SLANZA National Treasurer
 
We are looking for an exceptional volunteer to take on the role. Someone who can commit to monthly online meetings and up to two face to face meetings per year (expenses paid).  Someone who is experienced in Xero and Xero Payroll.  Experienced in reading balance sheets, profit and loss accounts and presenting financial documents at annual AGMs.  Experienced in budgeting and reporting and have outstanding communication skills and sound financial knowledge of New Zealand’s tax and accountancy systems.  This special someone will be responsible for paying wages, collating regional financial reports, completion of National SLANZA financial year end reports and annual audit completion.
 
An exceptional someone who is willing to volunteer their time and expertise.  In return, you will become part of a dynamic, energetic, highly skilled and engaged team of likeminded national executives who advocate, inspire, and lead our nation’s school libraries and those who work within them.
 
To find out more, please send your expression of interest to president@slanza.org.nz with a letter and current curriculum vitae without delay.

Kia Ora to all School Librarians from SLANZA
 
2021 is now a real thing, I haven't written the date down much until last week when I started work.

The year had started with a big boom as I look at my school "to do" list. It is massive.

I love the African proverb which is a bit un PC but as I look at my little china elephant my mum gave me and is in on my desk, I ask it's forgiveness..
"You can only eat an elephant one bite at a time".  It is true, one job at one time, bit by bit, we will get the mahi done.

I hope most of you have come back with budgets approved and hours secure. Please let me know if you have had any surprises with the opposite happening, and if you need support if you have experienced any reductions, SLANZA is here to  journey with you. Let us know.
 
This year is conference year in Wellington, and I can't wait to gather again. We have a big celebration of our 21st birthday and so much amazing PD to enjoy. Best of all.... We will be together.
 
School Libraries Transform will be centre of the year as we continue to hustle to protect our school libraries, as we advocate, as we listen, as we talk. Our first online PD for the year will be a repeat of the School Libraries Transform course we ran last year and were over subscribed! Sign up if you want the kaupapa and knowledge of what this is all about.
 
We are working very closely with the Ministry of Education regarding our story and our campaign has been the conjoint for this.  We are working in a great research project with them together, the first time in SLANZA history.  We hope it makes a genuine difference in keeping our libraries safe.
 
We wish you a good year, go to your regional PD days, our one in Waikato/BOP in March is going to be stunning, we have the newest Margaret Mahy award recipient speaking!!
 
Join up to SLANZA, get involved, and help us all become amazing at supporting our tamariki's learning and literacy journeys.
 
I believe in school libraries, not because it is a job that is school hours and has long holidays, no, I am a school librarian because I know we can  make a difference to the lives of children and staff. We can impact our people for good, we can together give some hope, confidence, meaning and reason to the communities we work in.

That is what drives me, and I want to be the best I can at that. 
 
Ma te wa
 
Glenys Bichan
Library Manager
SLANZA President 2020/21

Books that explore issues of identity, domestic life, war, food, our natural world and our people are among the 40 works longlisted for the 2021 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards announced today.
 
There are 13 first-time authors among the longlistees, a testament to the vibrancy of our country’s literature says New Zealand Book Awards trustee Jenna Todd.
 
“There is such vitality in this year’s longlist, demonstrated by a diverse group, and including young and first-time authors. Half of this year’s Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction longlistees are debut novelists, which is extraordinary. They sit alongside some of our greatest living writers,” she says.
 
“There’s a year’s worth of reading here for those seeking considered perspectives on our modern zeitgeist, for readers wanting to be wowed by the beauty of art and nature, or for those wanting to escape into imagined realities. With writing and publishing of this calibre, it’s no surprise that New Zealand’s book boom continues.”
– NZ Book Awards trustee Jenna Todd
 
You’ll find the full list of 2021 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards longlisted titles here and you can download social media visuals to promote the books from the resources page of our website later this morning. The 2021 shortlist of 16 titles will be announced on Wednesday 3 March.

As a company from Aotearoa, Accessit Library has been working with local schools for 25 years and is recognized as a leader in library and information management services in over 40 countries.

In continued support of schools in Aotearoa New Zealand, we are very excited to announce that students can now switch on-the-fly between English and te reo Māori.
​
Search the library with a te reo Māori interface

In Accessit Library, you can now gently encourage, or totally immerse your students with te reo Māori in te whare pukapuka.
 
