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About Us

About the Liferarian Association

Who are the Liferarians?

Liferarians are a passionate community of Indian Librarians collaborating with International School Librarians who believe in empowering and leveraging the role of a librarian in an educational organization. Liferarians collaborate to promote and implement innovative practices through current-day practices in education and knowledge realms developments.

When was it started?

Liferarian was started in 2016 by librarians from IB accredited schools to collaborate, showcase, learn and support each other in knowledge and best practices in education through collaborative learning.

What do the Liferarians do?

As Ray Bradbury says, “Teachers are to inspire; Librarians are to fulfil”.

In an evolving digital & education landscape, we believe that consistent collaboration, growth mindset, and lifelong learning can help build better library services. The librarian’s role in creating a library collection, curating print and digital resources and teaching is the crux of the school curriculum while leveraging technology to help learners. Liferarians goals is to provide regular professional coaching opportunities to all educators. Liferarian Association is shared on the IBO blog  & IASL Newsletter. Should you be interested in joining the Whatsapp Group, please sign in here.

What does Liferarian signify?

Liferarians intend to provide regular professional coaching opportunities to all educators. The Liferarian logo signifies an individual’s aspiration to blossom through lifelong learning and spread the fragrance of knowledge to others.

Liferarian Core Team

Former Team Members

  • 2022 – 2023: Usha Ramu
  • 2021 – 2022: Padma M, Chaitali Shirali, Ravindra Jhadav &  Rupali Ghanvatkar, Koladi Anita Menon, Mangala Ganesh, Namrata Shetty, Priya Thomas, Dr. Rajesh Patel, Sajani Nair, Devanshi Joshi, and Ruchi Mahale.
  • 2020 – 2021 May:  Ambika Kapur, Anil Mane, Saleth Premson, Sakhvir Lawrence, Sanjukta Sikdar, Sushma Sakpal, Sunita Bakhru, Prasanna Peri.
  • 2020 Jan – August: Anil Mane, Ketki Bedekar, Kuntal Bhandare, Sanjukta Sikdar, Lata Patil, Silky Vyas, Sunita Bakhru.
  • 2019 – 2020: Anil Mane, Chaitali Shirali, Gizelle Rodrigues, & Heeru Bhojwani, Kuntal Bhandare, and Silky Vyas.
  • Started in 2016: Anil Mane, Heeru Bhojwani & Kuntal Bhandare.

Testimonials

Namrata Shetty

Librarian

Librarians. Liferarians. Utilitarians.

A few years ago, a group of IB school librarians who connected through various mediums, seminars, professional learning clusters, and virtual workshops came together with a small goal: Support. They supported each other by sharing information, knowledge and experiences in the field of IB librarianship.

The support extended to a broader community, and many more joined the clan on a journey. Some who felt lonely, shy, hesitant to speak started opening up. Not a single query goes unattended. Each one reaches out to help the other with the knowledge. You are sure to find one liferarian each matching every profile that the IB propagates.

The Core Team have laid strong foundations and gathered dedicated people who love what they do. This team has always been very inclusive and promoted every liferarian to share their best practices. And who doesn’t like the acknowledgement and appreciation for their efforts? You get loads of that here! Adapted from Linton Weeks quote, I would say: In the nonstop tsunami of global information, the liferarians provide us with floaties of ideas and teach us to push ourselves and swim through to become experts.

With all the best practices, ethical approaches, teaching and learning processes through Professional Development sessions, it would not be incorrect to say that the group has upped its level and now focuses on a utilitarian approach for the community. Each one here is a teacher and a student without the confinement of a classroom. They work towards a practically useful approach for one and all. The constant buzz in this group, individuals with different needs, make requests, shares their new ideas and learning, posts and updates have personally kept me abreast about the present-day education practices. As Richard Powers said, the Librarian is a service occupation, gas station attendant of the mind. Gratitude for being a part of this world.

Aditi Budhiraja

Librarian

I am writing this message as I would personally like to thank you, from my ❤️ and soul. I was a librarian at a school with the CBSE curriculum. I wasn’t prepared for the role in an International School but the Liferarian Association helped me understand the role of a librarian in an International Curriculum. The initiation of the Professional learning Clusters has helped me gain confidence, and the Liferarian Group has been my mentor in my progress and journey of learning.