Library

Scholastic Book Club

Orders from the Scholastic Book Club Issue 7 catalogue have now closed, and are expected soon.

Thanks for your continued support through this fundraiser. Our Library has recently been updated with a fantastic selection of new books (see report below)! We encourage students to come in and borrow these fresh reads and continue exploring the joy of reading.

Library Update

Hello Library Lovers!

We are so fortunate to have a beautiful library in our school that is used by all classes. This year our focus has been on auditing our library collection, and purchasing new titles. In order to purchase new titles, we needed to make room in the library, so removed many titles that were outdated or damaged. These books are donated to Rotary Australia, who send books on to new homes and divert any undamaged books from going to landfill. New books were purchased to replace books that were very loved but had seen better days and we continue to add new titles to our library shelves regularly.

We surveyed classes and teachers and found that:

Graphic novels and verse novels have captured the hearts of our readers, reigning supreme as the most cherished and borrowed texts.
Series like Wings of Fire, Treehouse Books, and Bad Guys enchant our young adventurers, often embarking on journeys far and wide on loan.
The non-fiction section, a hidden gem, awaits exploration by eager learners, longing for curious minds to delve into its depths.
Our picture books twinkle like stars, especially the dazzling ‘new books’ on display, captivating the imaginations of all who encounter them.
Yet, in our quest for knowledge, we discovered some topics in the non-fiction realm that our intrepid students yearn to explore.

Problem	Solution
Our Senior School Picture Books were not being touched, other than by teachers borrowing them for their classes.	Rather than organising this section alphabetically by author, we categorised the books into themes (e.g. historical figures, Australian history, immigration stories, fantasy).
We had so many picture story books on the Junior Picture Story shelves, but very few students were able to find a book they wanted to read.	We removed many books that were very old or damaged. We purchased new editions of classic or favourite books that have great messages and writing. We were able to turn more books around so they were facing out for children to find an interesting looking book.
We found the non-fiction section had many outdated books. We had a junior non-fiction and senior non-fiction section, so children had to go to two ends of the library to find all the books related to their area of interest.	We went through the non-fiction section, finding books that had outdated information and taking note of the sections that needed new titles. We combined the junior and senior non-fiction titles so children could find ALL the books on their interest area.We purchased many new non-fiction titles and displayed them prominently in the centre of the library. Within two days every book on the shelf had been borrowed out.
We weren’t sure how many First Nations authors books we had in our school library, and wanted to check we had a variety of books and authors in this section.	We collected all of the First Nations books and found we had quite a few picture story books and some non-fiction texts too. We placed all of these on a shelf to showcase these titles. These titles will be added into each of the library sections (e.g. picture story books, non-fiction, novels).
We found senior school students weren’t sure where to find the best novels in the novel (senior fiction) section.	We purchased new novels and put ‘new’ signs on them and showcased them in a new place in the library. Within two days students had found these books and borrowed them all out!
We noticed that the graphic novels and series shelf was often empty, due to the popularity of these books.	We’ve purchased more copies of the most popular books in the library, such as graphic novels and popular series of books.
We noticed that many students were keen to read graphic novels and avoided text-dense books (e.g. novels).	We purchased a variety of verse novels, which have fewer words in, and can be read quickly. They were the missing link between graphic novels and novels. Some authors (e.g. Kwame Alexander) have created books that have both a graphic novel and verse novel adaptation of a story. Likewise, Wings of Fire has both the graphic novel and novel versions.

Problem

Solution

Our Senior School Picture Books were not being touched, other than by teachers borrowing them for their classes.

Rather than organising this section alphabetically by author, we categorised the books into themes (e.g. historical figures, Australian history, immigration stories, fantasy).

We had so many picture story books on the Junior Picture Story shelves, but very few students were able to find a book they wanted to read.

We removed many books that were very old or damaged. We purchased new editions of classic or favourite books that have great messages and writing. We were able to turn more books around so they were facing out for children to find an interesting looking book.

We found the non-fiction section had many outdated books. We had a junior non-fiction and senior non-fiction section, so children had to go to two ends of the library to find all the books related to their area of interest.

We went through the non-fiction section, finding books that had outdated information and taking note of the sections that needed new titles. We combined the junior and senior non-fiction titles so children could find ALL the books on their interest area.We purchased many new non-fiction titles and displayed them prominently in the centre of the library. Within two days every book on the shelf had been borrowed out.

We weren’t sure how many First Nations authors books we had in our school library, and wanted to check we had a variety of books and authors in this section.

We collected all of the First Nations books and found we had quite a few picture story books and some non-fiction texts too. We placed all of these on a shelf to showcase these titles. These titles will be added into each of the library sections (e.g. picture story books, non-fiction, novels).

We found senior school students weren’t sure where to find the best novels in the novel (senior fiction) section.

We purchased new novels and put ‘new’ signs on them and showcased them in a new place in the library. Within two days students had found these books and borrowed them all out!

We noticed that the graphic novels and series shelf was often empty, due to the popularity of these books.

We’ve purchased more copies of the most popular books in the library, such as graphic novels and popular series of books.

We noticed that many students were keen to read graphic novels and avoided text-dense books (e.g. novels).

We purchased a variety of verse novels, which have fewer words in, and can be read quickly. They were the missing link between graphic novels and novels. Some authors (e.g. Kwame Alexander) have created books that have both a graphic novel and verse novel adaptation of a story. Likewise, Wings of Fire has both the graphic novel and novel versions.

Our next goals for our library are:

To continue to purchase new titles in fiction and non-fiction sections
To ensure there are diverse authors and perspectives represented in the library
To add a section of picture books written in language (e.g. Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian) so that students from Language Backgrounds other than English can borrow a book in their own language. We are also on the lookout for bilingual books for this category. This idea was voiced by our Year 6 inclusion captains and is a project they would like to work on.
To cover, catalogue and add new books to the collection regularly.

How you can help:

Encourage your child to borrow from the school library weekly. Ensure that your child uses a library bag to protect books from damage in their travels to and from school
If you are having a clean-out at home and are getting rid of any books, consider donating books to our school library. We look for good quality fiction and non-fiction texts for children. Copies of the most popular series are always welcome. This year we are particularly looking for non-fiction books (information books) so would love it if you would consider the library. Please send the books along to your child’s teacher with a note as to who they are from (name of child and class) and we will endeavour to add them to the library collection.
Consider volunteering your time to cover new books to the library. We can send home a pile of new books for you to read to your child, then you can cover them with contact and return them to the library. At the moment, our super librarian, Noora is covering most of the new books.
Let your child’s teacher know you’d like to help out and we can send books home with you.

Keep Reading!

from the Library team

Noora & Miss Dare