School libraries continue to evolve as vital learning environments, where future-focused programs, inclusive practices, and responsive spaces work together to support student success. From embedding emerging technologies and building digital capability to promoting equitable access and representation, libraries play a central role in fostering informed, engaged learners.
As centres for reading, inquiry and collaboration, they provide opportunities for creativity, critical thinking and personal growth. Strong leadership is essential in shaping programs, collections and spaces that respond to the changing needs of school communities.
School libraries play a vital role in equipping students with the skills and mindsets needed for an increasingly complex and digital future. This strand focuses on how library professionals are integrating emerging technologies such as generative AI, augmented and virtual reality, and assistive tools to enhance learning, accessibility, and engagement. Topics include digital and data literacy, ethical and responsible technology use, privacy and cybersecurity, and forward-looking approaches to service design that respond to evolving educational needs and the expectations of contemporary learners.
Libraries serve as inclusive spaces where all students should see themselves represented, feel welcome, and access the support they need to thrive. This strand highlights practices that promote cultural safety, belonging, and equitable participation through thoughtful collection development, inclusive program design, and responsive service delivery. Areas of focus include supporting neurodivergent students, embedding Indigenous perspectives, addressing barriers related to language, disability or socioeconomic status, and creating environments that foster respectful and meaningful engagement with diversity across the school community.
Strong library programs, well-curated collections, and purposeful spaces form the foundation of effective school libraries. This strand focuses on approaches that enhance day-to-day practice, including collaborative teaching partnerships, reading promotion initiatives, and resource design that aligns with student interests and curriculum priorities. Topics may include revitalising physical and digital collections, creating adaptable learning environments, and implementing hands-on programs that build inquiry, creativity, and engagement. Emphasis is placed on strategies that can be adapted to diverse school contexts and implemented with immediate impact.
*Program subject to change
9:00am
Welcome and Housekeeping
Constellations of Practice: Recentering the School Library with Purpose and Possibility
School libraries are constellations of practice: linking people, ideas and possibilities across the shifting landscape of education. In a time of uncertainty, where school leadership support is uneven, the pressure to do more is unrelenting, and recognition is often absent, the school library and its staff continue to bring coherence, connection and care for both students, teachers and the school community.
This presentation invites participants to recentre their professional vision—not through reinvention, but by recognising the power of what already exists. Using the Know–Do–Be model as a reflective lens, we will explore how school library professionals already hold the knowledge, lead the practices and embody the values that sustain inclusive, future-focused and community-connected learning.
Rather than calling for more effort, this session surfaces practical, achievable shifts—through thoughtful learning design, ethical technology use, and responsive programming—that build capacity without burnout. Anchored in research and real-world examples, the presentation reminds us that school library staff are stars – present, persistent, and guiding the way forward even when they go unnoticed. Attendees will leave with fresh clarity, restored energy and renewed confidence in their role—not as outliers, but as essential connectors in the learning constellation of their school.
9:40 – 10:10am
High Interest Library Lessons for High School – Inspiring Readers, Researchers and Thinkers
High Interest Library Lessons for High School offers inspiring tips on how to integrate the essential aspects of a best-practice library curriculum into punchy, high-interest lessons for secondary students (7-12). Using the Three Spheres of Library Skills model as well as the GRAF Framework (Growth mindset, Agency, and Framing), Mali will offer insight into how to build lessons which use current psychology, education and library science research to effectively teach students higher-order skills in reading engagement, research and critical literacy skills.
Mali will share ready-to-use printable lessons and activities as well as planning documents for developing your own tailored own high-engagement lessons.
10:10 – 10:30am
Q&A Panel with Dr Kay Oddone & Mali Jorm to answer questions
10:30 – 11:00am
Morning Tea
11:00 – 11:30am
Media Literacy Across the Curriculum
How do we teach students to critically analyse media across the curriculum? Informit will demonstrate how Explore Media and the Australian Media Literacy Alliance framework make media literacy explicit and achievable. See practical classroom applications comparing news coverage, identifying bias, and developing critical thinking skills.
11:30 – 12:00pm
SLAV: Leadership, Advocacy, Collegiality
The School Library Association of Victoria Mission Statement includes leadership, advocacy and collegiality as its foci for providing dynamic, diverse and inspiring professional learning opportunities for its members in their essential role in engaging and developing lifelong learners and readers in their school communities.
