SLANSW Summit - March 2024

On 16 March, I attended the biannual School Library Association of NSW (SLANSW) Summit at Trinity Grammar School in Summer Hill. The theme was: Piecing it together: Voice, choice and connection and focused on literacy.

I have prepared an article for SLANSW that will appear in its blog. In it, I provide a detailed account of the summit from a member's perspective. This entry in my blog will focus on three strategies or approaches that I can apply what I learnt on the day to my day-to-day professional practice and my school library.

1. In encouraging students to read, I should consider the types of readers that exist such as Avid, Proficient, Struggling and Reluctant readers within the school community and propose how I can accommodate them, especially struggling and reluctant readers. Also, I should consider the types of reading, such as Aesthetic and efferent. What type of reading should I be promoting in the classroom? What type of reading supports reading for pleasure.
2. My school has a READ program where students read for twenty minutes a day, four times a week. I believe that student input in how the program is run will be key to its future success and effectiveness in improving student reading (and ultimately) academic results. Given the successful approach of including students in the success of the Just Read Program at Queenwood, I'll need to advocate for student input.
3. I concede that my school library has other pressing challenges that need to be prioritised at present, but I would like to eventually move towards greater curation of resources within the library collections and working with teachers across the faculties to make this happen. In past years at previous schools, I have attempted a library newsletter as a means of communicating with staff, which has its merits, especially with limited time to undertake such a venture, but it becomes a diary of record relating to the library in itself. I would like to challenge myself to also provide library presentations in the event of any professional learning days that comprise concurrent workshops that are delivered by staff.

The Library of Congress - Photos

Over the summer, I spent four weeks exploring the United States. I visited Atlanta, Boston and Chicago. I made my third visit to New York and my second visit to Washington DC.

I last visited Washington in 2017, in the days before Donald Trump's inauguration, but I wanted to explore the city in its regular setting.

On my previous visit, I did not get to visit the Library of Congress, which is opposite the Capitol Building.

The library dates back to 1800 and was originally located in the Capitol Building before moving to its present site towards the end of the 19th Century. Its purpose is to serve members of Congress, committees and staff, but it can be accessed by academics and researchers. The Library of Congress also created its own classification system, which is widely used in libraries around the world, alongside the Dewey Decimal System. I'll admit I have used its catalogue to locate data on items and to aid in cataloguing. 

Members of the public can access the library but must be pre-booked. This will give access to the Thomas Jefferson Building, which contains a number of exhibitions.

The highlight for me was viewing the recreation of the library of former US President Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826). His donation of 6487 volumes allowed for the creation of the library.

The main reading room is not open to the public, and bookings are required if you are accessing it for research purposes. 

The library holds a copy of the Gutenberg Bible. It is one of 120 copies published in the 15th century and is regarded as one of the first great titles to be printed on a printing press.

The Librarian's Ceremonial Office

Make the time when in Washington to visit this library.

Welcome to 2024

It has been one month since the school opened in 2024. For me, it has felt like a case of "All quiet on the Western Front" with the cruise control button on. I feel that there has been a general sense of smoothness, even if there are matters lying underneath that require attention.

But one thing I'd like to reflect on is tidiness within our work area. Some say a messy desk or workspace inspires creativity, but clutter and mess can make a workspace more stressful for a person and can indicate disorder.

My colleague and I spent some time working on this. It had started last year as well, though there was more emphasis on the main library space itself, and we even began to record what we have within our workspace to inform our budgeting for office supplies. 

I will admit, though, that the clean up of the space so far has yielded a sense of more order in the place and allowing us to account for what we have or don't have. Yes, a few treasures were found there but I will keep it secret. I even feel a sense of thinking a bit more clearly, too.

It can be tough for some to keep a workspace tidy, but if you struggle and want to fix it, do it in small parts. It could be as simple as allocating a short period of time each day to do so, e.g. ten minutes, or focus on one section each week.

Also, I spent the summer break in the United States and had the opportunity to visit the Library of Congress in Washington DC, along with the JFK Presidential Library and Museum (Boston) and The Carter Centre (Atlanta). My next three entries will focus on my visits to those libraries and museums.