​Did you know it’s been estimated that less than a third of Aotearoa NZ schools have a library space with an adequate collection and that is staffed by a specialist school librarian? (SLANZA Media Release 2022)  
 
SLANZA thought it was long overdue to celebrate our school libraries across the motu showcasing the difference a school library can make to every school community.   
 
LET’S CELEBRATE OUR AMAZING SCHOOL LIBRARIES TOGETHER!   
 
There is a fun-filled and exciting activity guide that has been specifically designed by SLANZA and award winning illustrator Paul Beavis, on its way very soon to help schools across Aotearoa NZ celebrate their library spaces and it will be jam-packed with suggested activities and helpful links. Watch this space, or contact [email protected] for more information. 
 
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BOOKS ALIVE CALENDAR REVEALED

From 25 July, a number of our finalists in the 2022 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults will be revealing more about themselves and their shortlisted books to thousands of keen young readers through an exciting line-up of online events.
 
The 2022 Books Alive virtual programme has once again been co-ordinated by the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA), thanks to a grant from the New Zealand Libraries Partnership Programme. Hosted via LIANZA’s YouTube channel, it will feature daily sessions matching a library with a finalist, and includes Q&As, book discussions, how-to-be-an-illustrator workshops, and even a book play.  
 
“We’ve had such amazing feedback from libraries, children and authors that have participated in the Books Alive virtual programme these past two years, that we’re delighted to be bringing it back again,” says LIANZA executive director Ana Pickering. “While the pandemic continues to create challenges for in-person events, it’s such a bonus that we can still promote the best of New Zealand children’s and young adult literature, and the joy of reading, through the online reach of libraries and their communities around the country.”
 
Librarians will also be sharing virtual storytimes featuring the finalist books in the lead-up to the awards ceremony on 10 August. These readings will also be hosted on LIANZA’s YouTube channel, and shared from there to our social media channels as well as the libraries involved.
 
If you subscribe to LIANZA’s YouTube channel you will know when new sessions are available. So sign up now, or keep a watch on the developing programme on LIANZA’s Books Alive calendar page.
 
The 2022 NZCYA finalists will also get the chance to engage in person with hundreds of Wellington school children on the day of the awards ceremony, with a booked-out programme of Books Alive events at the National Library’s Tiakiwai Conference Centre, facilitated by an amazing team from Wellington City Libraries.

MARKING 25 YEARS WITH 25 POETS

For 25 years, National Poetry Day has been celebrating poetry across New Zealand in late August. To mark this fantastic milestone, we’ve collected together 25 poems from 25 exciting poets, from emerging writers to iconic names, who have had their poetry pasted on billboards on our streets over the past 25 years by our visionary sponsor, Phantom Billstickers.

We’ve got in touch with each of the poets to remind them about their poster, and to ask them to share a few personal thoughts about the poem selected.
 
Central Otago poet Brian Turner describes his 2012 poster poem ‘Keep It Up’ as ‘a wry response to a quip from one of the local farmers, some of whom indicated that writing wasn’t “real work”’.

Supported by a Creative New Zealand grant, the #NZPoetryDay25 campaign is being shared across NPD social media channels in the lead up to Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day on 26 August 2022. Other 25th anniversary celebrations will include an Australia-New Zealand Online Poetry Showcase, hosted in conjunction with Australian Poetry Month and featuring the 2022 poetry winners and the finalists in the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.
 
NDP organisers have until 20 July to register to have their poetry events included in our nationwide calendar, before it launches on 4 August.
 
JOIN US AT THE NZCYA CEREMONY
 
There is just a month to go until we celebrate the very best books for young New Zealand readers, and their authors, at an exuberant awards ceremony – MC’d by Jase Te Patu – in the Alan Gibbs Centre at Wellington College on Wednesday 10 August. We’d love you to join us!
 
Thirty-eight fine children’s writers, illustrators and translators are finalists in the 2022 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, and their talents and achievements will be acknowledged on the night by publishers, politicians, booksellers, librarians, media and supporters of the children’s literature community. Members of the public are also welcome to buy tickets (which include a post-ceremony reception) for $47.50 plus booking fees.
 
You can find out more about the evening on our website or go directly to Eventfinda to buy your ticket.
 
This is a popular event with a limited number of seats available, so don’t miss out!

OCKHAMS 2023 ENTRIES OPEN 3 AUGUST

We’d like to give publishers and authors a heads-up that submissions for the 2023 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, for books for adult readers published between 1 January and 31 December 2022, will open on Wednesday 3 August.
 
The first tranche of entries is for books published January to August 2022. To find out more about how to enter when the time comes, or to check whether a book will be eligible, you can view the previous Call for Entries pack on our website.
 
