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.  

Quick Online Feedback Form on National Library Changes

The SLANZA executive is aware that not everyone was able to attend the meetings held around the regions to discuss the changes to the National Library’s Services to Schools. So we have created a quick, online feedback form to get your opinion. We will use this information to inform our discussions when we meet with the National Library team at the end of March.  Please give us your feedback so we can pass on your concerns.

Collected Magazine Submissions

It would be wonderful to have some Northland content in the Collected magazine. Please seriously consider contributing – we all gain so much from reading it and that only happens from other librarian’s contributions. This edition is about daily Library life - sharing strategies for supporting reading and library articles of general interest or advice to other librarians. Or it could be simply about something you have done that others may find of use or interest.

Welcome back to 2015. Collected is calling for submissions for our  next issue, #15. The theme is Reading/ Library Life and we would welcome any relevant articles.  

We also welcome reviews and any other articles on related matters. We would also encourage you to write about events of interest in your region. Don’t just assume that someone else will write it. You may also think it may hold little interest for others but our readership likes to hear what other regions do at meetings, PD sessions and social events.

The closing date for submissions is  Thursday the 2^nd of April  If you have any questions about articles please don’t hesitate to  drop me an e-mail at this address slanzacollected@gmail.com

Guidelines for submissions can be found on the SLANZA website ( slanza.org.nz ) under the Resources tab, under Collected

Looking forward to hearing from you all

Greig Daniels

Editor, Collected

SLANZA Meeting Notes – Term 1, 2015

 Agenda - National Library Services to Schools Changes

List of Northland's concerns with Garth, Dee & Alyson

Whangarei Boys High School Library - Wednesday February 25 

Meeting opened at 3:45pm.  

Present:

Dee Brooker	Whangarei Boys High School
Jane Woods	Pompallier Catholic College
Alyson Gates	Kamo High School
Catherine Pilkington	Otamatea High School
Trudy Norrish	Kamo Intermediate
Sonya Prchal	Morningside School
Garth Rodda	Whangarei Intermediate
Julia Smith	Kerikeri High School

Apologies: Lisa Salter, Dargaville Libraries; Carol Crowley, Tikipnga High School 

We acknowledged that these changes prove a conflict of interest for our terrific National Library Advisor Jeannie Skinner, who was unable to attend the meeting.  

A member of the National Library Leadership team, Geraldine Howell, Director, Literacy, Learning and Public Programmes along with Elizabeth Jones, were invited to attend our Northland meeting but the invitation was declined due to a clash of dates. 

  

This meeting was essential to allow members to voice their concerns and openly discuss the changes proposed. Although we felt this was a fait accompli, we all volunteered opinions and talked freely on how these changes would affect us. It was a learning experience for us all to hear how other members viewed the changes. We were unanimously concerned at National Library's proposed transformation to services. 

We congratulated ourselves that Northland schools had borrowed 29,595 books in 2014, and wondered how that data may change this year. Then, as repercussions of the new services take effect, we discussed the probable drop in usage in 2016. Those present predominantly represented Intermediate and High Schools that had no need, inclination, or space for more fiction and high-interest non-fiction. Therefore we were greatly concerned that the decline in uptake of National Library books from 2016 onwards may be interpreted that the service is no longer required, that books are no longer required. Would this decline in usage be evidence towards the dissolution of school libraries?  

Members also voiced their concern that this was just the beginning of National Library changes; they feared what would come next for school libraries.

Other concerns discussed in detail, listed:

·         Lack of library budget means reliance on NLNZ books

·         Already buying fiction and high-interest non-fiction

·         Lack of consultation

·         Connectivity issues

·         Disparity

·         Timeliness of announcement – second to last week of school

·         Suitability and quality of books chosen for your school

·         Quantity of books insufficient

·         Logistics of handling books

·         Public Libraries providing books

  

Quote of the day: National Library New Zealand is the envy of the world, why would they want to damage that reputation? (apologies, Jane or Catherine, please confirm who said this) 

Thanks to Dee Brooker who asked teaching staff to submit written comments on their usage of National Library resources, these collectively reflect the teachers' dismay at the upcoming changes. I will take these to the National Executive meeting later this month.  

We thanked Garth Rodda for his re-worked letter against the National Library changes , (original by Bridget Schaumann) which three Northland members I know of used to gather support and signatures from staff. 

Meeting closed about 5:00pm