About

The 21CL Library Connection (previously Library Mini-conference) is an annual gathering for the library community.

Featuring a collection of speakers from library thought leaders, guest authors and presentations from innovative teacher librarians, this is one professional learning event for librarians, by librarians that you shouldn’t miss.

  • Welcoming

    How do we ensure our collections and programs are welcoming to students of all backgrounds and identities?

  • Community

    How can libraries foster a sense of community

  • Leadership

    Librarians as educational leaders.

  • Developing Together

    Moving from diversity and inclusion to equity and belonging

Katie Day

Katie Day

Teacher Librarian, Tanglin Trust School

Keynote Speaker

Katie Day is an American who has lived overseas for more than 30 years. She moved from Boston to London in 1986 as a financial software developer in the wake of the UK “Big Bang” of banking deregulation.

Eleven years and three children later, she and her family moved to Asia, first Hong Kong for a year, then HCMC, Vietnam, for four years, where she finished the masters in children’s literature started at Roehampton Institute in 1996 before leaving London. Upon moving to Phuket, Thailand, in 2002, she began her masters in library science long-distance via Charles Sturt University in Australia. A graduate certificate in secondary English and teacher-librarianship followed.

In 2005 she moved to Singapore, where she worked at United World College of South East Asia as a Teacher-Librarian, first at the Dover campus and then at the new East campus until 2017, where she was Head of Libraries. She then moved to Bangkok for three years, working at NIST International School as the Secondary Teacher-Librarian, before returning to Singapore, this time to work in the Senior Library at Tanglin Trust School.

Tristan Bancks

Tristan Bancks

Kids and Teen Author

Guest Author

Tristan Bancks tells stories for the page and screen. His new book for August 2023 is a suspense-thriller, Scar Town, for age 10+. His other books for kids and teens include Two WolvesThe FallDetentionCop & Robber, Ginger Meggs and the Tom Weekly series. His books have won and been shortlisted for many awards, including a Children’s Book Council of Australia Honour Book, the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, and the YABBA children’s choice book awards.

Tristan is an author-advocate for literacy non-profit Room to Read. He is currently working with producers to develop a number of his books for the screen. He’s excited by the future of storytelling and inspiring others to create. You can find out more about Tristan’s books, play games, watch videos, join his Young Writer’s StorySchool and help him try to change the world here at tristanbancks.com

Tristan Bancks, author of bestselling and award-winning books for 10-14 year-olds Two Wolves, The Fall, Detention, Cop & Robber and Scar Town has been visiting schools and working with young writers for the past 15 years. In doing so, he has developed a number of unique, future-facing, road-tested methods for inspiring keen and reluctant young writers to create. Tristan’s method is an outdoor, visual, aural, tech-infused writing adventure. It’s about seeing, hearing and feeling a piece of writing, making it personal. It’s an active approach, proven by Tristan in the writing of his award-winning books and by the tens of thousands of young writers and filmmakers who have taken his workshops. Tristan has recently launched Young Writers’ StorySchool, an online video writing masterclass to help supercharge creative writing in the classroom. He will share the key ideas that underpin his system for inspiring authentic, detailed writing that young people care about and teachers love to read. More on Tristan at www.tristanbancks.com

Benefits of Attending

  • Certification with PD Hour

  • Building your Professional Network

  • Affordable PD for Whole Library Team including Library Assistants

  • Learning with Library Thought Leaders and Authors from Around the World

2024 Schedule

  • 6th March 2024
    Wednesday
  • 7pm – 4pm (+8GMT)
  • School Tours
  • 7th March 2024
    Thursday
  • 8am – 4pm (+8GMT)
  • Mini Conference
  • 8th – 9th March 2024
    Friday
  • 9am – 5pm (+8GMT)
  • 21CLHK Main Conference

This year’s Library Connection will happen face to face for the first time since 2019!

Those that join both library connection mini conference and 21CLHK will receive a discount

History

21CLHK since 2009 has had a long association with the library community, especially in international schools in Asia Pacific. Since 2018 we have hosted a focused library event as a pre-conference to the face-to-face conference, and since 2021 as a hybrid event alongside the online 21CLHK event.

Previous Presenters

Register for the upcoming event and get access to recordings of previous years events.

Miranda Paul

Miranda Paul

Award Winning Author
Steve Sostak

Steve Sostak

Co-Founder Inspire Citizens
Aaron Moniz

Aaron Moniz

Co-Founder Inspire Citizens
Kavita Tanna

Kavita Tanna

Deputy Director Inspire Citizens
Jackie French

Jackie French

Author, Ecologist, Historian, Dyslexic, Honorary Wombat
Yoshimi Horiuchi

Yoshimi Horiuchi

ARC Founder / Director
Matt Ottley

Matt Ottley

Author, Illustrator, Composer
 Isatou Ceesay

Isatou Ceesay

Gambian Activist and Social Entrepreneur