ALIA Schools

Promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice Through Diverse Collections
2026-03-21 10:30 - 11:30 (Australia/Sydney) | Zoom
Dr Lilly Brown, a proud Gumbaynggirr woman and CEO of Magabala Books, together with Rachael Cosentino, Teacher Librarian at St Andrew’s Cathedral School / Gawura School, will explore best practice in developing collections that genuinely reflect the diverse knowledges, cultures, and perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Their presentation will emphasise cultural safety and racial literacy, offering practical guidance and real examples to help schools align everyday library practice with core professional values.
This webinar will address the following AITSL teaching standard:
Standard 6 – Engage in professional learning with the specific focus on 6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice.
This webinar will support the following ALIA Code of Ethics for the Australian School Libraries clause:
Clause 2 – Human rights, equality, diversity & identity.
Register at ALIA Upcoming Events & Training

ALIA SIG Committee Meeting
2026-03-16 19:00 - 20:30, 2026-02-09 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-11-03 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-10-02 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-08-07 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-06-05 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-05-05 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-04-03 19:00 - 21:00

Webinar: Your AI conversation is overdue
2025-11-08 10:30 - 11:30 | Zoom
Your AI conversation is overdue

Education and Artificial Intelligence consultant will discuss the school librarianship landscape through an AI lens.
This talk will explore the current landscape of AI in education (and beyond) and the potential for teacher librarians to be the vanguard of responsible use by staff and students alike. Critical thinking? We’ve been talking about it for ages. Information literacy? Welcome to the party. Much of what the general public (and some academics) say we need to do has already been done in libraries for years.
Let’s explore how AI can help us do that even better.

Maximising your school library budget : achieving more with less
2025-08-30 10:30 - 11:30 | Zoom
With ever-shrinking budgets, decreased staffing, and a surprising number of books published before 1986, the experience of the average school library staff member can often seem worlds away from the Instagram-perfect libraries we often see online.
‘Maximising your school library budget: achieving more with less’ will provide valuable insights into three varied school libraries all lead by staff who are using what they have at their disposal to make incredible things happen for their students. By sharing the achievements of staff employed in schools of different sizes and across different sectors, this webinar is designed to help all school library staff feel confident in the success of their own libraries by providing lived experience as an example of what can be achieved on a budget – regardless of what that budget might be.
Guest Speakers

Barbara McGuigan
Letisha Stevenson
Melinda Hultgren

This webinar will address the following AITSL teaching standard: Standard 6: Engage in professional learning with the specific focus on 6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice.
Please note: *The Zoom link will be provided approximately 2 days prior to the event. *Everyone who has registered and paid will receive a recording of the event within 3 business days of the webinar.

Engaging readers: a novel approach with author and educator Jacqueline Harvey
2025-05-17 10:30 - 11:30 | Zoom
Keynote speaker: Jacqueline Harvey, Australian children’s author and educator.
Jacqueline Harvey spent over twenty years working in primary education before becoming a full-time author. She now travels the country visiting the broadest range of schools and has seen it all. From students who are completely disengaged with literacy to those who are never without a book in their hand. From teachers who aren’t readers (some of whom have proudly told her so), to teachers who are complete bookworms! So, how do you make reading interesting and fun for all students and ensure that their teachers are engaging with books on a regular basis too? How do we help students to become the readers we want them to be? Jacqueline has some tips and tricks to help bring the joys and delights of stories to everyone.
Participants will come away with inspiration, ideas, practical tips and a wealth of tried and tested titles that engage readers.
This webinar is for all primary and secondary school library staff with a focus on younger and middle grade readers.
The Zoom link will be provided approximately 3 days before the event. A recording will also be made available within 5 business days of the event to all participants who have finalised their payment.
Program

10:20 am – Waiting room open to participants]
10:30 am – Welcome and introduction
10:35 am – Presentation by Jacqueline Harvey and time for questions from attendees
11:25 am – Plenary to wrap up the webinar and complete the evaluation form
11:30 am – Finish

Online link
Online webinar Zoom – a link will be provided approximately 3 days before the event.
A recording will also be made available within 5 business days of the event to all participants who have finalised their payment.
Cost

