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NEWSLETTER
PO Box 2394, Wellington Point QLD 4160 Secretariat: 0400 937 089 www.qsla.org.au
CELEBRATING NAIDOC WEEK WITH LITERATURE AT ST JOSEPH’S SCHOOL,
THE STRAND, TOWNSVILLE
VOLUME 48 #3 - September 2015
The Book WarehouseA F F O R D A B L E B O O K S F O R E V E R Y C H I L D
Bargain Book Fairs
The Book WarehouseA F F O R D A B L E B O O K S F O R E V E R Y C H I L D
Bargain Book Fairs
QSLA Newsletter is the journal of the Queensland School Library
Association Inc.
P.O. Box 2394 Wellington Point Qld 4160
www.qsla.org.au
PresidentShirley Birrell
Publishing [email protected]
QSLA [email protected]
0400 937 089
ContributionsText contributions to be submitted
by e-mail. Use Microsoft Word, font style Times New Roman, 11
point, single spaced. Digital images should be attached as a separate
file, not embedded in the Word document. Author details: Name,
school/organisation, position held. Copyright of the newsletter is held
by QSLA Inc. and of each article therein by its author ©2013
AdvertisingCosting GST inclusive
Copy ready: 1/4 page $55; 1/2 page $110;
full page $220. Loose inserts: single page
A4 folded or flat $110.00
Newsletter copy deadlines09/11/15 for distribution in Term 4 22/02/16 for distribution in Term 1
20/05/16 for distribution in Term 2 12/08/16 for distribution in Term 3 04/11/16 for distribution in Term 4
The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily
those endorsed by the Queensland School Library
Association Inc.
Editor’s NoteYou may be aware that our Newsletter Editor, Jannine McGarry, is currently enjoying long service leave. Jannine does an incredible job organising, managing and editing our newsletter – these are big editor shoes to fill. Thank you to the contributors in the latest edition of the Queensland School Library Association newsletter. This edition includes many articles that range from celebrating Naidoc Week with literature to finding out if we can hard wire good reading habits into the teenage brain. There are many articles featuring professional development events held in Queensland and also the Netherlands…with many more articles just a page turn away. Happy reading! Angie Farmer, QSLA Secretariat
ContentsPresident’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02
Copyright Agency invites you to explore Reading Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03
QSLA Brand Launch, LED Workshop and The Edge Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 04
2016 Budget – Memberships and Product Orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06
Can we hard wire good reading habits into the teenage brain? . . . . . . . . . . 08
2015 UQL Cyberschool Seminar Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Book Reviews. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
“ It all began with a Maker Space”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
QSITE Event: Brisbane Grammar School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Celebrating Naidoc Week with Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Twilight Professional Development Evening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Write a Picture Book in Four Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
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President’s ReportJuly was the official launch for Queensland School Library Association’s new name and new brand, followed by a workshop and tour hosted by The Edge – State Library of Queensland. The launch was well-represented by corporate members, members, non-members and a special guest life member. The name change, logo and website is a reflection of the Association’s commitment to providing innovative advocacy services for school libraries across Queensland.
If you haven’t visited the new website (www.qsla.org.au) make sure you take a look, the calendar is especially informative. If you have dates of events that you would like to add or need the password for the members area, please contact Secretariat. In the members area you can download full colour PDF copies of our newsletter and can access the results of our member survey.
A handful of our members have been globe trotting to attend the IASL 2015 Conference held in Maastricht, The Netherlands. I look forward to reading articles from an international perspective in school libraries.
At the time of writing, many of us will be in full preparation mode for the 70th anniversary of CBCA celebrating Book Week. My personal favourite this year – “Pig the Pug” by Aaron Blabey.
Congratulations to Diane & Nicole who held another very successful and informative UQL Cyberschool Seminar focussing on social media and promotion of libraries.
Also huge congratulations go to the winner of Australia’s Favourite School Library - St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School Junior School Library, Corinda. ALIA reports there were over 220,000 votes for the
different states and sectors of libraries for these awards. This is a great accomplishment for St Aidan’s AGS and demonstrates how the community support school libraries.
Nominations for School Principal/Leader of the Year and Queensland Teacher-Librarian awards are now available on the QSLA website. After receiving member feedback that nominations required streamlining, the new forms have been revised and edited to make the process less time-consuming. Queensland has many dedicated teacher-librarians, please acknowledge someone you know that deserves this award.
The Principal/School Leader award has proved very successful in recognising people that have major influence in the management of an effective, well-resourced library. This is a very positive advocacy strategy as Principal award winners have received letters of congratulations from their mayor and local MP as well as inclusion in the DETE Facebook page. We would love to create the same good public relations opportunity for your Principal – so send in your nominations!
