Category Archives: Events

USA National School Library Month in April

2015 is  the 30th annual celebration of USA’s School Library Month, honoring school librarians for the amazing job that they do everyday.    Julianne Moore, the Academy Award winning actress and children’s  author, is the  Spokesperson and will be promoting the theme, Your School Library: Where Learning Never Ends, throughout April.

To celebrate this 30th anniversary, AASL has planned the following activities:
*The Student Digital Storytelling Festival – see Website for details. The deadline for submissions has been extended to Midnight on March 20th.
The School Library Ambassador Initiative – look for this on social media throughout April and later on Pinterest.
The Author Gallery and Tip of the Day Calendar –look for this on social media throughout April and later on Pinterest.
Send us your Best Shot – this will be a Twitter and Instagram activity announced at the end of March.
Professional Development Sessions – see Website for details.
This  is the link to the 2015 AASL School Library Month Website:  http://www.ala.org/aasl/slm/

IFLA conference call for proposals

 The IFLA Literacy and Reading Section is seeking proposals for a program to be held at the IFLA Conference in Cape Town, South Africa in August 2015. The theme is Literacy Matters!  The Importance of Literacy & Reading in the Creation of Strong Societies.”

Literacy is more essential than ever before. In societies dominated by the written word, it is a fundamental requirement for citizens of all ages in modern Europe. Literacy empowers the individual to develop capacities of reflection, critique and empathy, leading to a sense of self-efficacy, identity and full participation in society. Literacy skills are crucial to parenting, finding and keeping a job, participating as a citizen, being an active consumer, managing one’s health and taking advantage of digital developments, both socially and at work (EU High Level Group of Experts on Literacy, 2012)

 The Literacy & Reading Section recognises that literacy and reading skills are essential for access to information for educational achievement, personal growth lifelong and the development of communities within society. Libraries have a unique role in the promotion of literacy and reading by providing community spaces and access to a wide range of resources and expertise. The program for the IFLA 2015 Conference will focus on the theme Literacy Matters! and include a mix of invited speakers and presenters.

 Building on the Section’s theme Literacy Matters! The importance of literacy & reading in the creation of strong societies, presentations will be considered which address the theme and examine:

·         best practice library programs;

·         library services which support literacy and reading skills; and

·         research projects that support literacy, reading and libraries.

 Proposals are requested for 8 – 10 presentations to be part of a series of round table workshops.  Each presenter will be part of a round table discussion group which will participate in 3 workshops designed to help further develop the LiR ‘Literacy Matters’ concept & action plan:

  • Workshop 1: Guidelines for Library Based Literacy Programs
  • Workshop 2: Research to support literacy, reading and libraries
  • Workshop 3: Literacy Matters! DVD, online and the next steps

 As an introduction to the final workshop presenters will have 15 minutes to present their best practice program to their table. Since these projects will be presented in an informal, small group setting, speakers should plan some visual accompaniment such as a poster that can be set up on the table. Presenters may also want to bring brochures or flyers to hand out.

 The successful proposals (template provided) will consist of:

·         a 500 word description of a 2000 – 2500 word paper about the program/services/research in their presentation which will be published in the IFLA online library;

·         include a copyright and plagiarism statement; and

·         abstracts will be distributed to all tables and used during Workshop discussions

Abstracts will be selected by a double, blind-review process. Papers will be published in the IFLA online library. Successful presenters will be listed in the official Conference program. All papers will be edited for the English version and returned to presenters for publication in other (English) journals.

 Proposals should provide the following information:

·         Presenter/s and affiliation

·         Brief biographical information of presenters

·         Proposal title

·         500 word abstract describing their program, service or research project

·         Language of presentation

Proposals should be sent to:

·         Barbara Combes (Secretary of the Literacy and Reading Section) at bcombes@csu.edu.au by 14th March 2015.

·         Please include IFLA Proposal WLIC 2015 in the subject line.

·         Successful presenters will be notified by 28th March 2015.

·         Submission of final papers in one of the official IFLA languages by 20th May 2015.

For more information, please contact:

·         Annie Everall (Chair of Literacy and Reading Section) at annie@alannie.demon.co.uk

·         Barbara Combes (Secretary of the Literacy and Reading Section) at bcombes@csu.edu.au

Please note that it is the speakers’ responsibility to find funding for their participation in the conference. All papers will be edited for publication in the IFLA Online Library.

International Mother Tongue Day

here is a message from the present UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova on International Mother Language Day:

“2015 marks the 15th anniversary of International Mother Language Day – this is also a turning point year for the international community, as the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals, when countries will define a new global sustainable development agenda.

“The focus for the post-2015 agenda must fall on the priority of advancing quality education for all — widening access, ensuring equality and inclusiveness, and promoting education for global citizenship and sustainable development.

“Education in the mother language is an essential part of achieving these goals — to facilitate learning and to bolster skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Taking this forward requires a sharper focus on teaching training, revisions of academic programmes and the creation of suitable learning environments.

“UNESCO takes forward these goals across the world. In Latin America, with the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNESCO is promoting inclusive education through bilingual intercultural approaches, in order to include both native and non-native cultures. For the same reasons, the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Asia and the Pacific, based in Bangkok, Thailand, is working to deepen understandings of multilingual education based on the mother tongue, across the region and further afield. Mother tongue education is force for quality learning – it is also essential to bolster multilingualism and respect for linguistic and cultural diversity in societies that are transforming quickly.