ALIA Member – FREE
Non-Member – $55

Ethics and School Libraries: our foundation and connection
2025-03-29 10:30 - 23:30 | Zoom
Event Description
Keynote speaker: Jacqui Lucas, ALIA Professional Development Teacher Librarian.
ALIA launched the ALIA Code of Ethics for the Australian Library and Information Services Workforce late 2024. The Code articulates the principles that are the foundation of library work, and the behaviours that connect everyone who works, or aspires to work, in a library or information service. The Code also strengthens the foundation of the ALIA Skills, Knowledge and Ethics Framework.
ALIA Schools has created a template that can be used to contextualise and implement a Code of Ethics for your school library. A Code of Ethics is a vital advocacy tool that can help make your work visible and support you in clearly communicating the importance of the school library.
Jacqui will share how the Code of Ethics was developed and lead participants in using the template to create your own branded Code of Ethics for a school library with action examples relevant to your unique school context. The webinar is for all primary and secondary school library staff.

Ethics and School Libraries: our foundation and connection
2025-03-29 10:30 - 11:30 | Zoom
Event Description
Keynote speaker: Jacqui Lucas, ALIA Professional Development Teacher Librarian
ALIA launched the ALIA Code of Ethics for the Australian Library and Information Services Workforce late 2024. The Code articulates the principles that are the foundation of library work, and the behaviours that connect everyone who works, or aspires to work, in a library or information service. The Code also strengthens the foundation of the ALIA Skills, Knowledge and Ethics Framework.
ALIA Schools has created a template that can be used to contextualise and implement a Code of Ethics for your school library. A Code of Ethics is a vital advocacy tool that can help make your work visible and support you in clearly communicating the importance of the school library.
Jacqui will share how the Code of Ethics was developed and lead participants in using the template to create your own branded Code of Ethics for a school library with action examples relevant to your unique school context. The webinar is for all primary and secondary school library staff.
Program

10:20 am – Waiting room open to participants
10:30 am – Welcome and introduction
10:35 am – Presentation by Jacqui Lucas and time for questions from attendees
11:25 am – Plenary to wrap up the webinar and complete the evaluation form
11:30 am – Finish

When

Saturday, 29 March 2025 10:30 am – 11:30 am AEDT

Where

Online webinar Zoom – a link will be provided approximately 3 days before the event.

A recording will also be made available within 5 business days of the event to all participants who have finalised their payment.
Cost

ALIA Member – FREE
Non-Member – $55

By registering for this webinar you are granting the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and its representatives the right to use, reproduce, and publish audio and video recordings of your participation in the webinar. By registering you are indicating that you understand and agree that these recordings may be used for promotional, educational, and informational purposes, including but not limited to, marketing materials, online platforms, social media, and any other medium deemed appropriate by ALIA.

ALIA SIG Committee Meeting
2025-03-03 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-02-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom

AustLit Environments for Cross-Curriculum Learning - Online launch
2024-10-30 16:00 - 17:00 | Zoom
AustLit is an authoritative database about Australian literature and storytelling with biographical and bibliographical information, full text, exhibitions, and rich online content.
The Learning Environments are:
Teacher librarians will be interested to know that AustLit is about to launch their newest (and very exciting!) project dedicated to supporting the three Australian Curriculum Cross-Curriculum Priorities aimed at enhancing digital literacy for secondary students (aged 12 and up).

Sustainability
Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures

These Learning Environments are designed to support digital literacy development for secondary students (aged 12 & up) as database users. The Learning Environments include rich content and data for teachers and librarians, and are free to access for everyone!
You are invited to register for the launch, taking place online via Zoom, from 4pm AEST (Brisbane) on Wednesday 30 October. If you can’t join us on the day, please register anyway so we can provide you with a link to the recording and further details afterwards.