In mid-August, I attended a teleconference with other state associations for the FAIR campaign – which under the umbrella of ALIA are campaigning for qualified staff in school libraries. Joining together as a national body to address this issue and the general down-turn in our profession, will benefit the advancement of advocacy.
I would like to sincerely thank our councillors and executive team who volunteer their free time to keep QSLA moving forward. It really is a joy to work with such committed and capable peers.
Shirley Birrell President – Queensland School Library Association
But, Shirley, what big eyes
you have!
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David Malouf officially launched the Copyright Agency’s online resource Reading Australia (http://readingaustralia.com.au/) last week.
David spoke passionately in his launch speech of the need for people to read widely within one’s language and culture to explore and discover surprises within the familiar.
Reading Australia is a resource dedicated to over 200 of Australia’s greatest texts – be they novels, plays, poems, essays and works of non-fiction. The list was composed by the Australian Society of Authors and we will be regularly making additions. This year, for example, we have added Richard Flanagan’s Man Booker Prize title, The Narrow Road to the Deep North.
Former Chair of the Copyright Agency Brian Johns was surprised to learn many iconic Australian works were not being taught in our schools and universities. He actively promoted this concept and accordingly the Copyright Agency’s objective with Reading Australia has been to create resources for books of such high quality that it makes for a compelling case to teach to them. Avid readers also will derive much pleasure in exploring the list and the resources that accompany it. The article by Brian Johns: http://www.copyright.com.au/news-events/news-items/2015/teachers-invite-famous-aussies-into-classrooms
We urge you to visit readingaustralia.com.au to take a look around the site and perhaps tell any teachers or book clubs you know about it – it is a genuine community resource and all visitors are most welcome. You can also read an extract of David Malouf’s insightful speech, which appeared in last Friday’s Sydney Morning Herald, http://www.copyright.com.au/assets/documents/Corporate/media-releases/2014/davidmaloufsmh.pdf.
Copyright Agency invites you to explore Reading Australia
Kim Williams Chair – Copyright Agency
“Reading Australia provides us with an opportunity to deeply explore our own culture. It’s growing list of Australian books, and accompanying teaching resources, is generous, open and rich, both as a record of the continent’s uniqueness, and of the life that has been lived there by Indigenous peoples, the settlers, and many waves of migrants, over more than two centuries, from all over the globe.”
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QSLA Brand Launch, LED Workshop and The Edge Tour
Debbie Hunter Teaching and Learning Librarian - Brisbane Grammar School QLSA Vice-President State-Wide Professional Development
On Wednesday 29 July, we celebrated the brand launch of QSLA at the State Library of Queensland. With a short presentation from President, Shirley Birrell and some afternoon tea, we celebrated over 46 years of networking, advocating and supporting school libraries in Queensland. Our attendees included QSLA members, a QSLA Life member and a non-member.
A trip to the Edge is always exciting. If you haven’t been to The Edge lately, it’s well work a visit! It still offers its well-equipped pods and tables for meetings of any size, where you can work overlooking the peace of the river and city lights.
Over the past year, The Edge have redeveloped a very comprehensive Fabrication workshop on the lower level that accommodates any event, from the serious Hacker Meeting group to the individual with a need for a 3D printer, sewing machine or laser cutter. The Recording Studio is industry standard, and also a bookable space from the website for anyone to use.
www.edgeqld.org.au/whats-on/category/facility-inductions
As part of our launch event, QSLA attendees completed an LED Workshop session. We learned about hands on basic electronics circuits, as our postcards came to life with an LED, battery and a few wires and switch in the right places! These courses, complete with take away instructions for your student classes, and more are listed in the website here. http://edgeqld.org.au/makeit-kits/
A successful and fun evening to celebrate the start of another chapter in QSLA history.
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A note from Angie Farmer, Secretariat: please contact me
on [email protected] if you would like a copy of the workshop
information sheet. For the more adventurous type there is a cheaper
kit option available that is more hands on (get your pliers ready) –
just email me for the details!
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With budget time around the corner, don’t forget to add your QSLA membership and / or QSLA referencing guides to your budget. The price of both our memberships and referencing guides will remain the same as per the past couple of years. The only difference with budgeting / payment for 2016 will be our new name, QLSA.
As mentioned earlier this year, our memberships will be renewed on a calendar year basis. The calendar year runs from January to December. For members who join up throughout the year, a pro-rata rate will be available by liaising with our Secretariat.
If you would like a copy of the QLSA 2016 Membership Renewal Form or QSLA 2016 Product Order Form, please contact our Secretariat, Angie Farmer, on [email protected].
