Some of you may remember, in the hazy pre-pandemic time, that I used to write a monthly blog. I've decided to re-start a changed version, to give SLA members more insight into what my role entails and what's going on at the SLA - including all the unexpected and random things that happen! Let me know if you have specific questions or things you'd like to know.
What I've been reading:
- The Mercer's Reading and Writing for Pleasure: Framework for Practice (available here)
- Member Retention Best Practice Guide
- 8th Confession, James Patterson
What I've been listening to:
- The News Agents podcast
- Fast and Curious podcast
- Work music playlists (boring but true!)
What I've been reflecting on:
Next month will be 6 years since I started at the SLA. The years haven't been without their challenges (GDPR, Brexit, COVID etc), and I have learnt a lot since being appointed. Each of these situations has provided a learning opportunity about me, about other people and about this job. They've all been valuable in their own way, and I'm proud of what we've achieved over my tenure. There's so much still to do!
What am I looking forward to:
I had a Great School Libraries meeting with our Campaign Manager and my Co-Chair - Valentina and Mary Rose - and there's some exciting stuff coming up. We had an initial glance at the results of the survey and it's going to be interesting, so I'm really looking forward to digging around in this analysis... If you haven't had your say yet, the survey is available here. Be quick though - the deadline is the end of this month.
Highlights of this month:
Giving a keynote at the Association of School and College Leaders conference. It's an audience I've wanted to get in front of for a while, so it's great to now have a relationship with ASCL. They were warm and receptive, even when reacting to my challenges, which was great. Late last year I did a podcast and a webinar for ASCL as well. You can listen to the podcast here.
Also, BookTrust launching a campaign for literacy support at early years is an important thing - once the gap opens, it's nearly impossible to close it. It beautifully sits alongside the Great School Libraries campaign, so that when children start a reading journey there are always accessible resources and experts to guide them and build reading into their learning experiences. The Guardian ran an article at the weekend about Phillip Pullman's support for school libraries.
Key SLA developments:
• This new website! Do you have any feedback? We'd love to hear what you think of the new site - whether that's good, or any areas we could improve. Share your thoughts via this online form.
• Ambassadors. We're creating a few 'Ambassador' positions to generate thought leadership for the SLA community, so if you have something you're passionate about, let us know!