conversations
SCIS is more
By Ben Chadwick
Issue 120, Term 1 2022
This issue celebrates thirty years of Connections magazine. Can you believe it? Thirty years ago SCIS decided it needed a way to keep readers abreast of changing school library technologies and informed about developments in SCIS’s products and services. The first issue dealt with dial-up, CD-R
School library spotlight: Northcote High School
By Richard Smallcombe
Issue 126, Term 3 2023
What is your job title and what does your role entail? I’m the library coordinator at Northcote High School. It is structured in two parts. There’s helping students find books, checking books out, general day-to-day, and then there’s also looking after the library budget, collection developmen
The value of podcasts for school library staff
By Amy Hermon
Issue 110, Term 3 2019
No one likes to feel foolish, and I don’t know anyone who wants to admit that they don’t know something. This is how I became such a fan of podcasts and decided to create one of my own. I was never more aware of my kryptonite than sitting in my first class in library school. With nine years of ex
Marketing your school library
By Andrew Downie
Issue 110, Term 3 2019
How many times have you heard a school library professional make a comment such as, ‘My school leadership team doesn’t understand my role or the value it brings’. As a teacher librarian with long experience working both as a teacher librarian and in an education sales environment, this question is
Website and app reviews
By Nigel Paull
Issue 120, Term 1 2022
Aboriginal & Torres Straight Islander Mathematics Alliance Astima.com ATSIMA is an Indigenous-led charity that seeks to develop innovative techniques and resources to enhance the teaching of mathematics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Content includes professional learning
Developing low-budget literacy programs in schools
By Sue Bursztynski
Issue 109, Term 2 2019
Writer in residence Last year I retired after many years in the library and classroom, and focused mostly on my writing. However, as I was missing my students, I signed up as a volunteer with the Ardoch Foundation. Ardoch is a children’s education charity focused on improving educational outcomes
Even better than the real thing? Virtual and augmented reality in the school library
By Dr Kay Oddone
Issue 110, Term 3 2019
As a child, I spent hours gazing through my stereoscopic View-Master, clicking around the film cartridges that revealed 3D images of nature, superheroes and classic stories. The View-Master allowed me to escape into an imaginative world in a different way to books or television. Holding it up to my