Semester 2 2022.

Welcome back - Semester 2 and here we go again. 

The new timetable is out and I have updated the booking sheets - hopefully I have it right.    Any extra bookings that teachers may have had last semester are now cleared, so if you need something, it is a first come, first served basis. 

A reminder that the keys to the laptop trolley in the Science lab need to be booked/checked out through me so that they don't grow little legs and disappear. 

Also a reminder that if you are looking for anything that may have screened on TV, I can have a look and see if I can access it from our TV4ED system and download if possible. 

Any questions, please ask.  

You've got this!!

Here we go - 2022!

Welcome to 2022 - and whatever that will bring for us all!   It has been an interesting couple of years so far! 

A big welcome to our new staff as well.  And please don't listen to any scary stories that the other staff tell you about me - it's all fibs!  I am truly the sweetest person around here!  

Please see below for a brief run through of what is available/offered through the Library.  If you have any questions, please just ask and any suggestions would be appreciated as well. 

"Below is a list of some of what we can help you with. I put this list up each year, so if you go back through the posts, it is all there. Anything else? If there is something that you think we can help with, just come and have a chat. We have learned to be fairly good at pulling rabbits out of hats and we also like a challenge - most days anyway!  

• Looking for a particular book or resource? Come and talk to us. We can organise an Inter-library-Loan or help you find where to purchase it.
• Resources: Books, DVDs, Magazines and Newspapers, iPad sets, Digital Cameras, Video Recorders, Computer Mice sets, Data Projectors, Teacher Reference, Chess sets,.. 
• IWB area and a bank of computers, as well as laptops that are available to be booked for classes.  The B3/B4 laptop trolley is only to be used in the Library area, however.
• Help with research, proofreading of assignments, suggestions for books to read - we are your people.
• A place to display your amazing class work.
• Collation of websites and ideas for subjects/classes
• Booking sheets for: Library areas, F Block Laptops, Headphones, iPads and now for the Computer Room as well. 

Students have a 3 week borrowing period while staff have a month. For most of the resources, we can adjust the loaning period for whatever is needed - at least till the end of term. However, this doesn't include the AV materials - that is a 1 week loan period only.

The school also subscribes to the TV4Ed system so if you are looking for something that has been screened on TV at some point, let me know and I will do my best to find it and put it on the school system for you to access.  This often solves the problem of staggering and buffering while streaming the program.  I can usually have the required programs up on the system within 24 hours - assuming that they are available on TV4ED, of course. "

So ... here's wishing you all an awesome term/year with lots of books and reading involved.  Let me know any way that I can be of help to you this year. 

2016 - Welcome back!

Welcome back to everyone - and an extra big welcome to our new staff - looking forward to getting to know you all ... and don't listen to anything that the other staff tell you about me!  It is all exaggeration and untruths, I swear!! 
Hope you all had a wonderful break - lots of relaxing, and lots of reading happening.  

For the new staff - and a reminder for some of our previous staff - below is a list of some of what we can help you with. I put this list up each year, so if you go back through the posts, it is all there. 
Anything else? If there is something that you think we can help with, just come and have a chat. We are reasonably good at pulling rabbits out of hats and challenges are always interesting.

• Looking for a particular book or resource? Come and talk to us. We can organise an Inter-library-Loan or help you find where to purchase it.
• Resources: Books, DVDs, Magazines and Newspapers, iPad sets, Digital Cameras, Video Recorders, Computer Mice sets, Data Projectors, Teacher Reference, Board games, Chess sets, Kits........
• IWB area and a bank of computers, as well as laptops that are available to be booked for classes.  The Library laptop trolley is only to be used in the Library area, however.
• Help with research, proofreading of assignments, suggestions for books to read - we are your people.
• A place to display your amazing class work.
• Collation of websites for subjects/classes
• Booking sheets for: Library areas, F Block Laptops, Headphones, Ipads.

Students have a 2 week borrowing period while staff have a month. For most of the resources, we can adjust the loaning period for whatever is needed - at least till the end of term. However, this doesn't include the AV materials - that is a 1 week loan period only.

I am always looking for ideas or ways to use this blog with teachers and students - so if you have any suggestions, please see me.

Welcome back to Term 2

Welcome back to our own little patch of Paradise - looking forward to working together once again over the next 10 weeks.

Here in the Library, we have started back with computer problems - or rather, Virtua problems.  The school changed ISP providers over the break, and that has caused a hiccup with the Library management system, which is run from Darwin.  It is still out, despite all Kate's hard work in trying to get it running again and we are now waiting for the technicians in Darwin to make it behave as it should.  

