Can you see the future? There are times when I wish I knew what was coming and then others, the mere idea terrifies me. What does the future of school libraries look like? I was surprised to discover just how much future thinking goes into strategic planning. But on reflection, having a strategic…

What do you think the future of school libraries will look like? What do we need to be prepared for? I was pondering strategic planning and envisioning the future of school libraries recently and I decided, on a whim, to ask a few AI models to create 5 possible future scenarios for school…

Another month of professional development links, articles, webinars, podcasts and more. As Term 1 comes to a close here in Australia, I hope you find some time to put your feet up and maybe enjoy an hour or two of professional learning.  Professional Learning: April 2026

Do you remember when AI first hit schools in a big way for education in November 2022? Gosh it feels like so long ago now and so much has changed. Now school AI readiness and AI literacy is even more important, but it too is rapidly shifting. While AI has sped up in exponential rates and AI tools…

Last year I found myself in the position of needing to explain exactly what a library does, from its curriculum to space and everything in between. I was left wondering how I could sum up the work of the school library in a simple, visual and understandable way. How could I capture everything a…

Innovation. It has certainly been a buzzword in education and schools for a while now. But it’s not just the education sector using this word. Do a quick online search for Innovation Centres and you’ll find results from around the world and in every sector from business and marketing to technology…

Do school libraries need to embrace a mindset and approach of innovation? I believe, very strongly, that they do. But what does innovation mean (hint: it's not just technology) and what does it mean and look like for school libraries? Innovation is not just embracing the latest trend, adding a…

This month I’m celebrating 5 years of creating monthly professional learning opportunity lists. When I discovered the upcoming milestone last year I was surprised at how long I’ve been creating these lists. There definitely have been some months when the 29th or even 31st of the month has rolled…

This month marks my 5th year anniversary of sharing professional learning lists for school library professionals. It's gone really quickly and I'm honoured to be able to provide these lists to help share and promote amazing learning opportunities that help school library staff improve their…

I love the movie You’ve Got Mail. In one of the scenes, Tom Hanks tells Meg Ryan via email that he is working on a project that needs  “tweaking”. Now, the word has some different meanings in today’s world, but the basic definition of tweaking is improve a system by making fine adjustments. I think…

I love sharing the power and impact of my school library. It’s advocacy, marketing and promotions all rolled into one. It helps justify my staffing, budget, and what we do all day, and the importance of that can never be underestimated. One of the most powerful ways to share impact is to use data.…

Do you ever wish you promoted and marketed your library more? I certainly do. I feel there are so many opportunities I miss to promote the libraries services and resources. All those things I want to do, whether it’s update our digital screens or send a staff email with resources or host a drop-in…

The school library plays an important role in supporting a child’s learning, literacy, wellbeing, and sense of belonging at school. It is much more than a room of books, it is a carefully designed space and a professionally led service that helps students grow academically, socially, and…

What is a school library? I’m not sure it’s a question many people ask themselves. School libraries just exist, right? For those of us who work in a school library, it’s probably something we know the answer to, very deeply and thoroughly. But what exactly is a school library? Is it a home for…

Happy February. This month features Queensland School Library Week and Library Lovers' Day and so it seems a fitting month to celebrate and love on all things school libraries. I hope you find some joy in these articles, webinars and posts. Many feature back-to-school tips and tricks and good…

Before the term started, we made lots of changes to our library area. I love making these changes, moving furniture and changing the purpose of areas to suit student needs and respond to different behaviours. One of the changes we've made this year is creating a reading area. This is a space…

This is honestly a library task I love doing (okay, there are very few I don’t enjoy). Updating my budget for each year. I’m not a numbers person. Ask me to count, multiply or do a simple sum and I simply can’t, so having a good understanding of my library budget is really important. It’s something…

In the summer holidays I enjoy spending time planning my library lessons for the year ahead. It’s a relaxed, more creative time and I enjoy jotting down my ideas and planning out the year. It’s an adaptable plan, that changes depending on the needs that arise during the year, but I love having a…

As many of you know, each month I put together a list of professional learning opportunities for fellow school library staff. They might be links to video recordings, podcasts, webinars or articles and blog posts. I collect them over the month from my own professional learning network and from my…

It’s that time of year again. End-of-year parties, final award assemblies and the push to send students home with as many books as possible for holiday reading. That means it’s also time to sum up the year in an annual report. I have to say, creating an annual report is one of my favourite library…

Well, my dear readers, we've almost made it to the end of another year. A year full of changes, challenges, successes and wonderful professional learning opportunities to grow the strength and capacity of our school libraries. I hope these professional learning lists have been helpful over the past…

If you are in Australia, you are probably aware of the social media delay that is rolling out in early December 2025 for children below 16. It’s something that all schools and school libraries should be aware of and now’s the time to take some steps to ensure you are ready. As a teacher librarian…

Hang around any school and the word curriculum is one you’ll hear a lot. It’s the roadmap teachers follow — the planned sequence of knowledge and skills that shapes what students learn and how they grow. But step into the school library and the question might be asked: does the library have a…

To say this is a jam-packed edition of my monthly professional learning opportunities list feels like an understatement. There are so many incredible articles, reflections, frameworks, webinars and resources to help you with your professional goals this month. From AI (and lots of it) to keeping…

Incredible presentation from Karen Eyre on how she advocates for her school library and position through the programming, events, marketing and connections she builds. An inspiring session with lots of practical ideas and encouragement. #SchoolLibraries #FutureLibrariesConference

