Professional library qualifications and support
Continuing professional development for school librarians can be formal or informal. Options include recognised qualifications or courses, online communities, personal or professional learning networks, and professional reading.
Library qualifications and training opportunities
The Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) maintains a guide to relevant undergraduate and postgraduate courses throughout New Zealand.
Current New Zealand library qualifications
National Library Services to Schools
Each year, we offer a professional development programme of 5-week online courses covering topics that are relevant to school librarians.
Professional learning courses and events
The Open Polytechnic
The Open Polytechnic offers information, library and records management programmes and courses ranging from the introductory level through to higher-level qualifications. The Certificate in Literature and Library Services for Children and Young People is particularly relevant to school librarians.
The Open Polytechnic — information and library studies
Certificate in Literature and Library Services for Children and Young People
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University offers a Master of Information Studies (MIS) that can be completed full or part time, and either in the classroom or by distance. The MIS does not currently include courses focusing specifically on the school library environment.
Charles Sturt University
Charles Sturt University in Australia offers a Master of Education in teacher librarianship for teachers. It's a 2-year course available to international students and can be completed by distance.
Professional registration for librarians
Professional registration information is available from LIANZA.
Professional associations
Associations in New Zealand
There are 3 professional associations in New Zealand you could join as a school librarian.
LIANZA is the professional organisation for library and information management professionals in New Zealand.
The School Library Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (SLANZA), Te Puna Whare Mātauranga a Kura aims to strengthen and promote the role of school libraries so that all school communities become information literate.
Te Rōpū Whakahau is the organisation that unites Māori librarians and information specialists. It has a formal relationship with LIANZA and aims to teach, strengthen and unify its members in Aotearoa and around the world.
International associations
Librarians in New Zealand sometimes join professional organisations in other English-speaking countries.
American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
Australian School Library Association (ASLA)
International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) — based in the United States
School Library Association — for the United Kingdom.
Personal learning networks (PLNs)
Developing a Personal Learning Network (PLN) can help you extend your knowledge, develop new skills, make new connections and establish your presence within the wider library and information profession. Networks can be formal and informal and can range from participating in a professional association such as SLANZA to conversations with colleagues in the school staff room.
Communication and sharing of knowledge and experiences can be face-to-face and online. The challenge can be selecting from the almost limitless possibilities for communication and networking. A good place to begin is to consider what a PLN can do to help you in your everyday work by providing opportunities to connect, collaborate, learn and contribute.
You can develop a PLN by participating in listservs, online communities, blogs or social media such as Twitter, Facebook or Google+.
Here are some resources we recommend that may help you to create a PLN that suits your interests and needs.
Listservs and mailing lists
The New Zealand school library email list ("Schoollib listserv"), is open to anyone involved with school libraries in New Zealand. Many SLANZA members take an active part in this forum, sharing their experiences and knowledge with the wider school library community.
New Zealand school libraries email list (listserv)
Australian Teacher Librarian Network (OZTL_NET) is a forum for school library staff to meet online, get help and share ideas with colleagues. Discussion topics include internet resources, library automation, events and children's literature.
News and blogs
Here's a selection of blogs and news-feeds that New Zealand librarians use.
SLANZA
SLANZA Reading — a space where information and news about reading are shared among members.
SLANZA news — New Zealand library news and updates from the SLANZA executive.
Services to schools
Libraries and learning — explores ideas, trends, information and research around school libraries and learning.
Create readers — engaging readers — focuses on children's and young adult literature (especially from New Zealand), literacy research, and ways to get and keep kids reading.
New Zealand school libraries
Top 50 school library bloggers — a US site that includes blogs from King's High School in Dunedin and Springston School in Canterbury.
Twitter and other social media
Many library organisations and librarians have Twitter, Facebook or other social media feeds.
To expand your PLN, see who these library leaders are following on their Twitter accounts or find out which libraries are in your local community tweet:
Alison Hewett — a school librarian who is passionate about a digital future for libraries that enable kids to become life-long readers and great researchers
Michelle Simms — a primary school librarian and ICT Coordinator who's interested in kids' books, technology and education.
SLANZA has a public group on Facebook.
Content curation tools
Content curation tools organise, filter, select and ‘makes sense’ of information on the web. They are a great way for you to find and share content on a particular theme. Curation tools include Scoop.it!, Pinterest, Storify and Feedly, which helps to organise blogs and articles.
We maintain a curated Scoop.it! account that focuses on school libraries and learning, creating readers and digital literacy.
Professional journals
There are many professional journals for librarians — here are some that are of interest to school librarians in New Zealand.
Professional development for school librarians can be formal or informal. Options include recognised qualifications or courses, online communities, learning networks and professional reading.
Joining professional associations and developing your own network of collegial advice and support provides opportunities to update your knowledge and skills.
Collected — SLANZA's magazine which focuses on the latest developments in New Zealand school libraries
Connections — a quarterly journal produced by the Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS) in Australia
The School Library — a newsletter published by the New Zealand Book Council which features reviews for children of all ages plus writer interviews, news and commentaries from the children's book world in New Zealand
School Library Journal Online — published in the United States, this is a monthly journal that features news about school libraries and librarians
Knowledge Quest — the journal of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), which is published every 2 months
Teacher Librarian — a bi-monthly journal for school library professionals, particularly in the United States and Canada.
