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Glasgow 850: celebrating our city in our school library

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This year, Glasgow is celebrating an incredible milestone: its 850th anniversary! Across the city, people are reflecting on Glasgow’s long and fascinating history, and we wanted to make sure our students had the chance to take part in the celebrations too. At our school libraries, my colleague Markie Deleavey and I put together some special activities to help pupils learn more about the city they live in: its culture, landmarks, and stories.

Markie created a brilliant activity booklet that students have really enjoyed. It’s full of puzzles, including crosswords, famous Glaswegians and landmarks, and even a section on Glasgow slang. The booklet was designed to make learning about our city fun and interactive and it’s certainly worked!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To go alongside the booklet, I added an activity based on the comic Beats of War by Etienne Kubwabo. The story follows a superhero who arrives on Earth in search of a way to save his home planet from robot invaders and while here, he discovers the power of music. The comic is set right here in Glasgow, and it features several recognisable city landmarks. Students were encouraged to read the story and see if they could spot places they knew.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At St Mungo’s, pupils also created a colourful display showing all of Glasgow’s subway stations, with the nearest libraries and bookshops marked at each stop. They helped choose books set in or about Glasgow, adding them to Markie’s fantastic visual booklist for everyone to explore. Creating this display wasn’t just creative, it also helped pupils build their research and literacy skills while learning more about their own city.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the last couple of weeks, our S1 and S2 classes have been coming into the library to take part in a quiz and challenges that test their knowledge of Glasgow. It’s been wonderful to see how engaged and enthusiastic they’ve been asking questions, sharing what they know, and having fun in the process.

 

 

 

 

 

These activities have been a great way to celebrate Glasgow’s 850th birthday and remind us all how school libraries can bring learning to life. We’re proud to help our students connect with their local heritage, build new skills, and find joy in reading and discovery.

Youth for Equity: session 2

Stories that matter: exploring homelessness and racist prejudice
The second session of the Youth for Equity project took place at Hillhead High School on March 26th, focusing on two key social issues: homelessness and racism.
We began the day with a powerful workshop led by a representative from Simon Community Scotland. He spoke about the realities of homelessness in Glasgow, the charity’s work, and the impact they’re making in local communities. Students responded with enthusiasm—asking insightful questions about how to help, raise awareness, and ensure the safety of those working on the front lines.

 

 

After a short break, we welcomed Etienne Kubwabo, a Glasgow-based comic book creator and filmmaker. Etienne is the author of Beats of War, a comic set in Glasgow and featuring Scotland’s first Black superhero. He shared how his personal journey, including his experiences with racism, has shaped his creative work. He emphasized how art and storytelling can be powerful forces for social change, encouraging students to use creativity as a way to challenge injustice and express identity. Students were encouraged to reflect on representation and identity by designing their own superhero characters. From this superhero gallery, Etienne will select the top three entries and feature one of them in his next comic.
Want to hear more from Etienne? Check out the interview he did with some of our students!
Looking ahead, our third session promises to be just as inspiring, with The Black Curriculum joining us for a workshop this May to teach accessible and engaging Black histories, encouraging social cohesion and knowledge development in young people.

World Book day at St Mungo’s

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Back by Popular Demand: The French Café Returns for World Book Day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the overwhelming success of last year’s event, I was excited to reopen the French Café to celebrate World Book Day in style!

Over the course of three days, S1 and S2 English classes visited the library to take part in our unique book tasting experience: sampling a variety of exciting reads in a cozy café atmosphere.
Other classes joined the celebration by taking part in an exciting quiz, with fun prizes up for grabs.
It was a fantastic way to celebrate reading and bring the school community together!

Holyrood Library, Spring Update

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March has been an exciting month in the Library, with celebrations for World Book Day, International Women’s Day, Ramadan, and World Poetry Day.

For World Book Day, we welcomed author Victoria Williamson for a brilliant workshop on ‘War of the Wind’. S2 pupils discussed the book, practised some BSL fingerspelling, had a wind-walker race, and cracked some codes using ciphers. Victoria’s books are extremely popular, and her visit sparked even more excitement around which title to read next. Well done 2L and 2M, and huge thanks to Victoria, and Scottish Book Trust – Live Live Literature funding – for making this possible. We also held a Coffee Morning, Book Swap, Scavenger Hunt and S1/S2 Read Around the World challenge, so the fun lasted for most of the month.

