Blog Post – Page 4 – 麻豆传媒

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #20

May 22, 2020May 19, 2020

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #20

The Library Team at Brighton Grammar School, L锚na Hume-Twining, Ruth Silva and Katrina Holgyee, share what they have been doing in their school library during COVID-19.

Our role during the COVID-19 Crisis has been to bring our library community online and our focus has been on promoting our #BGSReadsTogether initiative.

We have achieved 3 major tasks as part of our #BGSReadsTogether initiative. Firstly, we created a Padlet for our students to share their thoughts on what they were reading during lockdown, and for our staff we established a recommended reading column in the weekly staff bulletin. Secondly, we implemented Click & Collect: our pick-up and drop-off book service that enables students and staff to continue borrowing books, whilst practicing safe hygiene and physical distancing. Thirdly, we produced a series of how-to videos that demonstrated how to access and navigate our online library of eBooks and audiobooks, as well as our digital subscriptions to newspapers, magazines and databases.

The result for students and staff has been consistency in the services and resources we provide. As the COVID-19 Crisis unfolded and we began planning to move our library community online, we identified consistency in our approach as essential at this time of significant uncertainty. Our message to students and staff has not changed: the library is open and the library team is ready to help.

The reactions from the wider school community to what BGS Libraries have been doing has been wholehearted.

"The library has helped me personally keep in touch with other students, in particular with our weekly library committee meetings. Over the past few weeks we have shared our favourite childhood books (mine is Tintin), discussed a hypothetical book we would write during this period (mine would just be a book with Trump鈥檚 tweets), and our favourite fictional character of all time (mine is Basil Fawlty). These meetings have helped keep me connected and it is nice to check in with other library committee members."
Eric Stone
BGS student

"I enjoy reading and use the library a lot to try out different books normally, so Click & Collect gave me a chance to continue doing this. It gave me more books to read, especially as the weather turns wetter and colder! It is also a good break from looking at a screen all day."
David Liddle
BGS teacher and parent

If you would like to let us know what your school library is doing during COVID-19, you can let us know here.

Working聽together to ensure student access to high quality school library services.

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漏 2024 麻豆传媒

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #19

May 21, 2020May 19, 2020

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #19

Debra McGhee, Teacher Librarian at St Teresa's Catholic College, QLD, shares what she and her team have been doing to support students and staff during COVID-19.

What has been the focus for your school library/role during the COVID-19 Crisis?

We want to ensure students and staff continue to access our quality library services in an online environment, so that our community has books and other resources for academic and recreational reading.

What major tasks have you achieved?

We are very busy providing access to quality online resources through our LearnPath Guides, including databases, ebooks, articles, Clickview videos and websites, chosen to resource specific units of work and assessment tasks. To assist students with using the LearnPath, I create videos of lessons that unpack research tasks and provide information for research and referencing skills. I create videos reading aloud picture books and incorporating three level reading guides. We also provide access to books through our Drive Through Books service, where students can request specific titles, or a an interest area, and library staff deliver book bags to the car, or have them ready for collection. Students are also using Sora for ebooks and audio books, with library staff providing assistance where necessary. We have continued our Library Fun activities by setting up a Teams group for interested students. So far we have had our usual Friday Kahoots and Book Clubs in this way, promoted the Premier's Reading Challenge, shared book-related competitions, a quarantine reading challenge and online games including chess, in preparation for our Chess Challenge that will happen when school resumes. Library staff have completed the usual admin tasks such as the usual cataloguing and processing, and also had time to tidy up the library catalogue.

What reactions did you get from students/teachers/school leaders/parents to what the library staff were doing?

We have received a number of emails and phone calls from students and parents, thanking us for making books available to students. The local newspaper did a story on our Drive Through Books service. Heads of Department and teachers are very appreciative of our efforts to support the academic learning of our students and the students who are participating in our Library Fun Teams are excited to have our usual fun activities online. Student feedback on the Information Literacy lessons has been positive, with an average 4 star rating out of 5 on our Forms feedback.

If you would like to let us know what your school library is doing during COVID-19, you can let us know here.

