Stromness Academy Library

Books, reading and life in a school library

August 14, 2013
by Mrs Sinclair
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Messy Library

The school holidays are nearly over and preparation in the library  for the new term is becoming more frantic.Big List Now, what does a School Librarian do whilst working during school holidays. Often there is a long list of things to do, this year two sides of A4.

Jobs needing done range from getting down and dirty to dust and fully tidy the book shelves, to developing new courses, altering / adapting current courses processing books, and generally doing everything that one doesn’t get the time to do during term time.

Here is an example of some what has gone on:

  • Shelf tiding – LOTS!
  • Rearrange fiction so Graphic Novels, Manga, Quick Reads (now called ‘Short ‘n’ Snappy) and audio books have their own shelves including rebuilding some shelving
  • Tend to the plants
  • Re do / up-date library guides and notices
  • Filing piles of paperwork, then unfiling other out-of-date paperwork and sorting filing cabinets and storage boxes
  • Lesson planning for Library & Information Literacy Skills courses
  • Preparing S1 & 2 info lit workbooks and arranging for photocopying
  • Inputting new borrowers on to the Library Management system and ensuring each has a library card
  • Developing and lesson planning for revised S1 & 2 Reading record and setting up pupil folders for their work
  • Up-dating / creating reading record task sheets, turning them into PDF and uploading to Library Glow pages in the Reading Zone section and to the Reading section of this blog (except for some reason they won’t upload to the blog at this current time…)
  • Check library computers and ensure library catalogue running on them
  • Shelf tidying – Oh, I have mentioned that already!  😉
  • Library stationery – computer logbooks, booking sheets, etc.
  • Rearranging the Local Studies Collection
  • Ensuring boxes of newspapers, etc are off the floor so the cleaner can clean the carpet
  • Tidy Staff resources (in the staffroom)
  • Withdrawing old books

… and thinking about what might not get done in time for the new term! :-O

Of course, this doesn’t get done without the library becoming really messy first!

Messy library

Messy Library2

June 11, 2013
by Mrs Sinclair
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P7 Transition

Welcome to our visiting P7s

Today we welcome Primary 7 pupils to the school for their transition sessions. Around 60 pupils will be doing various activities around the school, getting a tour, listening to older pupils’ experiences and visiting the school library.

In the library today pupils will be introduced to the library and Librarian, being informed of the type of activities that take place. They are given an infomraiont leaflet.

There is a self-guided tour of the library (Anagram Hunt) where pupils, using a sheet of pictures have to locate all the different sections and find the letters posted on the walls to create a word. They will also be doing an online survey so that we can guage their reading interests.  Pupil Librarians will be helping with this.

Tomorrow they will experience coming in on the school busses and will follow a specially prepared timetable so that they cen get a chance to feel what a secondary school day is like.

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April 22, 2013
by Mrs Sinclair
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The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley

If you are into the classic ghost story then Chris Priestley’s The Dead of Winter is the one for you.

Michael’s mother has died and he finds himself being sent to Hawton Mere, a moated house surrounded by marshes. He has become the ward of Sir Stephen Clarendon whose life was saved by Michael’s father, and his sister Charlotte. Michael resents this as his father had lost his life saving Sir Stephen. The house is old and along with it appears to be a ghost and strange eery noise, which only Michael appears to be able to see or hear. TO escape the unravelling horrors, Michael finds comfort in the old library.

The library contained more books than I think I had ever seen in one place. I had discovered my enjoyment of reading during my mother’s illness. Before that I had never really understood the appeal – or indeed the purpose – of reading for pleasure, but I now found that I could spend hours with no other diversion than the solitary exercise of reading a book, and by the vehicle of those pages would be transported to faraway lands on fantastic adventures. More and more this love of reading had become a medicine and tonic for my troubled heart and mind.

The easy going style belies the underlying horrors that appear to await Michael. It has echoes of Susan Hill’s Woman in Black – the same isolated location and an apparent malign spirit, which would be a good follow on book if you want to do some more challenging reading along the same theme.