S2 enjoying workshop with Victoria Williamson

International Women’s Day, Biographies display

The Duke of Edinburgh volunteers created a book display of biographies for International Women’s Day featuring : Sabrina Cohen-Hatton (fire-fighter and homelessness campaigner), Indra Nooyi (former CEO of PepsiCola), Malala Yousafzai and Taylor Swift.

 

 

Our Book Group members were happy to see International Women’s Day, and Ramadan falling on the same month – he perfect opportunity to chat about our favourite female Muslim authors. These include Zanib Mian, Hafsah Faizal, Intisar Khanani, and Tahereh Mafi. We found out some fun facts, and looked at what inspires these fantastic authors.

Celebrating Muslim authors

  • Zanib Mian wrote the ‘Planet Omar’ books because she wanted to see more funny books for children about an everyday Muslim family. She also launched her own publishing company with a commitment to publishing inclusive books.
  • Iranian- American author Tahereh Mafi –  best known for the Book-Tok sensation ‘Shatter Me’ series – has now sold over 10 million copies.

 

 

Our Book Group is always a welcome space to chill out and share some quiet time together at the end of the week. For World Poetry Day, we watched a poetry video from Nadine Aisha Jassat  ‘Prayer and Breath’

Nadine’s poem ‘Breath and Prayer’

This was so relaxing, we loved the calmness of Nadine walking through Glasgow Womens’ Library, and also the nature imagery. Imaan and Fatima were inspired to write their own nature poetry.

The Librarian is listening to : My Dear Kabul (BBC Sounds)

While we are encouraged to read books and enjoy creative writing in Glasgow schools, it’s important to remember that women in other countries are often denied basic human rights such as education and freedom to express themselves or even to leave the house. ‘My Dear Kabul’, tells the story of Women Writers who risk everything after the Taliban invade Kabul, using a WhatsApp group to keep in touch, as every book and piece of writing they own has been destroyed. Available on BBC Sounds.

 

March 2025 Roundup – Whitehill Secondary School Library

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World Book Day: World Book Day activities were celebrated throughout the week beginning March 3rd.

 Scavenger Hunt: We collaborated with the English department to host a scavenger hunt for all year groups, featuring ten books set in Glasgow and surrounding areas to tie in with the city’s 850th birthday festivities. Pupils were encouraged to located the posters with the book’s descriptions in classroom windows for a chance to be entered into our prize draw.

 Glasgow 850 Quiz: Over the course of the week, we visited S1 and s2 English classrooms to deliver our Glasgow-themed quiz to tie in with the Glasgow 850 festivities.

 

New Book Highlights:

 

This Book Will Make You An Artist by Ruth Millington and Ellen Surrey

The Boy At the Window by Lucy Strange

You Wouldn’t Catch Me Dead by Tess James Mackey

 

Book of the Day:

 04.03.25: Muslim Girls Rise by Saira Mir and Aaliya Jaleel

06.03.25: Breaking News: How to Tell What’s Real From What’s Rubbish by Nick Sheridan

11.03.25: The Girl Who Stole An Elephant by Nizrana Farook

13.03.25: History of the Computer: People, Inventions and Technology that Changed Our World by Rachel Ignotofsky

18.03.25: What Would She Do? By Kay Woodward

20.03.25: Lands of Belonging: A History of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Britain by Donna Amey Bhatt, Vikesh Amey Bhatt, Salini Perera

25.03.25: Frankie’s World by Aoife Dooley

27.03.25: This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on how To wake Up, take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewell and Aurelia Durand

 

Author Spotlight:

04.03.25: Nikesh Shukla

11.03.25: Sue Wallman

18.03.25: Jason Reynolds

25.03.25: Benjamin Dean

 

Series Spotlight:

04.03.25: Goth Girl Chris Riddell

11.03.25: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

18.03.25: Enola Holmes by Nancy Springer

25.03.25: Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan

 

Literary and Cultural Celebrations for March (Book Lists and Displays):

 Ramadan (28th February – 30th March): Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and holy month for Muslims. Happy Ramadan for those who are celebrating.

 Cyber Scotland Week (24th February – 2nd March): Cyber Scotland Week invites individuals, organisations and communities across Scotland to raise awareness of cyber security and strengthen our collective cyber resilience.