I know it is a nuisance but please have patience.  I currently have 6 pages of hand written notes and 3 piles of returned books I can't do anything with till the system is back up.  I am no happier than anyone else, I can assure you.

Just for general thought if anyone can use it - April is Poetry Month and May is Reading Month.  Scholastic is running a 'Read more in May' competition which could be worth tapping into.  If you are interested, please see me. 

Also a general reminder that if there is anything that you think I can help you with, please come and talk to me.  I can cover a wide area of crazy bits of probably useless knowledge and I like challenges; (Translation; works well for coffee or chocolate.)

That's all Folks.  Now carry on being awesome!

2015 - and a new school year.

Welcome back to everyone for 2015.  I hope you all had a nice relaxing break with lots of time spent with family and friends and are all refreshed and ready to go. And a big welcome to all our new staff as well - looking forward to getting to know you all.

Well, here we go - the start of 2015 and a whole new year of opportunities for books, and reading. How awesome is that? 

For the new staff - and a reminder for some of our previous staff - below is a list of some of what we can help you with. I put this list up each year, so if you go back through the posts, it is all there. Anything else? If there is something that you think we can help with, just come and have a chat. We have learned to be fairly good at pulling rabbits out of hats and we also like a challenge.

• Looking for a particular book or resource? Come and talk to us. We can organise an Inter-library-Loan or help you find where to purchase it.
• Resources: Books, DVDs, Magazines and Newspapers, iPad sets, Digital Cameras, Video Recorders, Computer Mice sets, Data Projectors, Teacher Reference, Board games, Chess sets, Kits........
• IWB area and a bank of computers, as well as laptops that are available to be booked for classes.  The Library laptop trolley is only to be used in the Library area, however.
• Help with research, proofreading of assignments, suggestions for books to read - we are your people.
• A place to display your amazing class work.
• Collation of websites for subjects/classes
• Booking sheets for: Library areas, F Block Laptops, Headphones, Ipads.

Students have a 2 week borrowing period while staff have a month. For most of the resources, we can adjust the loaning period for whatever is needed - at least till the end of term. However, this doesn't include the AV materials - that is a 1 week loan period only.

The big deal for us this year is the new way of using the DVDs.  No more borrowing a disk and playing it in your laptop..we have gone more upmarket and digital this year.  Thanks to Kate and her brilliant ideas, most of the DVDs are now on the server, and by following a few simple steps you can play it through your laptop without ever having to borrow a DVD again.  The school also now subscribes to TV4Ed so if there is a TV program that has been screened that you think would be handy with your class, please see me and I'll do my best to find it and and download it for you.  (All legal and allowed!)

Wishing you all a fantastic school year with lots of READING involved. Now carry on being awesome.

Welcome to 2014

Well, here we go - the start of 2014 and a whole new year of opportunities for books, and reading.  How awesome is that?  And I am BAACK!
(Well, yes - I know I am biased but that's okay.)

I thought I would start this post off with a quick reminder of some of the services we offer and maybe you could let your students know as well - or better yet, introduce them to this blog so they can find out for themselves.  Maybe you could get them to write a book review on a book they have enjoyed or write a report about their class.... after all the written word ROCKS, however it is used..

Yes - we do loan books out. We LOVE to loan books out. Loaning books out is our whole rationale. (And not just books, either) Of course, we do want them to come home at some point and can get a little upset if they don't.

• Looking for a particular book? Come and talk to us. We can organise an Inter-library-Loan or help you find where to purchase it.
• Resources: Books, DVDs, Magazines and Newspapers, iPad sets, Digital Cameras, Video Recorders, Computer Mice sets, Data Projectors, Teacher Reference, Kits........
• IWB area and a bank of computers and laptops that are available to be booked for classes. This laptop trolley is only to be used in the Library area, however.
• Help with research, proofreading of assignments, suggestions for books to read - we are your people.
• Library Skills Activities.
• A place to display your amazing class work.
• Collation of websites for subjects/classes
• Anything else?  If there is something that you think we can help with, just come and have a chat.  We have learned to be fairly good at pulling rabbits out of hats and we also like a challenge.

Students have a 2 week borrowing period while staff have a month. For most of the resources, we can adjust the loaning period for whatever is needed - at least till the end of term. However, this doesn't include the AV materials - that is a 1 week loan period only.

One of my goals for this year is to try and make the library more relevant to the needs of the school. So, now... some homework for you all.  Could you email or comment and give me some ideas on what you see as the purpose of the school library and my role in it?  I'd love to be able to make this a one-stop shop type of deal for everyone.

Below are a few quotes that I think sum up to some degree, my philosopy about libraries.  Enjoy!

