What is historical fiction?

This week, I am trying to figure out what is meant by historical fiction because it seems like there is no clear definition.

I tend to keep a simple definition of historical fiction which would refer to a fictional novel based on or set around historical events or a historical setting. It would have to be based on research relating to the event or period by the author and try to represent the accuracy of events or society of focus in the story.

But how recently should a historical fiction novel be set? Should it be as recent as a decade ago, twenty-five years ago or even earlier than that?

I'll confess that I will tend to go as recently as a decade ago because a novel such as 47 degrees by Justin D'Ath is based around a historical event - The Black Saturday fires of 2009. It was fifteen years ago.

Some say it is too recent but as a teacher librarian who can teach history, it is a significant event in Australian history. It is one of the deadliest natural disasters to hit our nation with 173 people killed.  People will be aware of what happened on that day well into the future.

However, there are some novels where the story occurs in a specific historical setting but the plot may focus on another genre such as fantasy or romance without in-depth study. It needs to be asked as to whether or not they are historical fiction.

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.

Is BooksDirect a good alternative to Booktopia?

I have been doing book orders for school and was amazed by the real discounts that BooksDirect offered. Even if Booktopia offers an additional 5% discount to school libraries, BooksDirect still undercuts them. Many of their titles are offered at a standard 20% off retail prices with free shipping if the order exceeds $300.

Not every book on sale on BooksDirect will undercut Booktopia, but it could be as many as half the books being offered below the prices listed on Booktopia.

Like any online bookstore, some titles may not be available on either site, but it has made a difference, and allowed to stretch the pennies a little further.

Have you used BooksDirect? What do you think of them?

The decline of Newsagents - What it means for school libraries?

Last term, I provided some thoughts on the decline of newsagents focusing on their closures and how is a source of information is being taken away from us, especially access to newspapers and magazines.

But what does it mean for school libraries?

Firstly the closure of newsagents has taken away a source for where schools can acquire newspapers and periodicals. In Sydney, it was possible for schools to arrange for delivery of newspapers directly through the newsagent and could control when it could be delivered, e.g. weekdays. This is no longer possible as newspaper delivery is arranged through the publisher. For the newsagent, it has meant the loss of commissions and revenue through delivery fees (One paid extra on top of the cover price to have it delivered). If a newspaper is not delivered on a particular day, you miss out, and there is no option to have a copy delivered. You get an additional delivery tacked onto the existing subscription. With newsagents, one could call or attend in person if a newspaper was not delivered and it resolved on that day. 

Schools could arrange standing orders through newsagents, even if it came at the sacrifice of saving money on a subscription, but it gave the school library control of when they could purchase a magazine. Newsagents could once rely on the standing orders customers made. Not anymore.

Magazine publishers largely control subscriptions and can also be purchased through online distributors such as isubscribe.com.au or Booktopia. While this may bring the cost of purchasing the magazines lower (good for schools), one has to question the reliability at times, especially if it is lost in the post or overseas in transit. The downside is that control of subscriptions for the customer drops. What if a credit card is lost or log in details for the account are lost? Does it mean subscribing forever? Note that subscriptions cover a time period, and you may not be entitled to a pro-rata refund. You have to let the subscription time period end. Some subscriptions auto-renew. If you don't terminate before the end of the current subscription, you may be stuck forever.

Even in this age of technology and access to apps like PressReader and RBDigital, which open us up to countless magazines from around the world, I still will become aware of titles by simply browsing at a newsagency and seeing what they offer. The ones in the Sydney CBD have introduced me to international titles, along with larger or reputable newsagencies in the suburbs. Without newsagents, how will I become aware of good magazines that students can read?

In recent times, I have purchased a copy of titles merely to see their relevance to the students, and this was through a newsagent. If they close, I lose that option. Reading magazines online is not the same.

The decline of newsagents

Newspapers and magazines can be used to enhance literacy skills but also provide students with information that they can apply in any subject. Reading newspapers while I was at school helped me to relate what I was learning in the classroom to current events and vice versa, and I believe that this helped me do well academically in the classroom. 

