Conference Reviews

Click here to read about Glenys Murphy's experience at River of Knowledge

Click here to read about Miram Tuohy's experience at River of Knowledge

Saturday Workshops - 10am - 10:45am

Workshop One - 10:00am - 10:45am
​A: Finding the hook - Louise Ward

In the book world we are often challenged to find the book that’s going to hook a self-professed non-reader into becoming a lifelong bookworm. If we begin with the premise that there’s a book out there for everyone we can begin to look at the ways in which to match the reader with their book. After years of teaching literacy at Primary and Intermediate level, and several more enticing young readers into Wardini Books, Louise Ward has a few tricks up her sleeve and, more importantly, is willing to share.

Louise Ward is a former police officer and teacher, now co-owner, with husband Gareth, of Wardini Books in Havelock North and Napier, finally putting that English Literature degree to relevant use.​

Louse sells books by the day and reads them by night, when she is not playing fiddle for Hawke’s Bay’s finest Irish band The Bold Deceivers. She is a regular book reviewer for RNZ’s Nine to Noon programme and with a life consumed by literature and music, she claims to be living the dream.

Kathleen Van der Putten

Workshop Two- 10:00am - 10:45am
​B: Laughter is the best medicine - Kathleen Van der Putten

Exploring, researching and finding literature for early adolescents aged between 10 – 13
years of age that emulates feelings, emotions and questions about Ko wai Au “Who am I?”
Preteens are going through emotional and physiological changes that affect their emotions, feelings and sense of well-being so it is important for librarians to get to know their students and interests.
Finding the right book for students is essential to develop a lifetime love of reading into a journey of imagination, adventure, mystery, fantasy, humour and history.

For students of every ability and background, it's the simple, miraculous act of reading a good book that turns them into readers, because even for the least experienced, most reluctant reader, it's the one good book that changes everything. The job of adults who care about reading is to move heaven and earth to put that book into a child's hands. — Nancie Atwell, The Reading Zone

Kia Ora, Talofa Lava, Kia Orana, Greetings.
Kathleen is a qualified librarian working as a School Library Manager at Tokoroa Intermediate School for nine years. Kathleen was awarded an NZEI scholarship in 2011 for proposal “Professional evelopment in the School Library Sector” and has completed ongoing Library and Information Studies through the Open Polytechnic Wellington Kathleen is also a member of SLANZA and was secretary for the Waikato/Bay of Plenty SLANZA region from 2015-2018. Kathleen is passionate about school libraries and promoting the love  of reading and research skills to children and preteens.​

Clare Forrest

Workshop Three-10:00am - 10:45am 
​C: School Libraries 101 - Clare Forrest

School Libraries 101 - Workshop Presentation
Or view it online here
​
Are you new to school libraries? Have you been school librarianing for awhile now but would like to see if you are on the right track? Are you an old hand and willing to share your wisdom?
This workshop will broadly look at the main areas of the school librarian role in school libraries in New Zealand. It will cover some of the why we do what we do, the where we do the magic, the what that feeds the curious and adventurous and the who we get to influence and inspire.
Come and join in the discussion and share ideas and opinions and we will all learn new things together.

Clare is the library manager at Raroa Normal Intermediate in Wellington and has been there since 2006. Before learning about the wonders of school libraries she had a number of career incarnations; as a nurse and a science technician. In fact this is the first job she has done for a long time (including parenting) that hasn’t included having to deal with poo but she still loves gory and scientific stories, as well as ones that make her cry.
 
Favourite things to do other than reading: spending time with family and friends, binge watching TV series, watching sport, knitting, watching sport with family, baking beautiful cupcakes, following Twitter and learning new things.​

Workshop Four - ​10:00am - 10:45am
​D: Turn your readers into reviewers - Eirlys Hunter

Hooked on NZ Books He Ao Ano - Presentation

This is a workshop on how to run a reviewing workshop for your students. Find out about the website Hooked on NZ Books He Ao Ano, which is a platform for secondary students, dedicated to reviewing and to NZ YA titles. Show your students that they can get their reviews published in a prestigious journal. Show them how they can get hold of the latest YA books from Aotearoa – free! 

Eirlys Hunter is a writer for both children and adults; her most recent book is The Mapmakers’ Race (pub) Gecko, which is shortlisted for the 2019 Childrens and Young Adults Book Awards. She is on the Board of New Zealand Review of Books Pukapuka Aotearoa, and helps run the Hooked on NZ Books website. She also teaches Writing for Children at the IIML, Victoria University. 

Miriam Tuohy

Workshop Five - ​10:00am - 10:45am
​E: Rethinking your library services - using the school library development framework - Miriam Tuohy

Workshop presentation

• Library services audit
• Mad librarian's activity
• Rethinking your library services
• Service detail description

Take a fresh look at how your school library supports teaching and learning, reading, and student wellbeing. Explore how the things your library *has* come together with the things *you do* to provide the library services your school community needs.

Miriam is the Senior Specialist School Library Development for National Library Services to Schools, supporting the capability of schools nationwide to develop library services and environments that impact positively on student learning and wellbeing. She has 10 years’ experience working in primary and secondary school, and is a past president of the School Library Association of New Zealand Aotearoa.

