We've made a start on a list for 2018/9 PD for the Asia region.

Please note the following events with opportunities to attend and to present. Please add a comment if you know of any other opportunities to add to these. The list below is in chronological order. For other events and development opportunities in the region see the alphabetical list following this. For links to prior events, see "prior events".

30 July to 2 August 2018 (Queensland, Australia):

Asia-Pacific Library and Information Conference. Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Queensland, Australia.

First joint conference of ALIA, Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA), and Library Association of Singapore (LAS) 

24-30 August 2018 (KL, Malaysia):

IFLA 84th World Library and Information Congress, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

21-23 September 2018 (Hong Kong): 

IBO, Cat 3: PYP--The Role of the Librarian, Hong Kong

05-07 September 2018 (Banten, Indonesia): 

IBO, Cat 3: PYP/MYP--The Role of the Librarian

IBO, Cat 3: MYP--Approaches to Learning

13-15 October 2018 (Singapore):

IBO, Cat 3: Making the PYP Library the Hub of Learning

IBO, Cat 3: MYP--Approaches to Learning

08-10 November 2018 (Beijing): 

IBO, Cat 3: PYP/MYP/DP--The Role of the Librarian

IBO, Cat 3: DP--Approaches to Learning

1-3 November 2018 (Tokyo, Japan):

Learning 2.0 at ASIJ (American School in Japan).  

Links to professional development opportunities in the region

• 21st Century Learning Conferences
• ACAMIS (Association of China and Mongolian International Schools) Librarians Network
• ALIA (Australian Library & Information Association) conferences
• EARCOS upcoming conference schedule
• IASL (International Association of School Libraries) conference schedule
• EdTech Conferences (Asia or close) - a Scoop.it page curated by Chris Smith (Shambles)
• Google Apps Education Summit Conferences -- Asia 
• IBBY - International Board on Books for Young People
• • 2018  Istanbul, Turkey, Sept 1-4 (cancelled due to political situation in Turkey)
  • 2019 China 
  • 2020  Moscow, Russia 5-7 September 2020 Great big world through children's books
  • 2022 Putrajay, Malaysia 5-8 September 2022 The Power of Stories
• IBO (International Baccalaureate Organization) - Asia-Pacific region -- workshops
• IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) annual conference
• Innovative Global Education
• Knowledge Source Institute, Chiang Mai, Thailand
• Learning 2.0
• Librarians Knowledge Sharing Workshop & Job-Alike
• Library Association of Singapore (LAS) -- well worth getting on their mailing list
• National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) (includes the annual AFCC - Asian Festival of Children's Content -- held every year at the end of May) -- well worth getting on their mailing list
• The School Librarian Connection
• Shanghai Librarians Network - Symposia
• UWCSEA Centre for International Education

Past events

• 21st Century Learning Hong Kong 17-19 Jan 2018 (Hong Kong)
• EARCOS: 2015: The Tech-Integrated Library, Taipei American School, Nov 7-8
• EARCOS Teachers' Conference in Bangkok. 29-31 March 2018 (Bangkok, Thailand)
• Google Apps Education Summit Conferences -- Asia 
• • 2016: Singapore Summit - Google Apps for Education, Singapore American School, Sept 17-18
• IASL (International Association of School Libraries) conference schedule
• • 2016  Tokyo, Japan, Aug 22-26
• IBBY - International Board on Books for Young People
• • 2016  New Zealand, Aug 18-21 
  • 2017 Oceania 9-12 May 2017, Bangkok, Thailand
• Innovative Global Education
• • 2016: Hong Kong: Innovative Global Education Conference, Renaissance College, Sept 3-4
• ISLN - Hands on Literacy (November 2012)
• Learning 2.0
• •  2016: Vietnam - Learning 2.0, Saigon South International School, HCMC, Oct. 6-8
• Librarians Knowledge Sharing Workshop & Job-Alike
• • 2013: Kuala Lumpur - Alice Smith School, Oct 5-6
  • 2014: Brunei - Jerudong International School, Feb 20-21
  • 2015: Bangkok - Shrewsbury International School, Fri/Sat Feb 6-7
  • 2016: Kuala Lumpur - Garden International School, Mar 4-5
  • 2017: Singapore - United World College of SE Asia - East campus, Feb 17-18
  • 2017: LKSW at Bangkok Patana School,Thailand 16-18 Nov 2017 (HCMC, Vietnam)
• The School Librarian Connection
• • 2014: Hong Kong - Renaissance College
  • 2016: Beijing - Keystone Academy
• Singapore American School
• • 2013: SAS Children's Literature Conference, Feb 1-3
  • 2015: iCreate Conference, Fri eve/Sat Jan 23-24
• UWCSEA Centre for International Education
• • 2017: Singapore: reThinking Literacy, UWCSEA Dover, May 11-13 (in conjunction with 21st Century Learning)
  • 2017: Singapore: reThinking Numeracy, UWCSEA Dover, May 4-6 (in conjunction with 21st Century Learning)
  • 2016: reThinkingLiteracy, UWCSEA Dover campus, Apr 21-23

