Library News
Dear Students and Staff,
I hope you have all been having a great start to the year. It has been great to have the buzz of students around the school and to get to meet many of our new students coming up to get their stamps and to find their way around the school building.
Here are some resources both for your personal reading and studies to help you to start the year off well:
All of the following resources can be found on the student portal and accessed directly-
Overdrive eBooks:
Our library subscribes to Overdrive, a service offering a great selection of both eBooks and eAudiobooks. Listening to eAudiobooks in particular is a great way to give your eyes a rest from the screen and have narrators tell a story.
WebLinks and ReadPlus
LinksPlus is a great resource of curated websites: you can search by keyword or learning area & subject to generate a list of curated websites coving your search topic. You can also filter results for secondary school level.
Websites are reviewed and approved by teachers!
ReadPlus is a great resource to encourage students in their personal reading.
You can search for Fiction and film suggestions by genre, contains read similar and generate lists of current books on topics you enjoy.
Podcasts:
Podcasts are another great way to hear all kinds of writing from fiction, non-fiction and poety- these podcasts from the New Yorker are particularly good:
New Yorker - The Writer’s Voice: Fiction from the Magazine
Once a month, this podcast offers a reading of a fiction story featured in past issues of The New Yorker. After each contributor reading, there’s a followup discussion with New Yorker fiction editor and host Deborah Treisman. Each episode brings the drama, passion, and spirit of the written word in fiction into full focus, making it the perfect aid for any high school English teacher.
New Yorker - Fiction Podcast
New Yorker - Poetry Podcast
Writer and voice actor Nikolle Doolin dives into classic literature with a sharp mind and a passionate heart, covering literary greats with readings that will bring an air of elegance into your classroom while letting students participate in smooth read-alongs. Each episode includes the full text, context about the work and author, and/or discussion starters.
Goodreads:
A good challenge and a fun way to enjoy your personal reading is to start up a GoodReads account! You can start tracking what you’ve read and even challenge yourself with the Goodreads personal annual reading challenge. There is no pressure and it is a fun way to track your personal reading, seeing your online bookshelf is a great wat to see what kind of books you really enjoy and what you read most of. This can lead you to trying new genres and even suggested reads from GoodReads.
ClickView library:
There is also a ClickView library dedicated to movies based on books and also to some book club videos where participants discuss specific books/writers and also talk about the writing process and/or our relationship with books.
This library can be found on ClickView by navigating to ClickView Digital Video Library/ Books, writers and writing.
Here is a direct link.
The SLV and Public Libraries: Sign up today!
Signing up to the State Library Victoria (SLV) is a really helpful resource and beneficial for your research. Signing up is free, can be done online and you will have access to all their databases and journals online.
Sign up to State Library Victoria (SLV) to become a member: Sign Up
1. free to join
2. access academic journal articles
Video 'Get to know State Library Victoria's online resources'
Please remember that public libraries have fantastic online resources. If you are already a member of your public library it is worth looking into what they can offer online and if you aren’t already a member you can sign up easily online to be a member and have immediate access to their online resources. Their online resources often include: eBooks and eAudiobooks, online magazine publications, subscriptions to services such as Linda.com and video streaming services.
Resources to help with your studies:
Britannica School Online:
Britannica school is a great place to start when researching new areas of interest. You can find articles, images, dictionary definitions and videos which are all easy to cite using the inbuilt citation tool. To access Britannica School please use the link on the student portal as it is set up with automatic sign on.
Issues in Society:
We have the online .pdf versions of Issues in Society a very current and Australian focused publication which tackles interesting issues facing society in a graphic and easy to follow format with up to date statistics, illustrations and graphs. We also have the current issues in print at the library!
Here is a direct link to our site and it can also be found on the portal.
Australian Sky and Telescope:
We have started a new subscription to print copies of Australian Sky and Telescope. link to website hereThis is a great magazine for general interest and amateur astronomers."First published in 2005, Australian Sky & Telescope is Australasia’s most authoritative source for the latest developments in astronomy and space exploration. Published six times per year and utilising the formidable worldwide resources of its US parent magazine, Australian Sky & Telescope is considered a ‘bible’ by amateur astronomers."
from Australian Sky and Telescope website
New Books at the library:
We have some great new books at the library as well as Lamont book reviews:
100 Remarkable feats of Xander Maze by Clayton Zane Comber
One Hundred Days by Alice Pung
The Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott
Instructions for dancing by Nicola Yoon
The last confession of Autumn Casterly
New Scientist Essential Guides:
We now subscribe to the New Scientist Essential Guides as print resources and have received our first editions focusing on:
NO1 THE NATURE OF REALITY
NO2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
NO3 HUMAN HEALTH
NO4 OUR HUMAN STORY
NO5 QUANTUM PHYSICS
NO6 EVOLUTION
NO7 THE HUMAN BRAIN
Library Book Club:
For any students interested we have a Library Book Club. We will start our fortnightly meetings on Tuesdays 15 minutes into lunchtime at the library from Tuesday 15/02/22.. This is a great way to stay connected and to join in the discussion with other students who love to read, please let me (Ms. Veldsman) know if you would like to join!
February Book Review: The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov
The Foundation trilogy is a great series by Isaac Asimov. This is a classic science fiction trilogy spanning a long timeline. The series was recently released as a streaming series adaptation of this famous trilogy. It is a beautifully shot epic series starting in its first season helping to set the scene and familiarize you with the world of the Empire. The characters get you hooked even through some in-depth concepts. Although the series tackles some complicated themes they are relatable and often touch on human dynamics, relationships and political concepts we would be familiar with. Some classic science fiction and philosophical concepts are therefore unpacked and explored.
I would suggest giving this series a try if you feel like delving into a new and fully fledged world with a lot of action, suspense and complex plotlines and concepts.
Wishing you all well and a good start to 2022!
Take Care All!
Ms. Veldsman