Category Archives: Activities

Section Begins Revision of the IFLA/UNESCO School Library Guidelines

The revision of the 2002 IFLA/UNESCO School Library Guidelines began with a workshop at the Singapore WLIC, held on August 20, 2013 at the National Library of Singapore. Dianne Oberg (Canada) and Randi Lundvall (Norway) began the workshop with a brief history of the development of the 1999 IFLA/UNESCO School Library Manifesto and of the 2002 School Library Guidelines.  Then Barbara Schultz-Jones organized five working groups, based on the content of the Guidelines: Introduction; Resources; Staff; Programs; and Promotion. The groups each gave a brief report at the end of their discussions, which were recorded on a flipchart. Dianne Oberg, incoming Secretary of the School Libraries Standing Committee, has transcribed the flipchart notes, and soon the group reports will be available as well. 

Tentative Timeline for the Revision Process

The process for the revision will involve a series of reviews and writing sessions as well as consultations with members of the IFLA School Libraries Standing Committee and with members of IASL. The joint committee anticipates considering feedback on the Guidelines during October and November in order to have a first draft of the revised document by December 2013.  Further feedback and rewriting will continue throughout the first half of 2014. The plan is to have a final document ready for endorsement in August 2014 by the IFLA School Libraries Standing Committee and by IASL. Then the document will go for approval to the Governing Board of IFLA in December 2014, followed by approval by UNESCO.

IFLA members are invited to participate in the revision of the School Library Guidelines as members of the “expert panel” to provide on-going feedback and advice to the joint committee. Interested individuals should contact Dianne Oberg doberg@ualberta.ca. Dianne will provide you with the information and resources that you will need to participate as a member of our “expert panel” over the next year.

Dianne Oberg,
Secretary, School Libraries SC, IFLA
Chair, IASL-IFLA School Libraries Joint Committee
Director-Canada, IASL

Digital Learning Day

The Alliance for Excellent Education is planning a high-profile national Digital Learning Day celebration on February 5, 2014 in Washington, DC. The day-long series of activities is the hottest ticket in town; it’s jam-packed with high-profile dignitaries, policymakers, and educational leaders who are passionate about the potential for digital learning in the nation’s public schools. The day’s agenda includes an exciting “Digital Learning Fair” and “Making It Personal” kiosks that feature hands-on activities and lessons to demonstrate digital learning in action and real-life stories of students and teachers who have already realized this potential and are flourishing through the use of digital learning. The national event will also include perspectives from district-level experts who have already successfully navigated the digital learning shift, and they will be on hand to answer questions from educators across the country. Lots of resources and opportunities to participate are available at http://digitallearningday.org/events/national-event/

International School Library Month

October is International School Library Month.

Please visit the event site http://www.iasl-online.org/events/islm/ to download the poster, bookmarks and a host of other resources that have been prepared to help you celebrate this year’s event.

It’s still not too late to register for the Bookmark Exchange Project or to register for a Skype exchange. You can find details on how to do this on the ISLM website.

Don’t forget to share how you celebrated ISLM 2013. A description and photos can be sent to the secretariat at this address: iasl@mlahq.org

Take a look at what people did in 2012 if you’d like some ideas. http://www.iasl-online.org/events/islm/2012a.htm

Help spread the word. If you know of colleagues or other schools that don’t celebrate ISLM, direct them to the IASL website and encourage them to participate. It’s free!