Sadly a major source of newspapers and magazines - the newsagent has fallen to store closures. The pace of closures has accelerated further in recent years. 

Newsagents now compete with supermarkets, convenience stores and petrol stations for the sale of newspapers and magazines and big-box retailers such as Officeworks, BigW, Target and Kmart for stationery.

Even lottery sales cannot escape competition. In NSW, it is possible to purchase lottery tickets online or in person at a convenience store or petrol station, despite the "rivers of gold" that lottery sales bring to the agent. 

Newspaper publishers have taken over the home delivery of newspapers, which in decades past provided income for newsagents. You could either have home delivery organised through the publisher (paid the newsagent commission per newspaper delivered) or you could arrange directly with the newsagent for home delivery with the delivery fee added to the cover price of the newspaper.

Closures mean that a source of information is being taken away from us and along with a source of reading material, but also the control how of how we acquire and maintain a newspaper and magazine collection within a school.

The decline of newsagencies, along with my interest in reading newspapers and magazines, has motivated me to explore this. 

After the holidays, I am going to reflect on their decline and what it means for us in terms of promoting reading.

Genre Allocations (for labels)

Fortunately, I have done this in two previous schools, but I am working through the fiction collection in my current school to determine genres for each fiction item.

In 2018, I did an entry on this topic.

I have decided to do it because the fiction books don't have genre labels at all, and have felt that it has stopped students from selecting books that they wish to read. I was told it had been based on the need for students to be able to locate and select books independently. Having labels was seen as an "impediment".

Unlike in 2018 at the school in question at the time, I have seen here that there is an even greater need for it. Students have indicated that they don't know if a book belongs to a particular genre. I observed it recently with Year 8 English classes visiting the library to borrow fantasy books - Several students asked me to find out if it was a Fantasy book or not, searching for it on OLIVER. This was time-consuming.

Do I still hold the same views in 2023 from what I wrote in 2018 - yes.

Also, there are no labels for the Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) featured, whether its on the spine or inside the cover, causing more difficulty for those participating in PRC. 

Am I doing this with formal genrefication in mind - I will explore it but that will come later. 

Schools Catalogue Information Service

To date, I have not posted about Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS).

In recent times, I have had to rely on it to have a number of older items in the library collection catalogued. Generally, they have made it easier for us as school library staff to catalogue items by virtually ending our need to manually catalogue an item. 

I have had to search their catalogue to determine if they have data for the resource, then transfer either the SCIS ID or ISBN into the data entry in the catalogue (Available on OLIVER), then either enhance or overwrite the existing data. 

If it has not been listed, then I place a request with SCIS. 

I am impressed by the service that allows us to photograph key sections containing information about a book such as the cover page, copyright details page etc, fill in key details and forward onto SCIS. The book does not physically have to be sent unless SCIS request it. 

Whether the book was published yesterday or many years ago, don't worry about having to catalogue it yourself. It does take a little time to take photos or scan the pages you need and fill in the online form, but it will save hassles later.

Also over time, if SCIS updates details and the data was obtained through SCIS, it will update it on your catalogue. 

Responses to OZTL_NET Messages on Recess and Lunch Supervisions

I would like to express my thanks to those who responded to a request for information relating to recess and lunch supervisions in the school library.

I would like to keep the comments as anonymous but also present a summary of points that may need to be considered based on how schools manage it or individual perspectives.

