Webinars and Events

with Marika Simon, Lecturer in Teacher Librarianship, Charles Sturt University

Wednesday, 14th May 2025, 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm AEST, Brisbane, QLD

Non-member registration is $45.00 for this live webinar. 

Do you ever get discouraged when you see or hear another teacher librarian sharing a display or project that is meant to be inspiring? Do you look at your wishlist of projects but then compare it to your timetable and feel deflated? Do you look back at your ideals from when you got your degree and sigh when you hear the words “research”, “genrefication”, or “de-selection”?

In this webinar, I’ll share some ideas of achievable, meaningful projects that can fit into a busy, low-administrative-time teacher librarian schedule as well as provide time for suggestions from attendees. Small can still be powerful!

Outcomes for attendees:

• Identify and implement research/data collection to inform practice
• Make small changes that improve the utility of the collection
• Choose one small project to implement in the school library

Marika Simon is a Lecturer in the School of Teacher Librarianship at Charles Sturt University and a graduate of the MEd (Teacher Librarianship) Course.
She brings over 20 years of experience in primary education and teacher librarianship to her role. Marika is the Riverina Regional Representative for SLANSW, the Literacy and Reading Section Secretary for IFLA and the Regional Director for Oceania for IASL. Marika focuses on leveraging research and providing practical information to help teacher librarians improve their practice and realise their professional passions. Her passion for supporting other teacher librarians is evidenced through her mentorship roles in the SLANSW and ASLA mentoring programs as well as her writing and presentations.

For all States and Territories:
This webinar will provide self-identified professional development addressing the following Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Proficient level:
3.4 – Select and use resources
6.2 – Engage in professional learning and improve practice
7.4 – Engage with professional networks and broader communities

Please check the time in your time zone at Event Time Announcer

[Subscribed members, please log in to register for this event. Your membership subscription includes access to this webinar.]

with Karen Eyre, Head of Information Services, Brisbane Boys’ College

Wednesday, 28th May 2025, 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm AEST, Brisbane, QLD

Non-member registration is $45.00 for this live webinar. 

Library staff are often introverts (I know I am!), so it does not feel natural to put yourself out there. The problem with that can be out of sight and out of mind for many user groups. This can result in library programs, services, staff and spaces being devalued in schools.

By targeting particular community stakeholders, it is possible to go from “I don’t know what you actually do” or “It must be nice to just sit in the quiet and read books all day” to creating a widespread understanding of what libraries do to create value for their community.

Inspired by the findings from Deakin University’s studies into Teen Reading, Margaret Merga’s work on creating a reading culture in schools, and her own experience and observations with students and reading, Karen is currently reimagining the reading program at BBC with an aim to improving both the attitudes towards reading and the boys’ self-perception about themselves as readers.

Outcomes for attendees:

• Showcase library resources to show “where the money goes”.
• Get staff reading.
• Socialise student reading to improve reading culture.

Karen Eyre is the Head of Information Services at Brisbane Boys College. She is a Prep to Year 12 Teacher Librarian with a background in teaching secondary English and Geography. Karen constantly advocates for the role libraries play within a school: as safe spaces, as bastions against the sea of mis-dis-and-mal-information, and as places that can open up the world within the pages of a book.

For all States and Territories:
This webinar will provide self-identified professional development addressing the following Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Proficient level:
3.3 – Use teaching strategies
3.4 – Select and use resources
6.2 – Engage in professional learning and improve practice
6.4 – Apply professional learning and improve student learning

Please check the time in your time zone at Event Time Announcer

[Subscribed members, please log in to register for this event. Your membership subscription includes access to this webinar.]

with Kath Talbot, Teaching and Learning Officer for Library Support, CEO Canberra Goulburn

Wednesday, 11th June 2025, 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm AEST, Brisbane, QLD

Non-member registration is $45.00 for this live webinar. 

Teacher librarians can empower a thriving culture, enact change that supports action, and impact teaching and learning through collaboration. This webinar will highlight how a teacher librarian can collaborate with teachers, schools and students to be a guide on the side to build capacity, support change, and enhance pedagogy and instructional practice.

This is the journey of a teacher librarian who has used the wisdom of others to inform and shape her practice that can support your journey in your context and practice.

Attendees will be able to:

• Gain strategies to support their practice to build value; curriculum design that supports student knowledge growth and understanding; and support teaching.
• Identify opportunities to advocate for their role and how it is well placed in the school-wide curriculum
• Conceptualise the possibility of empowering a thriving culture, enacting change, and impacting teaching and learning in small and achievable ways.

Kath has worked for Catholic Education her whole career, 20+ years, teaching a wide range of subject areas from pre-K to year 12. Moving to school libraries in 2015, first primary then secondary, her opportunities since graduating with MEd (TL) include marking for CSU; co-presenting at both NES conferences and ALIA Conference in 2022 with Lori Korodaj; and writing for Access and SCIS Data. Kath is now the Library Support Officer for the Canberra Goulburn Archdiocese. Kath lives in Canberra with her husband, with two wonderful teenage girls, a dog and a cat. She loves audiobooks, cooking, playing hockey and is an International Masters Hockey Umpire.

