Weekend Course 2010 Sponsors

We would like to thank our sponsors for their support of the 2010 Weekend Course. Full details are shown below. Back to Weekend Course page

Softlink

School libraries are under threat. Budgets are being cut and it is alleged that less than 30% of secondary students now read for pleasure. The Government has set up a School Library Commission to gather views from interested parties – it is to report soon after the SLA weekend. What would you say to the commission, if you had the chance?

Softlink, as a leading supplier of library software to schools worldwide, will address the commission. We’ll be telling them how the library must be at the centre of school life and operations, be integrated properly with the VLE and share data with a variety of other applications such as Accelerated Reader. Oliver can do this and more, encouraging increased resource usage by giving students easy access to
your school library collection, electronic files, ebooks, internet sources and other Oliver libraries.

We hope you will be able to attend the SLA Course Weekend and you are most welcome to visit us, to see how we are helping the school library survive and thrive in these challenging times.

http://www.softlink.co.uk/

Egmont Press

Everyone at Egmont Press is passionate about turning all children into readers, whatever their ability and taste. We’re also passionate about finding and nurturing new talent, supporting rising stars and championing those writers and illustrators on our list who have been enchanting children for years with their stories.

http://www.egmont.co.uk/

Hodder Children's Books

Hodder Children's Books is home to a cross-section of prize-winning writers and illustrators, and to some of the brightest new talents in fiction for children and young adults. We are delighted to be bringing Catherine Fisher, Saci Lloyd and Hilary McKay to the SLA Course.

http://www.hodderchildrens.co.uk/

Oxford Children's Books

Oxford Children’s Books are once again thrilled to be involved with the SLA and are delighted to bring award-winning Geraldine McCaughrean to the 2010 Weekend course. Oxford Children's Books has something for every child with a children's list that includes picture books, fiction, poetry, home learning, dictionaries and non-fiction. Our list includes many award-winning authors, as well as debut authors and spectacular illustrators. We hope you enjoy the weekend and do come along to hear Geraldine on Sunday morning.

http://www.oxfordchildrens.co.uk/

Piccadilly Press

Come and join Piccadilly for fizz and cupcakes and discover our makeover! We are billing it as a SO YOU THINK WE’RE PINK event, and we’ll have a great array of authors to demonstrate how we’ve been remodelled and look years younger!

http://www.piccadillypress.co.uk/

Random House Children's Books

Random House Children’s Books is once again delighted to be involved with the SLA weekend course in 2010! This year, RHCB is showcasing some of our biggest event extraordinaires on the children’s circuit Bali Rai, Pete Johnson and Craig Simpson in a fantastic panel event. All three are brilliant at events and have experience of doing events across the length and breadth of the country establishing great contacts with libraries. Random House Children’s Books is also home to a prestigious list of successful, awardwinning authors and illustrators, including Jacqueline Wilson, Terry Pratchett, Malorie Blackman, Philip Pullman, Quentin Blake, Shirley Hughes and Mini Grey amongst many, many others.

http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/childrens

Scholastic

Scholastic UK Ltd are delighted to be sponsoring the School Librarian of the Year Award 2010. Helping schools to support their librarians and promote the love of reading is a key part of what we do. As a distributor of children’s books through our Book Clubs and Book Fairs, Scholastic is the biggest children’s specialist bookseller in the UK and Ireland, and last year got 5 million books into the hands of children, and gave £9 million to schools to spend on books. Alongside this, Scholastic Children’s Books publishes a wide range of books for all ages, including best-sellers and award-winners such as the Horrible Histories series and Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. Scholastic Education publishes print and electronic resources for teachers, offering professional and classroom support with inspiration for their lessons through its website; through its range of popular teacher magazines including Junior Education PLUS; and through its teachers’ resource books.

http://www.scholastic.co.uk/

Walker Books

As part of our 30th Anniversary celebrations Walker Books is delighted to introduce none other than Henry Winkler AKA The Fonz. Henry, along with Lin Oliver, is the author of the Hank Zipzer books about a young boy with dyslexia who is determined to be number one – rather than the one who always gets it wrong. Henry has based the books on his own experiences of being dyslexic. He will be talking about his own reading challenges and his firm belief that ‘just because we learn differently, that does not mean that we are not incredibly smart human beings. That’s something I need every child to understand.’ Henry Winkler is an actor, producer and director. But if you ask him what he is most proud of, he would say, ‘Writing the Hank Zipzer books with my partner, Lin Oliver.’ Henry will be joined by First News editor Nicky Cox and we look forward to introducing you to them both at the Course.