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漏 2024 麻豆传媒

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #18

May 11, 2020May 19, 2020

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #18

The Library Team at Immanuel Lutheran College's Innovation Hub have been busy having lots of fun and making sure their students have the support they need during COVID-19. Kelly Dunham, Innovation Hub Coordinator answered our questions about what the library team have been doing.

What has been the focus for your school library/role during the COVID-19 Crisis?

Making sure our students and staff are supported and that they have access to a range of information that they need electronically and physically.

What major tasks have you achieved?

We have our library LibGuides page packed with databases, library catalogue details, Wheelers electronic books for both primary and secondary school students, electronic home readers and Clickview. Plus a range of boredom busters, virtual tours, reading from space, and specific pages for different subject areas. Our Teacher Librarian has continued to deliver library lessons and accelerated reader checkins via MSTeams for all Year 4 to Year 9 students, along with connecting to 53 independent learners to ensure they are continuing on their traineeships, Distance Education studies and music extension programs. Library staff are also reading aloud picture books onto camera and these clips have then been sent to all Prep to Year 3 children, thus the child sees a familiar face reading a story to them, just as we would during library lessons each week.

In addition the library is the area for supervision for all essential workers children. Thus library staff, along with teacher aides and support staff have been supervising up to 125 children most days during COVID19. Whilst we are encouraging our electronic collections for recreational reading, we do have some students visiting the library to collect books.

What has been the result for staff and/or students?

Our students and staff have remained connected electronically to both recreational reading, home readers, databases and library staff in general as we answer any questions provided by our students and staff. Also deeper connections have been formed with the children who have been in the library during this Staying Connected experience.

What reactions did you get from students/teachers/school leaders/parents to what the library staff were doing?

Mr Boman during storytime recording

Extremely positive from both students and parents. Especially from parents of essential worker children who have thanked us for taking the time to care for their students. In addition when Mr Boman read Macca's Makeover by Matt Cosgrove our Year 2 teachers sent through the parents' thanks, along with one child's beautiful drawing of an Alpaca and his written response, "Macca is gentle, he likes to share. He is caring. He likes to play. His hair is crazy. He has friends." We can see that our time is valued.

Year 2 Student Leon Krauchi's response to Mr Boman's reading.

What other information would you like us to know?

The library has become the hub of the school during our Staying Connected program for our essential workers children, which has been very busy but so very rewarding at establishing those connections with students and families.

If you would like to let us know what your school library is doing during COVID-19, you can let us know here.

Working聽together to ensure student access to high quality school library services.

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漏 2024 麻豆传媒

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #17

May 8, 2020May 17, 2020

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #17

Neelika Kottachchi, Manger of Library and Information Services at Mentone Girl's Secondary College, VIC, shares the strategies the library has used to the support the school community during COVID-19 restrictions.

Here's what I do during this trying time of COVID-19 at my school Library

At Mentone Girls' Secondary College we had not been subscribing to eBooks. No eBook platform was installed of any sort.

Before the school closed for students; a week before the last day of term; The Library offered 8 fiction and 8 non-fiction for each of the students to take home. The usual number of loans allowed was 4 of each.

At the beginning of the second term some English teachers asked how to support the reading programme for the students.

So, I spoke to SLAV and also another Librarian (an ex-colleague) about getting eBooks for free for our students.

With that help I found open Library eBook service and David Walliams Audio books for free.

Open Library

I created an instructional diagram for joining and also to borrow ebooks

David Walliams Audio books - Step by step guide to join and access eBooks

I also did the same for our local public Library.聽 I wrote instructions on how to join the public library remotely and how to install Borrow Box in order to read eBooks for free.

There are other free eBook sites such as International Children's Digital Libraries

I informed our teachers about virtual workshops organised by the Creative Net who usually organises author talks for schools all over Australia

I have also learned new techniques and new strategies to serve my user community through this new experience.

If you would like to let us know what your school library is doing during COVID-19, you can let us know here.

Working聽together to ensure student access to high quality school library services.

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漏 2024 麻豆传媒

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #16

May 7, 2020May 17, 2020

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #16

The Library Team at a primary school in the ACT have been busy during COVID-19. They answered our questions on what they have been doing.

What has been the focus for your school library/role during the COVID-19 Crisis?

