Friday, April 1, 2016
Great School Libraries
Students, Parents, Staff and School communities voted for their favourite school libraries in Australia in 2015. This post is a summary of these results as reported by Freedom of Access to information and Resources as to what makes School Libraries great:
1) A qualified Teacher Librarian managing the library.
2) The library is open whenever the school is open.
3) students can learn information skills in the library.
4) students can borrow resources when they need them with 24/7 digital access.
5) Students can borrow popular Fiction without long waiting periods - balancing the breadth and depth of the collection so that keen readers can have access to their favourite author, the next title in a series or the latest movie tie-in.
6) Have enough space for a whole class to fit into the library.
7) Have high speed access to the Internet.
8) Students are encouraged to use online resources.
9) Hold special activities, eg. Book Week, Book Fairs, visiting speakers/performers eg. Authors/Illustrators/poets, Clubs such as Chess Clubs, Robotics.
10) Students, Parents and Teachers think that a library is Awesome for its physical space, the digital experience, the warm welcome, the print collections and electronic resources, 21st Century learning space, the 'wow' factor, well designed, highly active and support for all ages.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Graduation December 2013
As my graduation approaches, I am so glad to be finishing this course. I feel that I have learned so many new things and can't wait to put them into practise. Most of all, I have enjoyed being encouraged to learn again. I cannot praise CSU enough.
I was the first in my family to attend University and am now graduating with a Masters in Education (Teacher Librarianship), my third degree in Education! I don't usually like to brag but this is an achievement for me. When I was in Year 5 my parents were called into the school and told by my teacher that I was not achieving and that perhaps they should send me to a "Special School". Then when I was in Year 10 my teacher told my father that I should not go on to Year 11 and 12 because I was not "bright" enough.
I am encouraged to be a lifelong learner and to ensure that my children also have the skills required and the eagerness to do the same!
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Great new Library in Katoomba NSW
I recently had the privilege of visiting the new town library in Katoomba, NSW. A well-patronised library indeed! Lounge chairs, moveable furniture, shelving and walls, with warm colours throughout, very impressive! Great access to both online and physical resources. Definitely worth a visit. My parents both have their new cards and are enjoying all of the audio and large-printed resources, so they are catering well to their demographic.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
More thoughts on my ideal library,
* Newspapers, Magazines, Career Information, Promotional Literature for Reading and Librarianship would also feature in a comfy reading area.
* Listening posts and Headphones so that users may listen to Books on Cds, Ipods/ and e-books/audiobooks on Computers.
* The Toys and games would be included to spark imagination and creativity.
* Active participation in Book Clubs such as Scholastic and Koorong Kids to promote Literacy.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
What would I like to see in our new School Library?
If I had an endless budget and all the time that I needed, what would I like to see in our new school library?
Here are my ideas so far.....
1) At least 30 laptops or Ipads or a mixture of both, and a trolley to house them, with of course, enough powerpoints within the Library to recharge all.
2) Our Library divided into sections: Junior Fiction, Senior Fiction, Reference section, Non-Fiction but I would also have a Picture book section and a Graphic Novels section.
3) Brightly coloured mobile, comfy furniture, including: desks, chairs, lounges, cushions and a mixture of mobile and fixed shelving.
4) Clear and brightly coloured signage everywhere, along with motivational posters and Information Literacy and Research Skills Posters.
5) Each user would be provided with his/her own Library ID card.
6) A photocopier (which also has a scanner and is also used for printing purposes for Library users) for all to use.
7) A wide variety of resources in both digital, print and media forms, particularly with a Christian focus.
8) A Smartboard and a multi-functioning Digital TV with DVD/CD capacity.
9) Books clearly labelled for student participation in the premiers Reading Challenge.
10) A minimum of 3 Fixed Computers with access to our Catalogue through Oliver, SCIS/OPAC and Web Dewey.
11) A Library Website or school website links,A Library Blog and A Library Wiki.
12) Numerours Pathfinders and Webquests, etc. to support current themes/topics/units in the curriculum.
13) Subscriptions to a wide variety of Teaching, Educational, Technological and Library Journals for Professional Development of Staff.
14) Colourful displays.
15) Toy Library section with board games, toys and puppets.
16) Huge emphasis on Book Week displays as well as Book Parade and at least one Book Fair per year.
17) Volunteer Library Monitors form all Year groups as well as parent and community volunteers (for book covering, etc.)
18) Motivational Library lessons that incorporated Literacy, Information Literacy and Research skills. Even Web Edventures!
19) Collaboration in action with the whole school community and 24/7 Access to School Library catalogue.
20) A separate fixed computer for cataloguing and another for borrowing with at least 1 mobile/ wireless scanner (particularly good for stocktaking).
Web Dewey ETL 505
As I work through my final Assignment for ETL505, I am genuinely surprised by how much there is to learn about Web Dewey.
There are so many rules and regulations and sometimes I am confused about why an item is placed under a particular number. I do find it very interesting though.
I'm starting to get the hang of how each is to be written but I can't wait to have some practical experience in a Library to put the theory into action.
I read on our Forum today that Oliver does most of the cataloguing for you, so I'm glad that our school has chosen to go on this path.
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