ACCESS - Current Edition - Editorial

Rachel Hoare, Editor

Happy 50th anniversary ASLA!

This issue celebrates 50 years of ASLA as a premier professional organisation for teacher librarians, competently 'leading learning' in school libraries around the nation. We have 24 pages of reports and photos of the ASLA XXVI Conference, held at the National Library of Australia, Canberra, 14–16 April. Delegates, keynote speakers and presenters, guest authors, board members and other supporters of school libraries joined together at this well-organised, three-day event to celebrate ASLA's 50th anniversary. The photos capture this special occasion really well, so thank you to those who took so many great photos for us. Due to other work commitments, I was unable to attend ASLA XXVI, but it certainly looks like it was lots of fun! I have enjoyed reading all about the conference and hope you will too.

Following on from the conference, I would like to extend an invitation to all keynote speakers and presenters to write an article for ACCESS. It is a great way to share the professional learning with others who were unable to attend, or to reinforce the messages presented on the day. I look forward to including many articles in future issues.

In our commentary, Leonie McIlvenny discusses transversal competencies (TvCs), also known as 21st century skills, and how teacher librarians are best-placed to implement these skills in schools. Leonie challenges teacher librarians to embrace these TvCs and for the library program to 'become the platform from which a strategic initiative to address these competencies could be launched'.

Nikki Curtis then asks 'What can we learn from our neighbours?', as she writes an overview of the JCS Online Resources conference in the UK. Nikki brings us useful insights into how teacher librarians can tackle digital and information literacy and learning.

Also in this issue, we include a report written by Margo Pickworth of the inaugural Australian Children's Laureate Summit, held in February. Margo attended on behalf of ASLA, with Sophie Partington, ASLA's amazing Administration Officer.

Then we have the first of our reports of author visits to remote schools, supported by a grant from the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund. Janeen Brian travelled with Kate Sautner to Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. Janeen shared her love of stories and engaged the children with the writing process.

Finally, Emeritus Professor Belle Alderman AM, Director of the National Centre for Australian Children's Literature (NCACL), introduces us to the Cultural Diversity Database (CDD). This database will be useful for anyone working with young people, particularly those passionate about children's literature. It will be especially useful to teachers and teacher librarians addressing the Australian Curriculum and the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). The CDD is freely available from the NCACL's website in 2019.