In the spotlight

By Ms Susan Davenport, Head of Library and Information Services

Comprising the Junior School Library (Pre-Kindergarten to Year 4), the Franklin Library (Years 5 to 12) and the Bookroom, our innovative team aims to connect users with the right resource for their needs – whether that is the latest BookTok-trending novel, feeding an interest in vehicles, supporting assignment research or printing 226 exam papers.

The Bookroom is the workhorse of the College, ably managed by Miss Tadi Motsi. Managing more than 9000 textbook loans each year, this facility also operates as an on-site multi-service centre for bulk printing, laminating, stationery, bus bookings and ordering. This frees staff to focus on their core work.

Our libraries offer books, magazines, audiobooks, online videos, databases and more in both physical and digital formats. The Junior School Library and the Franklin Library maintain current fiction and non-fiction collections that are engaging and challenging for students, and which reflect their interests and educational needs.

Teacher librarians create guides to support teaching, research and borrowing, and direct students to resources beyond the ubiquitous Google search. As the information and fiction landscapes are increasingly influenced by AI, the ability to access quality information through the Library’s resources is becoming paramount to education.

We are fortunate to have a qualified and experienced team passionate about engaging with our staff and students. Our College Services Library team includes:

• Library Assistants Mrs Candy Potter and Mrs Jennie Gibbs, who look after book processing, loans and returns, shelf management and answering tricky inquiries such as, “Last month I saw a red book on display that I’d like to borrow. Where can I find it?”

• Library Technicians Miss Stephanie Bullock, Mrs Debbie Meany and Mrs Angela Spencer, who source and catalogue physical and digital resources so staff and students can find them efficiently.

• Junior Teacher Librarians Mrs Belinda Kowalski and Mrs Tanya Priest-Willimott, who foster a love of reading in Junior School students and challenge them to discover their next favourite series. They support teachers with resourcing for Units of Enquiry and introduce information literacy and academic integrity concepts in their lessons. Engaging in promotional and enrichment activities across the year – from Book Week to Reader’s Cup – the Junior Library team offers a welcoming and engaging environment for our youngest students.

• Secondary Teacher Librarians Mrs Judy Thompson and myself, who teach information literacy and academic integrity in the context of assessment tasks, curate resources for assignments and encourage students to broaden their fiction reading. We encounter a wide variety of questions, helping students locate information on everything from representations of clowns in literature to the military use of animals in WWI. The Franklin Library is a hub of activity – from studying, reading and researching to surprisingly loud games of Uno.