How to Empower Yourself to Protect Your Library and Your Position

A note from Lisa Salter - SLANZA Te Tai Tokerau National Executive Representative-

Now more that ever Libraries are under pressure to show their worth. When finances are tight or the roll drops school's are faced with tough choices. It is the department's that have hard, indisputable evidence of their worth that will best survive. As school library staff we need to learn what and how to gather that information BEFORE we need it.

As a result of much planning and negotiation SLANZA is pleased to be able to offer the following one day workshop/s with leading international school library expert Dr. Ross Todd. Please consider this VITAL professional development, and regardless of concerns about costs or dates or any other barriers, contact Fiona at the address below to show your support and interest. Once we have an indication of attendance we will be able to finalize things like cost, but be sure that SLANZA understands the limits of school budgets and will be providing the lowest cost possible and scholarship opportunities.

Lisa

The SLANZA National Executive has an opportunity to bring Dr Ross Todd to New Zealand to present his one day seminar 'School libraries making a difference: What is your evidence and how do you get it?' The seminar will:

(a) provide attendees with a range of strategies, initiatives and measurement techniques that will enable them to carefully and effectively chart and document the tangible learning outcomes of their teaching-learning activities.

(b) explore a range of existing tools and measures for charting and documenting evidence on educational and community outcomes.

(c) enable attendees to be able to build a portfolio of local school evidence of the importance and value of the school library to their school communities.

(d) provide approaches and strategies for the strategic dissemination and use of evidence

in school and communities.

We are very excited about this opportunity, but need to gauge interest in order to confirm it with Dr Todd. Please send an email indicating interest to

Fiona Mackie by 5pm Wednesday 7 March. The cost is to be confirmed and will be dependent on numbers attending. The Executive is, however, committed to providing affordable PD and will be subsidizing current members, so look out for your membership renewal notice which will be coming to you very soon!

Fiona Mackie

President SLANZA