— Fall 2001—
Return to The Link Index

Professional Development Opportunities with ECIS

Dutch Treat in Store

ECIS conference 15- 18 November 2001 The Hague
The Library segment of this year's conference programme is building up nicely. While we usually aim not to have a theme, this year there seems to be much emphasis on books and reading. But there is still something for everyone, whether it is eBooks or other technological aspects of our role. There are also sessions on pure library management and library promotion.

The guest speakers are Deborah Nourse Lattimore and Kimberley Reynolds. There is much research to show that the earlier we start reading to our children, the more likely they are to become confident readers as they grow. I have long held that part of our role as school librarians is to make parents aware of the advantages of early book experiences, so I look forward with particular interest to hearing Kim Reynolds talk about latest (not yet published) research on the BookStart project in Britain. Dr. Reynolds will also give a paper on gender difference and stereotyping in children's books and on trends in children's literature.

At the time of writing, Deborah Nourse Lattimore has not completely decided which topics to address, but whatever she chooses will be exciting. She has many books to her credit, as author and as illustrator; her latest is “A history of underwear”. Speaking many languages— including Coptic— she also reads hieroglyphics and is an experienced presenter both to children and to adults. Not to be missed!

Jennifer Nelson will talk about eBooks and eLibraries. A session on recent publications for elementary school children is to be presented by Jeffrey Brewster and Frances Hall, and participants are invited to bring along examples of books to be shared. Link editor Anthony Tilke will talk about reader development. Bucking this trend, your chairman will be focusing on plagiarism, including latest news about ‘cheat sites'.

Librarians' Forum looks good: panel discussions on preparing for accreditation and working with (and not against) school technicians/ technology department and the Follett Lunch. The Open Business Meeting is especially important as we finalise plans for the Special Event next year (see below)— this is your chance to help the committee design a programme that meets your needs. Once again, SIRS Publishing is graciously holding a Gala Dinner for SIRS customers and librarians in ECIS schools. All in all, this is a Conference not to be missed!

Hungarian Rhapsody: Reading Between the Lines
The Special Event comes just once every three years, and it is our turn this school year. Reading Between the Lines takes place in Budapest, 15- 17 March 2002. The programme includes a number of guest speakers, including Joyce Valenza, Carolyn Markuson and Sue Healey. In addition there are many other presentations and workshops, together with opportunities to meet vendors and special social events.

Further details of speakers and sessions can be found on the Special Event web site http://vm.robcol.k12.tr/~jroyce/ecisbuda/ and will be updated as plans develop. Also included are forms for registration and accommodation and for presentation proposals – there is still time and room for a few more sessions. If you cannot access the web site, then phone, fax or email Anthony Tilke (contact details on the end of this newsletter).

Information of interest

Author Anne Fine is the new UK Children's Laureate. The first laureate, illustrator Quentin Blake, ended his two- year appointment in May. Anne Fine will be an ambassador and speaker about children's books for the next two years. The post has been developed in conjunction with the British branch of IBBY. http://www.childrenslaureate.org/

New Poet Laureate for US: Billy Collins, Professor of English at Lehman College, City University of New York. His books of poetry include “Picnic, Lightning” (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1998 ISBN 0822956705) and “The art of drowning” (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1995 ISBN 0822955679).

Relevant articles include

EU Copyright Directive. Library Association Record April 2001 vol. 103 (4) p. 191, quoting site for debate http://www.europarl.eu.int/plenary/defaulten.htm

MacDonnell, Colleen. Balancing the books: does your school have an effective budget for its library? in IS (International Schools), the ECIS Magazine. Autumn/ Spring 2001, 4(1) p. 31.

Pullman, Philip. Shedding light: The Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation 2001 in School Librarian vol. 49 no. 1 Spring 2001, pp. 6- 7 ISSN 0036 6595.

Awards

Boston Globe/ Horn Book Award:
Nelson, Marilyn Carver, a life in poems (Front Street Press 2001, 1886910537).

Carnegie Award for 2000 (announced July 2001):
Naidoo, Beverley The other side of truth (Puffin Books 2000, ISBN 0141304766).

Kate Greenaway Award:
Child, Lauren I will not ever never eat a tomato (Orchard Books 2000, 184121602X).

Children's Book Award (UK):
Gray, K. and Sharratt, N. Eat your peas (Red Fox 2001 0099404672) [picture book]; Wilson, J. Lizzie Zipmouth [ill. N. Sharratt] (Corgi 2000 05525465340 [shorter novel]; Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the goblet of fire (Bloomsbury 2001, 07475509990 [longer novel].

Overall winner: Eat your peas.

Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2001
Burleigh, Michael The Third Reich: a new history Pan 2001, 0330487574).