The 2023 pack and entry information will be loaded to our How to Enter page on 3 August.
 
SCHOOLS BACK A BOOK

Students from Dyer Street School in Lower Hutt sing the praises of Gavin Bishop’s Atua.
 
Everyone is hanging out to hear on 10 August which of our fabulous finalists have been selected by the judges as winners of the 2022 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. But we all know that having rangatahi themselves back their book can mean just as much to an author.
 
So that is just what we gave young readers the opportunity to do. Schools around the motu were invited to apply to participate in our 2022 Back-a-Book challenge, and around 40 put their hands up. Their task was to create a short video trailer for the book they were backing. We were blown away by the standard of the videos submitted and can’t wait to share them with you. Keep an eye on our social media channels after the school holidays for the winning entries.
 
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
 
20 July 2022: Deadline to register events for Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day, to be included in National Calendar of Events
25 July to 9 August 2022: Books Alive virtual NZCYA finalist author events programme, coordinated by LIANZA
3 August 2022: Submissions open for the 2023 Ockham NZ Book Awards, for books published 1 January to 31 August 2022
4 August 2022: Calendar of events launched for Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day
5 August 2022: #BooksAlive Day on social media
10 August 2022: NZ Book Awards for Children & Young Adults ceremony in Wellington
26 August 2022: Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day

NZ Geo - Connect July 11 2022

Thanks to our Business Member, NZ Geographic, here is their latest edition of Connect.  Subscribe directly here

Here is the latest newsletter from one of our NZLPP Strategic Partnership Grant partners Tohatoha. Please subscribe if you want to see future issues!

This is a great time of year for celebrating children's and young adult books with the NZ Book Awards finalists having been announced at the beginning of the month. OneTree House Publishers (use link - https://www.onetree-house.com/ ) has just released their latest newsletter where they celebrate Mary-anne Scott and her book The Tomo which is a finalist in the Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award category; announce the incredibly exciting news that The Tomo is now available as an audiobook; introduce some great new books by Des Hunt, Dahlia Malaeulu, and Elizabeth Kirkby-McLeod, plus provide links to some recent reviews. 
 
You can read the newsletter in full here (use link - https://mailchi.mp/965ea0f9790b/news-and-new-books-from-onetree-house-publishers-13682381 )
 
SLANZA members can also join the newsletter to receive it directly each month - join now (use link - https://www.onetree-house.com/sign-up-with-free-ebook ) and you'll get a discount code to buy one eBook from their store for FREE! OneTree House has a full range of eBooks available for libraries to purchase through their website and library suppliers Wheelers, OverDrive, Bibliotheca, Baker & Taylor, and Borrow Box (Bolinda).

SLANZA Reading Lists launch Live Zoom
 
Most days an email pops out on the SLANZA Library listserv asking for suggestions for books for different age groups, abilities, gender, primary and secondary.
 
SLANZA have an amazing resource of Reading Lists that have been around for years. A group from SLANZA Aoraki (Maree Silver, Claudine Tapsell, Zac McCallum, and Sally Brown) have been working to update and refresh these reading lists.
 
Join us for a quick online session to launch our updated SLANZA Reading Lists and to show how easy they are to use.
They are an amazing and exciting resource that are invaluable to not just School Librarians but Public Librarians, English teachers and anyone recommending a book to a young person.
 
Please do share this email with your English teachers, your local Public Librarians, and anyone you think might be interested in finding out about this amazing resource.

Zoom details
SLANZA Reading Lists launch Live Zoom
Tuesday 28th June
4pm - 4:45pm
Online
FREE

SLANZA Reading List Launch
June 28, 2022 at 04:00 PM New Zealand
 
Join Zoom Meeting

Does your library need a mid-winter boost? These librarians share their ideas and provide some inspiration to help you keep your library running smoothly through those rainy days.
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Paula McIntyre at Southland Girls’ High School loves having all her library resources accessible from one easy-to-find place. Her students can find books more easily using the Accessit Library Web App, and Paula can quickly report on borrowing statistics and identify trends to assist her with collection development and keeping teaching staff informed about student reading patterns. Read more…

Barb O’Connor is the Teacher Librarian at Littlehampton Primary School in South Australia. She enlists the help of her ‘Library Legends’ to teach other students how to use Accessit Library’s One Search, search the Web App, place reserves and write reviews. Barb also involves students in book selection, and extends her students’ learning through author visits, events and community connections. Read more …

Natasha Allen is the award-winning Librarian at Beacon Academy in the UK. She links her in-library displays with her Accessit Library Web App, engaging her students in both the physical and digital spaces. Natasha also makes effective use of Visual Search to support reluctant and low-level readers, providing an accessible way for them to browse and find resources. Read more …
And finally, why not celebrate Matariki by adding some themed images to your Accessit Library Web App. Current Accessit users can click here to download these from the customer portal.