Helpful sessions at the @qldsla Future Libraries Conference from SCIS, Reading Australia and SLQ with updates and resources to use in our space and to share with our departments and teachers. #SchoolLibraries #FutureLibrariesConference

Massive congratulations to Kelly Dunham, the incredibly deserving winner of the @qldsla School Leader of the Year award and to Assunta Austin and Lizzy Dixon, dual recipients of the @qldsla Teacher Librarian of the year award. #FutureLibrariesConference #SchoolLibraries #ProfessionalLearning

Andy Griffiths kicking off the @qldsla Future Libraries Conference with a funny (of course, would you expect anything else), but also nostalgic and provoking keynote. #FutureLibrariesConference #SchoolLibraries #ProfessionalLearning

Excited to be at the @qldsla Future Libraries Conference. Looking forward to a full day of learning and connecting and catching up with the amazing school library profession of Queensland, near and far. #FutureLibrariesConference #SchoolLibraries #ProfessionalLearning

One of the things I love most about having a genrefied library is that it is constantly evolving and allows us the flexibility to meet student needs and interests. So, when Romantasy became a big thing, we decided to jump on that trend and respond to the love our students have for romantasy. The…

Author and illustrator visits are such important and exciting events to host and organise. Not only do they support our incredible local and national book creators and promote their works, they bring literature to life through engaging presentations, detail-driven writing sessions, or hands-on…

If you work in a school library, I’m going to assume you do some planning. Planning displays for the term, planning events or author visits, planning what books to purchase, what collection to stocktake, what section to promote next, or planning library lessons and programs. But how often do you…

The start of term always feels full of opportunities. New projects, fresh ideas, requests from staff and students - it’s exciting, but if I’m honest, it can also feel overwhelming. I often find myself with more written than shared, more ideas than time, and a to-do list that grows faster than I can…

Well, it is almost the end of another term. For me, the term break is a chance to slow down, take lots of walks and naps, plan for the term ahead, and dive back into my professional reading and writing, something that I tend to drop during the busyness of the term. This holiday included a visit to…

And just like that, another month has come and gone. October 2025. It feels like a big month in the world of school libraries. There is an abundance of professional learning opportunities for school library staff this month, so here's your list of webinars, podcast episodes, articles and more.…

Welcome to September 2025. A month for learning, exploring, or maybe just recovering from the massive month of August. I am determined to get as much professional learning as I can this month, particularly around areas of interest and relevance to me. As always I have curated a wonderful list of…

School libraries have always been more than just a room full of books. Today, in an age of AI, a need to support young people’s wellbeing, misinformation, and a complex and confusion online world, they are essential hubs for every kind of literacy students need to thrive, from media and AI literacy…

We all know the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But in school libraries, students do it every day, and they should. Book covers are designed to sell book. They’re crafted by talented illustrators and graphic designers who know how to capture attention, adhere to trends, and entice…

August - a massive month in the school library calendar here in Australia and a big month of preparing to return to school in the northern part of the world. Between all the Book Week preparations and celebrations or holding onto your last bit of summer, you might find time to squeeze in some…

At the start of this year, I wanted to really focus on my library lessons and design them to be more strategic in what I wanted to achieve. As a teacher librarian, there is so much content to cover: curriculum unit related items, reading promotion and dedicated reading time, library skills,…

Cue the confetti. Madison’s Library, this little ol’ slice of the internet, is turning 10 years (and 6 months) old today. Okay, so I kind of missed the big milestone at the beginning of the year. I had no idea that I’d been writing, reviewing and sharing for 10 years. Here’s the old cliche, time…

Book Week is not far away. If you are a fan of dressing up or need a costume idea, why not dress up as a character from one of this year's CBCA Book of the Year Award Notables. Here's a list of costume ideas to get you started. #SchoolLibraries #BookWeek #BookWeek2025 #BookAnAdventure…

Need some extra bookmarks for your Book Week celebrations? Grab the download here madisonslibrary.com/2025/07/02/b... #BookWeek2025 #BookWeek #SchoolLibraries #BookAnAdventure

Sharing a few Book An Adventure themed bookmarks and images, perfect for creating book bags and t-shirts. #BookWeek2025 #BookAnAdventure #SchoolLibraries #Reading #Bookmarks #FreeDownload

Hello July. Here's a little list of professional learning for you this month. What are you enjoying learning about? #SchoolLibraries #ProfessionalLearning #ProfessionalDevelopment #Education #SchoolLibraryStaff #Learning

Firstly, I'm sorry I'm sharing this a few days late (June already people, it's hard to believe), I was busy having so much fun at the ASLA conference in Geelong over the weekend. It reminded me about the importance of making time for professional learning. While I curate these lists designed to…

Had the most wonderful time at the ASLA Conference in Geelong. Connecting, sharing and learning. Follow along for key takeaways, ideas and moments. #SchoolLibraries #ProfessionalLearning #ASLAConference2025

There is so much to love about a makerspace in the school libraries. And you can create one no matter the size of your budget. Makerspace allow you to have the resources on hand to support creativity and hands-on learning, and it's the perfect match for literature, learning and reading.  But with…

It was time for a change. Thanks to the incredible team, today we made some changes in the makerspace, moving the drone cage into a new position, moving the esports computers, moving prototyping material shelving. I love how it looks and feels!! #SchoolLibraries #Makerspace #Change #LibraryLife

Makerspaces in school libraries, the combination of creativity, hands on learning and literature. It’s a match made in heaven. Whether you want to reinvigorate your current makerspace or start one from scratch, it’s an easy thing to do no matter what sized space you have. Makerspaces in school…