World Wildlife Day (3rd March): United Nations World Wildlife Day is celebrated every year to celebrate wild animals and plants. Every year, they recognize the unique roles and contributions of wildlife to people and the planet.

World Engineering Day (4th March): UNESCO’s World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development raises awareness of the role of engineering in modern life, which is essential to mitigate the impact of climate change and advance sustainable development.

British Science Week (7th-16th March): British Science Week is coordinated by the British Science Association and supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It is a ten-day celebration of science, research and innovation. This year’s theme is ‘Change and adapt’.

International Women’s Day (8th March) and Women’s History Month: Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day are annual observances that take place during March celebrating the social, eco nomic, cultural, and political achievements of women past and present.

Holi (14th March): Holi is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring. Happy Holi to those who are celebrating.

St Patrick’s Day (17th March): St Patrick’s Day is a global celebration of Irish culture commemorating Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week (17th – 23rd March): Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by providing schools, universities, organisations, and others around the world with the opportunity to recognise the many skills and talents of neurodivergent individuals, while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual.

 Global Recycling Day (18th March): Global Recycling Day aims to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and promote sustainable waste management.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21st March): The International Day for the Elimination of racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21st March since declared by the United Nations in 1966 to remember the victims of peaceful demonstrators in South Africa.

International Day of Forests (21st March): International Forest Day is a global initiative to highlight the importance of all types of forests and their role in the fight against climate change.

World Poetry Day (21st March): World Poetry Day was established by UNESCO in 1999 to promote linguistic diversity and give endangered languages through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered language to be heard.

World Water Day (22nd March): World Water Day is an annual United Nations (UN) observance day that highlights the importance of fresh water. The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

World Meteorological Day (23rd March): World Meteorological Day commemorates the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization in 1950 and highlights the importance of meteorological services in addressing climate change. Check the Met Office for your daily local weather updates

Shakespeare Week (24th-20th March): Shakespeare Week is an annual national celebration of Shakespeare and his works.

Transgender Day of Visibility (31st March): Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual event dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as a celebration of their contributions to society.

 

 Trending Book Lists

 Epic Reads New Releases | The Guardian Children’s Book Roundup | LoveReading4Kids Books of the Month | Scholastic Books of the Month | Scottish Book Trust Book Lists |Toppsta Monthly Highlights | Waterstones Books of the Month

 

 Book Awards

Winners: Inclusive Books for Children’s Awards | Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize | Waterstones Children’s Book Prize

Shortlists: UKLA Book Awards | YOTO Carnegies

 

 

March 2025 Roundup – Shawlands Academy School Library

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World Book Day: World Book Day activities were celebrated throughout the week beginning March 3rd.

 Scavenger Hunt: We collaborated with the English department to host a scavenger hunt for all year groups, featuring ten books set in Glasgow and surrounding areas to tie in with the city’s 850th birthday festivities. Pupils were encouraged to located the posters with the book’s descriptions in classroom windows for a chance to be entered into our prize draw.

 Glasgow 850 Quiz: On Wednesday, members of our Pupil Library Committee delivered a Glasgow-themed general knowledge quiz

 Bookmark Competition: We launched our annual School Library bookmark design competition, where pupils will vote on their favourite design to become the official school library bookmark for the 2025-26 school year. Deadline is Friday, April 4th. Voting will take place week beginning April 21st and the winner will be announced in May.

 Creative Writing Competition: We’ve received several short stories and poems as part of our World Book Day creative writing competition to be judged by senior members of our Pupil Library Committee.

 Our Future Self: In September 2020, one of our S1 English classes volunteered to participate in Our Future Self writing exercise where pupils wrote a letter to their future selves about as well as predictions for the future. The completed forms were held in the library until their Senior year and have been given back before exams. Pupils very much enjoyed reading their letter (many forgotten they even wrote one!), fondly remembering all the pop music and video games they used to enjoy as well as comparing their predictions to present day.

 International Women’s Day Quiz: Two of our house captains delivered a quiz for International Women’s Day to tie in with Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. The quiz highlighted the societal gains women have made over the past 50 years and highlighted several pioneering women in their fields.

Visibility Day Quiz and Crafts: We collaborated with the LGBTQ+ group to host a lunchtime quiz and craft event as part of the school’s Visibility Day festivities. Members of the group created and delivered a fun, informative quiz about LGBTQ+ rights and held a badge making session where pupils could either create their own designs or help prepare badges for the Visibility day celebrations.

