At the LIANZA Children and Youth Librarian’s Network Zoom meeting in July, the focus was school and public libraries collaboration. Guest Sasha Eastwood-Bennitt (Library & Resources Manager at Manchester Street School and SLANZA President-Elect) recommended attending your local School Library Network meeting. 

School Library Network meetings were established by the National Library’s Services to Schools many years ago and continue to be highly valued while evolving to respond to changing needs. The networks are run around New Zealand by the Services to Schools National Capability Facilitators at the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa.  Support for the school library networks is just one of the ways Services to Schools supports school librarians and the development of school libraries.

The networks are facilitated regularly, either face to face or, in more recent times online.  They are open to, and often attended, by public libraries staff.

The purpose of the school library network meetings is to:

• foster, maintain and facilitate relationships between staff from different schools (librarians, teachers and principals), and others supporting education (such as public libraries)
• provide professional development on a wide range of topics including key focus areas of reading engagement, digital literacy and developing school libraries to build capability and knowledge
• showcase the other services and resources available through the National Library and Services to Schools including our national lending service and the extensive digital resources continually being updated for teaching and learning (including around the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum)
• respond to specific queries and requests for support, or as I like to call it, using the collective hive mind to brainstorm solutions to challenges faced at a local level
• encourage socialising, readers advisory and the exchange of ideas and resource sharing between attendees

The mahi that we do at these meetings can often be relevant to public libraries.  The networks are also a great place to meet people, find out what is happening in each other’s worlds and identify opportunities to work together.  And in some areas there is even home baking!
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Kei roto I te kotahitanga tō tātau kaha – We’re stronger together is a key principle of the Department of Internal Affairs (of which National Library is part). 

Senior Specialist Miriam Tuohy touched on this in her LIANZA 2019 conference presentation:

​And this from Sasha Eastwood-Bennitt:

As people who have worked with me previously will know, I am a huge believer in joining the dots, not reinventing the wheel and avoiding duplication of effort.  So, any opportunity for school and public libraries to get together is a no-brainer for me. 
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If you would like to know more and attend a network meeting in your area, you can get in touch with me directly anne.dickson@dia.govt.nz or contact us 0800 542 5463 or schoollibraryadvice@dia.govt.nz and we can put you in touch with your local facilitator.  We have 61 school library network groups around New Zealand with most having a meeting each term so there is sure to be something happening near you.

The photo shows the Network Meeting for Primary and Intermediate Schools (PINS) in Christchurch, held at Redwood School on une 24, 2021 and run by Sue Bridges (Capability Facilitator, National Library Services to Schools, Christchurch). 
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This Term 2 Network Meeting was focused on Supporting the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum. Groups are discussing the He Meka! He Meka! cards. It was attended by two librarians from Christchurch City Libraries. 

Anne Dickson; is a Kaihuawaere Pūmanawa ā-Motu, he Ratonga ki nga Kura I te Puna Matauranga Aotearoa – Facilitator National Capability, Services to Schools, National Library of New Zealand.  She is one of the national facilitators from around New Zealand and works out of the Auckland office (when she’s not working from home in Snells Beach because of Alert Level lockdowns). Prior to working at the National Library, she held various positions with Auckland Libraries including Youth Service Advisor and Mahurangi East Community Library Manager

Kay Morfett, Programme Administrator at Selwyn Libraries and Leeston Library, is thrilled to be exploring the “Striving Together” theme of diversity and inclusion!
 
“To provide a new hybrid conference to include one and all is exciting! I’m also looking forward to a range of different activities.
 
·       Lightning talk – More baking, less laminating with Aimee Lowe,

• Papers – Piloting a virtual reading room with Valerie Love, a good follow-on for me after Books Alive!
• Community engagement through a Māori lens with Kat Catriss,
• Keynote – Future ready with Sue Lacey Bryant,
• The Living Libraries Panel with Inside Out, an incredible idea, providing our guests a safe place to ask awkward questions is a must-do!