2016 Budget – Memberships and Product Orders
Angie Farmer Secretariat - Queensland School Library Association
Institutional (<200) $75.00
Institutional (<500) $145.00
Institutional (<1000) $190.00
Institutional (>1000) $250.00
Multiple Libraries (2 or more) $300.00
Personal Membership $110.00
School Officer / Teacher Aide $75.00
Fulltime Student / Retired $75.00
Corporate $400.00
Item Price (incl GST)
Guidelines for referencing and bibliographies for primary students $9.90
Guide to referencing and bibliographies for secondary students 4th Edition Harvard
$17.60
APA Guide to referencing for secondary school students $22.00
Resourceful partnerships: teacher-librarianship in Queensland 1968-2008 $27.50
HARVARD Online user licence (NB: Not compatible with Apple Mac)> 600 students $250600-1000 students $300>1,000 students $350
APA Online user licence (NB: Not compatible with Apple Mac)> 600 students $250600-1000 students $300>1,000 students $350
2016 Membership type and fees (incl GST)
QLSA Referencing Guides
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The Queensland School Library Association (QSLA) is the proud publisher of the most comprehensive guides available in Australia for two popular referencing styles, Harvard (AGPS) and APA. These are The Harvard Guide to Referencing and Bibliographies: for Secondary School Students and The APA Guide to Referencing and Bibliographies: for Secondary School Students, which give clear examples of in-text and end-text referencing so that students really understand the intricate requirements of providing bibliographic details for their assignments, from Year 7 all the way through to Year 12.
These booklets include detailed guides to referencing all sources, both traditional and more recent, such as social media, apps, the increasing types and platforms for e-books, and a detailed guide to writing annotated bibliographies, along with many other citations and clear in-text referencing assistance.
You do not need to be a QSLA member to purchase the guides. Information regarding the guides can be found here: http://www.qsla.org.au/products-overview/
If you want your senior students to move on to university studies with full confidence that they already possess university-level knowledge of one of the major referencing styles, then give them access to one of these guides, which provide details of both the in-text and end-text referencing for over 118 different sources. Very few citation-makers, Microsoft Word’s referencing tab or even university library websites can assist with so many.
There is also an online subscription available for each versions of these booklets. They are not a ‘citation maker’, rather they are the digitised versions of the booklets. This is a very cost-effective way of providing comprehensive information about virtually any queries students may have about Bibliographies or Reference Lists, and how to reference quotes.
As an example, this is a question one Year 11 student asked me recently, as he was doing an Extension Music assignment:
2016 Budget – Memberships and Product OrdersI’m trying to reference an autobiography entitled Mein Leben (My Life) by Richard Wagner. Two discrepancies: the copy I am doing is a translation published in 1911. The original Mein Leben was published in 1870, ’72 and ’75 (each volume respectively). Which publication date do I use? And is there any way that I can acknowledge the original publication dates? Also, the translator is uncredited – how do I acknowledge this in the reference?
If you go to the Harvard referencing book on p. 19, and check under ‘Edited book (where these are secondary to the author’s contribution)’ just substitute ‘trans.’ for ‘ed’. Here’s my version (some bits are made up, obviously – just substitute the correct ones):
Wagner, R, 2011 (1870, 1872, 1875), Mein leben, trans. A. Mann, Penguin, London.
These and other questions are all answered in the QSLA referencing guides!
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How the brain works in its entirety is still a mystery; however, with modern advances in technology, scientists are able to glean insights into the brain like never before. In the past, examining the brain proved to be a highly invasive procedure which could inflict irrevocable harm to the patient. Nowadays, with advances in brain scanning technology, specialists are able to view the brain and all its dynamic processes with relatively minimal impact. Educationalists naturally seek to understand how all this new brain information can help people to think, create and learn more efficiently.
The average adult human brain weighs between 1,300-1,400g, needs twice the energy of any other cells in your body and uses 20% of the oxygen we breathe. The human brain dehydrates very quickly and requires regular hydration along with a supply of glucose. Sleep is necessary for brain repair and teenagers especially need more sleep than adults to learn efficiently. Any parent of a sleep deprived teenager would recognise Carskadon’s 2002 study that confirmed that sleep deprived teenagers were prone to an increase in aggressive behaviours.
Scientists and medical researchers use modern technology to illuminate some of the mysteries of how the human brain functions. Electroencephalographs (EEGs) capture images of the brain processing stimuli whereas CAT scans effectively observe its physical structure. PET scans are useful for examining the brain’s metabolism and blood flow whereas MRI and fMRi scans produce spectacular segmental slices of brain tissues and structures with the added advantage of no exposure to radiation. The future of brain scanning will undoubtedly be the MEG a multi-million dollar mega beast that produces the most accurate measure of even faint magnetic fields allowing researchers to view nerve cells operating to a millisecond. One wonders what new discoveries
Can we hard wire good reading habits into the teenage brain?
Angela Foulds-Cook Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching and Head of Gifted Education - The Southport School and presenter at the 2014 International Library Symposium
A lack of sleep was found to impact a student’s ability to embed memories formed during the day whilst also inhibiting their levels of creativity.