Reference materials

5 ‘top reference works' chosen by Bamber Gascoigne, author and television presenter, in The Week (a review of British and foreign media):

Encyclopedia Britannica (now available online)

Rees, Dafydd Book of Rock Stars (Guinness World Records) [no ISBN available]

Whitaker's Almanach (Stationery Office Books, UK – annual publication)

Carpenter, Humphrey and Prichard, Mari Oxford Companion to Children's Literature. Oxford University Press, 1999, 0198602286

Forman, Denis Good Opera Guide Weidenfeld & Nicolson 2001, 1842124706

Publications of professional interest

Dawson, Darelyn; Fitzgerald, Lee. Literature circles: reading in action. Australia, Charles Sturt University, 1999, 0949060925

Hayden, Mary and Thompson, Jeff. (ed) International schools and international education: improving teaching, management and quality. Kogan Page, 2000, 074943368X

Hunt, Peter. Children's literature. Blackwell, 2001, 0631211411

Keith, Lois. Take up thy bed and walk: death, disability and cure in classic fiction for girls. Women's Press, 2001, 0704346516

Kids Best: Australian Books for Children and Young Adults 1996- 2000. Australia: Primary English Teachers' Association, 2001, [no ISBN available]

Meek, Margaret (ed.) Children's literature and national identity. Trentham Books, 2001, 185856204X

Rogers, Jane (ed.) Good fiction guide. Oxford University Press, 2001, 0192100211

My Experience with the Libraries of the Sunshine State: the winner of the SIRS/ ECIS Exchange Award

Visiting Florida after winning the SIRS/ ECIS Exchange Award was a rewarding, profitable and educational experience. The SIRS staff arranged a rich and busy schedule for me, which introduced me to different public, school and university libraries in the State of Florida as well as to attend a conference and visit to the SIRS Facilities. My two week stay was divided into five parts.

The first part was to pay a visit to the following high school libraries: Olympic Heights High School, North West High School, American Heritage, Pine Crest School, Ransom Everglades, Mast Academy and Pope John Paul II High School. In these high school libraries I enjoyed meeting librarians and exchanging ideas and information about school librarianship between Florida and Lebanon. One of the things that impressed me was the online conferencing that was provided by one of the libraries to enable students in Florida to conference with students in different corners of the globe. Also I had the opportunity to exchange ideas with librarians from the State of Florida on how to make cooperative learning between librarians, teachers and students more enjoyable and educationally challenging. I was able to share my own experiences in Lebanon and to introduce Lebanon from a cultural and historical point of view. This was especially valuable as most of the school librarians and teachers I met had never been to Lebanon.

The second part of my visit was to see two public libraries— at Broward and Miami Dade. This was the first time I visited a public library due to the fact that public libraries in Lebanon are not fully developed, and therefore was a real learning experience and very informative. I learned about different activities in these libraries, as well as visiting various departments and getting to know what each does on a local, domestic and international basis. I was especially struck by an activity organized by the Broward Public Library. It involved a children's exhibition that took place all over the city. Another feature about these libraries was that they both had an exhibition center where different cultural and historical artifacts from the world were exhibited.

The third part of my trip involved visiting the Florida Atlantic University Library. I was introduced to its various departments especially the reference departments where I learned about reference interviews. I was also introduced to the many databases used by the library. An interesting part of the visit was to see the archival and special collection departments that held materials relating to different periods of both US and world history.

The fourth part of my visit found me attending the Florida Association for Media (FAME) Conference. FAME was a real professional growth experience as I had the opportunity to interact with different librarians from all over the United States and exchange ideas with them about librarianship mainly in the fields of cooperative learning and collection development. I also appreciated meeting - in person - vendors that we usually do business with. I also attended workshops and met several prominent people in the world of libraries as well as children's authors.

The fifth and final part of my learning experience was to visit SIRS Publishing itself. I had an overview of the SIRS Databases (SIRS Discoverer, SIRS Renaissance and SIRS Government Reporter) and the opportunity to learn how articles were chosen for these databases. I also was introduced to a web-based product (SIRS NetSelect) that enables a user to search the different SIRS Databases at the same time and Online anywhere you are in the world. I was interested to observe the

SIRS Library Automation Product (Mandarin) and had the pleasure to visit other company departments including sales, customer support, and publications as well as the graphic design and animation departments.

In conclusion the experiences that I brought back with me to Lebanon were rich and beneficial and have provided me with professional development that hopefully will help me to improve school librarianship in Lebanon.

I would like to forward my sincerest thanks to ECIS, Eleanor and Elliot Goldstein and everyone at SIRS for providing me with a once in a lifetime educational experience.

Dory Khayatt
Assistant Librarian (Acquisitions)
International College, Beirut, Lebanon