Kuala Lumpur Workshop (Aug.24, 2013): Draft Programme

Joint IFLA-IASL Workshop
“Advocacy for School Libraries“
24 August 2013
Arcadia Room, Hotel Armada, Petaling Jaya

Program (Draft)
8.30 – 9.00 Registration
9.00 – 9.15: Welcoming Remarks:
Randi Lundvall (IFLA SSL), Diljit Singh (IASL) and Kiran Kaur (University of Malaya)
9.15 – 10.30: “Setting the scene”
9.15 – 9.30:
School libraries: Present and Future Scenarios
Randi Lundvall (IFLA SSL) & Diljit Singh (IASL)
9.30 – 9.45:
School Libraries: Looking at the Big Picture
Barbara Stripling
9.45 – 10.30:
Country / Regional / Institutional reports on Efforts, Successes and Challenges in Advocacy Efforts [Selected Participants]
10.30 – 10.45 Tea break
10.45 – 1.00pm “Advocacy basics and tools”
10.45 – 11.00:
Advocacy: An Overview
Lesley Farmer
11.00 – 11.15:
Advocacy Tools and Techniques in Other Domains
Diljit Singh
11.15 – 1.00:
“School Libraries on the Agenda” – Joint IFLA-IASL Advocacy Project
Dianne Oberg & Lourense Das
1.00 – 2.00pm Lunch
2.00 – 3.30pm “Planning for action”
Developing advocacy plans
(Participants to work in small groups to develop an advocacy plan for a selected issue or a selected country / region / institution)
Dianne Oberg & Lourense Das
3.30 – 3.45pm Tea break
3.45 – 4.30pm Planning for action (contd.)
Group presentations
(Each group to present a draft of their advocacy plan)
4.30pm Wrap-up and Evaluation
Randi Lundvall & Diljit Singh

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For information and registration, please visit the workshop website .

School Libraries on the Agenda: An IFLA-IASL Project (Workshop in Bali)

Workshop: “School Libraries on the Agenda: An IFLA-IASL Project”
Date and venue: Sanur Paradise Plaza Hotel, Bali (Indonesia), Monday Aug. 26, 2013, morning

Presenters:
Dianne Oberg, University of Alberta, Canada (doberg@ualberta.ca), Barbara Schultz-Jones, University of North Texas, USA (barbara.schultz-jones@unt.edu) and Lourense Das, Meles Meles SMD, Netherlands (iasl@meles.nl).

Abstract:
School library advocacy is a concern worldwide. Getting school libraries on the agenda for consideration by a school staff, or a ministry of education, or a library association is often a challenge. The workshop focuses on the process being undertaken by two international school library groups to develop school library advocacy training materials which will be freely shared through the Online Learning Platform of the International Association of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). The two-year project, entitled “School Libraries on the Agenda”, is funded by IFLA and is being managed by the Joint Committee of the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) and the School Libraries Section of IFLA, within the BSLA IFLA Programme. The final project includes a variety of materials: a trainer’s manual, workshop plans, case studies, and video clips.

Tripled School Librarianship: IFLA SL, IASL and Joint

The IFLA School Libraries Section, the IASL and their Joint Committee are offering a tripled opportunity to explore the school library world, learn more on school libraries and their multifaceted role and contribution to reading, learning, media and information literacy, school curriculum etc.

Don’t miss the following meetings:

Singapore: IFLA WLIC, Aug. 17-23

Kualu Lumpur: IASL-IFLA SL Joint Worskhop on SL Advocacy

Bali: IASL Conference.

BSLA Case Study: Collaborative Networks Supporting Advocacy

Now available, the case study  for the BSLA  Module 7: School libraries on the agenda / Topic 2: Developing relationships:

“Collaborative Networks Supporting Advocacy“
by Lourense Das, ENSIL Coordinator (Netherlands)

Click here to open: BSLA_IFLASL-IASL_ENSIL_Case_study_2013_Final

This case study and others are part of the BSLA materials being presented and discussed at the Joint Workshops in Kuala Lumpur (Aug. 24) and Bali (Aug. 26).

Abstract

The European Network for School Libraries and Information Literacy (ENSIL) is a foundation, established in 2008, which grew out of an informal network of school library professionals and teachers from across Europe. The first tangible result of the network was the “Amsterdam Statement,” a vision for the role of libraries in education. Another tangible result was the development of the advocacy campaign called “A Library In Every School: ALIES,” which grew out of ENSIL’s involvement in supporting and disseminating an online petition in the United Kingdom (UK) for making school libraries statutory. In 2010, the response of UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to this petition triggered an action, led by ENSIL, writing a rebuttal letter to the Prime Minister. As a follow-up to this letter, the ALIES campaign began. Using state-of-the-art communication media such as Facebook, the ENSIL online discussion list and later Twitter and Scoop.it, the campaign took off rapidly. The campaign was adopted widely, resulting in multiple translations of the ALIES Proclamation text and the dissemination of flyers in different languages. School library advocacy campaigns developed in Australia and South Africa adopted and used the ALIES proclamation text for their own causes. The case describes the potential of networks, collaboration, and state-of-the-art communication media to lay the groundwork for a successful school library advocacy campaign.