For all States and Territories:
This webinar will provide self-identified professional development addressing the following Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Proficient level:
6.2 – Engage in professional learning and improve practice
6.4 – Apply professional learning and improve student learning
7.4 – Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities

Please check the time in your time zone at Event Time Announcer

[Subscribed members, please log in to register for this event. Your membership subscription includes access to this webinar.]

with Jessica Lonard, Head of Library and Information Services, St Patrick’s College Strathfield

Wednesday, 25th June 2025, 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm AEST, Brisbane, QLD

Non-member registration is $45.00 for this live webinar. 

As AI becomes a powerful tool in education, it also presents new challenges for fostering ethical scholarship. Teacher librarians are uniquely positioned to guide students in navigating AI responsibly while promoting academic integrity. This presentation will equip attendees with strategies to teach ethical AI use and ensure students develop the skills to engage critically and creatively with this technology.

We will look at:

• AI in Research and Learning: Understanding how students are using AI tools and how to guide them in evaluating and integrating these resources responsibly.
• Promoting Academic Integrity: Practical strategies to help students uphold ethical standards in their use of AI, avoiding plagiarism, and acknowledging AI-generated contributions appropriately.
• Teaching Digital Literacy: Using AI as a springboard to teach broader concepts of digital citizenship, lateral reading, and discerning credible sources.
• Engaging Activities: Designing age-appropriate activities and assessments for primary and secondary students that make ethical scholarship engaging and relevant.

Outcomes for attendees:

• Develop AI and ethics expertise.
• Discover academic integrity frameworks.
• Develop digital literacy skills.
• Explore engaging educational tools.

Jessica is a Teacher Librarian and Digital Learning Specialist with over 18 years of experience in secondary education. She creates programs that help students build on what they know while encouraging them to explore new ideas using research and information skills. She is passionate about getting students into reading and sharing her love of books. Jessica is also interested in AI and its applications in education, exploring how it can enhance learning and teaching. Beyond the library, Jessica runs webinars and workshops on educational technology and teacher librarianship, sharing tips and strategies with other educators.

For all States and Territories:
This webinar will provide self-identified professional development addressing the following Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Proficient level:
3.3 – Use teaching strategies
3.4 – Select and use resources
6.2 – Engage in professional learning and improve practice
6.4 – Apply professional learning and improve student learning

Please check the time in your time zone at Event Time Announcer

[Subscribed members, please log in to register for this event. Your membership subscription includes access to this webinar.]

with Trish Buckley, Teacher Librarian, and Megan Daley, Teacher Librarian and Author

Wednesday, 30th July 2025, 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm AEST, Brisbane, QLD

Non-member registration is $45.00 for this live webinar. 

In a world increasingly dominated by online screen time, how can we encourage young people to want to find time in their busy lives to devote to recreational reading? There is a strong argument to highlight the social aspects of what is often seen as a solitary and isolating activity. Young people who share their reading and enter into spaces where it is valued will be reminded of the benefits and joys of this important experience. Megan and Trish will discuss a range of Book Club options, from primary through secondary situations, and those that also reach out to parents and the wider community. They will talk through logistics as well as book choices, promotion and the impacts for all stakeholders. Discussion will also occur around the research and theory of this significant activity.

Outcomes for attendees:

• Be encouraged to consider implementing book clubs in their own environment
• Be provided with initial set up strategies and templates for promotional material
• Given a range of texts to encompass a wide range of interests, year levels and genres

Trish Buckley works full time in a library. She is passionate about learning and using technology effectively, but most of all, she’s an avid reader. Challenging students to find the books they love has been her driving force for the past 15 years. She is a literature consultant for the Riverbend Standing Orders, a literary judge, the editor of Reading Time and an active member of the CBCA (Qld Branch).

Megan Daley is a Teacher Librarian and has been awarded the ASLA Australian Teacher Librarian of the Year 2023 and the SLAQ Queensland Teacher Librarian of the Year, as well as the national Dromkeen Librarians Award. Megan is the author of the bestselling book ‘Raising Readers’ (UQP, 2019) as well as ‘Teacher, Teacher’ (Affirm Press, 2023) and ‘The Beehive’ (Walker Books, 2024). A former national vice-president of the Children’s Book Council of Australia, Megan is also a speaker, regular literary judge, festival curator and co-host of the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast.

For all States and Territories:
This webinar will provide self-identified professional development addressing the following Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Proficient level:
3.3 – Use teaching strategies
3.4 – Select and use resources
6.2 – Engage in professional learning and improve practice
6.4 – Apply professional learning and improve student learning

Please check the time in your time zone at Event Time Announcer

[Subscribed members, please log in to register for this event. Your membership subscription includes access to this webinar.]

Wednesday, 13th August 2025, 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm AEST, Brisbane, QLD

Wednesday, 27th August 2025, 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm AEST, Brisbane, QLD

Wednesday, 10th September 2025, 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm AEST, Brisbane, QLD

Wednesday, 15th October 2025, 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm AEST, Brisbane, QLD

Wednesday, 29th October 2025, 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm AEST, Brisbane, QLD

Wednesday, 12th November 2025, 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm AEST, Brisbane, QLD

Wednesday, 26th November 2025, 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm AEST, Brisbane, QLD