Libguide CMS training at CIS TK

Due to popular request we'll be holding some Libguide CMS training in January 2018. 

This is not for absolute beginners in Libguides, so if you're just starting out, it's suggested you follow some of the courses by Springshare first (Link only works if you're signed in). You will also need the CMS version of Libguides to be able to participate.

Please also download a web text-editor such as Atom so you are able to customise what you're learning to your own situation.

Dates: JANUARY 9, 23 and 30 (Tuesdays)
Location: Canadian International School, 371 Tanjong Katong Road, Singapore
Time: 4.30pm-6.00pm
Bring: Laptop, your login details for Libguides (administrator level authorisation needed); a snack to share
Compensation: Course is free of charge, but we would expect you to pay the community back in kind with help on ISLN committees, book selections for the Red Dot Books for 2018/9 etc.

Regional PD 2017/8

2017/8 School Year

We are spoilt for choice this year for Librarian related PD. Please note the following events with opportunities to attend and to present. Please add a comment if you know of any other opportunities to add to these. The list below is in chronological order. For other events and development opportunities in the region see this page

For good FREE PD consider attending a TeachMeet in Singapore

8-10 September 2017 (Hong Kong):
IBO, Cat 3: The Role of the Librarian, Hong Kong

14-16 October 2017 (Hong Kong): 
IBO, Cat 3: The Role of the Librarian, Hong Kong

2-4 November 2017 (Shanghai, China):
Learning 2.0 at Shanghai American School.  Of particular interest to librarians is Jeff Utecht speaking on "Honing research skills in the age of falsified news & echo chambers"

16-18 November 2017 (HCMC, Vietnam):
LKSW at American International School Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam.  Contact Jennifer Alevy, Coordinator of Library Services, jennifer.alevy@ais.edu.vn for further information

17-19 January 2018 (Hong Kong):
21st Century Learning Hong Kong will have a library pre-conference and library / information literacy strand with Joyce Valenza as keynote. Here is the link if you'd like to submit a presentation proposal.

16-17 February 2018 (Chennai, India):
ECIS Library 2018 in Chennai India. Keynote speakers are ​Shannon McClintock Miller and John Schumacher (a.k.a Mr. Schu).

29-31 March 2018 (Bangkok, Thailand):
EARCOS Teachers' Conference in Bangkok. Diane Mackenzie and Katie Day will be presenting as will Pernille Ripp (Global Read Aloud).

20-22 April 2018 (Shenzhen, China):
IBO, Cat 3: The role of the librarian, Shenzhen, China

6-11 May 2018 (Istanbul, Turkey):
IASL 2018 Istanbul Turkey.

30 July to 2 August 2018 (Queensland, Australia):
Asia-Pacific Library and Information Conference. Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Queensland, Australia.
First joint conference of ALIA, Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA), and Library Association of Singapore (LAS) 

24-30 August 2018 (KL, Malaysia):
IFLA 84th World Library and Information Congress, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

AFCC 2017 - 10% off

Date: 17 — 21 MAY 2017
Venue: NLB, Victoria Road Singapore

The Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) is an annual festival in Singapore that celebrates and promotes the creation and appreciation of children’s books and content, with a focus on Asian themes.  Indonesia is the country of focus for this year.  ISLN members are offered a 10% discount.

This year the following ISLN members are taking part:

Ben Farr
20 May, 9am – 10am.

[PANEL] Literacy Bites: Practices in Schools
Looking at four schools, St James’ Church Kindergarten, the Green School Bali, Sarada Kindergarten and Kumon, discuss about literacy practices adopted by their schools and efforts to help children improve their grasp of languages.

