Library Resource Centre News
2018 has been a very busy year in the Library Resource Centre with lots of activities and a
change in the way the space is used, due to the whole school rebuilding program.
The closing of the Kroger building meant there was no longer a VCE Study Centre so the
Library took on this role during class times, whilst remaining accessible to the rest of the
students during break times.
It was challenging to operate smoothly with changes to the amount of seating in the Library
to accommodate the VCE Study sessions meaning there was less room to run our usual
programs, however we persevered and after a slightly bumpy start we soon settled into a
regular rhythm.
It has been very rewarding having a greater connection to the VCE students this year and we
feel privileged to have been part of the journey of this year’s Year 12 students. Both Ms
McClusky and Ms Spurr feel immense pride that we have seen these young people grow
from wide-eyed Year 7s into the mature and capable Young Adults we spent time with at
their Graduation Dinner.
Our invaluable Library Volunteer
We would like to acknowledge the dedication of our parent volunteer Margot Kleindienst.
Without Margot’s weekly assistance we would struggle to ensure we consistently deliver the
high level of service we strive to provide to the Geelong High School Community.
Collection Development and loans
Our focus this year has been on assessing the relevance of our collection and purchasing
items which both encourage recreational reading and support the curriculum offered at
Geelong High School.
In order to ensure our collection is as relevant as possible we have also actively selected
books that have been either recommended or requested by our students.
We have added at least 45 new printed titles to the Library collections each month and with
our upgraded Library Catalogue we have also been able to provide teachers access to a wide
range of audio-visual content to enhance the resources available in the classroom, such as
movies and television programs which are relevant to the curriculum.
2018 has been a year of increased demand for both fiction and non-fiction titles and we
have decided to change our book loaning period from two weeks to three weeks next year
to accommodate the increased usage of the collections.
Activities
This year the theme for Children’s Book Week, which ran from 17-24 August, was ‘Find Your
Treasure’. We ran two sessions for students to connect with reading, a ‘Black Out Poetry’ session
using discarded books from the library’s collection and a ‘Pokemon Go in Real Life’ hunt around the
Library space.
We also ran several story times throughout the Year. These are timed to coincide with our House
based Casual Dress Days including ‘It’s not easy being Green’ and ‘Slightly Scary Storytime’. These
sessions were very well attended and students and staff love having conversations about the books
they read as children, or discussing the issues raised by the chosen Picture Story books.
The highlight of the year was our hosting of a ‘Whodunit’ Mystery for the first time with a fantastic
response from both those who participated as well as the wider community who were fascinated by
the body outline on the floor of the Library! A huge thank you to Noah, Damian and Ben who worked
hard in assisting Ms Spurr with the design of this session.
In addition to our regular weekly ‘Manga Club’ group session, this year we have been running ‘Toon
Club’ which is an exploration of the ‘Cal Arts’ drawing style of animation. The Library staff are
grateful for the assistance that Noah and Damian provide in sourcing appropriate content and
delivering these sessions each week.
Thank you for your support
The Library staff would like to extend our thanks to all students and staff who have spent time in the
Library or borrowed books from our collections during 2018. With respect, positivity and resilience
we have not only made it through, but have managed to thrive during what have (occasionally) been
challenging times.
We look forward to the possibilities that next year will bring, with the move into our new Library
Resource Centre when the Kroger Building is reopened and welcoming a whole lot of new Year 7
students into the School and we wish all of our Geelong High School students and their families a
peaceful and prosperous Festive Season