“Since 2000, there has been tremendous progress to reach the goals of Education for All. Today, we must look ahead – to complete unfinished business and to tackle new challenges. International Mother Language Day is a moment for all of us to raise the flag for the importance of mother tongue to all educational efforts, to enhance the quality of learning and to reach the unreached. Every girl and boy, every woman and man must have the tools to participate fully in the lives of their societies – this is a basic human right and it is a force for the sustainability of all development.”

IFLA Conference Satellite Meeting on School Libraries and Guided Inquiry

School Libraries & Guided Inquiry: Taking Stock & Taking Action
13-14 August 2015 at the NLSA Centre for the Book, Cape Town (TBC), South Africa

Ross Todd from the USA and Lyn Hay from Australia will be the featured presenters for this two-day Satellite Meeting, co-sponsored by IFLA’s Information Literacy section and School Libraries section. The first day will include panel discussions on school library issues related to library provisoning and staffing and to learning outcomes and the curriculum and a keynote address on Guided Inquiry by Ross Todd and Lyn Hay. A copy of the book Guided Inquiry Design (Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari, 2012) will be provided to all registrants for the Satellite Meeting.

 For the second day, registrants will choose one of two tracks. Track 1 involves a full-day hands-on workshop based on the book Guided Inquiry Design. Track 2 involves a full day on the school library as a force for supporting 21st century teaching and learning. Topics addressed in Track 2 presentations and hands-on workshops include: media and information literacy in the 21st century school; school library work in the curriculum; competencies for the 21st century school librarian; social media in teaching and learning; reading promotion strategies in a digital world; working with the Smart Classroom; and showcases of local school libraries and local school library projects.

Registration for the Satellite Meeting will open March 15, 2015. Registration fee for the two-day meeting including lunches and teas will be 150 USD, with a discounted early bird registration of 100 USD available before June 1, 2015.

 

More information: Sharon Mader, smader@uno.edu  http://ifla2015-schools.co.za

Library of Congress Summer Institutes

The Library of Congress is now accepting applications for its week-long Summer Institutes for K-12 educators. Held at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., these professional development events provide educators with tools and resources to effectively integrate primary sources into K-12 classroom teaching, with an emphasis on student engagement, critical thinking, and construction of knowledge.

The Library is offering five Institutes this summer.  Three of the Institutes are open to teachers and librarians across the content areas, one focuses on civil rights, and one concentrates on primary sources for science education.

Open Institutes Open to K-12 teachers and school librarians across the content areas

Institute Session 1: June 22-26

Institute Session 2: July 6-10

Institute Session 3: July 27-31

Civil Rights Institute Open to K-12 teachers and school librarians with teaching responsibilities related to the Institute focus

Civil Rights Institute: August 3-7

Science Institute Recommended for K-12 educators who teach science or collaborate with science teachers

Science Institute: July 20-24

Applications are due March 24th and require a letter of recommendation. Read more and apply now:

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/teacherinstitute/

Information literacy conference call for proposals

Western Balkan Information Literacy Conference:  JUNE 17th-20th 2015 Juni na Uni 2015. – Hotel “Opal” Bihać, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Conference website: http://www.wbilc2015.kbbi.ba/en/

Call for Papers

Theme: Information & media literacy for lifelong learning: digital citizenship for a digital age.   In this Information Age the rise of digital and social media tools has brought with it some amazing innovations and immense challenges. The challenge to achieve information literacy (IL) in this information rich society is vital for lifelong learning and allows us to capitalise on the diverse and often overwhelming range of information choices which we have been confronted with by the power of the Internet. This great power has forced all of us to develop strategies for confronting issues concerning accessibility, reliability, authenticity and validity as well as information overload. Information Literacy is a vital transferable skill for lifelong learning in both formal and informal learning environments throughout people’s lifetimes. Information literacy facilitates active citizenship of individuals. Information literacy prepares people for lifelong learning because it enables them to find the information they need for any task or decision at hand. In helping to provide and expand access to information, helping to facilitate full participation in Society- our role is crucial. We must prepare for a Society full of Information, prepare for Digital Citizenship for a Digital Age.

Main Themes and Topics: Western Balkan Information Literacy Conference.

  1. Information literacy in the modern world
  2. Librarians as support to the lifelong learning process
  3. Media and information literacy – theoretical approaches (standards, assessment, collaboration, etc.)
  4. New aspects of education/strategic planning, policy, and advocacy for information literacy in a digital age

Paper submission: Submissions in any of the following forms are accepted: presentation, roundtable discussion, poster, Train-the-trainers workshop, PechaKucha. Full paper will be published in conference proceedings

Important Dates

Abstracts submission deadline April 17, 2015

Notification of abstract acceptance April 24, 2015

Paper submission deadline May 15, 2015

Notification of acceptance May 30, 2015

Dissemination of final programme June 02, 2015

Deadline for authors to submit slides June 04, 2015

For further information: please see the Western Balkan Information Literacy Conference website for additional details at:http://www.wbilc2015.kbbi.ba/en/

Please note: all expenses, including registration for the conference, travel, accommodation etc., are the responsibility of the authors/presenters. No financial support can be provided by the Conference Committee, but a special invitation can be issued to authors.