World Book Night - Applications Now Open

World Book Night 23 April 2019

World Book Night takes place on 23 April every year and is a national celebration of reading and books. Books are gifted by prisons, libraries, colleges, hospitals, care homes and homeless shelters - you can apply at https://worldbooknight.org/apply and there are some great titles in the list this year.

World Book Night is run by The Reading Agency, a national charity that tackles life’s big challenges through the proven power of reading.

Scottish Book Trust Live Literature Funding Applications Now Open

We all know the benefits of hearing authors speak about their work and how this can inspire and enthuse pupils. Why not apply for Live Literature Funding from the Scottish Book Trust? 

Applications for events taking place between 1 April and 31 December 2019 are currently open if you would like to plan an author visit for spring or summer, or the next academic year (or if you are really organised and have started thinking about Book Week Scotland 2019!) The deadline for applications is Wednesday, 23 January 2019 at noon. 

For more information about the Live Literature Funding and details on how to apply, please click here: http://scottishbooktrust.com/learning/live-literature-programme/apply-for-author-visits

Registration Now Open for Excelsior Award

Registration is now open for the Excelsior Award, which is the only nationwide book award for graphic novels and manga. There are now four different shortlists of five books each, with a greater focus on specific age suitability and affordability. The overall goal of the award is to encourage reading for pleasure and to raise the profile of graphic novels and manga.
Please click here for more information about the award, and the nominated books.

Have a look at the SLA website for more information, articles and blogposts about graphic novels and don't forget about the SLA publications, Riveting Reads on Graphic Novels put together by the Excelsior Award's Paul Register, and Chaos or Collection?: Selecting and Managing Graphic Novels in Your School Library written by Neena Morris. 

Book Week Scotland Resources

Happy Book Week Scotland! Apologies for being a little late to the party - we've been caught up in planning events for BWS.  It's great to see all the wonderful events happening all over Scotland this week and it's not too late to mark Book Week Scotland - there are some great resources available on the Scottish Book Trust website.
http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/bws-schools.

World Book Day 2019 - Register by 30 November 2018

Don't forget to register for 2019's World Book Day packs and book tokens - the deadline for registration is 30th November 2018. https://www.worldbookday.com/registernow/
There are some good resources on the site so it is worth having a look. We also like the look of 2019's £1 books, including titles by Rick Riordan, Jeff Kinney and Malorie Blackman, to name but a few.
World Book Day will take place on 7th March 2019.

Applications for Latest Round of School Library Improvement Fund Open

Following the launch of Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools: A National Strategy for School Libraries in Scotland 2018-2023, applications are now open for the School Library Improvement Fund (SLIF). £150,000 is available to all state-run schools in Scotland to fund projects in their school libraries. 

There is no minimum or maximum amount for bids although all projects must be completed within twelve months. Applications must be submitted by Friday 14th December.

For more information and details on how to apply, please see the Scottish Library and Information Council website.

First Minister's Reading Challenge Creative Workshop Fund

The Creative Workshop Fund is a grant available through the First Minister's Reading Challenge (FMRC) to help secondary schools build and sustain a reading culture. Schools can apply to receive a grant to create reading projects of their choice, across all curricular areas. The grant includes funding for a workshop or series of workshops with a practitioner, as well as money towards reading materials. 

You must be registered with the FMRC to apply and applications must be submitted by 30th November. 

For more information on how to apply and terms and conditions, please click here: https://www.readingchallenge.scot/creative-workshop-fund/

The SLIC Showcase and AGM - 9th November 2018

The Scottish Library Information Council Showcase and AGM takes place on Friday,  9 November 2018, from 10.30am-3.00pm in the AK Bell Library, Soutar Theatre, 17 York Place, Perth PH2 8EP.

The theme of the day is the Year of Young People and Neil Mathers, Chief Executive of the Children’s University, Scotland will be the keynote speaker.

Martina McChrystal will discuss the evolution of the National Strategy for School Libraries, with presentations from three school librarians who were successful in receiving funding from the School Library Improvement Fund (Amanda Joykin, Pamela McLean, and Susan Morton).

There will be an opportunity to view a the Perth Makerspace and hear about Young Scot's project on Ambition & Opportunity, the University of the West of Scotland's “Big Read” project, and NLS and YouthLink Scotland's WW1 project.

All organisations in current membership of SLIC are invited to send up to two representatives to the Showcase event, which is free.

For more information and to book a free place, please click here.

#World Mental Health Day - Wellbeing, reading and writing resources

On World Mental Health Day (10 October), it is worth checking out the resources created by the National Literacy Trust and children’s mental health charity, Place2Be, for primary schools, secondary schools and parents. You can find them on the NLC website.
The SLA has also produced an excellent guide as to how school libraries can promote well-being throughout the year.

National Poetry Day - 4th October 2018

National Poetry Day will take place on Thursday, 4 October 2018 and encourages everyone to discover and share poems. The theme this year is 'Change'.

There are some excellent free resources available on the National Poetry Day website and, closer to home, the Scottish Poetry Day website. SPL have produced some fantastic downloadable posters and learning notes on the six poems they have chosen this year - "My Pitch" by Jackie Kay seems particularly apt for Black History Month, and "Dr Wha" by James Robertson might prove popular with all the hype about a certain sci-fi series starting again on 7th October... 

National Strategy for School Libraries - Great School Libraries Campaign

Hard copies of the National Strategy for School Libraries in Scotland 2018-2023 Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools should be arriving in schools this week - copies were also distributed by the Scottish Library Information Council (SLIC) at the Scottish Learning Festival last week. The aim of the Strategy is to "highlight to decision makers the intrinsic value of a good school library service and the impact this can have on children and young people’s wider school experience". You can read more about the Strategy on the SLIC website, as well as other matters pertaining to school libraries, such as the Improvement Fund and How Good is Our School Library.

The Great School Libraries campaign was also launched on Thursday. Spearheaded by CILIP, SLG and SLA, this campaign has three aims: to secure school library funding; to produce a national framework for school libraries in England; and recognition of school libraries within the Ofsted framework. Read more about this campaign here.

First Minister's Reading Challenge

The First Minister's Reading Challenge has been launched and for the first time includes secondary schools as well as primary schools and libraries.

Sign up for resources and more details at www.readingchallenge.scot

National Scottish School Library Strategy Launched

The Scottish Government and Cosla have created a national strategy for school libraries.

You can download a copy of 'Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools' here 

or head over to the Scottish Govenment website to find out more about the project.