When switched to te reo Māori, buttons, labels and Web App instructions are displayed in te reo, supporting students with te reo as a first language, and your school's learning goals and bilingual aspirations.

Reach beyond the classroom and encourage your students to learn with te reo Māori. For more information about Accessit Library, contact Janette Taumoli, our NZ product representative.
​
P: 0800 542 727 ext 721
E: janette.t@accessitlibrary.com
W: https://accessitlibrary.com/

Here at the Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS), our mission is to make our users’ life easier. Our data is designed to work seamlessly within your library management system, using high-quality data to build a brilliant user experience. To support your work, we also have the SCIS Data website (scisdata.com) – with a stack of nifty features that will improve your library catalogue and save you time and money.


1. Cataloguing (of course!)
The SCIS database has approximately 1.6 million high-quality, consistent catalogue records.
As part of a SCIS subscription, libraries can also request cataloguing for new materials that they have not been able to locate a record for in SCIS Data. We encourage you to place an online cataloguing request at my.scisdata.com/CreateCatalogueRequest. Good news! We have recently revamped the service to make it quicker and easier to submit these requests. You can use this service to request the cataloguing of websites and other online resources you think would be useful to you and the wider school library community.

Sometimes, you might have a query about a record or maybe you’ve found a mistake. Simply email help@scisdata.com and our cataloguing team will investigate.
​
Remember we are a cataloguing community, so feedback helps not only you, but also nearly 10,000 other users around the world.


LEARN HOW TO MAKE AN ONLINE CATALOGUING REQUEST: VIMEO.COM/417043786

2. Cover images
Text-only catalogue displays are a thing of the past. While the old adage ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ is wise, the reality is that the cover of a resource makes it look more appealing and does affect reader choice. Using cover images to supplement the text-based catalogue record is an effective method of catching the reader’s eye as they browse through the virtual shelf.
SCIS subscribers are able to download most of the cover images displayed in SCIS Data into their own library-management systems. Subscribing schools may not pass cover images on to a third party, but for their own use they may include them:

• on the school’s online library catalogues
• on the school’s website, including blogs, wikis, online newsletters and intranet
• elsewhere within the school.

LEARN MORE ABOUT COVER IMAGES AND SCIS: SCISDATA.COM/CONNECTIONS/ISSUE-109/COVER-IMAGES-AND-SCIS

3. Digital content
At the time of writing, there are over 80,000 records on SCIS Data for digital resources (websites, apps, ebooks and digital videos), and this number grows every month. We also catalogue apps, ebooks and digital videos. We catalogue resources that are curriculum-related, educational and recreational.

SCIS has made catalogue records for nearly 400 free Project Gutenberg titles (scis.edublogs.org/2020/05/06/literatures-greatest-works-are-yours-for-free). SCIS Data offers subscribers the option to download collections (https://help.scisdata.com/hc/en-us/articles/360051763433-What-are-the-Download-Collections-) of records from four resource providers: ClickView digital video library; Wheelers ePlatform One; World Book eBook Series; and the National Library of New Zealand (Topic Explorer and EPIC Resources).
The hard work has been done – importing digital content is a quick and easy way to grow your collection.
LEARN HOW TO DOWNLOAD RECORDS FOR WEBSITES IN SCIS DATA: VIMEO.COM/275765622

4. Collection development
When a teacher approaches you about finding resources for their upcoming unit, where is the first place you look? Perhaps you perform a quick internet search to see if it can direct you to any relevant resources. Maybe you check a publisher’s website. Yet, if we encourage students to use the library catalogue based on its inclusion of trusted, credible and educational resources, why not use a catalogue ourselves?

Let’s say the history teacher has approached you to help her find World War I resources for her Year 9 class. If you pop over to the SCIS catalogue, you can start with a basic search – perhaps simply ‘World War I’ – and, from the results page, refine your search. Filtering by your specific learning area, subject and audience level will provide you with the most relevant resources catalogued by SCIS. The advanced search option allows you to limit your search further by either fiction or non-fiction – and, if it’s fiction you’re looking for, to narrow your search by specific genres.

The Featured categories on the SCIS Data search page provide a quick and easy way to source resources and records for websites, apps, ebooks and digital videos. The SCIS catalogue also has the ability to build lists. Rather than downloading one record at a time, you can curate lists within the SCIS catalogue. This is particularly helpful for schools using SCIS as a resource selection tool.

