"Get reading" says the wiggles

Australian Library and Information Week starts with the Inquiry report being tabled!!!

What is Library and Information Week? 
"We find stuff!"

We catalogue stuff!
We look up stuff!
We research stuff!
We know stuff!

Library and Information Week will be held from 23 - 29 May 2011.

Libraries across Australia can use this week as a focus to promote and showcase their varied resources and services through different programs and events to the community. The week 

provides you the opportunity to introduce new services or publicly canvas issues of importance regarding library and information services in Australia.

The School Libraries and Teacher Librarians in Australia report
has now been tabled in parliament for debate at a later sitting. The full report is at
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/ee/schoollibraries/report.htm 

Chapter  6 is of great interest as it comprises the concluding comments.

Have a read:

http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/ee/schoollibraries/report.htm#chapters

There are eleven recommendations:
Recommendation 1
The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government
partner with all education authorities to fund the provision of a core set
of online database resources, which are made available to all Australian
schools.
 
Recommendation 2: IL Continuum
The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government work
with the states and territories to develop a discrete national policy
statement that defines the importance of digital and information literacy
for learning in the 21st century, which can be used as a guide by teachers
and principals.
 
Recommendation 3
The Committee recommends that the Australian Curriculum, Assessment
and Reporting Authority include statistical information about the
breakdown of all specialist teachers, including teacher librarians, on the
My School website.
 
Recommendation 4
The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government
support additional initiatives to promote reading, such as a National Year
of Reading. The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace
Relations should collaborate with the Australian School Library
Association, Australian Libraries and Information Association and other
education stakeholders in developing these initiatives
 
Recommendation 5
The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government
initiate an Australian-based longitudinal study into the links between
library programs, literacy (including digital literacy) and student
achievement, including their impact on improving outcomes for
socioeconomically disadvantaged students.
 
Recommendation 6
The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government
support promotional activities undertaken by ASLA and ALIA that
demonstrate to the school community the valuable work that teacher
librarians are doing in respect of e-learning in their schools, including
those that highlight their leadership capacity
 
Recommendation 7
The Committee recommends that the rollout of the new national
curriculum, which is to be made available online, include a component of
training for teacher librarians.
 
Recommendation 8
The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government
commission a thorough workforce gap analysis of teacher librarians
across Australian schools.
 
Recommendation 9
The Committee recommends that the Minister for School Education,
Early Childhood and Youth, through the Ministerial Council for
Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs, establish a
national dialogue, including with tertiary providers, on the role of
teacher librarians today in schools and into the future. The dialogue
should include an examination of the adequacy of the pathways into the
profession and ongoing training requirements.
 
Recommendation 10
The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government,
through the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood and
Youth Affairs, discuss ways to enhance partnerships with state and
territory and local levels of government to support school libraries and
teacher librarians.
 
Recommendation 11
The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government
partner with ASLA and ALIA to produce a document that showcases
some of the successful partnerships and programs between school
libraries and other libraries, and joint-use libraries. The document
should be made available to government and non-government
education authorities and school principals.



In Chapter 6, which contains the concluding comments, I thought that this point below would be a great one to get motivated and moving with-especially as the 2012 Year of Reading has already been announced and organised. 

6.23 One very meaningful way to get the momentum started may be to establish a National Year of Reading program with a range of coordinated activities, supported by all levels of government, the peak library bodies, principals and teacher librarians alike.


The Inquiry Report tabled in the House today can be the beginning of change, if a genuine national discussion is initiated and concretely supported.


Recommendation 6 could be the best of all.  There is much ASLA and ALIA can do with extra funding and staffing to “demonstrate to the school community the valuable work that teacher librarians are doing in respect of e-learning in their schools, including those that highlight their leadership capacity.”  This could see real changes in understandings if well funded. 

From: "Our initial response to the Inquiry Report recommendations" post by The Hub

World Book Day

Look out for details of events you can attend at bookshops and libraries in your area around the time of World Book Day. There are thousands of events organised every year − many of them open to everyone.

Help share the tradition: Awaken young minds with 'A Book on Every Bed'

 Awaken young minds with "A Book on Every Bed." This article, by Amy,  from the Washington Post really resonated with me. I just had to try to spread the great idea as requested. I hope you will also share  the concept and spread the tradition with others.

 Amy was concerned that according to literacy organizations, less than half of young children in this country are read to regularly and a high percentage of American families have no children's books in the home." This is not a problem confined to America. It  is a global problem. Amy used her column to make a plea to her readers asking them to celebrate by giving a book to a child, through a homegrown campaign called "A Book on Every Bed, " explaining the process:

"Take a book. Wrap it. Place it on a child's bed so it's the first thing she sees on Christmas morning (or whatever holiday you celebrate)." 

So simple. So inexpensive. So valuable. So effective.

(It is not about buying books as you can hand down a pre-loved book)

"A Book on Every Bed" is an appeal to spread the love of reading from parents to children. We also want to encourage families to share books by reading aloud.

