Exciting Update to our Members

Dear SLANZA MEMBERS
Over the last 6 months the SLANZA National Executive have been in conversation with The Department of Internal Affairs via the National Library to secure some funding to grow the school library sector.
We have had 4 proposals accepted and we are now in the process of shaping those into a position of delivery. Each proposal aligns us with a collaborative partner and together we will ensure we can contribute some meaningful new initiatives into our school library sector.
The four proposals accepted include two pilot programmes- one to support the training of School Librarians to be involved as contributors to the Many Answers, Any Questions platform operated by National Libraries Services to schools.
 The second pilot programme is to include a school librarian into a Community of Learning/ Kahui Ako – this will include setting up Professional Learning Groups in that CoL and being involved in that CoLs Enquiry Learning programme. This will mean that some schools with part time librarians on minimal hours can have the support and nurture of others in their profession- and hopefully gaining meaningful knowledge and expertise through this process.
Another accepted proposal is some significant funding to enable our school librarians to access tertiary training at Certificate, Diploma, Bachelor levels. We also hope this will include a possibility of some post graduate research into school libraries as imperative to literacy outcomes, NCEA results and overall wellbeing of our students. We are working with LIANZA as co-partners.
The last is working beside Tohatoha to enable the amazing mahi they do to be more accessible to school libraries around Aotearoa.  This link  introduces you to the Glass Room project we hope can go to more schools in our nation. https://www.tohatoha.org.nz/2020/11/exhibition-exploring-online-misinformation-set-to-tour-nz/
More information will be released as we are able to do so. We just want our members to know what we have been doing on your behalf and we hope these proposals all enhance the mana of our school libraries and the work we do in them.
These are exciting days for SLANZA as we also are nearly through the interview process for the research that the Ministry of Education are conducting to find our best practice libraries and how they operate, what their kaupapa is and how they are supported by the wider school community.
This research will be used to advocate to Boards and Principals about how they can work towards creating flourishing impactive libraries as best practice models.
So with our work with Department of Internal Affairs- National Library and the Ministry of Education SLANZA has become a respected needed voice for not only advocating for our school libraries but creating meaningful work to enhance and promote them.
 
Thank you to all our members for your continued support
Ma te wa