SLANZA Communique March 2020

 The National Executive met last weekend, 6-8 March, in Wellington. Below is a summary of some of the discussions covered at the meeting. This communique is to keep members up to date with the work being done on their behalf by the National Executive.  
 
National Executive team 
National Executive would like to welcome two new members to our team. Both from the South Island, Michelle Summerfield joins us representing Otago, while Aoraki has a new representative in Maree Silver-Hessey. Sally Stanley-Boden has retired from SLANZA and the position of Treasurer has been filled by Maree. We thank Sally for many years overseeing our financial management. In addition, while Auckland’s representative Sharon Jackson takes a leave of absence, we are fortunate to gain Elizabeth Atkinson.  
 
Membership 
Huge thank you to those members who have already paid their 2020 membership – your prompt payment is appreciated. If you haven’t been invoiced yet, please contact Melanie  
 
Campaign 
We are planning an advocacy campaign called School Libraries Transform to promote the value and necessity of every student having access to a school library, supported by a specialist librarian with a budget and hours to provide a high-functioning learning environment within all school communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. More information will be available soon and we encourage you to contact your local National Executive representative if you would like to help. Meantime, you are welcome to start using the hashtag #SchoolLibrariesTransform 
   
Collected Magazine 
An opportunity has arisen for the role of Editor for our online Collected magazine. A small remuneration is available for each issue. We are also seeking proof-readers. If you are interested in either of these roles, please contact our Administration Officer, Melanie 
We are currently accepting articles, book reviews, and business member submissions for our next issue, School Libraries Transform: Professional Learning and Advocating for School Libraries. Please consider contributing to our magazine; articles must be submitted to the Editor by 30 April 2020. 
 
Connected Online Learning 
The first online learning module is underway with 45 members participating. Connected online courses are free for SLANZA members and are another option for school library staff to extend our learning. Clare Forrest leads the NE Professional Development team that have created the three modules we will be offering to members this year: 
Term 1 – Advocacy – School Library Appreciation and Promotion 
Term 2 – Media Literacy and Fake News in an Election Year 
Term 3 – Library Assistants 
 
Facebook Community  
Last year we migrated from our Google+ site to Facebook. We have a public Facebook page that is populated with SLANZA events, news and information. We also run a Facebook group called SLANZA Connected Community which is exclusive to SLANZA members and provides a platform for members to connect and communicate in a safe, closed community. We run professional development topics here and encourage our members to share resources, ask questions and join in robust discussions.  
 
Listserv 
The SLANZA Listserv is an open platform, not restricted to members, and we use this medium to help and support all our colleagues. Michelle Summerfield leads our new Listserv coordinators. Our thanks go to Bridget Schaumann, Carole Gardiner and Steph Ellis who have looked after it for so many years.  
 
President Elect 
SLANZA National Executive is calling for nominations for the position of President Elect. The President Elect is successor to the President and is a one-year term from September 2020 to September 2021 when they will take over the role of SLANZA President from Glenys Bichan. The position requires this person to aid and support the current President while gaining an insight into the functions of the Presidential role of SLANZA. It also requires an in-depth understanding of the workings of SLANZA and its stakeholders. Please use the Nomination Form - nominations close Thursday 9 April 2020. 
We wish to advise you of National Executive’s nomination of Sasha Eastwood-Bennit for the position of President Elect.   
 
SLANZA Awards 
A heads up – the call for nominations for SLANZA awards to recognise excellence, success and achievement within school libraries will open July 1. Criteria for each award can be found on the Awards Page on the SLANZA website. Please consider nominating your exceptional colleagues. Nominations, along with all the required documentation, may be forwarded to admin@slanza.org.nz during July and August, with nominations closing August 31, 2020.  Awards will be presented at the upcoming National Conference in Wellington. 
 
National Library Survey 
Thank you once again to all our members who participated in the National Library survey. As a non-profit organisation we are extremely fortunate to have access to the findings of this survey, as it provides valuable information for National Executive to work from. On that note, we wish to acknowledge the tremendous amount of work that Miriam Tuohy spent in drafting, collating, interpreting and presenting the report.   
 
NZEI Pay Equity Claim 
We are thrilled for our Teacher Aide colleagues whose negotiations for a pay equity settlement concluded in February 2020 and is now going through a Government sign-off process. We are working alongside NZEI for our own pay equity claim. 
 
SLANZA National Executive would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing commitment to SLANZA and wish you all a great year. We will continue to work on your behalf and ensure that the voice of school libraries from all over the country are heard. 
 
Julia Smith 
NE Communications 
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 Julia Smith BAppSci (LIS)
Librarian
Kerikeri High School
SLANZA National Executive rep for Te Tai Tokerau 

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