In many countries of the world, the 4th of April is celebrated as School Librarian Day. A quiet, humble job that is often overlooked, school librarians do indispensable work: they provide children with an environment in which they can discover literature and learn to appreciate and love the wonders of books and reading. Not all children have the opportunity to make family visits to the public library – some spend their weekdays at school from 7:00 in the morning until 17:00 in the afternoon. Having a fully functioning library at their school can be a great support and refuge for children.
I have many fond memories of school libraries myself. Our primary school library was small, but cozy and it had a rug which was just big enough for a whole class to sit on during story time. In those days, we called it the media centre. In my Grade 6 year, I even served as a media centre prefect, which I loved, because it gave me an excuse to spend first and second break sniffling around bookshelves, at least one day a week.
Our high school had a much bigger library – you could fit a whole class seated at desks and chairs into it and it even had a small “computer lab” which you could use to type and print out assignments and “surf” the internet (which was still a luxury in those days). It also had several shelves more books than our primary school library!
For the past several years, I have been working as an extra-mural music teacher at the St. Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls in Pretoria. The school has a delightfully cheerful library, and, since today is School Librarian Day, I decided to take a closer look at what happens inside this wonderful building.
The official name for the school library at St. Mary’s is the “Information Hub” (or the “I-hub” for short). Here, pupils of the school (which range from Grade 0-12) can borrow books, magazines and DVDs. Not only is the library open for half an hour every day before school starts, but it is also open after school until 16:00 every day. Inside the library, there are ample desks at which pupils can sit and work or read, a lovely, big carpet with pillows and bean bags, comfortable armchairs, a photocopier, Wi-Fi access and, of course, shelves and shelves filled with books.
As I got to know the activities and approaches of the junior school division (Grades 0-7) of St. Mary’s over the past few years, I became quite impressed at the efforts made to promote reading under these young pupils. The foundation phase (Grades 0-3) has regular reading sessions, for which parents are often invited to join. Just this very week (on the 3rd of April), the entire junior school had a “Hooked on Books” day during which they were allowed to dress up as a favourite book character. Pupils were also entertained by a special programme on the day, delivered by various speakers on the topic of books and reading and all pupils were encouraged to buy themselves a new book from the book sale held on the 2nd and 3rd of April.
Sadly, I do not remember having such reading days and programmes at my school when I was that age and I am so happy to see that reading is so strongly encouraged these days in a fun and interactive manner!
An active school library is essential in supporting good reading habits. At St. Mary’s the children seem to really love the school library and I am quite convinced that this is not only due to the variety of books available, but also the colourful and happy atmosphere inside the building. Here are a few interesting tidbits I discovered on my visit to the library:
- The lovely school librarian, Ms. Fiona Jadrijevic, has a background in graphic design and revamped the entire library about two years ago. Her imagination has turned the once dull building into a cheerful place: the concrete pillars had been transformed into giant tree trunks, leafy branches seem to playfully hang from the ceiling and peaceful landscapes are painted on the few walls that are not lined with shelves.
- This might not seem obvious to those of us who had gone to school in the nineties, but the library is a place where you can recharge more than just your mind – electrical outlets are provided where pupils can charge their laptops, tablets and phones. They also get Wi-Fi access here.
- The school does its best to make sure the library stays current and acquires new releases and books by popular authors. This endeavour does not go unappreciated: last year, one of my piano pupils arrived at her lesson, excitedly holding David Walliam’s The Midnight Gang. She had just came from the library and the reason why she was so chuffed was not only because it was one of her favourite authors, but also because the book had been on a waiting list and it was finally her turn to borrow it!
- Interestingly enough, the juniors at the school (Grades 0-7), on average, borrow more books than the seniors (Grades 8-12).
- Ironically, the biggest culprits of overdue library books are not the pupils, but the teachers!
- The library is not only a favourite gathering place for readers, but also for pupils who have forgotten to do their homework!
- Grade 1 and 2 pupils are allowed to take out one book at a time. Grade 3 pupils are allowed three books and Grade 4-7 pupils may borrow up to four books at a time.
I hope I can leave my readers with this inspiring message: children today still have a need for books, they still desire to become passionate readers and develop an appreciation for libraries. All they need is the guidance, encouragement and opportunities to get them there. If they receive it, they will grow up to be adults who know how to find the resources they need and who understand the value of literature!
