The Flemington Primary School library got a creative makeover thanks to an innovative project led by library volunteer Chia Chia and the library team. By combining themed displays with a playful twist—featuring everything from books to Barbies—they created a welcoming space that sparks both curiosity and conversation.

General display to ensure students felt welcomed in the library.

Bringing books and Barbie together

The project’s signature “Barbie out of the box” display used Barbies sourced from op shops, markets, and friends. This playful approach to dressing up Barbies in imaginative costumes tied into the library’s seasonal or special event themes to not only grab students’ attention but also highlight the featured books in a fun and unexpected way.

Mother’s Day Display

Themed displays for every occasion

• When Sally met Barbie
  In May 2024, author Sally Rippin visited the library. To mark the occasion, the team put together a special Barbie display featuring her works. It was a fun way to introduce students to her books and to welcome a much-loved Australian children’s author.

Display featuring Sally Rippin’s books, with Barbies adding a playful twist.

• CBCA Shortlist 2024
  To coincide with the 2024 CBCA Shortlist announcements, each Barbie was given a miniature version of a shortlisted book to hold. A “book review bin” encouraged students to jot down their thoughts and drop them in anonymously—a simple, interactive way to boost reading engagement.

Barbies holding miniature CBCA shortlisted books

• Book Week 2024
  Tying in with the theme “Reading is Magic,” the library team rolled out multiple displays over Book Week to keep excitement levels high. Each display showcased a different angle of the theme, with Barbies decked out in magical or story-inspired costumes.

Barbies in fantastical costumes, highlighting the "magic" of reading

• Book Week Parade
  For Book Week, a parade-style display also brought the theme “Reading is Magic” to life. Barbies dressed as characters from various genres held mini books, creating a vibrant, moving showcase that celebrates the magic of storytelling.

The Book Week parade displays Barbies in character costumes.

• Father’s Day Display
  Not to be left out, another creative twist was the Father’s Day display, which used similar ideas to engage students and promote a love of reading.

Father’s Day Barbie display.

A simple idea with a big impact

The creative approach at Flemington Primary School shows that a little imagination can go a long way! By thinking outside the box, the team transformed the library into a space that not only showcased books but also built a community around reading. Whether you’re looking to revamp your displays or simply find inspiration, this project is a great reminder that libraries can be both fun and inviting.

Have you experimented with creative displays in your library? We’d love to hear your ideas and experiences.

The MARC (Mobile Area Resource Centre) Van program is a remarkable initiative that brings the magic of libraries to schools across rural and regional Victoria. These mobile libraries on wheels are true gems, offering invaluable services to students and teachers alike.

Approximately 40 MARC Van Services operate throughout rural and regional Victoria.  These vans are attached to government schools, with teachers operating from a Base School and visiting other schools weekly or fortnightly. They share resources, provide specialist teaching, and offer time release to classroom teachers.

According to the Grasmere Primary School website: 

The MARC Library Program aims to:

• Promote a love of reading and a genuine appreciation of literature among all students.
• Contribute to the development of a strong reading culture within each school.
• Keep updated with new release reading material that is of high interest to students and staff.
• Provide a wide range of resources that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, thinking skills, problem-solving ability, and cognitive development.
• Provide a weekly library lesson that is highly engaging for students and aims to further develop skills across a range of curriculum areas, with a focus on literacy.
• Provide teaching staff with highly effective teaching materials that will enrich and support the Victorian Curriculum, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities, and needs of different cohorts and individual students.

Kim James, who manages the Tarago MARC van visits 285 students at five Primary Schools in West Gippsland. These schools range in student population from 9 (one class) to 82 students (four classes). The MARC service enables small rural and regional schools access to a broader range of books and educational resources. The Tarago van holds 3,000 children’s books, with a further 8,000 books stored in the collection at the Base School. Students borrow books weekly and all participate in a literacy lesson where they read and celebrate reading and books.

And the fact that the artwork on the Skipton PS MARC van, run by Gayle Munson was designed by the students themselves is a delightful touch, truly making these mobile libraries an extension of the schools they serve.

Watch out for these vans on the road as you travel around regional Victoria and give them a special library wave as you pass.

Hats (or books) off to the entire MARC Van team – you are truly making a difference in the lives of students and teachers across the state!

(There are Mobile Art Craft Centre, MACC, vans visiting schools too.)

MARC van library staff receive free membership of SLAV for 2025 as part of our SPP grant funding. 

*The title of this post was created with help from AI.

(Image taken by the author, calendar by Prue Pittock)

There are many super resources with themes and dates to help you with your displays and class planning for 2025 . There are so many we can no longer keep our display calendar up to date so spend some time looking at these: 

1. The Australia Reads Literary Calendar links to major literary events, festivals and awards around Australia. Not only plan library displays but your travel diary for the year. 

2. Some creative ideas in this next list including National Dinosaur Day in May and one of my favourites, Clean Up Australia Day in March

3. From NSW this calendar has events and dates of national or international significance and includes some links to resources. Definitely worth a visit. 

4. This calendar has an emphasis on diversity.  

5. A printable calendar with some events already listed. 

6. Softlink have also a calendar of display ideas with books to match. It is updated each term. 

SLAV wish to acknowledge the huge contribution to reading and writing made by the Australian author John Marsden who died this month. John's books, particularly, the series Tomorrow when the war began made readers of non-readers and were devoured by readers in general. He was generous with his encouragement of teachers and young writers to find their passion and engage in the craft. John supported the environment purchasing the Tye Estate with its acres of natural bush in regional Victoria and preserving it as much as possible. On this site he also established  a small innovative school, Candlebark. 

(2005 Image taken by River)

The School Library Association of Victoria (SLAV) hosted its highly anticipated Annual Conference on Friday, 29 November 2024, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC). In what was a sold-out event, this year’s theme, School Libraries: Transforming Literacy, brought together over 250 delegates, including attendees, presenters, and guests, all united by a shared passion for advancing literacy in schools.

A Day of Inspiration and Innovation

The conference began with an official welcome by SLAV President Di Ruffles, followed by a powerful acknowledgement of Country. Nina Taylor MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Education, delivered the opening address, sharing her love of libraries and reading and emphasising the critical role of school libraries in fostering equitable access to education.

From L-R: SLAV Executive Office Pam Saunders, Nina Taylor MP, SLAV President Di Ruffles

The keynote speaker, Madison Dearnaley, captivated the audience with her insights into how school libraries can support and transform multiple literacies. Highlighting digital, information, and reading literacy, Dearnaley underscored the library’s unique role as a dynamic and inclusive learning environment.

Dr. Matt Agnew, astrophysicist and AI expert, followed with a featured presentation on artificial intelligence. His talk, Is My Phone Reading My Brain?, explored the ethical implications of AI and how educators can prepare students for an AI-driven future.