This session will explore how SLAV programs reflect educational research and priorities and articulate the role of the library as a partner in the learning and teaching process. The SLAV program is also informed by key documents such as the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0, and the Victorian Curriculum, in particular Critical and Creative Thinking and Intercultural Capability, and the Cross Curricular focus on Literacy.
12:00 – 12:30pm
Lauren Kyte, Head of Library, and Rachel Fernandez, Library Technician, Salesian College Sunbury
Building Connection and Visibility in School Libraries: The Three Cs Approach
How can school libraries build their visibility and strengthen their role within the wider learning community? This session explores one library’s journey to increase its impact through the Three Cs: Cohorts, Community, and Curriculum. Using the Ciantar Learning Common’s (CLC) work as a case study, we will share practical strategies for connecting library programs with student cohorts, building authentic community engagement, and embedding the library within the curriculum.
Participants will be invited to reflect on their own contexts, analyse key approaches taken by the CLC, and exchange ideas for transformative collaborations.
12:30 – 1:30pm
Lunch
1:30 – 2:00pm
Q&A Panel with Jessica Darnell, Joy Whiteside, Lauren Kyte & Rachel Fernandez to answer questions
Reigniting Reading Through Student Choice and Teacher–Librarian Collaboration: Literature Circles and Socratic Seminars in a Global Issues Unit
Engaging adolescents in reading is not just about fostering literacy, it is about igniting curiosity, critical thinking, and a lifelong love of learning. Adolescent reading engagement remains a key priority in contemporary education, and recent research highlights that when students are provided with voice, choice, and authentic opportunities to connect with texts and one another, their motivation and engagement increase. Literature circles and Socratic discussions are identified as effective strategies that promote deeper comprehension, critical thinking, and intrinsic motivation—key factors that underpin engaged reading and lifelong literacy development (Webber et al., 2023). By implementing these strategies, educators can foster a culture of curiosity and enjoyment while equipping students with the skills to think critically, communicate effectively, and take ownership of their learning.
2:30 – 3:10pm
Trish Trchala, Head of Learning Resources, and Jemma Trchala, Library Assistant, Xavier College
Reading Lounges and Sustained Reading
After developing two reading lounges in the past 12 months, it can be seen how a change within a Library Space can alter the reading behaviour of students. Mr Sloth’s Rainforest Reading Lounge for Year 3-6 and Sunny’s Storyland for K3-Year 2 are examples of a new approach. Utilising Marketplace and a tight budget students are evolving into a new way of reading for pleasure in these spaces. Hear about new ideas within Junior and Senior School Libraries where sustained reading is the priority.
3:10 – 3:30pm
Q&A Panel with Virginia Hand, Trish Trchala & Jemma Trchala to answer questions
3:30 – 3:45pm
Ask the Audience: Delegates share the one idea that they will work on next week
4.00 – 5.30pm
Summit Social – a networking event for exhibitors, speakers and delegates.
*Program subject to change
Developing Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum
The development of critical thinking is an essential civic skill, particularly in a ‘post-truth’ information age shaped by the effects of AI, algorithmically-shared content, fake news and other forms of mis- and disinformation. School libraries play a pivotal role in this work as educators are often uncertain about how to define, teach, and assess critical thinking in a consistent and practical way.
The definition of a skill is essential in order for anyone to confidently teach, assess or develop resources related to that skill. This session will introduce existing theory and research to articulate the core components of critical thinking, and address challenges associated with teaching and assessing critical thinking. It will unpack how students construct knowledge, evaluate ideas, and make reasoned decisions – skills that school library staff will readily recognise as fundamental to inquiry, information literacy, and ethical participation in digital environments. Participants will leave with practical insights and strategies to strengthen critical thinking capabilities in their own school communities.
It Takes a Village: Building Student Capability Through Cross-Sector Library Partnerships
In an era where information literacy and community engagement are more vital than ever, collaboration between school, public, and state libraries offers a powerful catalyst for building student capability and confidence. This presentation explores the dynamic partnerships that can be developed between a school library, their public library and the state library, showcasing how cross-sector collaboration can transform teaching and learning.
