We are seeing some wonderful enhancements in the iHub and secondary library for our school community at the beginning of 2023: new signage and genre labelling to make it easier to locate books; new textbooks with added online access; renovations to enhance your learning experience; start-of-term reminders about safer internet usage and digital citizenship - it’s all happening! 

Textbook distribution: In Week 1 students from Years 7-10 received the latest editions of the geography (Geoactive) and history (Retroactive) textbooks for their HSIE subjects. These wonderful new resources allow students digital access to the textbook from anywhere, as well as pristine physical copies.

Renovations: The tiered seating space (O’Shane area), was enclosed over the recent break creating a wonderful, flexible learning space of immense benefit to our senior students. Here we are hosting secondary library research sessions, careers talks, author and special guest visits, Socratic-style discussion opportunities, and can also meet the needs of our seniors as another area for quiet study when available. 

Displays: Safer Internet use, digital citizenship, and friendship are a focus for Week 2 in the iHub, with visual displays and reminders around the space to help students have a positive academic and social start to their year.

Innovations: Over the next few weeks I am hoping to report on some exciting new features in our library service to students and staff, including a new lunchtime series of fortnightly 20-30 minute 'Info-bites’ to be advertised soon: offering drop-in sessions with ‘ bite-sized' information on locating online articles; joining the NSW State Library; perhaps a ‘human library’ element; and a host of other tips to help us navigate the world of 'too-much-information' much more easily. 

Enhancing visibility of genres for readers - by starting a process of adding labels to assist students that want to explore their favourite style of literature

 What an exciting year ahead… Watch this space!