AI in Education: navigating the perfect storm
2024-10-26 10:30 - 11:30 | Zoom
Guest Speaker – Dr Kay Oddone (Lecturer and Course Director MEd. Teacher Librarianship, Charles Sturt University)

In today’s ‘information perfect storm,’ we are faced with unprecedented access to information, blurred lines between fact and opinion, and the rapid content generation enabled by generative AI technologies. This presentation by Dr Kay Oddone will explore how this current information landscape influences students and teachers, by focusing on the impact of generative AI and the skills needed for navigating this environment.

Participants will learn practical ideas for using generative AI to teach students about algorithmic literacy, information evaluation, and academic integrity. They will discover how school library professionals can use their expertise in information literacy and critical thinking to collaborate with teachers to foster students who are informed contributors to our interconnected society.

This webinar is for all primary and secondary school library staff.

This webinar will address the following AITSL teaching standard:

Standard 6: Engage in professional learning with the specific focus on 6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice.

Program

*The Zoom link will be provided approximately 2 days prior to the event.
*Everyone who has registered and paid will receive a recording of the event within 3 business days of the webinar.

ALIA Schools SIG Committee Meeting
2024-10-12 09:30 - 23:00, 2024-08-22 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-06-15 09:30 - 23:30, 2024-04-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom

ALIA Schools SIG Committee Meeting - Exec
2024-09-12 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-07-18 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-05-09 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom

Advocacy + School Libraries = Influence
2024-08-03 09:00 - 13:00
In today’s educational climate school libraries are still advocating for their relevancy. So how does the school library ascertain its relevancy? Some key ways are by providing successful services and programs, ensuring positive learning experiences for students, knowing client needs, communicating with key stakeholders and supporting the school’s curriculum.
Join us for an engaging half-day seminar hosted by ALIA Schools SIG, where we delve into the ways in which school libraries are actively contributing to advocacy efforts, ensuring their influence is felt throughout educational institutions.
This seminar is for primary and secondary teacher librarians and others involved in or supporting learning and teaching programs within a school library context.
Book HERE

Webinar - Fostering a passion for reading
2024-05-25 09:30 - 22:30 | Zoom
Reading is an essential focus area for all school libraries. Join ALIA Schools’ second webinar for 2024 to explore how three practitioners are utilising social media, collection development strategies and wider reading programs to support the development of reading skills and foster a lifelong love of reading in their schools.
Our speakers include:

Helen Farch, Library Technician at Forest Hill College, VIC
Rosie Maher, Librarian at Wenona School, NSW
Karen Eyre, Teacher Librarian at Brisbane Boys’ College, QLD

This webinar is for all primary and secondary school library staff.

ALIA National Conference; Adelaide
2024-05-06 | Adelaide Convention Centre North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia, Adelaide Convention Centre North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000
The ALIA National conference is just a few days away and the program looks fantastic. For those who are attending, we have identified some fantastic panels and presentations relating to schools:

Forging future libraries: Creative collaborations for the sustainability of school libraries;
Transforming Schools Engagement Through Partnerships; Generated AI in the School Library Context;
Citizen Science Corner: Involving your Library Community in Solving Big Questions Using Science, and Ideas, Innovations, and
Initiatives for your School Library. (Otherwise known as the best of the best for you to take and adapt).

For those who are not attending, even reading the overview is of each session is inspirational and thought provoking!
Note there is also a schools meet up on the Tuesday – Morning Tea 7th May. and an opportunity to visit Endeavour College’s Innovation Centre on Thursday afternoon.
Monday May 6 – Thursday May 9, 2024
Adelaide Convention Centre, SA
Full program here

Webinar : Censorship in a Changing World
2024-03-16 10:30 - 11:30 | Zoom
Libraries are increasingly having to address issues regarding censorship and challenged to justify some of the materials in their collections. School libraries are not immune and need to be prepared to respond should the need arise. ALIA Schools’ first webinar for 2024 will delve into this important topic.
Catherine Barnes, Teacher Librarian at Endeavour College in SA, will explore how censorship is impacting school libraries and the ways that staff can be proactive in managing potential challenges.
Trish Hepworth, Director of Policy and Education at ALIA, will provide an overview of the issues that libraries are facing concerning censorship and highlight some of the resources that ALIA has available to assist.
This webinar is for all primary and secondary school library staff.

Book Here
