October 24, 2014
by Mrs Sinclair
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During the October break, three small boxes of new books arrived. I must admit to rather enjoying the process of opening the box and getting that new book smell. Next, it is browsing through them all trying to decide which to read first (still haven’t chosen).
The books will be processed and catalogued over the coming weeks – hopefully sooner rather than later, depending on other demands.
September 29, 2014
by Mrs Sinclair
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It is National Poetry Day on Thursday 2nd October. The display is up and the junior classes have started thinking about poetry during their library periods.
Using ideas from and adapting resources produced by Forward Arts Foundation, in particular the National Poetry Day Remember Collaborative Educational Resource pupils carried out a group exercise over 5 stations (tables) thinking on a random five of the following themes using guide questions as a basis for discussion:
Remember
Evoke
Memories
Epitaph
Music
Blue Remembered Hills (Place)
Evolve
Recall & Record
Pupils only had a short time to discuss and note down their thoughts on Post It notes before moving on. (Lesson plan) This gave them a basis to get their creative process going for the possible creation of a poem to enter in the competition. Pupils were also given a chance to influence what the prize (a £10 gift voucher) would be by listing the type of voucher they would like to receive if they won.
Here are some examples of memories noted down:
September 18, 2014
by Mrs Sinclair
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We are now five weeks into the new session. Everyone has settled back to the routing of the school day after the summer holidays. The library is fairly busy with class bookings and the usual regulars before school and at lunchtime. Our new S1 pupils are starting to use the library for leisure purposes too.
As October draws near we start thinking about two of our established annual events: Poetry Picnic (National Poetry Day) on Thursday 2nd October, and Spooky Happenings (Hallowe’en storytelling) on a date to be arranged after the October holidays. Further details will be available in the daily bulletin.
A proposed new venture, is to set up an award shadowing group for the Scottish Children’s Book Award. In the first instance, registration has been done and a copy of each of the books on the list has been ordered. Next steps will be putting out feelers to see who is interested and then we will get reading. This is a chance for our young people to vote for the best book.
Later in the year, will also shadow the Stan Lee Excelsior Award for Graphic Novels and Manga. This will be our third year doing this.
In the meantime, plans are afoot to run our second Magic the Gathering competition at lunchtimes, the pupils do most of the organisation of this. Other ideas for activities and events always considered.
Finally, a blatant plug for the school librarian through this article recently spotted on the Guardian website:
Don’t overlook your school librarian, they’re the unsung heroes of literacy
September 16, 2014
by Mrs Sinclair
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The library web pages on the school website have recently been up-dated. The web pages give general information about what the library can offer.
September 11, 2014
by Mrs Sinclair
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There is a week to go before Scotland goes to the polls to make a choice: to stay with the union or go independent from the rest of the UK. Our 16 and 17 year olds have been given the vote. To help with their decisions leaflets from both sides of the debate have been placed in project topic boxes in the library. There is also a display showing how to vote and more information from both sides.
July 10, 2014
by Mrs Sinclair
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Today marked the arrival of the Queen’s Baton in Orkney. After arriving on the ferry, it made its way to the school where a number of activities were laid on. It was far from the formal affair one would have expected. Many of the vehicles of the entourage arrived prior to the runner with the baton along with quite a number of police, no doubt drafted in from the mainland. Security was probably very tight, but it was actually fairly unobtrusive. TV cameras and photographers were also present.
The Baton arrived, carried by one of our senior pupils and a ‘guard of honour’ of a small group of pupils (it is our school hols) stood at the school entrance to welcome him into the school and on into the games hall where Bill Spence, Lord Lieutenant of Orkney, gave a short speech. Stromness Primary School Pupils sang the Commonwealth Games song and then did a dance performance. The baton was photographed many times. It was here for about forty minutes before it was quietly slipped out of the hall on to one of the entourage vehicles for its next appearance in Dounby. It was I believe a once in a lifetime opportunity to see this and I am one School Librarian who was rather glad to be still in work during the early part of our school holidays when the Commonwealth Games Baton paid the school a visit.
April 10, 2014
by Mrs Sinclair
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Easter Holidays are nearly finished and the final term of the year will soon be starting next week. During the holidays, a stock check took place in the library. This labour intensive task, which the librarian carries out every two to four years, is necessary for checking condition of the book stock and other resources as well as helping us to ascertain how many books are missing.
By missing, we mean those resources that have been unofficially borrowed from the library and not returned. People may forget to get them properly stamped out or just take them thinking they only need them in the classroom for a few minutes. Books cost money so it is important that we have a proper record of what is available on the shelves in the library as well as those that are out on loan. Any resources borrowed are the property of the school and should not be removed from the library without permission – in other words, get them properly stamped out.
The stock check involves all books and other resources being taken off the shelves, by the trolley load, and taken to the issue desk where they are scanned in to the Library Management System on the computer. This automatically checks them against the database of all library resources. In most cases the resources can be placed back on the shelves but sometimes discrepancies appear, usually barcodes that come up as ‘invalid’. These books are kept to one side to be checked against catalogue records just in case the original cataloguing process didn’t complete properly. If they are not in the catalogue, which occasionally happens they, if appropriate are later catalogued and re-shelved. Sometimes books that weren’t in the catalogue are ones which were originally missing and had made their way back onto the shelves.