Katie Day
17 May, 4.45pm – 6.00pm:
Authors Discussion: Who Gets to Write Asian Stories?
Speakers: Wai Chim, Paolo Fabregas, Holly Thompson, Heidi Shamsuddin


21 May, 11.15am – 12.15pm:
Books from Around the World that Build Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Bridges (and Why Teachers Ought to Know Them) --
Myra Garces-Bacsal, Sarinajit Kaur

Sarah Mounsey

Elaine Fong
21 May 2017 (Sun) 11:15am – 12:15pm
A Mammoth Task: Encouraging Reading in the Digital Age
Elaine will go over the key points she uses as a teacher librarian to encourage reading among students. She will also highlight the pitfalls and challenges that parents should be aware of. This session will provide anecdotal and research based strategies on how to encourage reading.
Part of Parents Forum, Preschool & Primary Teachers Congress

Nadine Bailey
20 May 2017 (Sat) 9:00am – 10:00am
Blokes with Books: Can Social Belonging Impact on Reading Motivation and Skill for Young Boys?
For the past 1 and a half years, something special has been happening at a school campus in Singapore. Boys aged 8-12 are arguing about whose turn it is to read a desired book and rushing to join a book club that’s so full, it’s not taking any more members. How did this happen? More importantly, how can you recreate the magic in your school? Nadine will spill the beans at this session.
Part of Preschool & Primary Teachers Congress

18 May 2017 (Thu) 10:30am – 11:30am
[PANEL] Books Teachers Wish Authors Would Write
Rilla Melati (Director, Creative Content Development, Mini Monsters Limited), Myra Garces-Bacsal (Educator, Reviewer, Blogger), Nadine Bailey (Teacher librarian, Canadian International School)
Creators can step into the shoes of a teacher for one hour and learn what makes a book a treasured find. From beautiful illustrations to didactic language, speakers discuss their views on relevant and useful books children need and love.
Part of Writers & Illustrators Conference

You may also be interested in the talk of Dr. Myra Bacsal Books from Around the World that Build Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Bridges (And Why Teachers Ought to Know Them)

There is a Writers and Illustrators conference, Teachers' Congress, Parents' Forum and Cross Platform Summit - so let your teachers and parents know too.

JAW for library staff in KL in December -- a report back from GESS library officers

When we first heard about JAW 2016 @ISKL, we knew we it would be a great opportunity for us to meet people who shares the same profession as us but comes from a different country. We quickly signed up for the workshop and before we know, it was time for us to pack our bags for this trip.

To make it more enjoyable, we decided to bring our spouses along and did a road trip to Malacca and KL before attending the workshop. We got to experience the beautiful KL city and definitely enjoyed the makan there! Buffets after buffets, food trucks – we loved it!

We made our way to ISKL on the morning of 20th Dec 2016. The session started with the groups introducing themselves. The first presentation was on the topic of ‘Readers Advisory’ done by Azlin Library Assistant from ISKL followed by groups discussions on how ‘Readers Advisory’ are handled at the different schools. The different sources librarians use to provide book recommendations for our readers.  In between breaks and the different sessions we had throughout the day, participants were encouraged to try quizzes and participate in ice breaking games which promises great prizes for winners. One of the most interesting activity was the part where we had to guess the total no. of pages from a book tower that was on display! Both Rosnita and myself were happy to walk away as winners for two of the games – Unlock the Ring and Kahoot game.  Another good topic was on Weeding where we shared amongst ourselves some best practices used to give the book that got weeded another chance to ‘live’ and we discovered a few schools there donate their books to refugee centers.

It was enriching to learn from our friends there and we surely picked up some practices that we can apply back in GESS. We also had the opportunity to share our knowledge with the participants and we got to work in groups and everyone was given a chance to present their ideas through active group discussions. We discovered that in KL they also have something like the Red Dot Awards but it’s called Novel Knockout.  Some other topics covered at JAW was ‘how to handle student behaviors in school libraries’, weeding practices, library displays and also what I personally like best is the last topic for the day on how ISKL successfully implemented EzProxy in their school. It’s a one stop sign-on for all the databases that the school have subscribed for their school community.

Last but not least we want to thank ISLN for offering some sponsorship for our trip. It was a great learning experience for the both of us and we look forward to future JAWs!

-- submitted by German European School Singapore (GESS) Library Officers

• Rosnita Mohamad
• Sharifah Nooraiza

Library Staff Job-Alike Workshop (JAW) @ UWCSEA East, October

Friday, October 21, the library staff at UWCSEA East hosted the first annual Job-Alike Workshop (JAW) held here in Singapore, based on one held last year at Alice Smith School in KL.