March 11, 2013
by Mrs Sinclair
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World Book Day Fun

DSCF6828Last week was a very busy week with several things happening over the course of the week and class bookings were aplenty including those for World Maths Day on the Wednesday.

The main event of the week was World Book Day. In the run up to it, pupils in S1 and S2 were given the chance to look design book marks for a competition. Most made an attempt but only a handful entered. The closing date is at the end of March for the school competition, the prize being and Easter Egg.

Stromness Books and Prints kindly let us have several boxes of books, including the specially written £1.00 books, to offer for sale in the Peedie Book Fair. These all went down well with pupils who used their £1 WBD tokens to purchase or go towards books.

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The lunchtime book reading event was attended by around 20 pupils over the course of the break. They enjoyed the snacks provided and several read out extracts of their favourite books. Choices included: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Animal Farm, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Diary of a Wimpey Kid, The Hobbit, and Twilight.DSCF6878

There was also a display of the librarian’s childhood favourites (the actual books), including a 105 year old copy of Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty, who shared extracts from Elidor and The Black Stallion. There were also some staff favourites displayed too.

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Some Pupil Comments:

“Brill!”         AM, S3

“It was a very interesting time.” DB, S2

“It was good.”        PR, S2

“It’s good having food and stuff like anything to do with literacy.”          AL, S2

“Amazing.”   JL, S2

“I liked discussing about different books. I enjoyed myself thoroughly.”    IL, S5

“Perfect! Good fun. Yummy food.”    BC, S5

February 27, 2013
by Mrs Sinclair
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World Book Day / Peedie Book Fair / C2C Book Club

It is World Book Day time of year again and there are a few things happening in the library this year.

Readings from favourite books will take place on Thursday 7th March at lunchtime. Snacks will be available.

Pupils will be offered free £1 book tokens to use at local bookshops, the ‘Peedie Book Fair’ or in the C2C Book club catalogue (see below)

There is a national  Bookmark Competition which pupils can enter.

There is a local writing competition Young Orkney Writers, led by the Orkney Library (see previous posts)

There will be a ‘Peedie Book Fair‘ kindly supported by Stromness Books & Prints who will kindly be supplying a small amount of books for sale. The £1 book tokens can be used at this.

The C2C Book club leaflet is being currently offered to pupils. They can purchase books through the leaflet, via the school library, or online at

http://clubs-school.scholastic.co.uk/stromness-academy.

Further details for all these can be obtained directly from the Librarian.


Have you got your Book Club catalogue? Great books from only £1.99 and free books for our school.

February 22, 2013
by Mrs Sinclair
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Stan Lee Excelsior Award

For the second year in a row, we are follwoing this annual award originally set up by a school librarian in Sheffield. This award recognises excellence in the world of Graphic Novel and Manga publishing and is the only award which is judged by young people.

Eight Graphic Novels and Manga were shortlisted are all are now available in the school library for borrowing. Upon completion, all pupils are asked to do is fill in a brief rating form for each book they read which is available from the library or the award website resources page.

For further information about the award go to the Stan Lee Excelsior Award website.

February 22, 2013
by Mrs Sinclair
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Competitions & Events

There are currently a couple of competitions available for pupils to enter if they wish.

  • The Orkney Library & Archive are running writing competition for young people, closing date 16th March – Young Orkney Writer’s Prize details of which can be found on the school library blog or Orkney Library website.
  • To mark World Book Day on the 7th March, National Book Tokens is running a bookmark design competition, closing date 19th April with an internal date of 29th March so we can post entries away. This is for age up to 16yrs. The winning design will be made into a bookmark and distributed to thousands of bookshops nationwide All pupils are invited to enter these. Further details can be obtained from Mrs Sinclair in the library or have a look at the competition pageon the World Book Day website.

To mark World Book Day, there will be a book reading event in the library at lunchtime on Thursday 7th March. Pupils and staff can come along, partake of some snacks and read out extracts of favourite books.

 

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