It took four days (it used to take two – three weeks in the days of the card catalogue) to complete the physical work of shifting and scanning the books. Whilst the books were off the shelves the opportunity was taken to give the usually hidden parts of shelving a good hovering and dusting. Thankfully, this year no untoward items of old food were found, although the dust bunnies were a plenty.
This year 1.7% of total stock has been recorded as missing. This is not too bad a result baring in mind it has been four years since the last check. Of this just over 50% are fiction books, from the most heavily used section. Despite being a low rate of attrition in the grand scheme of things, it is still disappointing to have missing stock, particularly when the books are some of the newer resources.
Of course, after such a comprehensive check, the library shelves are now very tidy.
To attempt to get at least some of the resources back we will be running a two week book amnesty from 14th to 25th April. Overdue reminders will be put on hold (although reminders will be sent out to senior pupils before they go on study leave). Books that have been [accidentally] removed from the library without being stamped out, overdue books and even department text books can be returned to the library with no questions asked.
So, pupils and staff, please check under beds, personal bookshelves, school bags, departments, etc. and see if there are any library books that need returned. As an incentive there will be a small Easter egg reward for anyone (admitting to) returning books from the missing list.
March 17, 2014
by Mrs Sinclair
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For many years now, the library has been subscribing to Essential Articles from Carel. This useful resources collates articles from many sources on current and controversial issues and provides an excellent research resource for those doing discursive essays in particular.
We now have an online subscription to Complete Issues from Carel. This gives access to Essential Articles, Fact File, and Key Organisations. The books are also available in the library.
This is a site licence which allows pupils and staff to be able to get access from any computer in school or from home. General access is available via a username and password which is available from Mrs Sinclair or on the posters displayed in the library or on noticeboards in the English corridor.
Individual access is available to pupils and staff of Stromness Academy. If you would like your own login details, please let me know. In future this will allow access to additional features not yet developed.
Essential Articles http://www.carelpress.co.uk/essentialarticles/index.html (Articles on key issues, debates, controversies)
Fact File http://www.carelpress.co.uk/factfile/index.html (Facts, statistics behind issues)
Key Organisations http://www.carelpress.co.uk/keyorganisations/index.html (Guide to thousands of organisations, pressure groups, international agencies, government, universities, charities & theatres)
March 5, 2014
by Mrs Sinclair
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Careers & S2 Choices
January seems such a long time ago, let alone the February half-term break. Since then, the S2 Careers Information Literacy course has been up-dated based on evaluations from last session. Careers LiveBinders have been set up and can be found in the LibLinks tab (scroll down to PSE).
A major overhaul of the Careers Section has also taken place, with new leaflets being sourced from hundreds of organisations. This meant setting up mailing lists via searching organisation websites (based on the old leaflets) for contact details. Many have provided up-to-date leaflets which have been arriving in the post on a daily basis. These are classified, dated and filed. Some of the filing is being done by pupil librarians and this help is very much appreciated.
S2 pupils are now learning about the careers section and have started on the 5 week programme of information literacy skills, careers research and building up their own profiles. This course should help pupils to make more informed choices about their S2 into S3 options.
Youth Achievement Award
Pupil Librarians and some activities pupils are continuing to work towards their Bronze YAA. We are currently reviewing progress and checking logbooks are up-to-date.
World Book Day
Thursday 6th March sees the annual Reading event in the library at lunchtime to celebrate World Book Day. This will be an informal event with snacks, tea, coffee on offer as we sit and discuss books or read extracts or just generally have a natter. There is also a (national) bookmark competition running alongside this.
Stromness Books & Prints are kindly allowing us to have some books for our Peedie Bookfair and they will be on sale Thursday and Friday this week.
Free £1 book tokens will be distributed to pupils who want them. They can be used in part exchange for full priced books or swapped for one of the special World Book Day £1 books.
January 15, 2014
by Mrs Sinclair
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It is that time of year again when eight graphic novels and manga, shortlisted for the Stan Lee Excelsior Award have recently arrived in school, been hastily processed and are now on display.
Also on display are a few non-fiction books about graphic novels, manga and illustration so if you want to learn more about the genre you can borrow these too.
This award is judged by young people 11-16 years of age who will read and rate each book in four areas: Story; Artwork; Characters; Dialogue. They may also make comments about the book as well. The rating forms are handed in then sent to the award founder and organiser, Paul Register, School Librarian at Ecclesfield School in Sheffield. These are then used to narrow the field down to 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
Last session, a few pupils took part in the award, but it is hoped more might take part this year as there appears to be a number of Graphic Novel readers in the (not so new) S1. Also, we are tying it in with the S1 and 2 Reading Record allowing pupils reading the shortlist to substitute up to two amended (silver) graphic novel task sheets for the usual required sheets. The pupils would also need to fill in the briefer official ratings form and hand in. There will also be a reward card, which on completion of all eight shortlisted books, will be entered into a prize draw.
Instructions for taking part in the SLEA
Reward Card
There are 8 Graphic Novels and Manga on the SLEA shortlist. If you read, evaluate and rate ALL eight of 
the books you will receive a small prize. All fully completed cards will be entered into a prize draw for a £10 gift token. Ask Mrs Sinclair for the Reward Card.
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