Ensuring all families know how to access out digital collection and other wonderful resources such as StoryBox Library. Supporting staff as they learn new technology and providing one on one on site and digital tutorials. Ensuring that any student who came in to collect a laptop or iPad also walked out with an harmful of books. Recording staff reading picture books to share with families. Navigating the copyright information to ensure that there are no breaches during this time.

What major tasks have you achieved?

Created a school library website. Have made sure all families can access out digital collection.

What has been the result for staff and/or students?

Mainly positive. Staff are calmer and more confident and have more ideas of how they can interact with their students remotely.

If you would like to let us know what your school library is doing during COVID-19, you can let us know here.

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漏 2024 麻豆传媒

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #15

May 6, 2020May 17, 2020

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #15

Maggie McMahon, Library Team Leader at Sacr茅 C艙ur in VIC, answered our questions about what they are doing during COVID-19.

What has been the focus for your school library/role during the COVID-19 Crisis?

Supporting staff and students in any way we can, promoting and expanding our online resources and platforms, and injecting some positivity and joy into their days!

What major tasks have you achieved?

We've been expanding our ebook collection extensively, our teacher librarians are now running library classes remotely, we've recently introduced an onsite book collection service for primary students, we've introduced expansions on our research platforms and we've created our 'Survival Kit' which is packed full of fun, informative and relevant resources to help our staff and students get through social distancing and isolation.

What has been the result for staff and/or students?

Positivity and gratitude!

An increased awareness in just how varied our services can be, as well as an increased engagement with the library resources. This is especially so for teachers, who have been able to relieve some stress and pressure by seeking out the library for support in ways they may not have previously considered. The staff and students have also embraced ebooks and the online content we provide, and eagerly request more.

If you would like to let us know what your school library is doing during COVID-19, you can let us know here.

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漏 2024 麻豆传媒

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #14

May 5, 2020May 17, 2020

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #14

This teacher librarian at a NSW public school shares what they have been doing in their school library during COVID-19.

What has been the focus for your school library/role during the COVID-19 Crisis?

To maintain a connection between our school community and the library during a time when the vast majority of our students are staying at home and library classes have stopped.

What major tasks have you achieved?

I started a YouTube channel featuring me reading stories for our students.

What has been the result for staff and/or students?

Students have been able to engage with quality literature everyday from home. Staff have been able to assign supplied activities related to the stories that I have read. Hopefully, this has eased some of their workload as they prepared work for students to do online.

What reactions did you get from what the library staff were doing?

I have gotten a great response from the whole school community! Parents walking past the school when I've been on playground duty have stopped to tell me how much they appreciate the stories and how much their children look forward to the stories each day. Parents have come in to the library to say thank you. There was also great feedback from a P&C meeting when I first started. Students have enjoyed the stories, from kindergarten to year 6. I have received messages and video letters saying thank you. One class had to record themselves reading a story based on the way I read in my videos. Teachers have been posting links to my videos for their class to see and they have been using my activities in their online programs. School leaders have been very encouraging and supportive, giving me time to record further videos.

I think that part of the role of the library is to provide a stable and safe place for all of our students. Part of what I have been doing is an effort to continue to provide that sense of normalcy, sense of stability and sense of familiarity for our students and families throughout these stressful times.

If you would like to let us know what your school library is doing during COVID-19, you can let us know here.

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漏 2024 麻豆传媒

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #13

May 4, 2020May 17, 2020

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #13

Peta Harrison, teacher librarian at Albany Senior High School, shares what has been happening in the school library during COVID-19

The reaction to the pandemic has been very different in schools and their libraries as one would expect as we are all starting from different places. In our library we decided at the beginning to follow public library protocols and restrict borrowing to students of print material. Any material that was on loan will remain thus until things normalise. Staff are working onsite and thus still have access to print resources. We loan text books so spent some time loaning these out to students who required them.

My role changed dramatically from being the provider of print material to sourcing online material for students and staff and we are grateful to all those publishers and website owners who have so generously given schools access to their information. I have added numerous additional sites to our library catalogue as well as evaluating the numerous offers to refine the list to a manageable size for staff and students. I am also working with our Exec team to provide support to staff who are working in the online world to a degree not experienced before- this entails creating how to sheets and videos and creating personal learning for a range of abilities and learning areas.

