Hi all,
Hope you're well. I thought I'd post to give you a bit of an insight into what I get up to. Let me know if there's anything you want to know.
What I've been reading:
- Mrs Dalloway
- Mob 6
- SLA HR Handbook
What I've been reflecting on:
Bringing school library staff and teaching staff closer together.
This month there have been a few times where I’ve been reminded of the gulf that exists between school library staff and teaching staff. It’s not unique to school library staff – it’s across all support staff – but it is really holding back the school library sector. We are working hard to try and bridge that gap, and have done for years, but it is persistent. There is limited understanding about the work of school library staff from some teaching staff and senior leaders, which is understandable, but there’s also occasional intentional disinterest – they just don’t care. Or that’s how it comes across.
This is by no means all teaching staff – our new School Library Insights blog is showcasing some schools where there is a great working relationship between senior leaders and school library staff – but it exists enough to limit the work, expectations and ambitions of some school library staff. If you’re a teacher reading this please reflect – if you support your school library staff, get in touch and let us know your story. If you’re not sure, go and have a chat to your school library staff – what’s going on? How can they help you? Which pupils are they working with?
We will continue asking to speak or exhibit at conferences, mailing information to schools and using social media to spread the word about the impact that school libraries can have. If you haven’t already had a look at our new advocacy page, take a look – it’s a great starting point.
What am I looking forward to:
March has lots in store, and I am pleased to be able to celebrate the life of author Kate Saunders, who sadly died last year. She was an exceptional author, and we were honoured to be the beneficiary of a fundraiser which her sisters set up in her memory.
I’m pleased to be attending the OU and UKLA conference in Nottingham as well as the NLT Primary Conference in Chelmsford, so I hope to see some of you there.
Easter also means a week off, and I would be lying if I didn’t say I was looking forward to that!
Highlights of this month:
February has been a busy month and there are two events which stand out particularly. One was attending a roundtable at East Ham Library with The Reading Agency and Lord Parkinson (the Minister for Arts and Heritage - which includes libraries) to discuss the work of the Summer Reading Challenge, which I’m delighted to be on the Strategic Advisory Board for.
The second was the 500 Words ceremony at Buckingham Palace; somewhere I never thought I’d go, but it was an amazing event. The SLA was delighted to support the competition again this year and thank you to all the SLA members who judged the stories and encouraged their pupils to take part.
Key SLA developments:
The timing of this is difficult as I can’t actually talk about the thing I want to talk about, but there’s an exciting announcement coming next week…
Working at the SLA is a privilege and everything we do is for our members and their pupils, and sometimes you get a brilliant reminder of how much of a community we are, and that by working together we can make things better.
Have a great week, and don't forget, it's your association.