At an independent school in Queensland, the Library Team have been busy supporting staff and students during COVID-19. They answered our questions about what they have been doing.

What has been the focus for your school library/role during the COVID-19 Crisis?
Supporting teachers to upskill on technology; leading and collaborating on digital resourcing; ensure students can access digital materials the library controls.

What major tasks have you achieved?
Major PD delivery for teachers in Microsoft Teams; upgrade access to digital systems and new resource collections; structured plan for library staff duties during changed delivery mode.

What has been the result for staff and/or students?
Rapid skill increase for teachers using the technology for students; open communication channels for staff and students for support; greater access to digital resources than previously; library staff feeling safer and more confident in their roles during this time (no threat of change to staffing or stand downs at present).

What reactions did you get from students/teachers/school leaders/parents to what the library staff were doing?
Very positive and responsive. I've been greatly heartened by the number of staff who, although daunted and under significant pressure, simply squared their shoulders and dived in. We had a huge percentage of teachers increase their skill level in a completely new environment in a very short space of time. It has a knock on effect that the LMS we've been working to implement for more than two years is suddenly an essential teaching space, which is great to see.

If you would like to let us know what your school library is doing during COVID-19, you can let us know here.