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Can we hard wire good reading habits into the teenage brain?this machine will uncover. Over the last decade, scans have demonstrated that the brain has a high level of neuroplasticity. This act of neurogenesis was first reported in rat brains in 1965 and later confirmed in humans in 1998 (Erickson, et al. 1998; Kempermann and Gage 1999). Brain cells were found to develop according to the activities that people engage with on a regular basis as the brain is able to develop or dump neural pathways with meaningful repetitive use or disuse.
Conditions needed for new brain cell growth or ‘neurogenesis’ to occur, seem to be borne out of exposure to a constant and regular supply of quality learning opportunities coupled with supporting a good sense of self-esteem to promote the production of feel good brain chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin. Whilst scans demonstrate the neurogenesis process to be life long, the brain pruning process seems to start around the age of 12 years. Here the teenage brain reorganises itself by pruning down billions of childhood neurons. This seeming slaughter does in fact result in positive benefits as the body lays down myelin sheaths around the remaining neurons to improve their efficiency and speed- this reorganisation has been described as creating the super pathways for the brain to facilitate adult faster thinking. This is a “use it or lose it” scenario, as the saying goes, cells that wire together fire together. That which is practised regularly by the individual will be prioritised during this brain pruning process whereas that which is not will fall away.
At this point in the teenager’s life it would seem that the adoption or continuation of regular reading habits could promote this being hard wired into the adult brain. During this sensitive remodelling period it is important that librarians and educators inform students about the dynamic neoplastic nature of the brain and its ability to change. Try to counter argue the “I am just not good at reading” argument from those teens with a fixed mindset about their reading or intellectual abilities with an explanation that intelligence is not fixed. The level of a person’s intelligence can be improved with consistent effort and persistence, and a person’s past performance does not necessarily equate with their future performance. Poor reading skills in the past do not functionally equate with poor reading skills in the present if the student commits to regular and
persistent practise. Encouraging teenagers to adopt the regular habit of reading is very important and could lead to a ‘happier’ state of being.
It appears that the brain is a pleasure seeking pain avoiding organ and thus the delight of reading a good book and of immersing yourself in the world of imagination sparked from the written word can link to positive emotional and chemical rewards for the brain (Berridge and Kringlebarch, 2008; Kringlebach 2008b). Reading groups and book clubs with positive feedback provided by a trusted librarian, teacher, parent or peers can all further encourage feel good brain chemicals and with consistent practise and repeated effort, neuroscience has demonstrated that people can change the physical structures of their brain.
As Albert Einstein - a thinker who was obviously way ahead of his time- said, “If you want your children to be bright, read them fairytales - if you want them to be brilliant, read them even more fairytales.“
References:
Berridge, K.C. & Kringelbach, M.L . (2008). Affective neuroscience of pleasure: reward in humans and animals. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 199(3):457-480.
Carskadon, M. A. (2004). Adolescent Sleep Patterns Biological, Social, and Psychological Influences. Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press.
Eriksson, P.S., Perfilieva, E., Björk-Eriksson T, Alborn AM, Nordborg C, Peterson DA, Gage FH. (1998). Neurogenesis in the adult human hippocampus. Nat Med. 1998 Nov;4(11):1313-7.
Kringelbach, ML (2008a). The hedonic brain: A functional neuroanatomy of human pleasure, In Pleasures of the brain, Eds. M. L.
Kringelbach, M. L. (2008b). The pleasure center: trust your animal instincts. New York: Oxford University Press
van Praag, H., Kempermann, G., & Gage, F. H. (1999). Running increases cell proliferation and neurogenesis in the adult mouse dentate gyrus. Nature Neuroscience 2, 266 – 270.
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2015 UQL Cyberschool Seminar Report - Social media and the promotion of school libraries
Diane Nibbs and Nicole Slinger Co-ordinators - UQL Cyberschool
On Friday 24 July, The University of Queensland Library held its annual Cyberschool Seminar at The Women’s College. School principals, deputy principals, heads of departments, teacher-librarians and teachers were invited to attend. This year’s theme was Social media and the promotion of school libraries. The seminar addressed the use of social media to promote school libraries, along with other marketing and promotional ideas.
Erin Martin from the Queensland Department of Education and Training gave a brief overview of DET’s stance on the use of social media in schools, along with contact details for DET schools with social media enquiries.
Keynote Speaker, Tamara Rodgers, presented delegates with an overview of how she uses social media at her school. Tamara is currently the teacher-librarian at Evans High School, NSW. She is Vice-President of the School Library Association of NSW, Regional Leader for the Global Education Project, and School Promotions Officer at Evans High School. She has consulted with the NSWDEC on the development of Social Media policies
Her presentation ‘School Libraries and Social Media - A Modern Day Love Story’ looked at the benefits of social media for libraries, and examined some of the ways that schools can harness the collective experiences, skills, and interests of library communities to build a strong social media presence to benefit school libraries.
