Do you know how many times I shared a post on my website last month? Once. Just my month professional development list. Do you know how many posts I have sitting in my draft folder, either fully written, half formed or in the ideas stage? 111. That’s oddly neat. And kind of sad. What stops me from posting? Obviously there is the eternal overthinking, imposter syndrome, and self doubt.

Well, it is almost the end of another term. For me, the term break is a chance to slow down, take lots of walks and naps, plan for the term ahead, and dive back into my professional reading and writing, something that I tend to drop during the busyness of the term.

And just like that, another month has come and gone. October 2025. It feels like a big month in the world of school libraries. The new school year is in full swing in the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere is either mid-way through a term break or just about ready to get stuck into the fast and furious pace of term 4.

Welcome to September 2025. A month for learning, exploring, or maybe just recovering from the massive month of August. I am determined to get as much professional learning as I can this month, particularly around areas of interest and relevance to me. As always I have curated a wonderful list of professional learning opportunities for you, including webinars, podcasts, articles and more.

Take a walk around my school library with me. It’s lunchtime and the place is buzzing. Upstairs there are students quietly studying. In the small rooms, students meet for boardgames club and Dungeons and Dragons club, forming friendships over shared experiences and interests. A group of year 11 students browse the shelves and sit and chat. They come across my pile of new books to show my younger classes and dive into the new non-fiction titles.

We all know the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But in school libraries, students do it every day, and they should. Book covers are designed to sell book. They’re crafted by talented illustrators and graphic designers who know how to capture attention, adhere to trends, and entice readers. Covers are visual invitations and works of art. In a world where we compete with screens and short attention spans, using book covers as part of our reader engagement strategy is essential.

August - a massive month in the school library calendar here in Australia and a big month of preparing to return to school in the northern part of the world. Between all the Book Week preparations and celebrations or holding onto your last bit of summer, you might find time to squeeze in some professional learning. If so, I have rather an epic list for you, with webinars, podcasts, articles and more. 

At the start of this year, I wanted to really focus on my library lessons and design them to be more strategic in what I wanted to achieve. As a teacher librarian, there is so much content to cover: curriculum unit related items, reading promotion and dedicated reading time, library skills, information literacy and research skills, digital and AI literacy, as well as celebrating special events like Book Week and author visits.

Cue the confetti. Madison’s Library, this little ol’ slice of the internet, is turning 10 years (and 6 months) old today. Okay, so I kind of missed the big milestone at the beginning of the year. I had no idea that I’d been writing, reviewing and sharing for 10 years. Here’s the old cliche, time flies. But serious. I would have guessed maybe 5 or 6 years.

Book Week - Easy costume ideas from the 2025 CBCA Book of the Year Notables Book Week, one of the biggest literary events in the calendar. And let's face it, the highlight (and big stressor) of many Book Week celebrations is a book character dress-up parade. Finding a costume, especially at the last minute, isn't always easy. So that's why I create lists of super-easy, super-affordable and super-book-related costumes that you can throw together with wardrobe staples.

Book Week 2025: Bookmarks, T-Shirts and Tote bags The CBCA Children's Book Week is an epic celebration in school libraries and classrooms across the country.  The theme for 2025 is Book An Adventure.

Well, goodbye June and just like that it is July. Whether you are enjoying summer holidays or winter holidays or are just counting down the days until you are on a break, I hope this list of professional learning opportunities finds you well. 

Firstly, I'm sorry I'm sharing this a few days late (June already people, it's hard to believe), I was busy having so much fun at the ASLA conference in Geelong over the weekend. It reminded me about the importance of making time for professional learning. While I curate these lists designed to enable us to learn from work or home, there is something very specially about connecting with other school library staff and sharing our journeys.

There is so much to love about a makerspace in the school libraries. And you can create one no matter the size of your budget. Makerspace allow you to have the resources on hand to support creativity and hands-on learning, and it's the perfect match for literature, learning and reading.  But with so many different resources, equipment items, and tech tools to choose from, the possibilities for what to stock in your makerspace can seem endless - and overwhelming.

Makerspaces in school libraries, the combination of creativity, hands on learning and literature. It’s a match made in heaven. Whether you want to reinvigorate your current makerspace or start one from scratch, it’s an easy thing to do no matter what sized space you have. Makerspaces in school libraries can be little nooks, trays of activities spread throughout the space, trolleys of activities brought out at lunchtime, or large dedicated areas.

Tell Me Every Lie - Ellen Hagan and David Flores - Bloomsbury YA Published 24 June 2025 ♥♥♥♥♥ It’s been ages since I’ve read a young adult contemporary romance this good. A romance with fairly low drama, with depth of character backstory, with a quick but authentic connection between our love interest and a setting that is relaxing and enjoyable and believable.

Trying to convince our students to read can be tricky. We have to compete with the many activities and distractions that take up time in their lives. Sharing the research about why reading is good for them and tips on how to get back into reading can be one way to assist this process. There is plenty of research and information around the benefits of reading, how to select a good book, or make reading a habit, but we need it in easily digestible formats with which students can engage.

Welcome to another month’s professional learning list. Whether you're looking for a three-day challenge to become a future-ready school library professional, up-skill on AI and digital fakes, or grab a resource to help you unpack the CBCA Book of the Year Shortlist, I hope this list will have something to inspire you. Happy learning. 

If you are reading this, then you are probably interested in setting up a makerspace in your school library. Or perhaps you already have one and are not sure if you should continue to support a makerspace. What are the benefits? How do you manage resources? And how exactly does it fit into the overall school library ethos?

We all know reading is good for our brains and our mental health. And we all know prioritising wellbeing is key to surviving this thing called working in a school. So when our deputy approached me last year to run a reading for wellbeing session at the start of the new year, I’d love to say I jumped at the opportunity with enthusiasm and gratitude.