Synergy

Sleeping with the elephant: Canada deals with the scourge of censorship sweeping across America

Anita Brooks Kirkland — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Anita Brooks Kirkland clearly argues the role of school libraries in championing student access to a diverse and representative library collection. Brooks Kirkland explores recent cases of book challenging in Canada placing her observations within the context of regional developments and arguing for our ongoing vigilance.

Why should children read banned books?

Sigy George — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Sigy George, a high school librarian from India, explores some of the complex history,
and reasoning, behind book banning and outlines her views as to why diverse books
should be read by young people. George considers many examples and her own
experiences and outlines various reasons for providing access to problematic texts.

Using media resources to create transformative change in mobile device use by ninth grade high school students

Ariel Dagan — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Dagan describes the ten lesson unit of study that received the first Carolyn Markuson
School Library Innovation Grant Award from the New England School Library
Association. This unit of study supports learners to be better aware of the various
impacts their mobile device has on their health and assists them to reflect on how they
engage with their mobile devices.

Pay equity for New Zealand school librarians and library assistants

Miriam Tuohy, Sasha Eastwood — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Tuohy and Eastland describe the journey of the New Zealand Librarians and Library
Assistants’ Pay Equity claims that have lead to fairer rates of remuneration and a
better understanding of the skills and expertise required of school library staff.

Horizons

Dr Rosemary Abbott — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Professional Learning Opportunities – Local and Beyond

Engaging students in STEM through storytelling

Becky Laurence — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Becky Laurence, Digital Content Officer for the Office of the Women in STEM Ambassador,
describes the wonderful Imagining the Future fiction developed as part of the Future
You – STEM careers Education initiative.

upGrade your study skills

Amanda Crossley — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

This article, by Amanda Crossley, describes the Western Australian Santa Maria College library’s highly success ecourse program, upGrade. This online initiative to support learning, research and skill development, in a range of areas, was the 2022 recipient of the SLAV Innovators Award.

Artificial Intelligence and education: The role of librarians in promoting ethical and responsible AI

Leon Furze — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Leon Furze, an educator currently exploring the world of AI and education for his PhD, considers the evolving role school librarians can play in supporting teachers and students as they navigate ongoing developments in the area of artificial intelligence.

5 marketing strategies school libraries can use

Elizabeth Libberton — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Elizabeth Libberton, reprinted from the AASL Knowledge Quest Blog, engages with five
simple and sensible marketing strategies that are worthy of consideration by all school
libraries.

Knowledge Bank of Australian and New Zealand School Libraries (KBANZSL) goes live

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Our CSU colleagues introduce the new Knowledge Bank of Australian and New Zealand School Libraries (KBANZSL) – an invaluable new resource for the profession.

Building a supportive school climate for the Essential School Library

Dr Carol A. Gordon — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Dr Carol Gordon explores the meaningful use of school library resources and services and in particular the use of Constructivist teaching methods as opposed to an Essentialist approach. Gordon argues that a Constructivist approach positions the role of the school library, and the teacher librarian, as essential.

Editorial

Dr Susan La Marca — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Reviews

Dr Rosemary Abbott — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Creating an Australian School Literacy Policy: A Research-Informed Guide to Designing a Policy That Fits Your School.
Collection Diversity Toolkit
At a Glance

Print matters: How physical books still matter in a digital world

Chin Ee LOH — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Dr Chin Ee Loh joins Synergy as our guest author of the Reflections and Actions section
for 2023. Her first article for us explores the continuing role of printed books in a digital
world and the role of the school library in supporting pleasure reading

Leading the school library as a connected practitioner

Dr Kay Oddone — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

Dr Oddone presents a model of connected practice, drawing together the concepts of connected learning and connected teaching, informed by professional learning through the personal learning network (PLN). Oddone explores the role of informal professional learning, through a PLN, offering examples of practice from the school library context.

Editor’s Note: This is a referred article.

Actionable evidence and how you can contribute to building evidence-based school librarianship

Dr Lyn Hay — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

In this article, Lyn unpacks Dr Ross Todd’s concept of actionable evidence as presented in Ross’s EBP framework and introduces a set of guiding principles to assist TLs work towards building a local evidence base that is informed and actionable. The article concludes with two simple templates to help shape a plan of EBP action in your school.