Librarians of the World unite! Although it was not exactly like that, the latest LKSW Conference, held at the International School of Phnom Penh, between 13th and 15th November, brought together over 90 librarians from across the region, with some traveling from as far away as Australia and the Middle East. This conference, which has been going since 2012, brings together expertise from a huge variety of international schools, which is then shared though presentations across two days of the conference. The third day is always given over to library tours, where you are able to see how other librarians approach similar ideas, but often in different ways and in different spaces; always providing great food for thought and there are often wonderful ideas to bring back to school as well. 

This year, the keynote speakers were excellent. One was an author, who spoke very emotionally about her time living and surviving through the time of the Khmer Rouge period of Cambodian history – her story Slow Noodles will be ordered for the Secondary Library. The other keynote speaker was a lady who started a small book lending and reading service, which has since spread across Cambodia. It is wonderful to see the impact that books can have when passionate people get involved. 

This annual event will be hosted in Bangkok next year, where we look forward to once again benefit from the networking influence of a group of international school librarians, whose only wish is to spread the word about the power of books and its ability to engage and broaden the minds of the children and students in our care. The last time LKSW was hosted in Bangkok, was in 2018 when Patana hosted almost 100 librarians, which was both a fabulous experience and a great opportunity to showcase our wonderful school and the 3 libraries we have. We look forward to once again getting together and “spreading the word”. Happy reading!