This session will share case studies, student feedback, and curriculum examples that demonstrate the impact of integrated library partnerships. Attendees will gain practical strategies for initiating and sustaining similar partnerships in their own local spheres, with a focus on aligning library programs with curriculum goals and building enduring community connections.
Ultimately, It Takes a Village celebrates the collective power of school, public, and state libraries working together to empower the next generation of learners.
10:10 – 10:30am
Q&A Jonathan Heard & Darlene Hill to answer questions
10:30 – 11:00am
Morning Tea
11:00 – 11:30am
Level Up: Using Gamification to Engage Boys in Reading
Many boys demonstrate a decline in engagement with reading, especially during high school as reading comes to represent work rather than enjoyment. This presentation will share how gamification has transformed the Reading and Research program at St Bede’s College from a teacher-led battle field to a dynamic, rewarding and socially connected experience.
Integrating game design elements such as levels, challenges, leaderboards, and physical rewards, this session will illustrate how some basic principles of teenage motivation and the way research shows that boys approach reading can be harnessed to foster a culture where reading feel less like homework and more like a rewarding and enjoyable pursuit.
Attendees will leave with a toolkit of adaptable gamification techniques and examples of how competition, collaboration and choice can improve reading frequency and enthusiasm among boys.
11:30 – 12:30pm
Designing Future-Focused School Libraries: A Creative Approach to Spatial and Pedagogical Innovation
The convergence of rapid AI advancement, accelerating societal change, and robust evidence demonstrating school libraries’ impact on student learning compels teacher librarians to reimagine library spaces and programs. As creativity and innovation become essential foundations for future-focused school libraries, the critical question emerges: How do we harness these capacities in practice?
This session introduces a design thinking framework that empowers teacher librarians to creatively transform both physical environments and learning programs. Participants will explore strategies for designing spatial relationships that foster collaboration and discovery, while developing enrichment programs that respond to evolving student needs. Through this approach, attendees will gain tools to position their libraries as dynamic hubs of innovation within their school communities.
12:30 – 1:30pm
Lunch
1:30 – 2:00pm
Q&A Panel with Roxanne Summer & June Wall to answer questions
More than books: The impact of School Libraries on Wellbeing, Safety and Belonging
School libraries have evolved beyond being quiet places for reading and study. They are powerful wellbeing hubs and, in many schools, are arguably the most important shared space on campus. Libraries are places where students feel safe, connected, and a sense of belonging — all key elements in supporting the whole child and helping students achieve their personal excellence.
This session highlights the importance of embracing wellbeing as a core function of the library, while still nurturing a strong, positive reading culture. Participants will hear practical strategies for embedding student leadership and representation within the library and explore why libraries are vital safe spaces for vulnerable students.
Developing students’ critical thinking using authentic texts
Hear from industry experts on how libraries support critical thinking. Using Australian research articles, primary sources, and multimedia content, see how students learn to evaluate evidence, assess credibility, recognise bias, and build informed perspectives through authentic, curriculum-aligned resources.
Tools for teaching critical thinking
Online tools such as Informit Explore provide opportunities for school library staff and teachers to develop students’ critical thinking skills in a controlled environment. This session will engage participants in the use of curated collections of authentic Australasian content for factchecking, lateral reading and critical thinking. It will also consider the importance of selection criteria and collection management in the context of AITSL Professional Standards for Teachers, and ALIA’s Foundation knowledge skills and attributes for information professionals.
School libraries as part of a wider library ecosystem
The State Library’s role in supporting education libraries extends from research basics and critical thinking to subject-specific sessions and self-guided visits, plus a wealth of unique resources. This session will highlight the power of the library network, and the ways schools can make the most of collections. Drawing on standards in the university library sector where all accredited higher education institutions must have a library, we question – why is that not so for the school sector? As school libraries are a fundamental part of the wider library system, we encourage school library staff to connect with and make the most of the free, authentic resources – and support – available via this vital professional network.
3:10 – 3:30pm
Q&A Panel with Paul Graham, Pru Mitchell & Roxanne Missingham to answer questions
3:30 – 3:45pm
Ask the Audience: Delegates share the one idea that they will work on next week