BSLA Case Study: A Government Mandate for School Libraries in Sweden

Now available, the case study  for the BSLA  Module 7: School libraries on the agenda / Topic 2: Developing relationships

“A Government Mandate for School Libraries in Sweden“
by Helle Barrett and Bibi Eriksson (Sweden)

Click here to open: BSLA_IFLASL-IASL_SWEDEN_Case_Study_2013_Final

This case study and others are part of the BSLA materials being presented and discussed at the Joint Workshops in Kuala Lumpur (Aug. 24) and Bali (Aug. 26).

Abstract

For many years in Sweden, the school library was ignored by authorities, by principals, and by most teachers. Nevertheless, throughout those years, many people were working to establish the school library as a well-developed and effective resource to support students in their learning. These people wanted a new and enhanced role for school libraries in education. For this to happen, there would need to be a number of changes: further training, development projects of various kinds, attention at different political levels and in the media, and, last but not least, legislation that supported the new role for school libraries. The new Education Act of 2010 made the school library mandatory. Head teachers and policy makers on both school and municipality level were required by law to establish school libraries. This was a new situation in the country, even for school librarians and teachers. The Education Act made it clear that all students–in primary schools, compulsory schools, special schools, Sami schools, secondary schools, upper secondary schools and independent schools–must have access to school libraries. The big difference from the previous inclusion of school libraries in the Library Act is that all students, regardless of type of school, are covered by the Act. Many library associations were involved in lobbying activities to reach this result. Another important contribution to the result was the advocacy created by school library development projects, funded by the Government of Sweden through the National Authority for School Improvement, which helped school libraries to become a more active part of school development. The initiatives that led to the to the school library projects came from enthusiasts from the university world, from school library organizations, and from governmental organizations and municipalities.

BSLA Case Study: A School Library Promotion Campaign in Norway

Now available, the case study  for the BSLA  Module 7: School libraries on the agenda / Topic 5: Developing an advocacy role:

“A school library promotion campaign”
by Siri Ingvaldsen, University of Agder (Norway)

“Now we see the fruits of our work and efforts”:
The School Library Promotion Campaign in Norway 2007-2008.

Click here to open: BSLA_IFLASL-IASL_NORWAY_Case_study_2013_Final

This case study and others are part of the BSLA materials being presented and discussed at the Joint Workshops in Kuala Lumpur (Aug. 24) and Bali (Aug. 26).

Abstract

On 23 May 2007, the Norwegian Ministry of Education announced that a national program for school library development would be established, beginning in 2008. The Norwegian School Library Program was to run over a four-year period and focus on the school library as resource for reading instruction and for teaching information literacy. Forty million Norwegian crowns were later designated for the program. The Norwegian School Library Program was the result of long lasting and active work in which the Norwegian Library Association (NBF) was a major participant. The NBF had highlighted the need for investing in school library development for several years. The Norwegian School Library Program is now in its final year, and more than 200 projects developed across all Norwegian counties have been completed under the auspices of the program. In 2013, the NBF adopted a resolution to work for the continuation of the program and establish a permanent resource center for school libraries in Norway.

New! Joint workshop in Kuala Lumpur: website and registration opened!

The Joint Workshop website is now online!

Those who are planning to take part in the joint workshop on the advocacy for school libraries (Kuala Lumpur, Aug. 24, 2013) are invited to visit its website, kindly hosted by UM (Universiti Malaya), here.

School Library Advocacy: ASLA white paper

Future learning and School Libraries: a white paper released on Aprile 15th by the Australian School Library Association (ASLA) in order to have qualified teacher librarians employed to contribute to improve national student learning and literacy.

The positive correlation between teacher librarians and students’ learning outcomes, demonstrated by research and surveys, is a key point that should convince decision makers, politicians and administrators to employ school information specialists such as the teacher librarians who – as experts in media and information, children’s and YA literature, learning process etc. – can transform teaching and learning within the school, Ms Bonanno (ASLA) said. School libraries and teacher librarians can function as the “e-hub of the school”, but they need to be funded and “empowered to support students to learn through a variety of technology.” 

The report includes some key points as follows:

• a review of the global environment in which modern learners and educators are immersed
• the educational implications of trends affecting contemporary schooling
• the means of evaluating education outcomes
• key alerts on the critical role of the teacher librarian.  

(Images: ASLA website)

Make the case for school libraries!

“Make the case for school libraries“, an effective infographic by LRC, synthesizes the findings from school library impact studies and highlights how students’ achievement and school libraries are strongly intertwined.

Survive and Thrive!

CASL, the Colorado Association of School Libraries (member of CAL – Colorado Association of Libraries), has developed an advocacy toolkit for school librarians, available here. School librarians can find useful materials including different message templates according to the different stakeholder audiences (teachers, parents, legislators etc.).