SCIS Data includes additional information via our subscription to Syndetics. Where the information is available, the record consists of summaries and annotations, author notes, authoritative reviews, and series information. Through our subscription to LibraryThing for Libraries, we can also provide community-generated content, including recommendations, tags, and links to other editions and similar items. Although this additional information is not included in the downloaded record, it can help with searching and selection of records.
How good is that?
LEARN HOW TO USE SCIS DATA AS A SELECTION TOOL:
SCISDATA.COM/CONNECTIONS/ISSUE-104/SCIS-AS-A-RESOURCE-SELECTION-AID

5. Authority Files
SCIS Authority Files (scisdata.com/products/authority-files) provide a rich search experience to make the most of your resources. Authority Files link terms between records, to display the ‘see’ and ‘see also’ references. A subscription to SCIS Authority Files allows you to download Subject, Name and Series Authority Files from the SCIS website, and upload them to your library management system – where you’ll truly see the magic of metadata with a rich search and discovery experience for your students.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SCIS AUTHORITY FILES: SCISDATA.COM/CONNECTIONS/ISSUE-112/SCIS-IS-MORE

6. Help (really)
SCIS prides itself on responsive, proactive customer service. Our team of customer service and cataloguing professionals are on hand to answer your questions. Visit our contact page (scisdata.com/contact-scis) to submit a question. Explore the SCIS Help articles (help.scisdata.com/hc/en-us) or watch the SCIS Help videos (vimeo.com/user4095009) and learn how to make the most of your subscription. Or stay up to date with the latest SCIS news by visiting our news carousel at scisdata.com. We are here to help.

7. Shopping cart

​The SCIS shopping cart allows you to request and download your invoice, or pay online.

Our shopping cart also allows users to add in SCIS extras before renewing their annual invoice – such as barcode scanners (scisdata.com/barcode-scanners), professional learning and Authority Files. Ordering is nice and simple, and should you decide you need something extra when you renew your SCIS subscription (like a barcode scanner for stocktake!) you can have everything on one invoice to pass on to your accounts team.

SCIS has a range of barcode scanners available for purchase within Australia.

8. Professional learning
Attend a SCIS webinar (scisdata.com/professional-learning) and learn how SCIS Data makes resource management simple – helping school libraries by providing high quality catalogue records, improving content searching and discovery, and developing digital collections.

The free SCIS short course ‘Managing your library collection and catalogue’ (scis.edublogs.org/2020/03/31/free-scis-short-course-managing-your-library-collection-and-catalogue) is suitable for new school library staff and for those who would like a refresher. Published on the SCIS Blog, the course focuses on collection curation and cataloguing, it helps school library staff get started in organising the resource offerings in their library. The response to this course has been overwhelmingly positive, with comments ranging from ‘Thanks, this is so helpful and timely while working from home’ to ‘Back to basics. A good reminder of what makes libraries tick …’

9. Community
We’ve been publishing our magazine Connections (scisdata.com/connections) since 1992, and we’re pretty proud of it. For the first time in our history all back editions are available online – a fascinating record of changes in the library industry over several decades.
All Connections articles are written by members of the school library community. Writing for Connections is an excellent way to advocate for your library and share your ideas with colleagues around the world. Now, more than ever, it is important to celebrate the valuable role of school libraries and recognise how they support student learning. So, if you have a great article you would like to share, please email connections@esa.edu.au.

As part of our ongoing commitment to the library community, Connections is freely available to anyone, anywhere. To join our mailing list, visit confirmsubscription.com/h/r/F55C1FEDABD5B8D4.
The SCIS team is passionate about school libraries. In addition to Connections magazine, we offer the school library community a number of ways to keep up to date with what is happening at SCIS and with industry trends and information. Subscribe to the SCIS Blog or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn @scisdata or Instagram @scis.data.
WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU. JOIN THE SCIS FACEBOOK GROUP AND BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION: FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/570608273802240

10. Friends 
SCIS cataloguers add approximately 3,700 catalogue records to the database each month, keeping it relevant and current. The resources catalogued come from a range of sources, including publishers, booksellers and school libraries. These hot-off-the-press titles are our best means of creating a quality record that is accurate and compliant with international cataloguing standards. This is important, considering each record is likely to be downloaded by nearly 10,000 school subscribers around the world. It’s rare to have a day when we don’t receive a small parcel or large box of books delivered to one of the six SCIS cataloguing depots.
SCIS also works with providers of library management systems to ensure the most efficient delivery of SCIS products and services. And we support university and TAFE educators in training and developing future librarians with essential cataloguing skills by offering complimentary access to SCIS Data.

