SLANZA offers study grants each year, to those working in school library teams. Study grants are available for courses offered by an approved library education provider. We believe that continuing professional development is vital - it helps you increase the knowledge and skills you need to deliver a valued service to your school community, and it can open you up to new and exciting possibilities in the field of librarianship.

If you are thinking about undertaking Library and Information Studies next year, you may be eligible to apply for assistance. Successful applicants will receive $600 towards the cost of a paper.

The closing date for submitting study grant applications is Thursday 25th of September 2014, and successful applicants will be notified in October.

More information about the grants, including the application form, is available here.

One of the real pleasures in any year is recognising the contributions of others to the school library landscape and our organisation.
 At the SLANZA AGM in July the following awards were  announced. Congratulations to the recipients.Principals Award
Michele Whiting , Corinna School, Porirua East
Nominated by Trish Nash and Rosalba Finnerty
Michele has been recognised for her support and promotion of the library at Corinna School. She acknowledges and promotes excellence in her library staff. Michele takes a vital role  in recognising the  importance of the library and library initiatives. Michele is well aware of the issues facing school libraries both in her role as principal and as a member of SLANZA. She has taken a leading role in SLANZA activities  and this has benefitted school libraries at a local and national level.
Principals Award
David MacLeod
Mahurangi College, Warkworth
Nominated by Verity Roswell- Starkey and Jeanette Carnegie- Dill
David has been  recognised with this award  for the  strong emphasis he places on the Importance  of the school library at  Mahurangi College. He values and appreciates the library staff, and promotes the library at every opportunity, to fellow staff and the wider school community. David also promotes the importance of reading and is an active member of the College’s library committee.
Award of Merit for Promotion
Carole Gardiner, Queens High School, Dunedin
Nominated by Jayne Downes and Jan Simpson
Carole earns this award for her tireless promotion of the information centre at Queen’s High School. She promotes the information centre within her school and to the wider community.  Carole is efficient, organised and knowledgeable, and is willing  to share her knowledge with  her peers and fellow staff members.
Carole has a passion for books and reading that is demonstrated in her vibrant library and in such initiatives as her Summer Reading programme. This is one of many ways she reaches out to students
Carole is also involved in SLANZA  at a local and national level and her willingness to share her skills is respected by  her fellow professionals.  In the words of one of her referees an ”awesome library warrior chick”
Award  of Merit for Promotion of Literacy and Enjoyment of Reading
Annette McKitrick, Library & Resource Manager,  Waimea Intermediate School
Nominated by Mandy Ditzel and Patricia Smith
Annette has been recognised  for her passionate  commitment to reading and literacy. Her passion for reading and her commitment to finding the right book for every student is well recognised within her school community. She is a real supporter of teaching and learning and also organises  professional staff resources  at Waimea Intermediate School.
Annette was heavily involved in the recent redevelopment of the school library and continues to provide a high level of engagement  and support for those in her school.

Congratulations once again to all the recipients
Greig Daniels
On behalf of the Awards Committee

Once again we are calling for articles for Collected magazine. This term's theme is Professional Development. You can report on events in your region, professional development that has made an impact on you or your library or you can identify areas where you feel professional development is needed  
We welcome submissions from all members. We also welcome book reviews  from members  The criteria for articles can be found here: .http://www.slanza.org.nz/collected.html along with submission guidelines and a submission checklist. Please read theses documents carefully.

Our final submission date  for this issue is 31 August 2014.

if you have any queries don't hesitate to contact me at the above address. 
Greig Daniels

The first weekend of the holidays was a busy one for the Otago committee with a very successful “Weekend School’ combined with the SLANZA 2014 AGM.  Those fortunate enough to attend were treated to a delightful variety of professional development ranging from Book Clubs, Summer Reading, English departments and Libraries working together, and a presentation by Joan Mackenzie star of “Whitcoulls Joan’s Picks”.  The weekend was well organised with time for networking and sharing ideas.  At the AGM Miriam Tuohy accepted the nomination as President elect and Fiona Mackie stood down as past president.

The National Executive met on the Sunday afternoon and Monday at Kings High School, Dunedin, hosted by Bridget Schaumann. We welcomed new NE representatives Cathy Kennedy for Aoraki and Sandi Faulconbridge from Central.  Kirsty Adam and Joanne Fraser from Southland joined us for a discussion regarding how Southland can revitalise their region.  This discussion was positive and Joanne and Kirsty feel that Southland has the energy and desire to offer SLANZA PD and events in the region.

Correspondence included a message from SLANZA Life Member Linda McCullough from Waikato informing us of her retirement from National Library and thank you notes from Kathleen Van der Putten and Steph Ellis for their Study Grant and how it has helped them this year.

The treasurers report indicated that income is down on previous years so our membership drive is more vital that ever.  The report included a budget which is conservative yet allows us to work towards our goals. 

Our website will soon include a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page including questions about membership and the benefits of membership.  A planned brochure outlining benefits of SLANZA is in underway.  Currently we are looking for supportive quotes and photos to include.  Please contact your local rep if you are able to assist with this.

The NE is stregthening partnerships with organisations such as LIANZA, The Book Council and National Library and is keen to work with other organisations like The Principals Association and English Teachers and make them aware of the work we do and how their members can benefit.

The region reports included many fine examples of the Professional Development provided to our members. Thank you to all the committees for the work they do on behalf of our members.

SLANZA had input into the current NZQA review of Open Polytechnic Library qualifications and has contributed to the course documents.  The Wellington region is working on a Tertiary Transition programme to share with members.  We are working on Summer Reading initiatives with The Association of Public Library Managers and expect to have some resources available from SLANZA from the four Otago schools who presented at the Weekend School about their own successful programmes by the end of term.

