News
Closure of Hertfordshire Schools Library Service New
The Schools Library Service provides professional support, advice and training to school librarians in secondary schools and library co-ordinators in primary schools on a traded basis, and is expected to cover its costs.
Hertfordshire’s Schools Library Service has enjoyed an excellent professional reputation, and has been valued by the schools buying into its services. In recent years, however, the number of schools subscribing to the service has significantly declined.
On 19 December the HCC Cabinet discussed the future of the School Library Service in light of the decreasing income from schools. Over several years the service has driven down expenditure with repeated staffing restructures and changes to the service offer. The pricing structure has also changed in response to feedback from schools. However, the income has continued to fall and it is no longer sustainable for the service to operate at a loss. Therefore, the Cabinet took the decision to close the Schools Library Service at the end of the current contract year (31 March 2012).
The Schools Library Service will continue to provide our full service to schools until the end of the contract year on 31 March 2012. If you have any queries regarding elements of your contract with work still outstanding please contact us using the details below.
If you wish to buy stock for your library using the SLS assisted purchase scheme please ensure that you contact us to place your order before half term to allow for the stock to be delivered and invoiced before 31 March 2012.
If your school does not currently have a membership contract but you would like to purchase Pay As You Use services, please contact us to discuss this.
We will be delivering our full advertised training programme for the Spring Term as planned. No course will be cancelled unless there are insufficient delegates to cover the costs of delivering the session.
Over the coming months we will work with Librarians and Library Coordinators in schools who currently subscribe to SLS to advise them of alternative sources for support in the future. Discussions will also take place with Children's Services to consider how the dual & foreign language resources will be managed and maintained in the future.
Contact details for the Schools Library Service:
Tel: 01707 281630
Fax: 01707 281611
E-mail: info@herts-sls.org.uk
All media enquiries should be directed to the HCC Press Office:
Tel: 01992 588535
E-mail: press.office@hertscc.gov.uk
Spring term courses at Hertfordshire Schools Library Service New
7 February 2011 9.30am - 3.30pm
Becoming an Information Literacy Skills Champion
A session for KS1&2 teachers, literacy and library co-ordinators. To help the primary school library play its essential role as the school's information centre.
21 February 2012 9.30am - 12.30pm The Magic of Storytelling
A session for children's centre staff, nursery and early years. Weave a little magic... a fun workshop that will show practitioners strategies for involving children and parents in the magic of storytelling.
For more information visit:
Guided Supplier Visit to Peters Bookselling Services, Birmingham New
Thursday 9 February 2012
Join us on our visit to one of the country’s leading suppliers of children’s books on Thursday 9 February 2012. This is a great opportunity to meet colleagues and see the best books around. An SLS librarian will be on hand to help and advise.
Transport will leave Schools Library Service at 8.30am, returning by 5.30pm approximately. Lunch is provided.
Participants should have £1,000 or more to spend.
Please contact us for further information or to book a place.
Hertfordshire’s Carnegie and Kate Greenaway nominations are confirmed new
After a great day of book discussion on 18 October, we can confirm this year’s Hertfordshire nominations for the national Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Children’s Book Awards.
They are A monster calls by Patrick Ness (Carnegie) and Mirror by Jeannie Baker (Kate Greenaway)
For further information about the national awards, please visit the official website:
Picture a Story:
KS1/2 Reading & Art Event with Guest Illustrator Mini Grey - 8th March 2012 updated
The popular Picture a Story event will take place next March, again in conjunction with the Hertfordshire
County Art Collection.
We will produce a shortlist of books for you to enjoy during the Spring Term
together with an information pack. Your school may also take part in an optional art competition, to be
judged by Mini Grey on the day, details of which are given on the flyer.
On the 8 March you may bring along up to six children to hear Mini speak about her books and
inspiration for her artwork. In addition the children will be able to participate in an art trail, the aim of
which is to link original art and artefacts from the County Art Collection with the illustrations from the shortlisted books. This will provide an opportunity for children to see, use
and be inspired by original works of art, and to appreciate that art is all around us in our everyday lives. There will be a separate selection of art and questions for each Key Stage.
Suitable for: All schools interested in raising the profile of reading and art at KS1 and KS2
Venue: Schools Library Service, New Barnfield, Travellers Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 8XG.
Time: KS1 9.30 - 11.45 KS2 1.00 - 3.00
Cost: £ 95.00 per school, per session (up to 2 adults and 6 children). SLS will produce a shortlist of 6 titles and provide an information pack. (participating schools to purchase copies of the shortlisted books).
Contact : Audrey Kato 01707 281630
Download flyer :
To see and borrow from the County Art Collection go to:
SLS joins the Twitterverse
Our new Twitter account is aimed primarily at secondary school librarians and aims to help school staff keep abreast of happenings in the library world.
Follow us at
Dual and Foreign Language Books from the Schools Library Service
Children’s Centres in Hertfordshire can now borrow books from the School Library Service’s Dual and Foreign Language Collection. Books can be loaned for up to 6 weeks and can be delivered and collected to and from Children’s Centres during term time.
Amongst the many titles available are Vamos à Caça de um Urso (Portuguese for ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’) and Les Roues du Bus Tournent et Tournent (and is of course French for ‘The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round’).
Please contact us for further details.
Hertfordshire Carnegie Greenaway Nomination Day
On 18 October, colleagues from schools, public libraries and the Schools Library Service will be coming together for an enjoyable day of book discussion. They will be deciding on the Hertfordshire nominations for the national Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Children’s Book Awards.
The Carnegie Medal is a national book award presented each year by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (Cilip) to the author of an outstanding book for children and young adults. The Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded for an outstanding book in terms of illustration.
The books being discussed on 18 October have been chosen by staff in Hertfordshire Libraries. After the day of discussion a vote will be taken, and the winning titles will go forward as the Hertfordshire nominations for the national awards. The Nomination Day is now fully booked, but you may like to read the books on the Hertfordshire shortlists and decide which you would have voted for!
The Hertfordshire Carnegie Medal Shortlist:
- Noah Barleywater runs away by John Boyne
- Annexed by Sharon Doggar
- One dog and his boy by Eva Ibbotson
- Eight keys by Suzanne LaFleur
- Trash by Andy Mulligan
- A monster calls by Patrick Ness
The Hertfordshire Kate Greenaway Medal Shortlist:
- Mirror by Jeannie Baker
- This book belongs to Aye-Aye by Richard Byrne
- There’s going to be a baby by John Burningham
- Wolf won’t bite by Emily Gravett
- Three by the sea by Mini Grey
- Up and down by Oliver Jeffers
Get Ready, Get Set for the Reading Relay
A ‘one-school’ version of the Reading Relay is being launched by several Schools Library Services for those schools unable to take part in the main Reading Relay event, which started on 1st September 2011.
The idea behind this ‘one school’ version is for pupils to read books based on the Olympic values of friendship, courage, determination, excellence, and equality and respect, to recommend a book that embodies these values and pass the recommendation on to others in the school.
It is up to Library and Literacy Coordinators to decide how they want to pass the recommendations on: it could be different groups of pupils within a class or year group or a chain of individuals recommending to each other. The main thing is the pupils begin reading, talking and sharing their enthusiasm about books.
To see further information on the one school version of the Reading Relay please click on the link below.
The Reading Relay
Project Toolkit – one school version
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