School Library Association

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Thing 12 – attending Conferences

Possibly my favourite “Thing”.  I have to admit that I am a bit of a conference junkie, particularly if they are associated with children’s books.  I totally agree with all that Caroline has said and it is a shame that training managers and senior staff do not always think so as well.

The first conference that I ever attended was an AAL one (the precursor of Career Development group) and it was held in Scarborough in November 1972(?).  We ended up travelling back to Manchester in a Morris 1000 during a snowstorm on the M62; memorable but not for the right reasons.

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Did I mention cake?

My main conference links have been with Youth Libraries group, which I have attended most years since 1997.  Part of that has been because I was the exhibition manager for 10 years and chair of the group in 2010; the latter gave me the opportunity to set the theme for conference and work with others to create the programme.  This really made me realize what a tough job it is to co-ordinate all the speakers, workshops, publishers etc.  Many years ago I wrote an article for the Youth Library Review about attending conference for the first time.  Perhaps the piece of advice that still gets quoted is to take two cases (one inside of the other) so that you can carry all of the goodies that you pick up at exhibitions. I know this will depend on the type of conference but there are usually leaflets, cards, pens and books and even soft toys if you are lucky.

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And more cake!

 

Going to your first conference can be very daunting, even for the most gregarious people.  I know YLG in 1997 was terrifying to begin with.  Luckily an ex-colleague, Sarah Wilkie was on the organizing committee, so that made me feel better.  I was then lucky enough to be spoken to at the bar by another delegate, this was Miranda Mckearney and she was so kind, asking me about my background etc.  On hearing that I had worked in Portsmouth she introduced me to a librarian from there, it was Peter Bone and we have worked together at Waterlooville library.  Suddenly the world seemed a much smaller and friendlier place and I had a really great conference.

Since then I have become a regular at the School Library Association Conferences and they have greatly added to my knowledge and understanding of the special circumstances in schools.  I have also been to a couple of conferences for the Federation of Children’s Book Groups.  This is totally different in that it is not for a professional body but just for those interested in promoting books to children.

Frank Cottrell Boyce

Frank Cottrell Boyce

Somehow I always seem to miss the Cilip Conference (Umbrella), but I must get there one year because the range of topics is something to really challenge me and it would give me the chance to meet colleagues in other areas of the profession.  I would definitely be taking my business cards with me.  Far from being on the way out I find that I receive a lot of cards and it is good to  be able to offer my own in return.  Perhaps the most important elements of the card were the design and the wording that I wanted on it.  It had to be professional yet friendly, informative and yet not overloaded with information.  I hope you all like what I ended up with.  Yes, I am rather keen on Owls.   2014-09-12 15.00.11

I suspect that for many of us the main issue about conferences is the cost.  Local authorities, schools and businesses are having to look at the amount they spend on training and a conference does not always highlight the ‘learning outcomes’, so it is imperative that we can justify our attendance in terms of benefits to our employer and additional skills in the workplace.  However I do think that we all have some responsibility for our professional development and if the subject matter is important then you should think about funding yourself. I understand that this is not possible if you are on a low wage, no wage or if travel costs etc put it all out of range.  Luckily there are still offers of support given by various professional bodies, so be on the lookout for this.

Well I am off to the YLG conference in Glasgow in October, so will get a chance to meet up with friends, learn a lot about Diversity in Publishing and find out what books are coming out in the next few months. I have also got two more conferences pencilled into the diary for next year.  Conferences are amazing events.  Not only do they provide information, discussion and news but they also act as a huge support mechanism for those who attend.  You learn things but you also have your own knowledge validated and your enthusiasm is boosted.  In this day and age these are important elements.  I hope to meet some of you at conferences in the future.

Just as a little footnote, I have signed up for an online conference run by Digital Shift in October.  Here is the link if anyone is interested.

https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=1016943&sessionid=1&key=1A53E7363BFA13D45F7E562DDEA83B24&sourcepage=register&partnerref=ljeblast

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“Reading for Pleasure:edgy, cool or just boring? Make it infectious and survive”

The last few months, since Christmas, have been a little odd due to some health issues.  I had got a list of events and conferences to go to and unfortunately have had to miss out on several of them.  However I have not been totally defeated and last week managed to get up to London for back to back events.  The first was a presentation of the autumn highlights from Walker books, with the added bonus of having the amazing Patrick Ness in conversation with his publisher, more on this will be found on “Margaret’s reading shelf” my book blog.