Jess Hannan, Marketing and Communication Officer at Brisbane City Council’s Library Services, then presented ‘Social media for libraries: Building an engaged online community’. Jess provided an insight into how Brisbane City Council Library Services use social media to create awareness of the library collection, services and events, and attract new library customers.
The next speaker, Jannine McGarry, Reference Librarian at Somerville House’s Seymour Library, recently completed the online course, ‘Grow the Love: Promote your library service’ sponsored by ALIA and offered through Sydney TAFE. She provided a brief overview of the course and its benefits to library staff.
In the final session, attendees heard three perspectives from three schools on how the teacher-librarian promotes their school library. Louisa Carey from Macgregor SHS, Marj Osborne from Aquinas College on the Gold Coast and Kristen Lewis from
St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School went through the various ways they market and promote their school libraries, and gave practical examples of what they do at the school level.
UQL Cyberschool Manager Julie Oates and Associate Director of Client Services, Bill Beach respectively opened and concluded the day’s proceedings.
A number of Cyberschool’s partner Database and eBook vendors also presented updates on their products during the day’s program. We wish to thank the following sponsors for their support:
Major sponsors:Turnitin Australia (Lunch sponsorship) Binumi (Morning Tea sponsorship) ECHO Education Services (Venue Hire)
Other sponsors included: Access IT Software; Alexander Street Press; Amazing People Library; Britannica Digital Learning; CoInfo; Ebsco Information Services; Gale Cengage Learning; Infobase Learning; Library Webs; Nature Publishing Group/Palgrave Macmillan; Pledger Consulting (Weblinks); ProQuest; Oxford University Press; and The Language People.
During the day, delegates were able to participate in a ‘Logo Locator’ competition, by visiting each participating vendor to receive a stamp on their entry card. Liz Swanson from Northside Christian College was the lucky winner of the iPad mini. Other competition winners included Jason Drummond from All Saints Anglican School (AustLit book prize) and Angie Morris from Redeemer Lutheran College (Oxford University Press prize).
Staff at The Women’s College, Anne and Jeff, were again very obliging and a delicious lunch was enjoyed by all thanks to Head Chef Bill Guest and Sous Chef Katelyn Carmichael.
Some feedback from the day included:• I really enjoyed the range of speakers and
information from the product providers.
• Each session allowed me to take away at least one gem of wisdom to improve my library services.
• I walked away with great ideas about how to promote the library at my school.
• I found the quality of the day very high - informative, practical and with many opportunities and ideas
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2015 UQL Cyberschool Seminar Report - Social media and the promotion of school libraries
for extending my professional practice and implementing ideas into our library.
• I now have a better understanding of promoting our Library through social media. It is always time well spent networking with other school Library professionals.
• The keynote speaker was an excellent choice, engaging, passionate and enthusiastic about the role teacher-librarians can play in using social media.
• I always enjoy catching up with the vendors. It was a great day.
• I found the day both informative and inspiring. It was well run and the sessions were on time.
The annual UQL Cyberschool Seminar is a great opportunity for two of our main clientele, vendors and teacher-librarians, to get together for a day of professional development and sharing of resources and ideas. We look forward to another successful Seminar in 2016, tentatively scheduled for Friday, 22 July.
Video recordings and slide presentations from the Seminar can be viewed on our website at:
https://www.library.uq.edu.au/services-for/2015-uql-cyberschool-seminar-presentations
Liz Swanson from Northside Christian College, winner of the Logo Locator competition, receives her iPad mini from Diane Nibbs
Seminar attendees enjoy lunch in the pleasant surrounds of The Women’s College
Keynote speaker, Tamara Rodgers during her presentation ‘School Libraries and Social Media - A Modern Day Love Story’
UQL Cyberschool Manager, Julie Oates, welcomes over 90 delegates to the annual Seminar
Delegates visit vendors during the lunch break
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Perhaps it’s because Tasmania is smallish, perhaps it’s because it’s coldish, perhaps it’s because it’s so beautiful, perhaps it’s because there is so much variety – whatever, it is we seem to have some extremely talented creators come from our tiny island state.
This novel is my introduction to Angelica Banks aka Heather Rose and Danielle Woods as co-authors. I had not seen the first in the series ‘Finding Serendipity’ but will be sure to seek it out now. Although I missed the first instalment I did not have much trouble picking up with characters and events from the past in this new adventure.
I found the plot refreshingly original and thoroughly engrossing. There are many descriptive passages which define the much used expression of ‘lyrical’.
Writers are going missing and then reappearing in weird places, sometimes injured or otherwise damaged. The public thinks it must be a mad kidnapping ploy by some crazy criminal/s but Tuesday, her author mother Serendipity and her dad Denis all surmise it is more likely to be that these authors are disappearing to ‘there’ that is, the place where authors’ stories are born and grow and flourish. And further, instead of returning home as usual when
their story is completed, somehow they are ending up in the settings and plots of other stories. Yes, it does sound a little confusing in the way I’ve just told it but when you read the book, it makes perfect sense.
