Earlier this week, our network of teacher librarians were able to spend the day with one of Australia’s leading school library practitioners. Fabulous Suzette Boyd from Scotch College has been an inspiration to many of us during our careers, keeping us grounded on quality services, imaginative enterprises, exciting initiatives, and most important of all – customer focused!

Yes, the kids are what it is all about, and Suzette certainly knows how to manage a school library to achieve the best.

As Victor explained

Suzette was indeed different. I would have liked to have spent an entire day listening to her recount many of the things which she has tried over the years – her ideas are innovative, creative and above all real-world.

During the course of our day we looked at Suzette’s key points:

• building connections and trust with students
• communicating with and enlisting the support of all users
• being positive, upbeat and enthusiastic
• marketing and promoting the library through an extraordinary array of ideas and activities
• influencing the Principal
• becoming the cultural and educational hub of the school.

The best news of all is that Suzette’s inspiration is no longer a secret. She is sharing her vision with us all through her book The Connected Library: A handbook for engaging users.

John Marsden says

The Connected Library is a flight manual for librarians

Marita Thomson says

Slim enough to be manageable in these days of information overload, I found this book affirmed many of my current practices but more importantly inspired me to reach a bit further. There are first all those things I always meant to do but didn’t quite get to and then the more difficult area of taking a few risks. I think what is obvious or correct or a risk will vary from one library to another, but Suzette’s book is an excellent place to find your next project.

In recent times librarians in schools have come to be considered technology experts, curriculum leaders, literature gurus, web masters and providers of on-line information and professional development. They are also expected to be human dynamos, with energy to burn, to have a huge capacity to absorb new information, to have the imagination to deliver exciting new programs, whilst at the same time having the ability to maintain an efficient and relevant library service.

Suzette Boyd believes this is probably still not enough and that the level of engagement with users is the real measure of success!

This book is good reading and very manageable. Go on, order it today, or borrow a copy. Your local public library will probably buy it if you ask.