Support every student in Science and Social Sciences
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Britannica LaunchPacks features over 1000 differentiated resource packs for all your Science or Social Sciences topics! A subscription to either LaunchPacks: Science or LaunchPacks: Humanities & Social Sciences gets you:

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See which topics are covered: Science / Social Sciences  
For more information contact Bonnie, our NZ Education Services Manager. 
P: 0800 225 044 (Toll Free) |  M: (+64) 027 477 3629 |  E: bbarr@eb.com.au

​

​The New Zealand Book Awards Trust is now inviting submissions for the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. These annual awards recognise and celebrate the best books for young readers published in New Zealand. Titles with release dates between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021 will be considered for the 2021 awards.
There are two submission dates. Publishers are asked to observe the guidelines for sending entries in two tranches, which are in place for ease of sending to judges.
Submissions for books published between 1 April 2020 and 30 November 2020 are now open and will close at 5pm on Tuesday 15 December 2020. For books published between 1 December 2020 and 31 March 2021, submissions open on 16 December and will close at 5pm on Friday 19 February 2021.
For books in the second tranche, page proofs will be accepted where books are not yet printed. In such cases, finished books must arrive with the Awards Administrator, New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, Attn: Joy Sellen, 72 Te Wharepouri Street, Wellington 6023, by 5pm on Wednesday 24 March 2021. 
All entries must be submitted online at www.nzbookawards.nz and fees paid by credit card via the online submission form. A Call for Entries pack with eligibility criteria and other information can be found at http://www.nzbookawards.nz/new-zealand-book-awards-for-children-and-young-adults/how-to-enter/.
The judges of the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults will be announced in December, and their shortlist will be made public on 10 June 2021. The awards ceremony is planned for mid-August 2021 in Wellington.
The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are supported by Creative New Zealand, HELL Pizza, the Wright Family Foundation, LIANZA, Wellington City Council and Nielsen Book, and are administered by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust.
Any queries about the Awards should be directed to the Awards Administrator at childrensawards@nzbookawards.org.nz.

Processing, protecting and displaying books made easy. Take a look at the Book Protection Products range - www.bookcover.co.nz 

Kia ora 
I’m pleased to let you know that we are formally raising a pay equity claim for librarians and those doing the same or similar work who are covered by the Support Staff in Schools Collective Agreement. 
The Equal Pay Amendment Act 2020 comes into force at midnight tonight. Because the education sector is 85% female, this opens up major opportunities for all NZEI Te Riu Roa members. It creates a clearer path to pay equity for the many female-dominated roles in education that have historically been undervalued because they involve “women’s work” and the care and education of children. We are making a number of claims across the education sector, which will also cover the men who work in these roles. 
We now have to build a case to establish that there may be gender undervaluation in these roles. It can be a lengthy process to uncover the full extent of the undervaluing of women across education, but it’s essential that NZEI Te Riu Roa begins this work.  
The process under the Act is new and we will be setting precedents. We’ll keep you up to date with how things are tracking. 
The campaign to keep libraries in schools -- which also focuses on the value of our contribution to education -- will be an important part of this work. You can find out more about this here. 
See our website for more information about the new Act, steps to pay equity and the other claims we are raising for membersAt 10.30am on Saturday, NZEI Te Riu Roa will be part of a media launch with the Council of Trade Unions, to mark the new Act coming into force. You can watch the Facebook livestream on our page. 
Following the announcement, we will be holding a livestream for NZEI Te Riu Roa members at 1pm to explain the pay equity process and answer as many of your questions as possible. You can send your questions to us before the livestream and view the Livestream on our Facebook page at 1pm Saturday. 
Based on successful claims we’ve already raised in the education sector, we know that the undervaluing of women’s work is significant and widespread. These claims are about fully exploring the extent of the issue. As we saw with the teacher aide settlement, an important aspect is investigating systemic factors that undermine equity, such as funding, insecure work and other terms and conditions. 
We’re taking the first step on a journey to overturn long-term and entrenched undervaluing of our work in education. The Government wants to make real progress on pay equity - particularly in education - and this new legislation helps us on the way. Let’s begin!