Forbidden by Denis to write anything for fear they will also be caught up, Serendipity and Tuesday restrain themselves with much difficulty from putting pen to paper. But stories have a way of catching up with those who must tell them and when Tuesday takes her delightful dog Baxterr to the park for a little walk and sees a special ‘story’ thread floating towards her; she knows she just has to take hold of it.
Tuesday is swept up into an adventure of huge proportions and must help The Librarian and The Gardener to take charge of the colliding story worlds. This she is able to do but only after many complications involving Vivienne Small (heroine of Serendipity’s books), flying dogs, evil vercaka, the strange furred brother and sister, Tarquin and Harlequin as well as another writer of whom, no doubt, both we and Tuesday will see more – Blake Luckhurst.
I have no hesitation for recommending this highly to readers with imagination and a creative spirit from around 10 years and up.
Book Reviews
Sue Warren Teacher-librarian – St John Fisher College
ISBN: 9781760110376
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Imprint: A & U Children
Series: A Tuesday McGillycuddy Adventure
Pub Date: May 2015
Page Extent: 400
Format: Paperback
RRP $15.99
A Week Without Tuesday (A Tuesday McGillycuddy Adventure)Angelica Banks
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Here comes the indomitable Phyllis Wong again! Geoffrey McSkimming’s savvy young conjuror (who is also a superb mystery solver) is such a likeable character; no wonder then, that this series has taken off with so many young readers.
All the important characters from the earlier books including Phyllis’ trusty but eccentric sidekick, Clement and her pet police contact, Chief Inspector Barry Inglis, return along with some interesting new arrivals such as Orson Quilrose, procurer of antique and vintage photographs, and Detective Pinkie Chatterton (now there’s a familiar surname! I wonder…hmmmm).
In this new volume, Phyllis’ great-grandfather, the famous Wallace Wong, reappears in his Transiting travels and Phyllis learns of his special quest. For many decades WW has pursued the same mission, which is to discover the hidden refuge of Myrddin the most famous magician of all time. You may think if this wizard is so famed you might know his name – and you probably do, if we use one of the most well-known alternatives of Merlin.
Young Phyllis begins to piece together a quite remarkable history wherein her esteemed forebear mixes it up in the theatrical world with a very dubious and nasty ventriloquist, Alexander Sturdy. This latter is knocked off his perch by the debut of a rival, Hercule Perkus and his lifelike ‘dummy’ Jasper.
Revenge and long forgotten deeds come to the surface in a contemporary setting and the world at large is threatened by the villain Sturdy’s plans to sabotage an amazing development in technology.
With her customary aplomb, quick thinking and sharp judgements Miss Wong pieces together the disparate clues in the case and with the assistance of her friends and colleagues is once more placed to emerge triumphant.
This series is just delicious. Action, humour, a little reflection, excellent values – and good always trumps evil. I would highly recommend you adding this and the first two volumes to your collection if you have not already done so!! For capable readers of around 8/9 years and up.
ISBN: 9781760113384
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Imprint: A & U Children
Pub Date: June 2015
Page Extent: 400
Format: Paperback
RRP $15.99
Phyllis Wong and the Waking of the WizardGeoffrey McSkimming
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In June this year, Cathy Oxley and I were invited to present a paper at the IASL Conference, in Maastricht, Netherlands. With the conference theme “The School Library Rocks”, this conference offered me an opportunity to consolidate my ideas, in order to make some sense of how a Maker Space might inform the learning for Year 7 and 8 students at Brisbane Grammar School. It is always exciting to find an opportunity to evaluate the work and projects in your school libraries, and find the similarities and differences with school library projects in other places around the world.
My presentation paper was about Maker Spaces, and in particular, about the development of The Lunchbox Club at Brisbane Grammar School. This Club was begun in the Centenary Library (Years 7-8) in 2014 modelled on the Maker Movement philosophy. After months of research, reading and conversation we selected and developed our kits, and now open the doors 2 lunchtimes per week for creative and supervised tinkering and creating. Small projects are offered in both craft and basic electronics during two lunchtimes each week, and there are always fun things to explore.
The Signature Program at BGS.In 2013, Brisbane Grammar School began to explore new learning opportunities through the introduction of a Signature Program. With ongoing unpacking of a new Australian curriculum, and involvement in open conversations at BGS about information learning and Maker styled activities, the new Middle School Media library began looking for ways to stay connected to this new curriculum program.
Closely based on Design Thinking models, the program was planned to run during a full week of immersion learning for Years 7 and 8, and was to replace regular classroom instruction with a week of activity and theme based learning.