Forty-seven people from a total of sixteen schools attended (including one from KL).  The feedback has been tremendous and our staff learned so much by organizing it.  Special thanks to Ernie, Shirin, Rozi, Judy, Lisa, and Kavi.

It is hoped this will be an annual event, hosted by different schools.

PHOTOS from the event:

The Library Association of Singapore regularly offers interesting PD. Our member, Foo Soo Chin - School of the Arts, has generously shared this account of a recent professional development visit organised by LAS.

This article was originally published at the Singapore Libraries Bulletin.

LAS Visit to Raffles Institution’s Raffles Archives & Museum, Hullett Memorial Library and Shaw Foundation Library

The old and the new – this was the theme of our visit on 22 June 2016 to Raffles Archives & Museum (RAM), Hullett Memorial Library (HML) and Shaw Foundation Library (SFL) at Raffles Institution (RI).

It was a rainy afternoon – but it certainly did not dampen spirits of the 30 participants and the visit proceeded with gusto. We started at the RAM, with a presentation by its head, Mrs Cheryl Yap. She shared about the place, purpose, patronage and other interesting points about the rich RI history that dated all the way back to 1823. She also shared on the Memory and Artefact Donation Drive, as well as RAM’s commitment to preserve RI tradition and culture. RAM also hosts exhibitions and gatherings for the Rafflesian alumni.

There were many questions from the participants who were keen to learn more about how the artefacts are curated.

Mrs Cheryl Yap (4^th from left)
sharing the milestones of the RI
history curated at RAM.    

How a typical RI classroom was like 

many years ago, as shown by a student leader 

(1^st from right).

Look out for the Rafflesian treasures from
the 1960s. Spot the army cadet badges
donated by Dr N Varaprasad, former
NLB CE 2004-2010 and Principal of
Temasek Polytechnic 1990-2001.

One of the many interesting points was the Raffles Time Capsule – its sealing by Professor Tommy Koh on 25 July 2015 to mark the relocation of RAM to its current location, SG50 and the school’s 192 Founder’s Day. The well-known local filmmaker Ms Tan Pin Pin also filmed the time capsule earthing ceremony on 31 July 2015.

The group was then divided into smaller groups for guided tours conducted by student leaders. It was interesting to learn about the contributions of former principals throughout RI history, evolution of the student publication Rafflesian Times which was formerly known as the R.I. Times, small exhibitions of artefacts that belonged to distinguished Rafflesians, such as the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew and so on.

The displays have QR codes that contain more information about the artefacts to which it is attached. Throughout the guided tours, the student leaders also shared many interesting anecdotes about the provenance of various artefacts.

After a brief tea break, the group made our way to HML. HML is also known as the RI’s secondary school library and used mainly by Year 1 to 4 students.  RI’s Chief Librarian, Ms Joanna Yu shared on the range of library services and facilities available to support the learning needs of its users.

As we were brought on a guided tour, we learnt that the library was founded since 1923 to mark the centenary of RI’s establishment. Even the National Library of Singapore has its origin at the HML, which was previously known as the Singapore Institution Library – so that makes HML the oldest library in Singapore!

We learnt that it was named in honour of the longest serving school principal, Mr R W Hullett. We were impressed with the beautiful regency-styled wooden furniture, which provided a pleasant contrast to the contemporary sofas. We also learnt that the wooden chairs were known as the Raffles chairs - their design of the curved, extended back and swept-back legs was characteristic of chairs in the times of Sir Stamford Raffles.

Step into HML, the oldest library in Singapore.

The wooden chairs that we sat on were surprisingly
comfortable, as we listened to Ms Joanna Yu
(in white facing camera) sharing about the unique features
of HML’s collection and services.

Next, we moved on to the SFL, which is also known as RI’s junior college library and used mainly by Year 5 and 6 students. As we went on the guided tour, we learnt more about its contemporary architectural design, collection layout, range of resources and facilities such as discussion rooms.

The participants admired the late Brother Joseph McNally’s
sculpture “Perennial Wisdom”, which was moved from RI’s
former Mount Sinai campusto its current Bishan campus. 
The humanoid form gazes towards the sky in its quest for
excellence as it ascends from the earth, symbolizing
the Rafflesian spirit of endeavor. 

 The visit ended with a group photograph with the “Perennial Wisdom” as a backdrop, as we gratefully thank our RI hosts and LAS for making this enriching learning experience possible. 

Group photograph at the end of the visit.