Thank you everyone for such a warm welcome. As Barrow Hills Librarian I look forward to working Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
I am delighted to bring my library experience to my new role at Barrow Hills. As a parent, it never ceases to amaze me how different my children are, especially with their approach to reading. Learning to read and reading for pleasure is a team sport and I look forward to meeting you and your children and helping them on their reading journey.
The main Prep library has undergone an IT upgrade over the summer, which means that the children will now self-scan and return their own books. Our new database is called Libresoft and has an accessible online portal so you are able view which books are on loan and also post book reviews. From my experience, children really enjoy the responsibility of scanning their own books and it comes with the added advantage that I can track down missing books! This means that our library will operate in a similar way to public and senior school libraries and make the library more user friendly.
I am looking forward to working on improving the already excellent book provision and replacing lost books. If you have any recently published, good quality books at home that are looking for a home please do feel free to contact me via email. I will be creating a wish list in due course so that all my favourites are on the Barrow Hills shelves for the children to enjoy.
My priority is to get every child into the library to talk to each other and me about what they are reading. The library will be open at break times on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and class visits to the library will also take place so everyone has the opportunity to borrow a book. The Year 7 Library Monitors will be taking an active role in looking after the library too.
The Pre-Prep Library has been relocated this summer and we look forward to turning this area into a quiet space for the Pre-Prep children. We will be reviewing the book provision for the younger years and are in early planning for new banded reading books. Our new Year 2 prefects will have lots of important jobs.
We are also lucky to have a mini library in the Thomas More building which is currently well stocked with reading books. This space provides quick access to new books for Years 3 and 4. I hope the children will continue to visit me in the Prep Library also.
Look out for library reading challenges, book fairs and new displays that will be coming soon. Please email me jed@barrowhills.org or direct your son/daughter to me if they would like help choosing a book. As a librarian I really believe that we are all readers….just some of us haven’t found the right book yet… I am here to help.
Mrs Dudley, Barrow Hills Librarian
