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Wow, what a year for school libraries!
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WRAP UP
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We have had a bumper year for professional development. This year, webinars became free for all ALIA Members ($55 for non-members). This model shift has enabled many more information professionals to learn from outstanding practitioners and presenters, strengthening their own knowledge and expertise.
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Nearly 650 participants committed to their own professional learning with ALIA Schools in 2025. This knowledge and network building should not be underestimated.
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If you missed any of our four webinars you can always catch up here (free for ALIA members, $55 for non-members)
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Together we are creating greater opportunities for our school libraries to remain innovative, informed, and welcoming spaces for our students and the communities we serve, which is what we are all striving for!
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At ALIA Schools, we value sharing of knowledge and resources. Each of our webinars in 2026 were complimented with an additional resource. You can access these resources here. We hope you find them useful.
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One of the most positive moments to come from our Maximising your school library budget: doing more with less webinar was that participant Leanna reached out to see if we could connect her with a school Library that would benefit from a couple of boxes of good condition middle/high school fiction titles for their collection. Leanna is hoping to gift these in early Term 1. If you feel that your collection could be of benefit, please contact Leanna direct.
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If you haven't heard, some of the Continuing Professional Development Team have launched a podcast.
For the love of libraries aims to unpack all the nuts and bolts of working in an Australian school library.
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In our first episode, we chat to CEO of ALIA, Cathie Warburton and the value she places on school libraries. What would you like us to discuss in 2026? Complete the form and let us know.
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Our CPD team are working hard behind the scenes to deliver you an engaging and inspiring suite of webinars for 2026. Let us know what you need and want in your professional development by completing this short form.
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SPOTLIGHT ON: Melissa and Sean Kelly - Teacher Librarians
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One of the things we love about writing this newsletter is the opportunity to take a peak into another school library information professionals' life. When we reached out to Melissa to learn about her role, we did not expect her to tell us her husband is also a Teacher Librarian. Sean was more than happy to be interviewed as well!
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Tell us about yourself. How did you end up becoming a librarian in a school?
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M: I had been a classroom teacher from 2004 to 2014. I wanted a challenge and a change, so completed my Master's in Teacher Librarianship in 2016.
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By 2017, I was offered a temp job as a teacher librarian for the year and I learned the ropes. With a bit of knowledge under my belt, I was offered a permanent Teacher Librarian role in 2018 at a different school.
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S: I'm Sean, Melissa's husband and also a Teacher Librarian. I am privileged to be the TL at Canley Heights Public for more than three years, and just like Melissa, I also love the role and the impact it has on the school. My push to take the plunge and become a TL was inspired by seeing my wife in action. Her enthusiasm and joy that she brings and gets in return to the role made me rethink my career as a middle leader.
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So I completed the Master's course at CSU and decided to leave my leadership role in private school (which I enjoyed) and explore the exciting role of leading a public school library. Best decision ever!!
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What does your role look like on a day-to-day basis?
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M: I take every class for an hour each week. During that hour I share a story with them, allow time for borrowing and browsing, and then we work on either library skills or research skills. We have a strong calendar where we celebrate events like NSS and Book Week. I am lucky enough to have both relief from face to face and admin time where I take care of the books and make sure I am meeting the needs of our students.
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S: Just like teaching, no two days are exactly the same. Whether it is making texts come alive through dramatic storytelling, helping students gain the skills they need to navigate the digital world, organising events, collaborating with staff, or managing constantly evolving collections to meet the needs of our students, every day is an adventure in the library at Canley Heights Public.
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What is one of the most successful programs/events you run in the Library?
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M: Every year I take my library monitors on an excursion to our local public library. They love it, and feel very grown up. They have the opportunity to attend a behind the scenes tour of how the library runs.
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Then they get to work in the library as "real" librarians and they love experiencing everything the public library has to offer.
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S: Mentorship. Being a TL is a phenomenal vocation, and I have been very lucky to have my wife Melissa, guide me through the first couple of months. However, I know that many aspiring or beginning TL's don't have that support person. A person to ask the silly questions on how to use Oliver, or someone to bounce ideas off for an assignment, or even a person just to encourage you on those days you feel overwhelmed. Sometimes, we just need someone knowledgeable in the field to lend a hand while we find our footing in this pragmatic and dynamic role.