Biblio Bistro: We teamed up with the Support for Learnings young baristas to host another popular Biblio Bistro event. The team utilised a section of the library to set up a café space where they could take orders and prepare drinks. A selection of popular library stock and activity sheets were set up on tables to encourage pupils to relax with their hot chocolates and browse some of the fabulous books that the library has to offer.

 

Book of the Day:

 03.03.25: Suffragettes the Battle for Equality by David Roberts

05.03.25: Fake News by Tom Jackson and Cristina Guitian

07.03.25: A Trip To The Future: How Today’s Science Will Shape Tomorrow’s World by Moira Butterfield

10.03.25: Four Eids and a Funeral by

12.03.25: Timelines from Indian History by DK

17.03.25: Rebel Girls Celebrate Neurodiversity: 25 Tales of Creative Thinkers by

19.03.25: An Amazing Animal Atlas of Scotland by Anders Frang

21.03.25: Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

24.03.25: Stories for Southa Asian Girls by Raj Kaur Khaira

26.03.25: An Anthology of Fungi by

28.03.25: Engineers Making a Difference: Inventors, Technicians, Scientists and Tech Entrepreneurs Changing the World and How You Can Join Them by Dr Shini Somara, Manual Sumerac, Adam Allsuch Boardman

31.03.25: Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee

 

Author Spotlight:

03.03.25: Jennifer Mathieu

10.03.25: Tom Fletcher

17.03.25: Yaba Badoe

24.03.25: Ruta Sepetys

31.03.25: Adam Silvera

 

Series Spotlight:

03.03.25: Miss Peregrine’s Children by Ransom Riggs

10.03.25: Tales From The Pizzaplex by Scott Cawthon

17.03.25: Sam Wu by Katie and Kevin Tsang

24.03.25: Agent Zaiiba Investigates by Annabelle Sami

31.03.25: Dog Man by Dav Pilkey

 

Literary and Cultural Celebrations for March (Book Lists and Displays):

 Ramadan (28th February – 30th March): Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and holy month for Muslims. Happy Ramadan for those who are celebrating.

 Cyber Scotland Week (24th February – 2nd March): Cyber Scotland Week invites individuals, organisations and communities across Scotland to raise awareness of cyber security and strengthen our collective cyber resilience.

World Wildlife Day (3rd March): United Nations World Wildlife Day is celebrated every year to celebrate wild animals and plants. Every year, they recognize the unique roles and contributions of wildlife to people and the planet.

World Engineering Day (4th March): UNESCO’s World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development raises awareness of the role of engineering in modern life, which is essential to mitigate the impact of climate change and advance sustainable development.

British Science Week (7th-16th March): British Science Week is coordinated by the British Science Association and supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It is a ten-day celebration of science, research and innovation. This year’s theme is ‘Change and adapt’.

International Women’s Day (8th March) and Women’s History Month: Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day are annual observances that take place during March celebrating the social, eco nomic, cultural, and political achievements of women past and present.

Holi (14th March): Holi is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring. Happy Holi to those who are celebrating.

St Patrick’s Day (17th March): St Patrick’s Day is a global celebration of Irish culture commemorating Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week (17th – 23rd March): Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by providing schools, universities, organisations, and others around the world with the opportunity to recognise the many skills and talents of neurodivergent individuals, while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual.

 Global Recycling Day (18th March): Global Recycling Day aims to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and promote sustainable waste management.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21st March): The International Day for the Elimination of racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21st March since declared by the United Nations in 1966 to remember the victims of peaceful demonstrators in South Africa.

International Day of Forests (21st March): International Forest Day is a global initiative to highlight the importance of all types of forests and their role in the fight against climate change.

World Poetry Day (21st March): World Poetry Day was established by UNESCO in 1999 to promote linguistic diversity and give endangered languages through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered language to be heard.

World Water Day (22nd March): World Water Day is an annual United Nations (UN) observance day that highlights the importance of fresh water. The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

World Meteorological Day (23rd March): World Meteorological Day commemorates the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization in 1950 and highlights the importance of meteorological services in addressing climate change. Check the Met Office for your daily local weather updates

Shakespeare Week (24th-20th March): Shakespeare Week is an annual national celebration of Shakespeare and his works.

