On 4 December 2023, the Australian Coalition for School Libraries (ACSL) was officially established as a sector committee of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). The six school library associations that exist in Australia and ALIA signed a Memorandum of Collaboration agreeing to work together as a united and professional voice advocating for school libraries and school library staff across the nation.
In addition to ALIA representatives, ACSL comprises representation from Queensland School Library Association (QSLA); School Library Association of New South Wales (SLANSW); School Library Association of South Australia (SLASA) ; School Library Association of Victoria (SLAV); Western Australian School Library Association (WASLA); and the Australian School Library Association (ASLA). Each of these organisations play a unique and important role, and now, with communication channels strengthened and means of collaboration set in place, there is a focal point for research to take place and a platform for school library voices to be amplified in Australia.
ACSL (or as it was previously known as the ‘School Library Coalition’) was formed following a meeting at ALIA House in Canberra in 2015 involving all the bodies that represent those working in school libraries in Australia. At this meeting, those attending agreed to form a coalition dedicated to raising awareness of school libraries across all sectors and thus engage in promotion and support for school libraries and the staff working in them. The coalition agreed to meet four times per year and collaborate on issues of national importance to school libraries.At a face-to-face meeting in Sydney in May 2023, it was agreed that the coalition would be known as the ‘Australian Coalition for School Libraries’ and that work would commence on drafting a Memorandum of Collaboration to make ACSL a sector committee of ALIA.
The ACSL logo (below) represents the connection between the members with the continuity of the line through the letters, and the ACSL (play on the word ‘axle’) as a connecting rod to the wheels of each Association. The image invites movement and appears to be ready to ‘get the wheels turning’. The magenta/purple colour is symbolic of the wisdom and dignity of the group and the creativity and magic of school libraries.