Subcommittee Update -- Sunshine Coast President's Report 2008
I have thoroughly enjoyed the role of President throughout 2007. The role gave me the opportunity to attend even more teacher-librarian activities than I have done in the past and mix with a very motivated group of people.
One of the first activities that I was involved in was the President and Councillor’s day in Brisbane, which Jill Duffield attended with me. This was an interesting day with the opportunity to meet the other presidents and councillors throughout the state. It gave me a sense of the history of SLAQ and some ideas of the direction that SLAQ is aiming for.
Throughout the year SLAQ Sunshine Coast has run a number of activities, including a very informative book talk at Books of Buderim; an evening with the QLD CBC judge; a relaxed conversation and reading by J.C. Burke, viewing of Shaun Tan’s art work and lastly a Web 2.0 workshop and dinner in term 4.
I also attended the biennial ASLA conference in Adelaide and found that to be a professionally rewarding experience. I was particularly inspired to continue in this very worthy profession by two well known Australian authors; Mem Fox and Libby Gleeson. Mem Fox spoke to an audience of 200 people and had us in the palm of her hand as she read some of her stories and told us about her personal history while continually referring to the important work that we do as librarians. Libby Gleeson read an extract from the book that she was editing and then went on to describe how she believed that Governments must place greater emphasis on reading and the promotion of reading.
It is very easy to feel that often our daily lives are too busy to spend any of our holidays, or after work hours, going to conferences and network meetings however my experience in the last few years is that this is often the things that really inspires me. I encourage all SLAQ members to consider attending the SLAQ conference in Brisbane this year; it is certainly on my agenda.
In concluding my report I want to say thank you to the SLAQ executive team for their support throughout 2007 with a special mention to Jill Duffield for her support and advice. I look forward to the challenges that 2008 is sure to bring knowing that I have a great support network.
Thank you
Teresa Ison
President SLAQ Sunshine Coast