• Check your award to see what breaks you are entitled to - It is likely you have the same expectations as a regular teacher relating to break times and duty expectations unless explicitly stated otherwise. 
• There are federal laws that mandate the length of breaks for an employee that they are entitled to. 
• If you have problems with securing breaks for lunch etc, consult your union if you are a member and speak to your school leadership.
• I know this from experience myself, but was reminded that in some schools, regular teachers provide the recess and lunch supervision either to give the teacher librarian an opportunity to have a break OR to supplement existing supervision to comply with supervision requirements. This can be seen as a workaround for a teacher librarian who is placed on a full teaching load, but there is a risk, would regular teachers be willing to undertake the supervisions if asked to do so and if complies with the conditions of the award in relation to playground supervision. 
• Every school will have its expectations. Some schools will be happy if the library has to close during recess or lunchtime to allow for breaks e.g short, staffing

A real sign of normality

On Monday, public health orders meant that cohorting groups by grade ended in New South Wales schools. For school libraries, it has meant the end of restricting access to students e.g. One year group utilses the library at lunch time on one day and another year group the following day.

I felt good that anyone who wishes to use the library, especially during break times can do so again. It has been challenging having to turn students away simply because they were not in that grade. Some students have not enjoyed this, because they love the library as a space to undertake private study or simply to escape the activity that occurs on the playground. 

The bigger challenge will be if the hordes return, which is common in many schools. Will students feel comfortable to visit the library when there are alot of their peers around?

Being in a secondary setting, I believe it is important to establish a rapport with the incoming Year 7 cohorts. We lost four weeks and it was their first four weeks of high school. This did not happen at this time last year. They are keen to make use of what the school has to offer, including their library. They are curious as well. They want to see what they can borrow and read. I will need to identify ways to bring them in, but I was encouraged by their turnout during their designated times in cohorting. 

Back to normal (in NSW)

This week was a huge week with the resumption of full time schooling in NSW after two months.

As an educator, it has been great to see the atmosphere back to what it has been. The kids appreciate being back even if they dread school and teachers can go back to normal.

For our school libraries, library lessons can resume in our primary schools and students in our secondary schools can utilise the library collections and learning spaces that the library has to offer.

There will be changes in the way that school libraries are managed for the time being. For example, there will have to be limits on the capacity of the library, especially during busy periods such as recess and lunch. Even in normal times, library capacity is often a discussion point for teacher librarians especially in terms of supervision ratios, and being required to accomodate so many in what can be a limited space.

We will also have to quarantine returned books to minimise the spread of the virus and that will reduce accessiblity for some items. Some activities e.g. board games cannot be provided to minimise the spread of COVID-19

While the changes will slow or limit the way library services are provided, I am sure that students will be able to accept the inconvenience. Our public libraries are still closed in NSW at the time of writing this article, and that also has caused inconvenience. Some students find comfort in studying in the local library after school and for bookworms, access to fewer books.

The global pandemic is not over, but we are so fortunate that in Australia, we have been able to bring the virus under control. There will be more people infected as time progresses, but I have faith that we will control this.

Being a Positive Motivator as a Teacher Librarian

Over the years I have received positive feedback from colleagues for my preparation and delivery of library lessons, whether they may be a workshop, timetabled lesson or wide reading session.

Recently, a casual teacher went in-depth as to how well I executed a wide reading session with a group of Year 7 students. I had been supporting them with the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge, facilitating a wide reading session and spending time individually with students; particularly those that were struggling to reach the target of twenty books, giving them attention and providing strategies.

She commented on the "little things" - behaviour expectations, procedures, actvities or tasks to complete and being present for the students.

I went home and thought the compliment(s) and there was a message for Teacher Librarians.

It might be odd, but the video of a misbehaving boy backanswering his teacher when ejected from a lesson, also had a message in it for us (I will not condone his behaviour). 

We need to remember that we need to be positive motivators in our role as it would be expected in a classroom teaching role.

We need to inspire and make students interested in learning and that is spending time with them. Telling them to do just worksheets or in our case (read) doesn't help.

We need to consider our purpose for being with the student? How can we improve their learning? Do they need direction? Do they need resources?

Also, we should ask ourselves if we show passion for reading. Are we able to share with our students what we read and what we think about literature? If we dont share the passion, how can students replicate that?

Also, do we enjoy sharing our knowledge and what that means to us? If we don't, students will not be motivated to learn.