With the success of 2013, it was decided to run the program again in 2014 and the Centenary Library (for Years 7-8) was ready to be included in some way by turning focus to a Maker Space with particular attention to curriculum relevance.
The Lunchbox Club today keeps me thinking!Since this conference presentation, ideas and connections just keep on flowing. Planning for the 2016 year will invite further exploration and collaboration as we find new ways to implement immersive learning into our Senior Library program, using the ideas and experience from what we have observed about student learning in the more casual Maker Space environment and philosophy.
Personally, it has connected me in new ways to a wider team of experts, social media groups, and new relationships with my teaching colleagues. I have connected with teachers, STEAM teachers and Faculties. I follow the work of educational groups that can help us to achieve our goals: QUT-STEM High school, SLQ activities at The Edge, and Hacker Meet up groups to keep the Club activities relevant and new.
And yes… “It all began with a Maker Space”.
Please email Debbie Hunter at Brisbane Grammar School if you would like the link to my presentation ([email protected]), or to access Ross Todd’s excellent summary of the entire conference, go to the members area on the QSLA website.
“ It all began with a Maker Space”
Debbie Hunter Teaching and Learning Librarian - Brisbane Grammar School QLSA Vice-President State-Wide Professional Development
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What better place to hold a Cocktail Welcoming event than in the Old Dominican Bookstore in Maastricht.
This amazing English bookstore is located in the Old Dominican Church in the heart of Maastricht.
Maker Faires are indeed a global movement! In the Fab Lab at Maastricht.
Cathy Oxley and Debbie Hunter at the IASL 2015 conference, Maastricht Netherlands.
Playing in the Fab Lab display at the conference
Cathy Oxley and Linda Langford in the Fab Lab, Maastricht.
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QSITE Event: Brisbane Grammar School
Debbie Hunter Teaching and Learning Librarian - Brisbane Grammar School QLSA Vice-President State-Wide Professional Development
When the Brisbane QSITE group invited me to present a workshop for them on Maker Spaces this week, I was keen to take up the challenge. A new focus to a familiar topic! Education groups in many sectors have been talking about Maker Spaces for quite a while now, so my decision was to title this one “Maker Spaces Revisited”. In an attempt to move the conversation along to looking at the impacts of new and changing teaching and learning styles, a focus on these 5 key questions to pave the direction to our discussion.
What is a MakerSpace? Why are they important? How can they link to the curriculum? How do I set one up? What do I need to buy?
The group was a lovely mix of both our ICT teachers and teacher-librarians, and the cross conversation reminds us that we are all on the same educational path! Connection to the curriculum of the Maker Space or activity is now clearly the priority for all, and our questions shared examples of how our schools are making that connection both within the library and beyond. I am happy to offer this PD session as an opportunity for QSLA groups in the regions to share these conversations. If your region is interested, please email the QSLA Secretariat with your enquiry.
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Indigenous perspectives is an important part of the Australian curriculum. During weekly visits with our teacher-librarian, students look at a variety of books to understand our Australian culture and heritage.
After reading Boori Monty Pryor’s book ‘Shake a Leg’ the students and teachers were keen to learn more about the motivation behind the creation of this story. As part of Naidoc week and with Reading Blitz Funding from our Catholic Education Office, our school, St Josephs – The Strand, Townsville, invited Boori to work with our students. It was a profound opportunity for our students and teachers to understand our indigenous culture at the source.
Boori Pryor is a master storyteller and had the children recreating the stories through singing, dance and painting.
One very old story warned children about the dangers of swimming in croc infested waters. Our children can still relate to this 1000 year old story and gain wisdom from their indigenous elders as this problem still exists in North Queensland today.
As a follow up the children will be involved in recording these stories into an illustrated book.
Celebrating Naidoc Week with Literature
Belinda Walker Teacher-librarian – St Joseph’s School, The Strand, Townsville
Owan & Merrick recreating the
crocodile dance.
Charlotte and Cody dance the honey bee dance.
Year 1 students draw the story of the crocodile and the boy who didn’t listen.
Boori asking Thomas what he learnt from the dance.
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Emmaus College recently hosted the local Capricornia QSLA twilight professional development evening. It was a wonderful turnout of local library staff all coming together to share some great food, but more importantly, great information.
We had presentations on Children’s literature and illustrations from Tanya Gill; Mark Mitchell filled us in about Overdrive eBooks and Oliver while Therese Higgins went over Wheelers ebooks and Libcode. Then Lenore Olive spoke about Story Sports and Readers’ Cup for Primary Schools and Liz Auriac spoke about Reader’s Cup for Secondary. Linda Denty and Therese Higgins then showed participants around our Maker Space area where we had the eBoard touch set up, Origami, Lego and Leap Motion software etc.
It was a wonderful afternoon/evening of sharing and networking amongst local library staff.
