Just a reminder that the closing date for submitting study grant applications is Thursday 24th of September 2015, and successful applicants will be notified in October.  

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.

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

Sandi Faulconbridge
Professional Development Team Leader

The School Library Association of NZ Aotearoa (SLANZA) is surprised by the invoking of the Interim Restriction Order on Ted Dawe’s award winning novel Into the river. Having submitted our opinion as part of the Office of Film and Literature Classification’s recent review of the book, (which contributed to the age restriction being removed), it was shocking to see that the reclassification has been overruled by the President of the Film and Literature Review Board, and an order put in place which effectively constitutes a total ban on the book.

Libraries are now required to remove the book from their shelves and make the novel unavailable to their communities. Individuals who own the book are not able to loan it to any other person, and book sellers are prohibited from displaying or selling it.

SLANZA believes that this unusual step by the Board of Review is not necessary, and that denying the book it’s intended audience is draconian. Removing young people’s access to literature which has been written specifically for them is a drastic step, and possibly one which works against the intentions of any restriction. This book has been recognised by a panel of experts with the highest award possible in New Zealand, for a book for young adults, when measured against all others in the year of its publication. To not allow young people access to this awarded novel does them a disservice.

We believe that it is important for students to read about the world they inhabit, and for some students the world depicted in Into the river is, unfortunately, very real. For others, it offers different cultural perspectives and experiences that are far removed from their own. We believe there is considerable value in texts like these that allow students to appreciate other points of view and develop an understanding of what it means to be part of a culturally diverse society. For some students a book like Into the river provides a way of connecting with text that appeals to them, and may be an entry to the world of books.

School libraries should have procedures and policies in place to guide them when selecting books. This may include input from students, staff, and parents. School librarians develop collections that work for their communities, and this includes books that might challenge and extend readers, and that reflect the reality and diversity of our students’ lives. School library staff bring a professional approach and mindfulness of their school’s unique character to that collection development. School librarians understand the needs of their community; they are knowledgeable about literature for young adults - including local writing - and know that enabling young people to make their own reading choices from a range of texts plays an important role in motivating them to read widely.

When school library staff recommend books to students, they take into account different abilities, interests, age groups, cultural backgrounds and so on. They can personalise those suggestions as appropriate rather than being bound by rules such as formal classifications, which although they may provide a degree of ‘protection’ for some, unnecessarily restrict access for many others.

Families who wish to restrict their children’s access to specific texts, or types of texts, must make those wishes clear. At the same time, those restrictions should not impinge on the rights of other students to make their own decisions about their reading. Likewise, members of the school community are able to raise concerns about library texts, or texts used in class instruction, directly with the school and have those concerns investigated according to school policy.

SLANZA reiterates its opposition to the Interim Restriction Order issued by the Film and Literature Review Board and would like this resolved rapidly. We welcome debate and reviews about what literature is available to NZ school children, and believe this can be achieved without such measures as banning an item as has happened with Into the river. This move is contrary to our philosophy of providing a diverse and open supply of literature and resources to young people in our schools and communities.

Individuals who feel that they are being disadvantaged by Into the river not being available are able to make a submission to the Film and Literature Board of Review. You can direct these via email to Julie Wall at the Department of Internal Affairs ([email protected])

Forthwith a bit of an update relating to the Interim Restriction Order placed on Ted Dawe's novel Into the River:

• I have spoken with a staff member from the DIA Censorship Compliance Unit this morning. Their role is to ensure, after the Review Board decision, that the parties affected by this interim measure are aware of the decision and understand what they're required to do in order to adhere to the restrictions, viz:
• Remove any copies of Into the river from your shelves, if you haven't already and put them somewhere inaccessible. The book must not be able to be distributed i.e. not for loan, not for display, not to be read aloud etc
  
• It is not necessary to remove your catalog record, but you may wish to append a note as to the reason for it's being unavailable at present
• I raised with DIA our concern over the process for ensuring that Review Board decisions are widely publicised. In this instance, the onus is on the applicant (i.e. Family First) to do this, according to the details of the interim Restriction Order, viz:

"Pursuant to section 50(2) I direct that Family First must advertise the making of this Order in a daily newspaper published in each of the following cities: Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. It must serve notice of the making of this Order on all those persons who made submissions to the Classification Office in respect of the reconsideration of Into the River."

I haven't been able to confirm whether or not this was done, but it seems to me to be a not very satisfactory way of getting the word out, and this is something SLANZA may take up with the Censorship Compliance Unit or through the Film and Literature Review Board.

My understanding is that the FLRB will meet in October, and at that point some further action will happen - it may be though that no decision is made but perhaps another review process begun... we shall see.

If you'd like to listen to the audio of Radio NZ this morning, this is the link to Morning Report:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201769721/school-libraries-association-defends-banned-book

And here for Nine to Noon:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201769748/row-over-banned-book

And there may be further, related, news in the next day or so with more discussion about issues relating to school libraries' selection and handling of titles such as Into the River.

Can I offer my thanks at this point to all those who have offered opinions and examples of their own experience with Into the River, and issues of censorship in general. It is all grist to the mill for this very important discussion. So while it's not always comfortable to have these sorts of conversations, I do believe it is so useful for us to offer and listen to different viewpoints, and to understand these big issues that affect our ability to work as library professionals.

Miriam Tuohy
President

Updated to add follow-up item on Morning Report 9 Sept 2015
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201769893/school-librarians-in-uproar-over-banned-book