Sunday Workshops - Session One (9am - 9:50am)

Workshop Six - 9am - 9:50am
​A: Be an effective advocate for your library - Megan Davidson

Workshop Presentation

• Suggested reading
• Visual Literacy Checklist and task
• Visual Literacy Checklist two
• Visual Literacy Worksheet
  

Have you ever wished you had more staff or a bigger budget?
This presentation will explore how to be an effective advocate for your library. Attending this session with help you:

• Determine who the decision makers are
• Choose and collect data to support your case
• Learn the importance of putting your request in writing
• Decide how to submit requests
• See sample documents
• Develop a practice plan for yourself
  ​

Megan Davidson has been the Teacher-Librarian at Westlake Girls High School since 2010. Before that, she worked at Diocesan School for Girls. Megan has a Bachelor’s in Education and a Master’s in Library.

Workshop Seven - 9am - 9:50am
​B: A plethora of picture books - Megan Lindsay and Gerri Judkins

A plethora of picture books - Workshop presentation
Or view it online here
​
Megan: Picture Books are my favourite reading material.  I love the multilayers of understanding. I love how evocative pictures grab your attention and play with the words.  I love how they sometimes don’t agree with each other.  It’s like a private joke between you and the creators.   I love the secrets inside the visual texts and I love sharing them and seeing kids “get it”.
Gerri: Think about your personal journey with picture books – what was the first you recall being distinctively New Zealand? Which picture books from around the world bring a tear, a smile, a sense of awe or a rush of emotion? Enjoy a roller coaster ride with a ridiculous number of beloved examples to share with your students.
Megan Lindsay, a teacher librarian in Australia and Hong Kong for 27 years, has returned home to New Zealand. Here she fell in love with and bought Books for Kids in Hamilton, an independent children’s bookshop catering to school librarians nationwide.
Gerri Judkins, life member of SLANZA, was a Primary/Intermediate school librarian for 25 years. In retirement, she continues to enjoy children’s and YA books through the Waikato Children’s Literature Association, Kids’ Lit Quiz and Storylines.
​

Amy Featonby

Sarah Nicholas

Workshop Eight - ​9am - 9:50am
​C: NCEA and its connections: An English Teacher's perspective - Amy Featonby & Sarah Nicholas 

What English teachers want you to know - Workshop presentation

​Level 1, 2, or 3. Revenge or Forbidden Love? NCEA and its connections- an English Teachers Perspective: What English Teachers want Librarians to know.

Have you ever wanted to know what English Teachers think you already know?

Are you confident in ensuring the students get the right books for the courses they are doing in English?​

Can you discern between a Level 1, 2 or 3 book?

Do you want some great guidelines and insights to ensure your students leave the library with the right book in their hands?

Amy and Sarah will be in the Cambridge High School Library and they will discuss a wide range of titles with you, and guide you into what they think is a suitable level.

Amy Featonby: Is the English Head of Faculty at St Peters in Cambridge, after serving as HOF at Cambridge High. Even more impressive is that Amy is a ferocious Youth Fiction reader, Amy is a school librarian’s dream teacher! Her knowledge and understanding of youth fiction is immense and her understanding of what is required for NCEA levels is bomb proof.  Amy is an awesome vegan chef, adores cats and is very proud of her 6 year old son!

Sarah Nicholas is an English teacher at Kaiapoi High School in Canterbury, she has been assistant HOF of English and is a Year Level Dean. Sarah reads a wide range of genre and is a great debater of books. She is a passionate teacher who works with a wide range of student ability and therefore has great insight into what works for a diverse group of students.

Hinerangi Kara

Workshop Nine - ​9am - 9:50am
​D: Treaty of Waitangi: A living document - Hinerangi Kara

Te Kaitakawaenga Māori / Māori Academic Liaison Librarian
Ko Hinerangi Kara tōku ingoa, nō Maniapoto, nō Ngāti Koroki Kahukura ahau. Ko Waikato tōku awa. 
​
Areas of expertise:

• Development Studies
• Te Reo Māori
• Tikanga Māori
• Hauora and Wellbeing
• Hauora Maori​

I was born and raised in Cambridge. A product of a failed education school system for Māori children. After dropping out of school, I bounced from course to course until I finally found my path at Wintec doing Te Ataarangi – Wānanga Reo for 3 years. I then moved on to the University of Waikato, where I completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree. After graduating, I began working in the University of Waikato Library in 2005 as a Māori Academic Liaison Research Librarian. Since 2005, I’ve completed a post-graduate certificate and then diploma in Archives and Records Management, and finally in 2019 I have enrolled to begin my Master’s degree at the University of Waikato.
I am a trustee of the Ngāti Koroki Kahukura tribal trust and have been intermittently since it’s inception. In my time as a trustee, I’ve also been a treaty settlement negotiator for my people’s treaty settlement. I am an executive member of the Maungatautari Marae Committee and have been for 15 years. I am a land owner and trustee of a significant land at Maungatautari and am currently on a journey to reconnect my people to our whenua and am about to launch into a significant project that will bring with it growth, development and opportunity for my people and i. I sit on numerous boards and committees of Waipā District Council representing iwi interests to fulfil my responsibility and duty as a member of the mana whenua of this region.