This BOOK Changed My Life

Trinity Grammar in Sydney recently produced a set of video clips inviting students and staff to identify the book that changed their lives.

It's worth viewing. Click here to view it.

I have been left to answer the question myself. Was there a book that I learn't something whether it is about myself or others? Did it help me make a crucial decision in life? Has there been a book that has come to define my career?

If I was asked this question, I would I have to say that the book that has stuck out most was Matilda by Roald Dahl.

Why?

• Matilda has a love for books, just like me. She likes to spend time in the library, just like me.
• The quest for independence in life.
• As a kid, I could relate to her sense of maturity and thinking.
• Just like me, she was an academic achiever. 

I think the book empowers me to overcome the demons that one faces in life, and the difficulties in human relationships, but being able to overcome them. 

Genre Labels on Books

I am in the process of introducing spine labels at school, encouraged by the fact that most schools do so.

It has helped me immensely in helping students (or myself) in choosing a good book to read. It is part of a broader objective to move the school towards genreifying the fiction collection. Research has shown that dividing the fiction collection into genres does increase borrowing. Students feel more guided in their selection of books to read.

I have had some conversations with students this week telling them about the spine labels and they are in fact excited by the idea. It might be because its a fresh idea, or being able to easily find books in a genre that interests them.

The labels are primarily being sourced from Raeco, but some will be made in house.

I cannot find anything explicit on research about the impact of genre labels on books. However research on the broader topic of genrefication might give us some answers or clues like the link provided here.

Feel free to download and use the poster that I created for my students. It doesn't need to be too fancy.

More reflections on Study Skills

Ten Days has passed, and obviously have been thinking more on this topic

I have had some conversations with colleagues at school and elsewhere and the big challenge is that study skills are different for each subject area and its the faculty that needs to come up with ideas on how to do it.

As a Teacher Librarian, I would need to collaborate with them in this area. It does give me a challenge. I don't specialise in every subject and would need to find out what the requirements are for each subject, but I would enjoy that challenge and gaining an insight into the skills needed for each subject.

I would have to work off a common set of skills needed, and then apply it to that subject.

Also I have been researching the various organisations that provide study skills seminars to students. I have felt that there are unanswered questions and whether or not the people facilitating them are educators given that study skills need to relate back to the curriculum.

I'll have to keep working on it next term, particularly as I become "on call" again as a Casual Teacher. If you know of anyone who needs a T/L to fill in, please feel free to contact me.

Copyright for Educators - What I've learned so far

I have decided to enrol in the Copyright for Educators course to broaden my knowledge of Copyright particularly in a legal and educational context.

I am hoping it will guide me in teaching academic integrity to students, particularly as a student may not be aware that they are breaching copyright.

I have been interested so far with the overview of copyright and who owns material.

Several weeks in, I have been amazed at the regulations associated with using material for educational purposes. I have to admit that are all guilty of some sort of copyright breach on a regular basis, and most of it, we wouldn't even notice.

So were actually running the risk of being caught.

I remember a few years ago, a colleague at one school told me that the school claims ownership of any resources that the individual teachers might have created for classroom use. I thought it was bizzare, but that school under the law was in fact correct. They are the owner of the resource, not me. If I use a resource at another school, under the law I cannot use it because the resource is the property of the school.

And I recall one colleague embedding watermarks on their sheets to claim ownership, well the school owns them under the law, not the teacher. They would have to create the resource at home and publish it through a publisher to claim any ownership.

Copyright is a complex topic, but it will certainly inform me on how to advise teachers as to what has to be applied in terms of copyright in the classroom.

Working for free - some thoughts

In this past week, I was asked by someone online to reconsider my availability for unpaid work as it was seen to be undermining the profession. Here are some thoughts that I shared about working for free, with them and some members of the profession. 

Some might think a persons decision to work for free is going to undermine the profession. At the end of the day, it comes down to the individuals decision of whether or not they are going to offer themselves to work at the award rate, less than the award rate or work for free.

