One of the most popular aspects of the 2018 (inaugural) Oliver v5 User Conference was the presentations from Oliver v5 school library speakers, Brad Tyrrell, Scotch College Perth, Jackie Child and Megan Daley, St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School and Penny Roberts, Past Brighton Grammar School, who shared practices and informed with a wealth of ideas and examples for conference delegates. Read more about the 2018 conference here.
The 2019 Oliver v5 User Conference will have two streams (Primary stream and Secondary/K-12 stream) which means even more Oliver v5 school library speakers to hear from.
Oliver v5 users from throughout Asia Pacific (and the globe) are invited to find out more and register for the 2019 Oliver v5 User Conference: Community & Diversity, being held at Dockside, Cockle Bay Wharf, Darling Harbour in Sydney on Friday the 17th of May.
In addition to the two Oliver v5 school library speaker streams, there will be a number of combined sessions and great networking opportunities, including:
- Keynote address from Director and Educator at School Librarian Connection, Dianne McKenzie: Diversity in Libraries: Connecting Students to the World. Dianne will also deliver a presentation on evidence based practice in the Secondary/K-12 stream.
- Softlink Development Team presentation: Product Vision and Development.
- Opportunity to speak with Softlink Education Trainer, Russell McGrath, Support Manager, Rob Gibson, LearnPath Solution Specialist, Joel Loveridge and other Softlink team members throughout the day.
- Opportunity to speak to Softlink partner representatives from Britannica Learning, ClickView, Infobase, JCS Online Resources, and Renaissance Learning in the mini trade area.
- Networking with peers over morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and a post conference drinks and canapés event overlooking Sydney’s Cockle Bay Wharf and CBD.
In this blog, we take great pleasure in introducing you to the fantastic line up of school library professionals presenting.
Secondary and K-12 stream speakers
Julia Petrov,
Director of Studies,
St Patrick’s College, Ballarat, VIC
For 9 years Julia has worked with English teachers and the talented library team to develop a reading program, WIRED, that is informed by the use of student data.
With a keen interest in connected learning, she has just completed a Master of Education – Knowledge Networks and Digital Innovation at Charles Sturt University.
Having started her career as an Outdoor Education instructor, Julia has taught English as an Additional Language in both secondary and tertiary sectors and now teaches VCE English. A passionate teacher librarian, she is co-convener of the School Library Association of Victoria’s Ballarat branch and an editorial member of the journal Synergy.
Twitter: @Julia_Petrov
Laurel Ball,
P-12 Teacher Librarian and e-Learning Coordinator,
Assisi Catholic College, QLD
Laurel started her career over 20 years ago as a secondary Drama, English and History teacher in country NSW.
She has been the Creative Arts Coordinator at schools in Dubbo and Bundaberg and has also worked at a boy’s school in Hertford, UK.
Laurel started working at Assisi College in 2009 and has since found her calling in the school library. Laurel is a passionate advocate of children and young adult’s literature. She believes in searching for the things that fascinate young people and using them to ignite the magic of reading, learning and creativity.
Twitter: @laurel_ball
Dianne McKenzie,
Director and Educator at School Librarian Connection
Dianne is a passionate educator who continually strives to deliver improvements in her and others’ teaching and learning practice. She has run school library conferences from Hong Kong through to China, Korea and the Czech Republic as well as having worked in school libraries throughout Asia and Australia.
Dianne has a broad range of experience across new and established school libraries, small and large library teams, International Baccalaureate programs and other international school frameworks, and developed a holistic understanding of education from the perspective of both subject teacher and teacher librarian.
She has a special interest and expertise in digital technologies and is a strong advocate for schools engaging with technology.
Website: School Librarian Connection
Blog: Library Grits
Twitter: @schlibcon
LinkedIn - Dianne McKenzie
Primary stream speakers
Jeanette Davies,
Professional Officer working in the ICLT (Information Communication Learning Technologies) Team
at Catholic Education, Diocese of Wollongong, NSW.
Jeanette provides support in all areas of information technology, specialising in providing library support for the 40 schools in the Wollongong Diocese. This includes Professional Development and Technical Support for Oliver v5.
Jeanette has completed the process of rolling out OverDrive to all schools which will provide all staff and students access to eBooks, Audio Books, Videos, Music and other online documents.
She is also responsible for providing inclusive technology solutions for students with disabilities. This encompasses everything from purchasing hardware and software to providing training and support for teachers, school support officers and students.
Jeanette is an Apple Distinguished Educator (2011) and Apple Accessibility Ambassador (2008).
Twitter: @jmweightman
Website: Inclusive Technologies
OverDrive support: overdrivedow.weebly.com
Josephine Laretive,
K-6 Teacher Librarian,
Moriah College, NSW
Josephine is passionate about what libraries can offer to teaching and learning experiences, enthusiastic about promoting quality literature, learning and creating with technology and dedicated to providing a high standard of service to all.
Her roles prior to joining the Moriah College team, were as Junior School Teacher Librarian at Kambala School, and Information Specialist at McKinsey & Company management consultants.
Josephine is the NSW Eastern Suburbs Sub-branch secretary of the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA).
Twitter: @Jolaret
Blog: http://libraryowl.edublogs.org/
Tamara Rodgers,
NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge Officer,
NSW DoE
Tamara has extensive experience as both a Teacher Librarian and a high school English teacher.
She has been obsessed with stories from a very young age, and loves the opportunity that books provide to challenge ideas, create connections, and explore other worlds.
Tamara believes that there is a book out there somewhere to engage and inspire everyone, and relishes the opportunity to help connect readers with the stories that are going to speak to them. Her favourite childhood book is Alice in Wonderland, and favourite author (at the top of a very long list of favourite authors!) is Neil Gaiman.
If you want to strike up a conversation with her, ask her if she’s looking forward to the upcoming TV adaptation of Good Omens, or tell her who your favourite Doctor is (bonus points if you’re a Tom Baker fan).
Twitter: @TamaraRodgers74
Blog: Tamara Reads
More about the conference
To learn more about Dianne McKenzie, visit our blog. To learn more about her Keynote presentation and Secondary and K-12 stream presentation, click here.
Oliver v5 users throughout the Southern Hemisphere (and globe if you can make it!) are encouraged to attend.
The Oliver v5 User Conference provides a great opportunity to network, collaborate, and learn with and from other school library professionals and Oliver v5 users.
Find out more and order your conference tickets here.