Sunday Workshops - Session Two (11:30am - 12:20pm)

Jackie Rassell

Workshop Ten - 11:30am - 12:20pm
​E: Student voice and well-being in your library - Jackie Rassell

Student voice and wellbeing in your school library - Workshop presentation

​This workshop will cover my journey as a librarian in a new school and my goal to
make the students feel at home as fast as possible in what started as an empty box.
How do you give them a voice and a safe space?

Some key areas covered will be:

• Library layout and furniture choice
• Anyone can be a librarian
• It’s not just about reading
• How to get student feedback and ideas without interrogation
• Competitions and events for everyone
• How to be the “other” space in your school

People who attend this workshop are welcome to share their own ideas and
experiences.

About me: I have loved reading my whole life. I did an English degree at University just so I
could read even more! On the way to pretending to grow up, I became a restaurant
manager. But this didn’t let me talk about books enough so I became an English
teacher. After 13 years as a teacher, I diversified slightly and became the Teacher
Librarian at Rototuna High School.

Wendy Macaskill

Workshop Eleven - ​11:30am - 12:20pm
​F: The New Zealand Wars: Resources for the classroom - Wendy Macaskill

Find out about resources and strategies to spark students’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the New Zealand Wars.

Wendy is National Manager Capability Services of the National Library of New Zealand. Before embarking on a second career in librarianship Wendy taught at secondary level in mostly rural school, and studied History extramurally.

Helen Muxlow

Workshop Twelve - ​11:30am - 12:20pm
​G: How to make your primary school library indispensable - Helen Muxlow

Find out how to make your library the ‘go to’ place in the school as Helen introduces Te Awa o Tupu (The River of Learning); the library of Karori West Normal School, a large Year 1-8 primary school in Wellington. Sharing tips on promoting your library, content curation and building relationships, she will show how the concept of Manākitanga and Kotahitanga underpins her approach to her role. This presentation is suitable for new (and the not so new) primary and intermediate school library staff.

Helen Muxlow is the Library Manager at  Karori West Normal School, a job she has held for 10 years. Initially a novice to the library world, an avid reader and with a background in early childhood education (Playcentre) she discovered the joys of being a school librarian.  She currently holds a Diploma in Information and Library Studies (Level 5) and a Certificate in Literature and Library Services for Children and Young People (Level 6). Helen is passionate about reading and using school libraries not only as a rich language and information space, but also as a safe and nurturing environment for students. As a mother, Kea Scout Leader and general DIYer she loves the independence and diversity of her School Librarian job and the warm fuzzies that come from being active in her community.

Caroline Ramsden

Workshop Thirteen - 11:30am - 12:20pm 
​H: Using SCIS for digital content - Caroline Ramsden 

Digital content with SCIS - Presentation
​
Do you include digital content in your OPAC?
Join SCIS Manager, Caroline Ramsden, for a discussion on digital content in school OPACs.
Caroline will demonstrate some workflows that libraries are using to source records for digital content from SCIS Data.​

Caroline joined SCIS as Manager in 2017. She is a qualified librarian, with a background as a Systems Librarian. Caroline has worked in public libraries, overseeing systems and technical services. Prior to joining SCIS, she worked in Melbourne, Australia for a library system vendor.

Senga White

Workshop Fourteen - ​11:30am - 12:20pm
​I: Cloak of invisibility - Mind reading, magic and other librarian superpowers - Senga White

 Cloak of invisibility - workshop presentation

"When librarians and teachers work together, students achieve higher levels of literacy, reading, learning, problem-solving and information and communication technology skills.” IFLA/UNESCO School Library Manifesto, 1999 Collaboration means working smarter together, rather than harder alone.” Ministry of Education
 
Librarians know their “superpowers” and a collaborative mind-set is but one of them. However, they often feel like they’re wearing a cloak of invisibility when attempting to establish their role in supporting the curriculum in schools and initiating collaboration in less “traditional” areas, or outside the physical library environment. The need for such collaborative approaches in education has never been more important or urgent. They are foundational to effective pedagogy, and enhance the way schools function in an increasingly networked world. (Core Education, 2018), but effective outcomes-based collaboration is not yet deeply established – so there are few friends or colleagues to learn from. (Munby & Fullan, 2016). This workshop will discuss the current New Zealand research into teacher/librarian collaboration, and explore the role of librarian leadership in this, while providing examples of how and why it works. ​

Senga White is an information and knowledge librarian with almost 20 years’ experience in school libraries, most recently as Research and Learning Coordinator & Head of Library Services at Southland Boys High School. However, she has just moved into the public sector, taking up the role of research librarian at Invercargill City Libraries & Archives. She is a registered professional with a postgraduate certificate in digital and collaborative learning and continues her passion for education, working with others to support lifelong learning for all.