Changes to National Library Services to Schools and the Curriculum Service

This weekend the SLANZA National Executive met with Geraldine Howell and Mark Stanley from the National Library.  Geraldine is Director Literacy, Learning and Public Programmes and Mark is the project manager for the implementation of the Services to Schools Transformation Programme (SSTP). 

Firstly, thank you to everyone who attended meetings in their local regions, wrote their concerns to their SLANZA representatives by email, wrote letters and generated news reports regarding our concerns to the change in service.  Throughout the country, 20 meetings were held by SLANZA to discuss this issue and were attended by 217 SLANZA members.

The National Executive collated all your feedback from the regional meetings and correspondence.   From this we created a list of major questions regarding the changes to the Services for Schools and the implementation of the SSTP.  Geraldine and Mark were able to give us some clear answers and assurances to some of our questions and we are waiting on Geraldine’s written replies to these which we will then share with you, along with a summary of the verbal replies from the meeting. 

Many of the questions however, could not be answered at this time as some of the decisions made around the proposed programme have implications for National Library staff who must be (quite rightly) informed first.  To this end, we are told that a major announcement and information pack will be sent to Principals on Thursday from the National Library, both by surface and electronic mail.  Please make sure you ask your Principal to share this information pack with you and your teachers.  This pack will outline the proposed plan and service offer for the remainder of the year and the coming years from the National Library Services to Schools.  Geraldine assured the National Executive that our concerns have been listened to and expected we would see this reflected in this service offer on Thursday. 

The SLANZA National Executive also eagerly await this information pack on Thursday and the service provision it will outline. Once we have had time to read and discuss this document, we will send you further comment. 

Thank you again from the SLANZA National Executive and regional committees for your continued concern and commitment in ensuring we have services that continue to support our students and their learning outcomes.