 
Find out more about the LIANZA 2021 Conference programme, keynote speakers, and how to register by visiting: https://lianza.org.nz/events/lianza-2021-conference/

Each month we feature an individual who has recently moved to a new role in the library and information sector within New Zealand. This month we’re featuring Chantalle Smith who has recently moved to a new role in the Alexander Turnbull Library as a research librarian.
 
Chantalle has graciously answered a couple of our burning questions about her new position and what being the research librarian is all about. Thank you Chantalle for taking the time to answer our Q&A! ​

Tell us a little bit about the job. 

I am a research librarian within the Research Enquiries team at the Alexander Turnbull Library. I provide advice and assistance for people wanting to do research with the Alexander Turnbull Library and National Library. Our team helps people when they visit the Reading Rooms, write to the library, or phone us up.

Why did this role interest you?

I have been part of the Research Enquiries team for a few years and this was a next step up. When I first went for roles within this team in 2014, it was because I really wanted to get back into doing research. Even though I normally don’t get to pick what I am researching, I have learnt some fascinating information over the years.
 
I also love that every day is different in this role. You never know what someone is going to ask each day. In one day, I can be answering people’s family history questions, providing a list of resources to a high school student, finding information about a house, telling people how to order copies of items, finding photographs of a person and so much more.
 
I also love to help people. It is extremely satisfying in this role when you find an answer for someone. Although it is also frustrating when you can’t find an answer for them.
 
What exciting projects will you be working on within your role?

There are some questions that we receive a lot and often these are operational questions. They are questions like, how do I register with the library, or how do I request material to view. One project that I am looking forward to working on is creating a range of instructional videos that should hopefully help people with questions like these. Other ideas for videos that the team have had, that I hope to work on too, are around searching the online catalogues and databases.
 
I also hope that I get a chance to work on research guides The library has produced a number of research guides which help with locating resources on a variety of topics. Our team is always thinking of other topics to write guides on.

In the future, what do you hope to achieve in this role?

My personal goal as a librarian has always been about educating others on how libraries can help everyone, and that we aren’t just about the books. In this role I will continue to help people feel comfortable with using the National Library and Alexander Turnbull Library.

What does a fun working day in your new role include?

A fun day for me is when a group visits to learn more about the library. I love showing people the interesting things we have at the Library. It normally involves walking around the Reading Room pointing out the different resources they can use for their specific research topic, doing a live demonstration on how to search any online resources that would be of use, and occasionally we will get collection items out to show people.
 
My favourite groups to show around are high school students. Normally they are a group that have never thought about using the National Library and Alexander Turnbull Library for their assignments, and I love opening their eyes to what we have that can help them. It is satisfying when I see students coming back into the library after their class has visited. One thing that nearly always happens is that the students become fascinated with the microfilm machines. Although for a lot of them, the novelty of using them can wear off quickly when they realise how long it can take to find articles of interest!

What advice do you have for someone aiming to progress their career in libraries?

Talk with other people in the library profession. When you get the opportunities, you should attend talks, conferences and seminars. This will give you ideas on what different careers there are in libraries, but it also gives you ideas on what you can focus on for your professional development. A lot of the advice I have been given by other library professionals has helped me in learning new skills, which in turn has given me things to talk about in interviews!

The original Allan Bean Centre Library

The  Allan Bean Centre was demolished in 2015 due to the Christchurch earthquakes. The former Allan Bean Centre Library was central to the work of the trust, so the loss of the building was devasting and had a huge impact on clients and staff. Since then, the library has gone through a number of changes but is still providing a service to patients and their whānau. The current space was previously an old office, but I actively sought funding and the room has been decorated, has electric adjustable desks, new flooring and customised shelving that is suitable for people in wheelchairs.  While small, the new space looks great and is welcoming and friendly. 
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During her time with the NZ Spinal Trust, she has been involved in several projects: developing patient educational resources, project managing its new website and overseeing the Spinal Network News magazine. She has had articles about her work published in journals and written a number of research papers as well as presenting at national and international conferences. ​

We have had some amazing interviews, Q&A, and events with the finalists of the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults over the past two weeks. They have showed students and libraries from all over Aotearoa how to draw and illustrate characters from finalist books, talked through their writing process and character creation, and answered all the burning questions about their finalist book!