Other discussions of note:

·         The 2015 Christchurch Conference team are making good progress

·         This years’ LIANZA conference in Auckland is shaping up with a schools thread included.  SLANZA members can register at LIANZA rates this year for the first time ever!

·         Members need to to find out about their own schools’ involvement in N4L (Network for Learning) and participation in the POND. From next year these inititiaves will have a wide ranging impact on all schools, we encourage school librarians to contribute as much as possible.

·         Our free online course “Connected Librarians” has been a huge success with over 100 graduates.  This project is now being reviewed with plans to build on the course from next year.  We are also in the development stages of creating an online community using Google+ to further support members.

Finally, I hope that you all had a restful break over the holidays and are energised and ready to tackle Term 3. 

Lisa Salter
RLIANZA   l   SLANZA Communications Leader   l   ruawailibrary.wordpress.com

It gives the Life Membership Committee great pleasure to announce that the following people have been nominated by their peers and been successful in achieving Life Membership of SLANZA in 2014.  These awards were announced at the Annual General Meeting 2014, held in Dunedin at the Weekend School.  

Life membership is awarded to people who have contributed greatly over a number of years to our organisation.  They have gone well above and beyond, they have given of their time and energy over many years for the betterment of our org and all of the people nominated this year have been stalwarts of the organisation since it’s inception.  

It is a hard thing making choices between such worthy nominees but after a great deal of deliberation the following people are being recognised for their contribution and awarded Life Membership in 2014.  

Jenny Millar
Jenny has been with SLANZA from the very beginning.  She was on the steering committee for SLANZA for the year before it’s inception.  Prior to that she was heavily involved in the School Library Network, she was the first Otago/Southland representative for SLANZA and her foresight and vision, amongst the others on that committee have formed and shaped what we have become.  She continued in this role for many years.  She has been a major contributor to sub committees of the National Executive, giving of her own time for years.  Keeping the Otago/Southland region humming when the chairperson was based in Otago and hosting and organising Otagoites, no easy job, organising meetings, and always keeping us in the loop with what was happening at a National level.  She has been a huge help to local librarians and her work promoting and reviewing books has been fantastic.  Jenny is a SLANZA stalwart.  She is tough, resilient and a rock to those in the school library world who need one.  We heartily endorse her nomination and are most pleased and happy to reward her with this Life Membership.

Rosalba Finnerty
This is a person who has been one of the standing stones of SLANZA since it started.  She has been involved in almost every area of librarianship over her career and not content with that has become an archivist on top.  Rosalba has served her time on the National Executive, she has been involved in so many conferences and committees that it is not possible to count them.  She has represented the National Executive at committees of many kinds over the years and still does this today when needed.  She has retired from her position at Samuel Marsden Collegiate, and gone on to have an illustrious career in archives, both for that school and for SLANZA, her lounge playing host to a mountain of paper and digital records, she has been in this privileged position for the last two years and her dedication and thoroughness has sharpened all the NE up.  Because of her we are better organised and future ready.  Rosalba gives up her weekend on National Executive weekends to cater to the National executive, it is a mighty thing, she is our emergency minute taker and advisor on matters of many kinds.  Her knowledge of the history of the organisation is regularly called upon.  This barely covers it.  She is an advisor, an ear to many, a fantastic stalwart of the Wellington committee and all round organiser of everyone and everything.  It is an utter pleasure to award her Life Membership of SLANZA.

Janet McFadden
The nomination for Janet McFadden was fulsome in its praise for her work for, with and alongside SLANZA for many years.  Janet has been one of the biggest advocates for the benefit of school librarians belonging to SLANZA, she has been a committee member of the Wellington region for many years.  Janet was the first convenor of the Wellington region, as early as 2002 she was helping organise Wellington conferences and has continued to do that regularly.  No conference is complete without a presentation from Janet.  Her dedication to school librarians across the country, and particularly in Wellington has been always appreciated.  Janet has spent her professional life working to provide a wide range of resources and skills to school library staff. Her willingness to help and support others, well beyond the realm of her role at National Library and her continued commitment to the profession of school librarianship at all levels is testament her professionalism and leadership.  Janet is a hard working endless promoter of school libraries, the people who work in them and SLANZA as an organisation of value and importance to those people and for this we are incredibly grateful and are delighted to award this Life Membership.

Gerri Judkins
The name Gerri Judkins is one which is clearly associated with SLANZA and her dedication to SLANZA is legendary.  Not only within her home district of the Waikato but amongst all those who have stood back and admired the energy, the enthusiasm and the sheer gutsy determination that kids will read, that school libraries are the places where kids get the stuff to read.  Gerri is a reading and school library evangelist.  Her work on the SLANZA National Executive has left lasting effects.  Her understanding of the different circumstances in which school librarians work had a major influence on decisions made around the NE table.  Gerri understood the world that most of us worked in, it was refreshing.  Gerri is still giving presentations promoting SLANZA, the work that we do with reading in schools, promoting the Lit Quiz and being the powerhouse of energy she has always been.  I think she is currently in Russia at IASL doing exactly that.  Gerry is the little engine that could, could promote SLANZA endlessly, could attend meetings when others couldn't, could answer tricky questions and indeed could ask them, could use her endless supply of contacts to make stuff happen, could organise a mini-conference with almost no time and limited funding and could be the person who had read every book available so that she could promote it to her kids and sell it to a whole NE meeting.  Gerri Judkins does SLANZA proud and therefore it is not a difficult decision to award her this Life Membership.