Libraries and Information Services

MR ANDREW STARK head of libraries and information services

The essence of education is to challenge young people to strive (and achieve) their maximum potential and one of the best environments to accomplish this is in the school library. In recent years, the concept of librarianship and library space has transformed to such an extent that a student from even as recently as the 1990s might well have difficulty recognising a contemporary school library as a place of reading and academic learning. This almost constant metamorphosing creates myriad challenges for those working in the field of librarianship but the staff at the Harley Stumm Senior Library are well prepared to face such encounters head on.

The Senior Library began 2018, as it does each year, with a flurry of activity but what soon became apparent in the early weeks of Term One was a sizeable increase and interest in fiction borrowing and browsing (or ‘soft borrowing’). There seemed to be a ‘reading resurgence’ and, pleasingly, this newfound popularity has been maintained throughout the year. Little wonder, perhaps, when you consider the plush new surroundings in which the fiction collection is now stored!

A question many parents ask is how the Senior Library supports TSS boys. Generally, boys will come into contact with the Senior Library in two main ways: via the Reading Program (where classes visit the library each fortnight for a reading session) and/or during research based lesson time. To assist with the latter, boys have direct access, via the library website, to advanced on-line resources and academically authenticated databases. All on-line resources are available at home. We are particularly gratified with the boys’ responses to the databases Facts on File, Jstor, E-Library and Informit TV and the other on-line resources on offer.

In addition to these top-class academic online resources available for members of TSS community, we also provide around 500 ebooks and eaudiobooks for boys to borrow. This is an everdeveloping collection and boys are encouraged to access this wonderful resource via their devices. Boys also are encouraged to join the TSS and St Hilda’s Reading and Philosophy Club which meets each term.

2018 saw ‘the world’ visit TSS and the Harley Stumm Senior Library was proud to play host! In July, the International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC) Annual Conference was held at TSS. This event brought together over 600 teachers and administrators from boys’ schools around the world to consider issues affecting and shaping the future of boys’ learning, experience and education. This was the Senior Library’s time to shine as hundreds of international guests attended workshops, lectures, panel discussions and networking events around the School.

The event also included a separate Partner Program for visitors not attending the formal presentations. This program included visits to Snapper Rocks, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Mount Tamborine and Marina Mirage. A major component of the IBSC Annual Conference is the Action Research Program. Close to 60 teacher researchers from around the world spent three full days attending training sessions and workshops prior to the official four-day conference, and the Harley Stumm Library, Gifted and Talented Centre, and Broomhead Lecture Theatre played host to these delegates. This was an exhilarating time for library staff and many researchers commented that the facilities provided were of international standard.

Educating and supporting learners requires more than a textbook and a teacher. It requires a holistic approach to the educative process; one that provides knowledge, guidance and encouragement; one that includes progressive information literacy services. Throughout 2018, the Senior Library has continued to be proactive in providing resources and support for all members of TSS community. Our library is your library.