Twilight Professional Development Evening
Linda Denty , Librarian - Emmaus College CAPQSLA Subcommittee President
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At the recent Writers’ and Illustrators’’ Camp, held at the Daradgee Environmental Centre near Innisfail, students were given the task of writing a picture book in four days. Each year the Principal, Noel Cristado and the staff of the centre plan a book writing experience, with students researching a topic to be presented as a Picture Book. This year the students researched their own family history before arriving at the camp, ready to write their book.
At the camp the students had master classes on developing story boards, writing suitable text and illustrating using water colours from Alison Lester and Elizabeth Honey. Both authors helped the students at all stages of the book writing process. The students were told that their teachers were their editors who would help with editing and getting the story right for publishing. Many students left with completed books.
Alison and Liz also presented professional development for the teachers providing guidance on how to help students develop their stories, demonstrating how to use water colour for illustrations, tips on editing and how the books would
be made. Their experience provided many practical ideas.
The benefit to students and teachers went beyond the writing and illustrating to include focusing on a goal and the pressure of meeting a deadline. Both authors related stories about meeting deadlines. It was not always pleasant as students realised how much work they had to do but they came away with a feeling of accomplishment, knowledge of their family history and a keepsake for the whole family.
While this was not an event organised by Teacher-librarians it is a concept Teacher-librarians can use when planning author visits. Noel and his staff have been organising these camps for years, working with Alison and Liz for the past eight years and this is one of the strengths of the program.
Details about the camp and books written at previous camps are on the Daradgee website https://daradgeeec.eq.edu.au/Programsandactivities
Write a Picture Book in Four Days
Alita Stewart Teacher-librarian - Ravenshoe SS Primary Campus QSLA Treasurer and FNQ Tablelands, Cape & Torres Councillor
Alison Lester and Elizabeth Honey with students at the Daradgee Writers’ and Illustrators’ Camp
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QSLA Council 2015Contact to any member of QSLA council can be done via QSLA secretariat [email protected] or visit the members areas of the QSLA website for email or phone details for some members of council.
President: Shirley Birrell, A.B. Paterson College
Vice-President State-Wide Professional Learning: Debbie Hunter, Brisbane Grammar School
Vice-President Regions: Kim Smith, Catholic Education Office Townsville
Secretary: Margaret Spillman, Mackay West State School
Treasurer: Alita Stewart, Ravenshoe SS Primary Campus
Coordinator Products: Jenni King, Brisbane Boys’ College
Newsletter Editor: Jannine McGarry, Somerville House
State councillorsBrisbane: Jannine McGarry, Somerville House
Capricornia: Mark Mitchell, Catholic Education Office Rockhampton
Central Highlands: Sherryle Nolan, Emerald SS
Darling Downs: Sue Crocombe, The Glennie School
FNQ Coastal: Carey Leahy, Parramatta State School
FNQ Tablelands, Cape and Torres: Alita Stewart, Ravenshoe SS Primary Campus
Logan Beaudesert: Fiona Campbell, Browns Plains High School
Mackay: Margaret Spillman, Mackay West State School
Townsville: Kim Smith, Catholic Education Office
Subcommittee office bearers 2015
BRISBANEPresident: Cathy Oxley, Brisbane Grammar School
Secretary: Anne Weaver, All Hallows’ School
Treasurer: Edwina Clark, Humpybong SS
BUNDABERG AND DISTRICTPresident: Karen Garson, Branyan Road SS
Secretary: Sue Busch, Bundaberg North SS
Treasurer: Ann Cagney, Norville State School
CAPRICORNIAPresident: Linda Denty, Emmaus College
Secretary: Therese Higgins, Emmaus College
Treasurer: Lynda Nicholson, Glenmore SHS
DARLING DOWNSPresident: Marie Miegel, The Glennie School Junior Years, Toowoomba
Treasurer: Jill Bowman, Newtown SS
Communications: Clare Treloar, Harristown SHS
FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND (FNQ)President: Gabrielle Anthony, St Andrew’s Catholic College
Secretary: Carey Leahy, Paramatta SS
Treasurer: Anne Kippin, White Rock SS
GOLD COASTPresident: Vacant
Secretary: Jan Curran, All Saints Anglican School
Treasurer: Tania McKay, Arundel SS
LOGAN & BEAUDESERTPresident: Fiona Campbell – Browns Plains High
Treasurer: Anna Mikulandra – Beaudesert State High
Council appointmentsQueensland University of Technology liaison: Hilary Hughes
Joint Council of Queensland Teacher Association (JCQTA): Megan Stuart, Canterbury College Junior Library
Secretariat: Angie Farmer, [email protected], 0400 937 089
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WEBSITEwww.qsla.org.au
PO BOX 2394, Wellington Point QLD 4160
SECRETARIAT 0400 937 089
