This year, the MidYear Meeting is being jointly held with LCYA Section and the SIGs Relindial and Women Information and Libraries in Istanbul, at Rami Library, within the 2nd Technology Festival and the 61st Library Week (April 4-8).

The program is available both here: https://library.koc.k12.tr/ifla/programme and here: https://www.kutuphaneveteknoloji.com/program/program-festival/.

A delegation of the School Library Section – Inger Nilsson, Hans-Petter Storemyr, Elizabeth Burns, Catherine Barnes and Luisa Marquardt with Anna Cascone (Relindial) have planned a panel on “Generative School Libraries”, that is being held on April 6th (check “Day Two” at URL: https://library.koc.k12.tr/ifla/programme), moderated by Filiz Yüksel İleri – Turkish School Library Association.

Enjoy the session, if you are able to attend!

IFLA School Library Section Member News:

• Darryl Toerien, Head of Inquiry-Based Learning at Blanchelande College in Guernsey and Barbara Stripling have signed a contract with Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited to write Teaching Inquiry as Conversation: Bringing Wonder to Life. Toerien attended the UK parliamentary reception for Libraries Change Lives by Creating Opportunities in October, 2024. This was convened by Laurence Turner MP and jointly hosted by eleven library sector organisations: CILIP; Libraries Connected; Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL); Association of Senior Children’s and Education Librarians (ASCEL); School Library Association (SLA); The Reading Agency; CILIP School Libraries Group (SLG); CILIP Youth Libraries Group (YLG); CILIP Information Literacy Group (ILG); CILIP Academic and Research Libraries Group (ARLG); and CILIP London.
• Dr. Mayasari Abdul Majid, Library Director/Library Solution Consultant for the LSL Education Group in Malaysia shared a wonderful celebration for International School Library Month. The LSL International School Library organized several exciting activities aligned with this year’s theme, “School Libraries: Community Connectors.” The Principal, Ms. Lim Siew Li is a passionate advocate for the library’s pivotal role in education. Ms. Lim selected the story, How Do You Feed A Hungry Giant? By Caitlin Friedman, which beautifully tied into the spirit of World Food Day. Through a tale centered on SDG 2: Zero Hunger, she guided students on a meaningful journey, helping them understand the importance of tackling global food insecurity. They also had Dr. Maria Fe Nicolau, Head Librarian from Binus School Simprug, Indonesia (https://simprug.binus.sch.id/facilities/ms-hs-library/), join them for the celebration. She flew to Malaysia to conduct a delightful storytelling session with Primary students, sharing the story of Mr. Tiger and Mrs. Mousedeer. Dr. Maria’s session included an engaging activity, sparking the students’ creativity and excitement. To further enrich the experience, Mr. Ashraf,, our Librarian and MakerSpace Specialist, led a Diorama workshop where students recreated characters and scenes from Dr. Maria’s story using TinkerCAD and our 3D printer. The students then brought their creations to life by painting them with acrylics, making the entire process hands-on and immersive.
• Catherine Barnes , Teacher Librarian, shares Insights from the Seminar: Research and Effective Practices Seminar: Sustainable Reading at Every Age and Stage. Ahead of the IFLA Information Futures Summit in Brisbane, four IFLA Sections—Libraries for Children and Young Adults, School Libraries, Literacy and Reading, and Environment, Sustainability and Libraries—collaborated on a dynamic three-day seminar. Held at Brisbane Square Library, the event explored “Libraries Beside You All the Way: Sustainable Reading at Every Age and Stage,” focusing on the evolving reading habits and the importance of sustainability in terms of lifelong learning and access to diverse, inclusive reading materials.

Highlights included:

• A presentation on immersive storytelling by Catherine Barnes from the IFLA School Libraries Section, showcasing her work with immersive technologies for student learning.
• A fun geolocation activity acknowledging the concept of belonging through place of birth which fostered connections between attendees.
• A panel discussion on sustainable reading practices, innovations in school libraries, and future trends for 2030.
• Keynote insights from Marika Simon on public and school library collaborations, and the launch of ENSULIB’s book Libraries Driving Education for Sustainable Development.
• The seminar emphasized the essential role of sustainable reading in education, culture, and personal growth, embodying IFLA’s theme of “stronger together.”

The IFLA School Library Section has been busy – here are a few updates from our Chair, Luisa Marquardt –

• A successful joint seminar as an Associated event of the IFLA Information Futures Summit, cohosted by the Libraries for Children & Young Adults, School Libraries, Literacy & Reading, and Environment, Sustainability and Libraries Sections, was recently held in Brisbane: https://www.ifla.org/events/research-and-effective-practices-seminar-sustainable-reading-at-every-age-and-stage/
• October is ISLM – International School Library Month, a powerful and meaning school library advocacy initiative, established by the IASL and endorsed by this Section and many (school) library associations, organizations and institutions across the globe. Please, have a look at its webpage. https://iasl-online.org/ISLM.
• The IASL  – International Association of School Librarianship will be having its 52nd Annual Conference, starting this week and being held virtually. You are still on time to join: https://www.iasl2024.com/
• The Unesco Global Media and Information Literacy Week (Oct. 24-31) is starting today. The IFLA Sections School Libraries and Information Literacy are warmly inviting you to join the webinar on “The New Digital Frontiers of Information: Media and Information Literacy for Public Interest Information through Libraries”
  Final version of the Event Page: 2024 Global Media and Information Literacy Week Information Literacy & School Library Sections Joint Webinar #GlobalMILWeek – IFLA
  Webinar permanent URL: https://bit.ly/MIL2024Webinar
  Zoom registration link: Meeting Registration – Zoom
• IFLA has recently launched the new Trend Report 2024 https://www.ifla.org/news/trend-report-2024-report-launched/

More updates – coming soon!