To sum it up – this year’s Books Alive virtual events and Virtual Storytime programme was an absolute hit! In case some of you missed the excitement, we have recorded all the Books Alive virtual events and Virtual Storytimes for you to watch over and over.

There was some really powerful advice shared throughout the virtual Books Alive events, and we wanted to share those with the wider library and information sector. Authors spoke about how to get rid of their dreaded writers block; how characters came to life; while illustrators showed us the very basic tools and techniques to creating funny and memorable illustrations.

Here are some of our favourite take-aways from these events!

The New Zealand Cartoon Archive was launched on April 1 1992 as a partnership between the New Zealand Cartoon Archive Trust and the Alexander Turnbull Library. Over the archive’s nearly 30-year history it has managed to collect over 60,000 cartoons, covering a range of social and political events across Aotearoa’s history

In 2005, the Cartoon Archive was fully absorbed into the Alexander Turnbull Library, and the trust was replaced with a Guardian’s committee. Then, in 2019 the Guardian’s announced that they were stepping down, and the library took the opportunity to reconsider the scope of the collection.

2020 saw the establishment of a new cartoons and comics advisory group, and the expanded scope became official, The New Zealand Cartoons Archive has now become the New Zealand Cartoons and Comics Archive. 

It’s an extremely exciting time for the archive, as it has appointed its first Assistant Curator, who is tasked with examining the new scope and identifying priority collection areas. In expanding the scope of the archive, they hope to provide a home for New Zealand’s rich comics history, as well as continuing to develop and promote its collection of cartoon artwork. It is hoped that this change will bring together all the disparate components of cartoons and comic publications, art, archives and activity, to support focussed and sustained collecting, research support, and public programming.

The expanded scope now includes (but isn’t limited to): caricatures, comic strips, comic books, comics in zine, comix, editorial cartoons, graphic memoir, graphic novels, magazine cartoons, manga, sports cartoons, and webcomics.

The archive’s Assistant Curator is also proudly co-curating Comicfest for 2021. Comicfest was founded in 2013 by Wellington City Libraries and as the event grew the National Library of New Zealand excitedly teamed up with Wellington City Libraries to support the initiative. The star-studded ComicFest 2021 line-up includes many of Aotearoa’s comic greats in workshops, talks and activities for the whole family. You can:

• Help multi-award-winning Kay O’Neill create friends old and new for their latest graphic masterpiece, Dewdrop the Axolotl,
• Listen and watch as 2017-2019 Poet Laureate and Mophead creator Dr Selina Tusitala Marsh joins worldwide comic phenomenon Toby Morris for an exclusive live reboot of The Spinoff’s Two Sketches series,
• Meet debut graphic novel sensation and film director Jonathan King as he discusses the creation of his first comic, The Inkberg Enigma,
• Hear from Lore Olympus creator Rachel Smythe, whose works have just been snapped up by the Jim Henson Company for a television adaptation,
• Explore the hidden worlds of Mary Guo, creator of the hit children’s series Kiddets and professional frequenter of Wellington cafes,
• Learn from freelance illustrator and comic artist extraordinaire Giselle Clarkson’s experiences with artistic commissions, from concept and agreement to completion, and
• Crack the code of superhero creation with Zak Waipara and Michel Mulipola in live demonstration mode.

ComicFest is a free event, held on Saturday 21 August at the National Library of New Zealand (70 Molesworth Street) 9.00am – 5.00pm.