Friday, September 4, 2026

2:30 PM - 3:10 PM

Courtyard Room

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Overview

Hear from industry experts on how libraries support critical thinking. Using Australian research articles, primary sources, and multimedia content, see how students learn to evaluate evidence, assess credibility, recognise bias, and build informed perspectives through authentic, curriculum-aligned resources. Recognise the skills that school library staff bring to support their community to identify gaps in knowledge, discriminate amongst information, process and interpret information, apply logic, identify assumptions and motivations, justify arguments, construct new knowledge, and make decisions about the veracity of the information they are presented with. This session will be divided into two parts: Tools for teaching critical thinking Informit Explore in practice: Applying factchecking, lateral reading and critical thinking skills using Explore. School libraries as part of a winder library ecosystem The State Library’s role in supporting education libraries. Drawing on experience in university library sector – all accredited higher education institutions must have a library – why is that not so for the school sector