Dr. Margaret Merga |
Dr Margaret Merga (Twitter: @MKMerga) has written more than a hundred peer-reviewed and research-informed publications, including four non-fiction books on literacy, libraries, research methods and research communications. Her 2018 book Reading Engagement for Tweens and Teens has been influential in supporting teachers, parents and school library professionals to maintain young people’s reading engagement beyond the early years, and her 2022 book School Libraries Supporting Literacy and Wellbeing highlights her research on the relationship between libraries, literacy and wellbeing. Her fifth book published in 2023 covers how to write a whole school literacy policy. Margaret is an honorary adjunct at the University of Newcastle, and she runs Merga Consulting, working with schools, professional associations and government departments on a range of literacy-related projects (both in Australia and beyond). These engagements often involve developing or enhancing the schools’ literacy culture. Margaret’s research has been cited more than 2,300 times and translated into many languages.
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Keynote Address
Leading change: Principles of change management for effective leadership within and beyond the library.
Do you want to drive successful change initiatives from your library, but are not sure how to optimise your chances of success? Have you tried to institute a whole school change only see it fizzle out on implementation? Drawing on my experiences and a rich body of change management literature, I will provide insights and practical implications for planning and implementing change within and beyond the library so that it sticks. Attendees should leave the session with confidence and a clear approach to follow in their own school contexts.
Workshop
Data masters: Collecting and using data to improve school library services.
In our data driven school environments, we are increasingly reliant on good data to demonstrate accountability and to support our advocacy as we seek to strengthen broader understanding of what our school libraries contribute within our schools. The more powerful our data are, and the more effectively we present it, the greater our potential influence may be. In this practical workshop, we’ll get our heads around some principles of evaluation using quantitative, qualitative and mixed data sources. There will be robust discussion and opportunities to apply and experiment with some of the practical skills we’ll cover in a safe and supportive learning space. You’ll leave with persuasive but reliable ways of collecting and presenting data.