When we get back to school, that assistance will widen to support parents and students who are having difficulty accessing the IT set by their classroom teachers.

It has been an interesting experience as not only do staff require personal learning they are finally coming to understand that students do not have an inherent knowledge of how to use ICT for work purposes and that more direct teaching of skills including basic research skills, digital terminology is going to be required.

If you would like to let us know what your school library is doing during COVID-19, you can let us know here.

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #12

April 30, 2020May 17, 2020

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #12

At an independent school in Queensland, the Library Team have been busy supporting staff and students during COVID-19. They answered our questions about what they have been doing.

What has been the focus for your school library/role during the COVID-19 Crisis?
Supporting teachers to upskill on technology; leading and collaborating on digital resourcing; ensure students can access digital materials the library controls.

What major tasks have you achieved?
Major PD delivery for teachers in Microsoft Teams; upgrade access to digital systems and new resource collections; structured plan for library staff duties during changed delivery mode.

What has been the result for staff and/or students?
Rapid skill increase for teachers using the technology for students; open communication channels for staff and students for support; greater access to digital resources than previously; library staff feeling safer and more confident in their roles during this time (no threat of change to staffing or stand downs at present).

What reactions did you get from students/teachers/school leaders/parents to what the library staff were doing?
Very positive and responsive. I've been greatly heartened by the number of staff who, although daunted and under significant pressure, simply squared their shoulders and dived in. We had a huge percentage of teachers increase their skill level in a completely new environment in a very short space of time. It has a knock on effect that the LMS we've been working to implement for more than two years is suddenly an essential teaching space, which is great to see.

If you would like to let us know what your school library is doing during COVID-19, you can let us know here.

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漏 2024 麻豆传媒

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #11

April 29, 2020May 17, 2020

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #11

Lynne Sim, Teacher/Librarian at the Mandurah Baptist College Senior School Library answered our questions about what their library team have been working on during COVID-19.

What has been the focus for your school library/role during the COVID-19 Crisis?
Providing opportunities for students to continue borrowing and reading. We have also promoted membership of local and state libraries, where there are many online resources.

What major tasks have you achieved?
We have made significant progress in reorganising our fiction books into genres, responding to student and staff requests.

What has been the result for staff and/or students?
Improved access to chosen types of books. When we reopen next term, I expect many will be pleased with the new arrangements.

If you would like to let us know what your school library is doing during COVID-19, you can let us know here.

Working聽together to ensure student access to high quality school library services.

Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #20

The Library Team at Brighton Grammar School, L锚na Hume-Twining, Ruth Silva and Katrina Holgyee, share what they have been doing in their school library during COVID-19.

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Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #19

Debra McGhee, Teacher Librarian at St Teresa's Catholic College, QLD, shares what she and her team have been doing to support students and staff during COVID-19.

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Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #18

The Library Team at Immanuel Lutheran College's Innovation Hub have been busy having lots of fun and making sure their students have the support they need during COVID-19. Kelly Dunham, Innovation Hub Coordinator answered our questions about what the library team have been doing.

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Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #17

Neelika Kottachchi, Manger of Library and Information Services at Mentone Girl's Secondary College, VIC, shares the strategies the library has used to the support the school community during COVID-19 restrictions.

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Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #16

The Library Team at a primary school in the ACT have been busy during COVID-19. They answered our questions on what they have been doing.

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Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #15

Maggie McMahon, Library Team Leader at Sacr茅 C艙ur in VIC, answered our questions about what they are doing during COVID-19.

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Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #14

This teacher librarian at a NSW public school shares what they have been doing in their school library during COVID-19.

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Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #13

Peta Harrison, teacher librarian at Albany Senior High School, shares what has been happening in the school library during COVID-19

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Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #12

At an independent school in Queensland, the Library Team have been busy supporting staff and students during COVID-19. They answered our questions about what they have been doing.

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Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #11

Lynne Sim, Teacher/Librarian at the Mandurah Baptist College Senior School Library answered our questions about what their library team have been working on during COVID-19.

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