To learn more about Accessit Library and see why it is the library system of choice for so many school librarians in New Zealand and around the world, contact our friendly product representatives at [email protected] or visit accessitlibrary.com and book an obligation-free demonstration.

Join us for a lively discussion with three of New Zealand’s leading experts in children’s books who will share a range of perspectives on the importance of languages in children’s picturebooks in Aotearoa.
Featuring:
Nicola Daly, University of Waikato
Nicola Daly is a sociolinguist and Associate Professor in the Division of Education at the University of Waikato, New Zealand where she teaches children’s literature. Her work explores multilingualism and language hierarchies in children’s picturebooks, recognising the power of this often underestimated format in the development of language attitudes and the perpetuation of hegemonies. In 2019/2020  she was a Fulbright New Zealand Scholar.
Eboni Waitere, Huia Publishers
Eboni Waitere is the Executive Director of Huia Publishers, a publishing house which specialises in telling Māori and Pacific stories, with a long history in publishing in Te Reo Māori. She attended Kohanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa Māori as a child, and studied Māori and Education at Victoria University of Wellington. Eboni is a strong advocate for Māori medium education and co-chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Whanganui-ā-Tara.
Julia Marshall, Gecko Press
Julia Marshall is the founder and publisher of Gecko Press, a small-by-choice independent publisher of curiously good books for children since 2005. Gecko Press translates and publishes books by some of the best writers and illustrators in the world, for ages 0 to 12 (sometimes infinity) as well as a small number of books by New Zealand writers and illustrators. Julia is Immediate Past President of Te Rau o Tākupu / Publishers Association NZ and a strong advocate for children having the right to love to read.
Join us online on Wednesday 22 June at 2pm for this lively panel discussion! Click here for the link.

Kia ora koutou
 
SLANZA is delighted to announce the publication of a report on our school libraries, Great School Libraries in Aotearoa: A Qualitative Study. This collaboration between the Ministry of Education and SLANZA aims to highlight the positive impact a well-supported library can have on learners and the wider school community. 
 
It is incredibly valuable to have Aotearoa-specific research about school libraries. We can utilise this resource to support and advocate the value of school libraries to our senior leadership teams and our school communities.
 
Below is the summary of the report:
 
This report seeks to identify how libraries and librarians support students to develop their reading literacy in an Aotearoa New Zealand context. In particular, this includes:

• What types of outcomes a successful school library can deliver for New Zealand learners
• How libraries deliver excellent outcomes for learners in different schooling contexts
• How school libraries can be supported by principals, school management and boards of trustees

The report can be located on the government's Education Counts website, 
Great school libraries in Aotearoa: A qualitative study | Education Counts
 
We wish to acknowledge and thank the Ministry of Education for their willingness to listen to our voice on Aotearoa school libraries, who considered then proposed this qualitative study and provided a team that worked alongside us to formulate questions, gather data and analyse results. 
 
SLANZA believes it is due to the momentum of our School Libraries Transform campaign that we were invited to the Ministry as representatives of our sector. 
 
Ngā manaakitanga
Julia
 
Julia Smith BAppSci (LIS)
Qualified Librarian
Kerikeri High School
 
SLANZA National Executive Communications
SLANZA National Executive rep for Te Tai Tokerau 
​

We are looking for a school librarian who would like to work on local history resource collection and curation in their region. This role requires the applicant to work with the local GLAM sector, iwi groups, local council and other agencies to research and collate local history information. The successful applicant will be part of the National Library Many Answers team. The information gathered will be used in the Many Answers online entries. 

These pilot programmes will be running in the following areas: Hawkes Bay/Gisborne and the Northland region. 

This is a paid part-time position, to be worked in term time hours and/or during school holidays. The pilot runs for two years.  A job description is attached to this email.

Training and support will be provided by a Many Answers service coach. 
All approved travel and accommodation expenses will be covered. 
​
Qualities Needed: 

• Applicant needs to have good communication skills, with knowledge around using a variety of formats and platforms. 
• Applicant needs to be able to show expertise in sourcing and curating local information. 
• Applicant needs to have an interest in Aotearoa New Zealand histories curriculum. 
• Applicant will be able to liaise with a variety of individuals and local organisations. 
• Applicant will need to be able to meet arranged milestones and reporting requirements.  

We are very keen to hear from any interested parties as soon as possible as the project will be beginning in the near future.
  
Clare Forrest
Library and Executive Manager
Raroa Normal Intermediate
Wellington SLANZA National Executive Rep