Transgender Day of Visibility (31st March): Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual event dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as a celebration of their contributions to society.

  

Trending Book Lists

 Epic Reads New Releases | The Guardian Children’s Book Roundup | LoveReading4Kids Books of the Month | Scholastic Books of the Month | Scottish Book Trust Book Lists |Toppsta Monthly Highlights | Waterstones Books of the Month

 Book Awards

Winners: Inclusive Books for Children’s Awards | Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize | Waterstones Children’s Book Prize

Shortlists: UKLA Book Awards | YOTO Carnegies

 

St Roch’s Reads: March

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What’s happening this month in St Roch’s School library

World Book Day

World Book Day is annual celebration of authors, illustrators, books and the joy of reading. It’s one of our calendar highlights in St Roch’s Library. It’s a great chance to encourage reading for fun and celebrate with some book-ish games.

This year pupils got to choose from our Creative Characters stations or Book Jenga. Pupils used lego or modelling clay to make some very impressive creations. There were lots of wonderful characters, including some well known faces and plenty of 100% originals. We got the idea for Book Jenga from the Scottish Book Trust – and added in some bookish dares for people who knocked the towers over. It’s always popular, pupils love tower building games ( especially when they fall).  There was heated discussions around the book questions and lots of shouting, hopping and scribbling for the dares. Looking forward to next year already!

Ramadan and Lent

March is an important month for our religious school community, with lent and Ramadan both taking place. Throughout the month, school challenges were held to raise money for local charities. Well done to all the pupils who took part in the Fast for a day or Readathon challenge.

International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day (IWD) happens on the 8th March every year. It’s a day to celebrate all the amazing things women have achieved, and highlight the many ways women have and continue to influence the world. Importantly, it’s also used to raise awareness about past and current issues women face around the world. if you’d like to find out more, we have loads of great books in the school library about women who have done amazing things. You can see a few of our top picks on the library Padlet. 

 

Our library volunteers put together a display to mark IWD, choosing books about important or inspiring women to highlight. They also picked out some new and favourite fiction books written by women. Special thanks to Iman who found some great quotes to fit the display. 

 

And that brings us to the end of the month and the end of term. Happy reading during the spring break!

Bannerman Bookfest – World Book Day

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Celebrating World Book Day at Bannerman High School went to a whole new level with the very first Bannerman Bookfest!  Every single pupil was invited to the library where they could claim a free book, browse a book swap, make their own bookmarks, take part in a book quiz, dress up as their favourite book characters, grab a treat from the bake sale and even meet a local author!  A fantastic day was had by all, and a big congratulations to Miss Doran and the Reader Leaders for organising such a wonderful event!

A whole day of events was planned by Miss Doran and the Reader Leaders! 

Staff and pupils were given the opportunity to dress up as their favourite book characters and compete to win a prize! 

There was a wonderful selection of books available at the book swap, meaning staff and pupils were able to grab a great selection of books for free! 

Local author Ashlie McAnally came along to the Bookfest to talk to pupils about her new book and her career as an author! 

Empowering Young Voices: The “Youth for Equity” Library Project

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This year, four school libraries (Drumchapel High school library, Hillhead High school library, Rosshall Academy library and St Mungo’s Academy library) are taking part in an inspiring initiative called “Youth for Equity,” a project funded by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC).

The project brings together focus groups of S1-S2 students from each participating school for three interactive sessions centered around critical social issues: LGBTQ+ rights, homelessness, and racism. With the support of three incredible charities—TIE (Time for Inclusive Education), Simon Community, and The Black Curriculum—students are given a platform to explore these topics through discussion, writing, and creative expression.

Project launch at Drumchapel High School Library

The first session took place on March 12th at Drumchapel High School Library, where students had the opportunity to attend a session with TIE and South Asian actor, playwright and comedian Sanjay Lago.

Sanjay shared his powerful poetry and personal experiences, encouraging students to embrace the strength of their diverse voices. Through interactive exercises, he inspired them to write their own poems—showcasing the value of storytelling and self-expression in shaping a more inclusive world.

This session marked the beginning of a journey where young people are not only learning about equity but also becoming active participants in shaping a more just society.

Stay tuned for updates on the upcoming sessions as we continue to explore these important conversations through the lens of creativity and collaboration.