{"id":1352,"date":"2026-08-30T22:54:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/?p=1352"},"modified":"2026-08-30T22:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:54:15","slug":"cvc2026-646","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/cvc2026-646\/","title":{"rendered":"CVC2026-646 \u2013 \u201cLittle Libraries\u201d for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"cvc-hero alignfull\">\n  <span class=\"cvc-chip\">Presentation \u2013 CVC2026-646<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">\u201cLittle Libraries\u201d for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children<\/h1>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"cvc-authors\">\n<p><strong>Sharynne McLeod,<\/strong> Children\u2019s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily-Jane Woodhead,<\/strong> Children\u2019s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sarah Bartlett, <\/strong>Children\u2019s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jamie New<\/strong><strong>man, <\/strong>Orange Aboriginal Medical Service, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marie-Christine Sweeney, <\/strong>Orange Aboriginal Medical Service, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn Gregoric,<\/strong> Children\u2019s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"CVC2026-646 \u201cLittle Libraries\u201d for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZEpi47fc5HY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Background: <\/strong>A rural Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) invited speech pathology researchers to develop resources for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. In the research exploratory phase, an acceptable context-specific children\u2019s booklist was co-created.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aim: <\/strong>Following an earlier research development phase, community access to the children\u2019s book resources was to be co-implemented and co-evaluated.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Method\/approach:<\/strong> Ethical approval was gained from the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council. Elders (n=\u224820) and children (n=8) from community completed evaluations of the children\u2019s books. Evaluations identified a need for community access to the books, coining the term \u201cLittle Libraries\u201d. Consequently, \u201cLittle Libraries\u201d (n=4) were collated and placed on display bookshelves in four ACCHO locations for optimal access. Two months later, ACCHO staff (n=46) completed written surveys evaluating \u201cLittle Libraries\u201d for their strength and further suggestions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Results\/findings: <\/strong>The responses were strong and supportive. Most of the ACCHO staff had seen the \u201cLittle Libraries\u201d (84.8%); most thought that the books would be read (78.7%); and a very high number strongly agreed that \u201creading to children is important\u201d. Feedback also supported that \u201cLittle Libraries\u201d support children\u2019s literacy skills, cultural knowledge, engagement with books and connection to culture. Future recommendations for \u201cLittle Libraries\u201d suggested expansion, promotion and support to maintain the books would be valued.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion: <\/strong>A co-design approach to developing children\u2019s resources, such as \u201cLittle Libraries\u201d, created an opportunity to support engagement and connection with culture, communication, and literacy practices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families, and community.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for children and families: <\/strong>Building access to children\u2019s book resources that respect families\u2019 culture through a trusted service provider.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for practitioners:<\/strong> This implementation project has findings specific to one Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service, yet provides an overview of an important process for co-planning, co-implementing, and co-evaluating when establishing any new service.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Funding: <\/strong>This work was funded by a grant to the Charles Sturt University Rural Health Research Institute from the Commonwealth of Australia, represented by the Department of Health (Grant Activity 4-DGEJZ1O\/4-CW7UT14).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Keywords<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children\u2019s books, literature, resources<\/p>\n<p><strong>This presentation relates to the following <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\"><strong>United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<ul class=\"cvc-sdgs\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal3\">SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal4\">SDG 4: Quality Education<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal10\">SDG\u00a010: Reduced Inequality<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal17\">SDG 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goals<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sharynne McLeod, Children\u2019s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia; Emily-Jane Woodhead, Children\u2019s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia; Sarah Bartlett, Children\u2019s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia; Jamie Newman, Orange Aboriginal Medical Service, Australia; Marie-Christine Sweeney, Orange Aboriginal Medical Service, Australia; Carolyn Gregoric, Children\u2019s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,51,1],"tags":[48],"class_list":["post-1352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-childrens-communication","category-childrens-learning-and-activities","category-presentations","tag-sdg-17"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1352"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1537,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1352\/revisions\/1537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}