Austalian School Library Association XXI Biennial Conference

Wednesday 30 September 2009

by His Excellency Dr Ken Michael, AC
Governor of Western Australia



I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land where we are gathered today and to extend our thanks to Olman and the students from Wesley College for their warm welcome to country and their exhilarating performance.

It is a great pleasure to be with you for this official welcome and opening of the “Australian School Library Association (ASLA) XXI Biennial Conference” here in Perth, Western Australia.

Welcome to all the delegates from our educational institutions – teacher librarians, librarians, academics, writers, and all those involved in providing library support services.

For those visiting Perth, I wish you a pleasant stay and hope that you enjoy the wonderful features and facilities Perth and, indeed Western Australia, has to offer.

Librarians and teachers have a crucial role in inspiring and assisting students within the school communities to acquire the skills and knowledge for independent lifelong learning.
 
Over time, professional standards have increased to such an extent that many librarians are qualified in both librarianship and teaching, in addition to having a range of other complementary talents and an understanding of curriculum and lifelong learning principles.

ASLA continues to work towards improving the standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians at the knowledge, practice and commitment level and this conference is a further example of enhancing this.

The influence of teacher librarians, and librarians themselves, also extends beyond the school by encouraging young people to read as an ongoing activity for pleasure and entertainment.

This is an important aspect.

Savouring the words of a good novel or text in your comfortable chair is a pleasure to behold and one which we should all continue to enjoy, notwithstanding the advances we face in technology and the effect this may have on the presentation of literature.
 
We can reflect on this through the words of Ernest Hemingway who said:

“There is no friend as loyal as a book.”

As we ponder the changing environment in information access, we perhaps should remind ourselves of this comment by Ernest Hemingway.

These are challenging times for those who work in the library and school systems due to economic and social pressures and technological advancements.

While this may be the case, there is also recognition of the positive impact technology has in schools where library related activities are centralised and accessibility is available in other forms.

It is heartening to hear that research is also confirming the positive impact of high standard library services on individual and overall student achievement.
 
Although, the traditional library has not lost any of its familiar comfort and appeal, there is, evidently, considerable attraction to the new advances, with all their wide-ranging opportunities, to explore an increased range of subjects, at an increased depth, at an increased rate.

But they also provide the opportunity for creative leaning. The current facilities are so dynamic in that they present information at the touch of the button. The key is to know how to search for the information – no different to searching the index of a book – only much faster.

The trick is to ask the right question in searching for the information that is relevant to your needs. And teacher librarians and librarians have the skill to guide the young people through this fundamental, yet necessary, approach.

After all, it was Albert Einstein, who, thoughtfully, said:
“The important thing is not to stop questioning.”

- and library services can provide some of the answers.
 
Today’s access to information is multifaceted and teacher librarians have the challenging task of carefully aligning the needs and the capabilities of the students with the processes available to them in achieving a creative learning environment – in effect, engaging with the students to achieve the best outcome for them in an enjoyable and exciting way.

The tools available do present new opportunities for engagement and the opportunity to become imaginative in exploring new ideas, thoughts and, importantly, acquiring knowledge, which becomes part of the makeup of us all.

As Governor, it is always a pleasant duty to visit schools throughout the State – in the metropolitan, rural and remote areas. Amongst other areas, I particularly noted the library, including its associated computer facilities, where the young people were immersed in, and motivated and inspired by, their learning environment, searching enthusiastically for relevant information related to a particular assignment or task.
 
The ASLA Conference theme – Engage, Explore, Celebrate, allows you all to “engage”, as teacher librarians, school librarians and interested colleagues, with each other to learn from your individual experiences and share the knowledge you have gained over the years within your own learning environment.

This is also a time to “explore” current practices with others and “explore” opportunities that may arise, beginning with the thought provoking speakers and collaboration sessions of the Conference.

Importantly, the conference will “celebrate” achievement and success in a collegiate and inspirational way.

The comprehensive program you will be experiencing at this conference is an exciting one, with a number of internationally recognised experts speaking from different perspectives, as well as being supported by many other speakers. The range of topics is wide-ranging, with issues such as those faced by educators in the rapidly changing learning environment to the exciting opportunities afforded by interactive online facilities.
 
Keeping pace with the rate and advances in technological change and understanding the impact on education and library services are important challenges you are addressing at this conference. We would all expect that the effective and guided management of these technological resources, together with the library services they support, will work towards enhancing and enriching current and future communities.

This conference program provides an opportunity to explore this, and other matters, through the engagement of the delegates and the speakers.

I would especially like to thank Conference Convenor, Jenny Dickman and her committee members for their wonderful efforts in organising this Conference.

Today is the beginning of an exciting program before you to “Engage, Explore and Celebrate”. I know it will assist you to continue to maintain the inspiration you provide to Australia’s lifelong learners.

It now gives me great pleasure to officially open the “Australian School Library Association XXI Biennial Conference” and wish you all an engaging, enjoyable and rewarding time together.