New Zealand schools, libraries and early childhood education centres are keen to ensure that children are still able to enjoy all that a good book has to offer during these unsettling times. Providing storytimes for children through online platforms is something that New Zealand authors and publishers and the cross-sector organisation, The Coalition for Books, are committed to supporting. We aim to make the process as easy as possible for publishers, authors, teachers, early childhood educators and librarians.
Virtual Storytimes Aotearoa will permit, on a temporary basis, the recording of readings of books from participating publishers and posting of the video recording online. Educators and librarians will be able to confidently bring New Zealand stories and literature to students during this challenging time.
“We are pleased to partner with the Publishers Association of New Zealand and The Coalition for Books to facilitate online storytimes while schools and libraries are temporarily closed,” says Paula Browning, CEO of Copyright Licensing New Zealand. “Virtual Storytimes Aotearoa empowers educators and librarians to share stories from New Zealand publishers with their students during a time when they are needed more than ever.”
Librarians and educators are encouraged to take advantage of the programme to spread the word on social media using the hashtag #VirtualStorytimesAotearoa and tag @CLLNZ and @Publishers_NZ and @coalition4books along with individual creators and publishers.
New Zealand publishers who have signed up to Virtual Storytimes Aotearoa so far include David Bateman Ltd, Gecko Press, Milly Molly Children’s Publishing, Scholastic New Zealand, Te Papa Press, Te Reo Singalong Books and Walker Books Australia and New Zealand.
For more information about the terms and conditions, guidelines for use, and an updated list of participating publishers, please visit http://www.coalitionforbooks.nz/storytime
PANZ actively represents New Zealand publishers’ interests to industry and government. The PANZ advocacy team works to inform the relevant government departments and industry bodies of key issues facing book publishers and how we can work effectively together. Strong support from the publishing industry is vital to this work. Association members are a diverse mix of general, literary and educational publishers, ranging from small independent niche publishers to large multinationals.
CLNZ provides licences to help make copying, scanning and sharing printed works easy and legal. A not-for-profit organisation, the net revenue generated from CLNZ licences is distributed to the creators of the work being copied. This helps licence-holders maximise resources, educates future creatives and provides an income to the clever people who created the work that is being copied. CLNZ contributes to the growth of our creative economy by enabling access to a world of content.
Contacts: Publishers Association of New Zealand: Catriona Ferguson, Association Director, catriona@publishers.org.nz
Copyright Licensing New Zealand: Paula Browning, Chief Executive, paula@copyright.co.nz
The Coalition for Books, Jill Rawnsley, Manager, jill.coalitionforbooks@gmail.com