Working for free can benefit an individual. When I did my Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) course, I felt that the course was not going to have the soft and practical skills needed to do the job and offered myself to do some unpaid work as a means of getting experience. Even as a casual teacher, I managed to do this for about a year or so along with unpaid work in a council library.

Personally, doing this free work not only helped me with gaining skills and professional experience but boosted self esteem and confidence. You might not be getting paid for it, but you feel like you are doing something. You then meet people who can refer you on or even offer you work. ​Employers will look upon it in a positive way when they are looking to hire you. At the end of the day, it is better than sitting at home twiddling your thumbs. 

Thank you to those who contacted me with their messages of support and sharing their own experiences of working for free as well.

Some entries where I reflect on that experience are below:

Entry 1

Entry 2

Entry 3

Noise @ Kogarah Library

There has been a big debate over the purpose of libraries which has stemmed from complaints by patrons of Kogarah Library over noise. Click here to read the article.

Last month a lady made complaints about what libraries should be for, and it led to me writing a letter to The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. The letter was published in the St George edition on September 1.

Technology & Classroom behavior: Do they cause kids to misbehave? (Part II)

I have taken some time to sit and reflect on how we as teachers should deal with those in the classroom that engage in inappropriate use of technology.

During the past few days, I had the chance to look over at two technology policies of two schools that I am employed at casually at the moment along with their consequences.

I have also been challenged by the limited number of articles on the topic as well. I hope at some point soon that there is some research out there to guide me.

At this stage, I feel that punishment within the “pastoral” or “welfare” policy is fair provided that the behavior is covered by policy. For example, acts of cyber bullying can be dealt with under the policy because bullying involving the use of technology is the same if the bullying was to occur physically or emotionally. Cyber bullying does cause the same effects.

Obviously if a student fails to comply with instructions with their use in the classroom e.g. no music again it should be dealt with because the student has not complied with instructions.

The only time a student should be denied access to technology is if there is serious misuse of it e.g. accessing sites of pornographic and/or offensive nature. If we look at workplace expectations, serious disciplinary action can be taken if one misuses technology. In many instances it has led to loss of employment. 

If school is about preparing our youth for the workplace then we need to foster appropriate workplace practices and develop an understanding of possible consequences. It may mean that a student may loss access to technology for their learning but sometimes students need to learn the “hard way” of separating right from wrong. Access to technology is a privilege, not a right.  

Since discipline is about helping students correct their behavior – I feel that students should also be required to receive support from support staff such as counselors who can guide the student in addressing their issue. Sometimes it does go deeper and that may help the student long term as it may fix other problems affecting them at their stage of life. 

It is still an area that needs to be looked it further. As this blog entry and the previous one showsmI am glad that I have curiosity about it, which is great.

Technology & Classroom behavior: Do they cause kids to misbehave?

Being a casual teacher, this is an interesting question that I want to take some time to reflect on. Obviously the use of laptops allow for greater teaching and learning opportunities in the classroom on so many fronts whether it may be in the presentation of information or making the use of the world wide web to research for information.

As a casual teacher, I try and encourage the students to use the laptops for their learning. With many youngsters wired up to technology, it is fair that if they enjoy the technology, that should be utilized to allow them to learn. As teachers, we do need to focus on student interests if they are to learn effectively. Obviously there are some who want to opt for more traditional means of learning and I try and accommodate that too.

However I find that using the laptops in the classroom can cause students to disengage from learning and end up off task. This is a common issue that has been raised with colleagues that I work at in the various schools that I am employed at. This becomes more challenging if you are a casual teacher.

For instance, some will end up surfing the web, visiting websites not related to learning. They will listen to music from youtube and/or have music stored on their laptops, some of which contain offensive content.

Gaming has emerged as another challenge. Some have downloaded games or simply can access a website that contains games.

I have found that the only way to control the class is to effectively stand at the back of the room where the screens can be seen and moving around regularly. At the front of the room, you cannot see them so there is little point in remaining down the front at all and ensuring that they remain on task.