Mr. McCullough, historian and two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner e-mailed Amy: "I think my love of books began on Christmas mornings long ago and the love has never gone stale."

Start a tradition: My hope is that other families will enjoy a tradition that revolves around reading together. I further hope that librarians, teachers, bookstore owners and literacy advocates spread this idea as far and wide as it will go, making it possible for any family that wants a child to receive a book to get one."

 We all know that literacy starts early and needs to be nurtured with regular reading.

We all understand that kids who grow up surrounded by books and stories have a great start  in life. Let's help some kids who otherwise may not get this chance. Have you any suggestions to help achieve this goal?

We also need to keep in mind the conflict that is present in society. The post

'Books for Christmas? What the heck is that?' Child's reaction to present becomes internet hit. demonstrates the focus that Christmas is often perceived to be about toys and games. Here was a child who 'To him books are the fun time we spend reading every night before he goes to bed.'

In the article the father stressed that his boy loved reading and books, but was 'overwhelmed' after opening too many gifts.

 This scholastic e-card shows clearly the joy of having a book for a present. We need to promote this message to our families and students.

 We need to ensure that books are wanted and acceptable as gifts at special times such as birthdays and Christmas. Next year at Sandy Beach Public School Library I am starting up the (donate a book to the library)-Birthday Book Plan. Parents are invited to send in a book that their child would love to read so we can process it ready for the child's birthday. The processing includes placing a donation plate in the book thus recognising the donor for their contribution. 

The student who donated the book is then the first to borrow and read the book which, once returned, becomes available for the rest of the students to borrow. In the interest of equity I also like the idea of gaining some sponsorship from local community businesses to help those families where parents may not be in a position to donate.

The Global Literacy Campaign currently running also illustrates the interest and need there is to ensure our kids are reading every day:

Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life | THE READING BILL OF RIGHTS  

You can view this as a slideshow.

Please join in and invite other teachers, friends and family to take the pledge to encourage a child in your life to read every day @ Read Every Day

Together we can help improve the future for many a girl and boy!

RIF Study: Access to Books Vital to Children's Success

According to RIF's summary report, access to print materials:

• Improves children's reading performance.
• Are instrumental in helping children learn the basics of reading. .
• Causes children to read more and for longer lengths of time.
• Produces improved attitudes toward reading and learning among children.

 Through book distribution programs, libraries, and classrooms, we can assure children's success by increasing access to books.

 Kids who read, succeed!

A Teacher Librarian who combines his love of reading with his love of traveling.

Mr Schu loves to read

Importance of A Reading Culture

Importance of A “Reading Culture”

Gotta Keep Reading

 You have to watch and listen to this stimulating video:

Gotta Keep Reading from Ocooee Middle School

Bring dogs into the library...help kids learn to read...

Therapy dogs in libraries 

can help kids 

become more comfortable with reading.

Children who are just learning to read often feel judged or intimidated by classmates and adults.

But reading to a dog isn't so scary.

It won't judge, it won't get impatient, it won't laugh or correct if the child makes a mistake.

In a nutshell, dogs are simply excellent listeners.

And for shy kids or slow readers, that can make all the difference.

In America there is a nationwide program called R.E.A.D. -- Reading Education Assistance Dogs. It has been noticed that there's another benefit of reading to the dogs that they didn't anticipate: confidence.

The volunteers see the kids light up and see how excited they are with their success. They see all these changes in the students that they just weren't able to make as beginning readers before.

Check out more on this program @Learning to Read? Try talking to a dog

Are we ready to redefine reading?

DIGITAL EDUCATION REVOLUTION

A book is a place

Bob Stein, The Age, 25 July 2009

"With books, as we redefine content to include the conversation that grows up around the text, the author will increasingly be expected to be part of that ongoing conversation and, of course, expect to be paid for that effort.

For their part, readers will see the experience of reading expand to include a range of behaviours, all situated firmly within a social context.

To illustrate, here's a mother in London describing her 10-year-old boy's reading behaviour: "He'll be reading a (printed) book. He'll put the book down and go to the book's website. Then he'll check what other readers are writing in the forums, and maybe leave a message himself, then return to the book. He'll put the book down again and Google a query that's occurred to him."

I suggest that we revise our definition of reading to incorporate this range of activities, in addition to time spent absorbing the content of the printed page."

Read more at http://tinyurl.com/l7gf5d

ACSSO Australian Education Digest Vol 3 No 28, 3 August 2009

Sparklebox is a great find.

Sparklebox
Signs and Labels
Book Corner and Reading Area- free posters to use in these areas
may be useful to Teacher Librarians.
Make sure you let your staff know about Sparklebox. It has thousands of great FREE resources for teachers.
Great Easter resources are also available.

PAWS for reading

The Paws for Reading program is designed to help children improve their reading skills in a fun way.

Reading to therapy dogs provides the child with a relaxed and relaxing, non-judgmental listener.


http://www.kidspoint.org/scrapbook.asp?page_id=128

Worth doing?? I'd like to give it a go!