"Google can bring you back 100,000 answers - a librarian can bring you back the RIGHT answer".   (Neil Gaiman)

" Libraries are full of ideas - which are perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of weapons".   (from the 'Throne of Glass')

and being a fan of Albert Einstein, how could I pass up this one?

"The only thing you absolutely HAVE to know, is the location of the Library"
(Albert Einstein)
Wishing you all a fantastic school year with lots of READING involved.  Now carry on being awesome.

Welcome Back / 2013 Challenge

Welcome back to all students and staff – especially the new people who have joined us.  Here’s hoping that you had a fantastic break and are all refreshed ready for the school year.

I managed to cover 4 states, 2 territories and 10,000 kms over our break.  We got to catch up with lots of family and friends, handfeed meerkats (probably my highlight!), dodge bushfires and floods, and generally got to see a whole lot of Australia I hadn’t seen before.

(I’m so NOT ready to be here!!)

 However, having said that – some time was spent on browsing lots of library blogsites – as you do, of course – and that’s where I came across the 2013 Challenge.  The weblink is below if you are interested. Most of the ideas suggested I have ‘borrowed’ from this site.  I would love to think I was that creative but I’m not.

 The idea has been floated that 20+13 = 33 and if you change 2013 seconds into minutes, you get 33 mins and 33 seconds.  Just a really neat little block of time for students and staff to spend READING.

 You could do it for 13 occasions during the school year, which would work out to about once every three weeks. We could call these ‘Literary Lunches’ (or whatever) and invite people from the community to come in and read to/with the students. Maybe introduce students to different genres, authors or series and challenge them to try out 13 new ‘things’ and then to share them with their classmates, school or the community.  It could go on this blog, or we could make up a wall in ‘Wall Wisher’ for the purpose or....

 Please have a look at the link below and let me know what you think – and whether you would be interested in helping to get this up and running? You may have a totally radical way of putting it in place.

 http://hubinfo.wordpress.com

A New Year Dawns

Welcome back to the start of the school year for 2012 – and the National Year of Reading. Lots of ideas have been floated on how to celebrate this event and the Library Staff are hoping that we can get some of them up and running here at the Barkly College.

The National Year of Reading (NYR) will be launched on 14^th February and will run all year with various programs and events. Why a National Year of Reading? Here in Australia, nearly half the population struggles without having the literacy skills to meet the most basic demands of everyday life and work. 46% of Australians cannot read newspapers, follow a recipe or understand the instructions on a medicine bottle.
Considering that most newspapers are supposedly written for a 12year old level – this is scary!

One of the suggestions was to spend 2012 seconds each week – or each month - reading as a class, either silently or out loud. 2012 seconds equals about 33 mins so that would be a small part of a class block. Maybe we could get people from the community top come in and read to the classes? Have staff reading to classes that they don’t usually teach? Project the stories up on the IWB and read from there? The Library has e-books and iPads available for class use so maybe that would a ‘techy’ way to promote and run this.

Something else that could be incorporated is “Are we there yet?” This is a fun, educational activity for under 12s and their families, which is based on Alison Lester’s book, which tells the story of her family’s journey around Australia in a camper van. The idea is that you get to write in to tell NYR about your home town – or a special place that you have visited in Australia. By sending in a short story/letter/drawing of your favourite place, you could win a fabulous prize. Ask your teacher or parents to help. This competition will move around Australia on a month-by-month basis – starting here in the Northern Territory on the 14^th February and ending in Victoria.

Teachers, this is something that could be included as part of reading and literacy skills. Read the book to them, ask the questions and write about the places. Although this is aimed at Primary school – we can do a display in the Library of the stories and drawings.

Another activity that will be happening August 25th is the Read Hour. This is to promote the idea that EVERYONE would benefit from reading for at least an hour a week. Some ideas are as simple as:

· Sharing a book with your child for 10 mins a day

· Getting together with friends to read and talk about your favourite books

· Get some of that work/life balance by reading a book during breaks

· Including a reading hour in the school week.

The link for the NYR website is included below. Check it out for more ideas and programs. Any ideas about things we could run across both schools, please contact Library Staff. We would LOVE to help out.
http://www.love2read.org.au/index.cfm

Wishing you all a wonderful start back at school and we will be back with more ideas and news. If you have anything you would like up on the blog from your class or if you have any questions or ideas, please talk to us.

Remember this blog is to promote what is going on in the library and our schools. It can also be used for interesting ideas, to put them out and get some talking going on amongst colleagues, friends and families across the world. Not just in our little town.

All the best for 2012. Let’s make it a great year for learning