Then some will want to test my expectations relating to appropriate use of laptops and that of the school’s e.g. play music aloud or simply not comply with instructions even though those expectations were firmly provided.

Taking away the computers from the students may be a short term solution but then the student cannot learn. A few years ago when training as a teacher and even in my first year of casual teaching, I did that and at the end of the day the situation is not really resolved. If the task requires internet research, to sit there and doing nothing will not work. They do not learn at all and miss out on learning the information and communication skills that they will need as part of curriculum requirements.

Will conventional punishments such as a “work” detention (where the student stays back to finish the work) work? Maybe that is the effective way. If a student wastes their learning time doing recreational activities on the computer, maybe sacrificing some of that time after school might do the job. In the workplace, if we waste our time, don’t we have to make up for the time lost at some point, either directly (staying back at our desk) or doing it in our own leisure time.

I plan to answer this further in my next blog post.

Graduation Time & Year in Review

I want to congratulate those who are graduating with me this week from my Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) Degree.

I decided to graduate in absentia so I will not attend the graduation ceremony in Wagga Wagga tomorrow.

Looking back at 2012, I'm thrilled that I finished my masters especially when you hear of the stories of those who have struggled to complete the course; the fact that some pull out because of time committments and not complete the course. Some have to scale back their studies to the one unit per semester and the talk of people failing units.

Just finishing a course is a big achievement in itself.

I got there because I was focused and committed. I wouldn't let any challenges outside of my studies intrude on it. In fact I let the challenges encourage me to work harder because the rewards that await will be far greater than anything.

If I look back, I am glad I undertook certain actions like volunteering at All Saints Grammar. It boosted my self esteem and it helped me develop as a professional in a more relaxed setting where I did not have to be as scrutinised as in the classroom. I was amazed by the professional relationships that I actually created there. I hope to continue that committment next year.

I was also glad that I did my professional experience there too. Small schools have helped me thrive as a teacher and the fact that everyone knows and helps each other makes the work alot easier.

The volunteer work also helped in the classroom as well as a casual teacher as well. I noticed that I was alot more relaxed and confident and prepared to face up to the challenges of teaching even better than ever. I was eager to help kids in the classroom as well as much as I could even outside my subject areas. It might be helping students to locate information and seek clarification about something that they do not understand. Some might need help writing and presenting information. I found myself in that situation many times of helping and guiding students in their learning. I could go home with my head up knowing that I did something other than "babysitting".  I am not a casual teacher that likes to sit at the front of the room and reads a book like other casuals. I like to interact and support the learning process as much as possible.

I did not predict at the start of 2012 that I would do a paid casual block as a teacher librarian either and that gave me a full immersion into what I will face as a full time teacher librarian. I was lucky too I managed to learn alot more about my professional role, which sadly was overlooked in my actual studies. There was alot that had to be learnt but it was done and done well. I'm grateful that Waverley College gave me such an opportunity and the students liked my presence there.

I still felt that my knowledge of Information and Communication Technologies was lacking and I decided to take advantage of the offer by the Catholic Education Office Sydney to do a Web 2.0 course for teachers. Immersing myself in some new web tools has stimulated my interest in using them for teaching but even for leisure too. Students don't even know that some of the tools even exist. I cannot wait to teach them how to use them and they will surely love using them in their learning. I'll admit to having a lot of fun myself playing around with the tools. 

It was encouraging that so many teachers in the schools that I have been involved with have been supportive in my studies and endeavours this year. I've also enjoyed sharing my experiences and knowledge with them as well. I hope to continue this next year


I can hold my head up high at the end of the year with these achievements. I may not have a full time job for 2013 but if I can keep the good work up, the full time job will come. I'm ready to face up to the challenges of being a teacher librarian. Even if I have to work in a classroom, I will be able to undertake that role even better than when I completed my post graduate studies. I am better informed about pedagogy and practice. I want to apply it and help the kids aspire to their full potential.