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Freya Blackwood, Mex Fox and Melissa.
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That is why I have taken the informal role of mentoring a number of beginning and aspiring TLs, and I absolutely love it. Providing my team with the tools, ideas, and, most importantly, the support they need to navigate this role has been a joy. Witnessing how they have led their school libraries as a result of our discussions is something I find personally and
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professionally rewarding.
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What is a challenge you face in the library world and how are you navigating it?
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M: I struggle with reading engagement, particularly in the tween years. I focus a lot on tuning in to the types of books they would be interested in. I have greatly expanded our manga collection and this year I created a senior fiction section filled with books from the 7-9 PRC list, for those that want a challenge.
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S: Navigating the digital world. With the rise of AI, media bias, fake information, etc., now, more than ever, there is a need for our students to become skilled in navigating the digital world.
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'Just because it is on the internet doesn't mean it is true', is a line I often use to help students understand that finding information is not enough. We need to really evaluate is accuracy and read texts with a critical eye.
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To achieve this, I create lessons that incorporate strategies and discussion points on understanding how to use the internet effectively, as well as the considerations necessary to be ethical and effective digital citizens. We also use a wealth of resources from Google and eSafety Commissioner to really emphasise its importance.
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Sean's library at Canley Heights Public
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How do you promote the love of reading in your library?
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M: I have started a book club this year, so that students have a place to come and talk about what they are reading. The library is open before school and at lunchtimes for students to read. I also created a borrowing reward system using the alerts in Oliver for Reading Rockstars.
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S: My top three ways of promoting reading are:
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- Student Agency - I have always believed that students should have a say in our collections. Every year, I conduct a rigorous survey for our primary students to determine what texts they would like to see in their library. This, coupled with staff and student anecdotes, forms a solid body of data that I can use when determining what texts live in the library.
- Book Related Events - From author visits, Russ the Story Bus, Book Week, Book Fair, Character Parades, etc. We continually celebrate authors, books and stories throughout the entire year.
- The Book Sell - Whether it is strategic placing of certain texts based on interests or informal spruiking, the library is constantly persuading our students to take a chance and get lost in a book.
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Melissa's lovely library.
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I love libraries because…
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M: It is a place where you have the freedom to read whatever you want with no expectations or pressure to perform. Libraries allow children to explore their sense of wonder and exercise their imagination.
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S: Libraries are a bastion of inclusivity, kindness, story, learning and connectedness in a world that is increasingly becoming more polarised and divided. They reflect the warmth and collective wisdom of its community. It is a place where you can get lost in the pages of a good story, develop new skills to become a better version of yourself, a social place for the lonely, a treasure trove of history and knowledge but, most importantly, I love libraries because no matter where I am in the world, there is an indescribable kindness on the other end of the circulation desk. Librarians are the friendliest and most helpful people you will ever meet.
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Entrance to Sean's library.
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As married TL’s working in different libraries, how do your roles compare and differ?
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S: Mel and I are both very fortunate to work in public school libraries within very supportive communities in Western Sydney. We execute the same policies and day to day operations within our schools. This includes teaching every student on our schools and leading our libraries spaces so it effectively serves our patrons.
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Our school communities are roughly the same size and because of these similarities, we often help each other, pool our resources and continually bounce ideas off each other on how we can best tackle this exciting role. Because of this, our schools really have two teacher librarians instead of one.
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However, we do differ in our strengths and this shapes our priorities and goals for our spaces. Mel is stronger than I am in her book knowledge, cataloguing and collection organisation. Whilst I bring to the table my experience in leadership, digital technologies and creating a reading culture.
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Despite these differences, we both share the common mantra that libraries are inclusive, welcoming and a place of wellbeing. Except when it comes to which of our schools has raised the most money from Book Fair. During that time, it's on like Donkey Kong in the Kelly household.
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Do you want to be interviewed for this newsletter? Let our secretary know and you could be in the spotlight.
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