The second event was a School Library Association training day held at the Institute of Education. It was entitled “Reading for Pleasure:edgy, cool or just boring?  Make it infectious and survive” and was led by Angie Curran a highly experienced adviser in English and literacy.  it was good to get some new ideas, but also to have my knowledge and skills validated by what I heard during the day.

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Book trailers and authors’ blogs are a helpful addition to the library and     classroom.

 

 

 

 

A book corner

A book corner

It was also lovely to have the day in the library training room at the Institute and to have an opportunity to look at the resources they provide for students.  Two specific areas took my interest; the first was the series of book corners that had been set up, in order to model best practice for the students when they get out into schools.  These were bright, attractive and well themed, using books and other materials to engage the pupils.  The second area that I liked was a collection of older materials that had been put out for us to look at.  There were books and pamphlets from the early 20th century and we could see the great changes that have happened over the years.

The day itself was focused on secondary education and looked at a range of issues around supporting students and reading for pleasure.  there were six main points which were covered, they were:

  • why reading for pleasure is essential to pupil’s academic success             2015-05-07 13.38.50
  • review of schools’ current activities
  • adapting current reading activities to improve appeal
  • maximizing support
  • time management

The use of games and discussion groups meant that we all kept focused on the day and it became a very interactive learning experience.  The combination of subject, trainer and venue made this a very successful day.

Back from Conference

The past week has been particularly hectic for a large group of school librarians.  First we had the School Library Association conference in Manchester over the weekend and on Monday there was the announcement of the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway book awards which had been shadowed by around 5000 groups nationally.  I was extremely lucky and attended both of these events, so I am now trying to catch up with sleep and all my emails etc.

I have a soft spot for Manchester as I spent 2 years there as a library school student in the early 1970s.  The city has changed dramatically, but it is still a hub for libraries and books, as I was reminded as I drove past the  world renownedJohn Rylands Library. There is also the newly refurbished central library, with the great round reading room, and the Cheetham’s Library which is part of the school.  The venue for the weekend was great with quite luxurious rooms (compared with student accommodation from past years) and all the talks, workshops, cake tastings within easy distance on the hotel mezzanine floor.

A comfortable sleep

A comfortable sleep

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We’re going on a Bear Hunt.

 

Whilst meeting authors and illustrators is the icing on the cake, conference is really about updating skills and gaining knowledge.  This is not just from the talks and workshops but also through the networking with colleagues from a range of other school settings.

There were two keynote sessions and both provided a lot of interest. Despite all my years in the profession and all the people I have met, I think this is the first time that I have had the pleasure of hearing Malorie Blackman speak.  She was in discussion with the lovely Wendy Cooling and the topics ranged from her role as the children’s laureate to her love of libraries and how they had been important throughout her life.  She was so full of enthusiasm and a wonderful ambassador when talking to members of the government.2014-06-20 15.06.01The second keynote session was by Niall  McWilliams, the head at Carterton Community School and winner of the School Library design award.  It was great to have a headteacher who was so supportive of the role that school libraries and their librarians have in the achievements of the school.

Workshops were wide ranging, from storytelling to EPQ  and also how librarians can work with publishers.  I particularly enjoyed author Steve Hartley who persuaded about 10 of us to step inside the most enormous pair of knickers that we had ever seen.

Really big knickers

Really big knickers

He also spoke about the importance of humour in connecting children to reading, something that we could all agree on.

It was also great to see the ever cheerful and brilliant Neil Griffiths, who as a headteacher many years ago had come up with the idea of Story-sacks.  He is wonderful at showing how storytelling SHOULD be done, so that the children are truly captivated by the experience.

Finally, I attended a workshop with Alyx Price from Macmillan and Harriet Bayly from Oxford University Press who were discussing how schools can work directly with publishers in a variety of ways.  This can range from reviewing proofs of new books to having author visits.  Publishers can also provide materials such as bookmarks which are always very popular with the pupils.

One of the really great things about a conference is usually the exhibition.  This one covered a wide range of areas for school librarians but it was rather short on publisher stands.  However those that did attend were friendly and very helpful, giving everyone a chance to catch up on what is new out there.  Overall this was a lovely conference which stimulated the mind and provided much needed time to talk to colleagues.