It's been another busy term for the Schools Library team.

Throughout November we've been hosting weekly sessions in primary schools encouraging discussion of new non-fiction books. Next year our focus will be on reading for pleasure initiatives to capture the imagination of your pupils, both in your school library and through activities at the Guille-Allès Library.

In the meantime, we hope you have a wonderful Christmas, and do get in touch if there's anything we can do to help support your library and your pupils.

WHAT'S COMING UP IN 2022

Book Week

We're delighted to confirm that in 2022 the Guille-Allès Library will once again be hosting Book Week for all Guernsey schools. Thanks to the support of a private sponsor, three wonderful authors will visit the island in March to connect children with books, boost reading for pleasure, and inspire children in their creative writing.

For the last Book Week in 2020, poet Paul Cookson was joined by authors Ross Montgomery and Andy Lane. Other authors to have visited in the past include A.F. Harrold, Caroline Lawrence and Abie Longstaff.

We'll have more information on Book Week coming soon!

Fiction 'Genrefication'

To support your pupils with reading for pleasure, in 2022 we're planning to 'genrefy' your school library's fiction collection. This involves reordering the books into a selection of core genres like Fantasy, Adventure, Science Fiction, and Sports Fiction, helping pupils find the books they want independently and inspiring them to read more widely.

Click the button below for an example of how this has worked well at a school library in the United States. If you'd like to know more or would prefer not to have your fiction genrefied, reply to this email to get in touch.

Display Ideas

Another proven way to support reading for pleasure is to create eye-catching displays.

As this can be time-consuming for your staff, we're working hard to create display ideas, including artwork which you can print and use in your library throughout the year. This will enable a regular rotation of displays, saving you time as well as engaging your pupils in their library collection.

Free 'Time to Read' Books

In January 2022 all Reception pupils will receive their free, annual Time to Read (Book Trust) pack, which includes a specially selected picture book.

Our School Librarians distribute these packs to your Reception classes, offering story sessions to the children and their parents to accompany the free book pack. This activity is to encourage families to read together, to spark every child’s imagination and encourage reading for pleasure.

2021 REVIEW

Bulk Loans

We hope your pupils are benefiting from our Bulk Loan this year.

To enhance your school library collection, your school receives at least 50 books per class from our own collection, which is regularly updated to make sure the books are current, appealing in appearance and relevant for your pupils.

2021 School Events

Over the summer we hosted our annual book award sessions in primary schools, culminating in an event at the Guille-Allès library. The final event saw 80 pupils representing schools from across the island take part in discussion groups to vote for their favourite book on the shortlist. These sessions and events help less confident or keen readers to engage with visually appealing and diverse books in a small, friendly setting.

With some recent Library events for schools having to be cancelled, our School Librarians have been working hard to find alternatives to these events so your pupils can still engage with reading. Librarians have hosted mini events in primary schools to round off the weekly SLA non-fiction award sessions that they ran throughout November.

As an alternative to our annual Christmas Stories events, which usually see more than 1,000 children visit the Library's Story Tower, our Children’s Team have recorded some fun Christmas story videos which are being sent to your schools for students to watch. We hope you enjoy them!

eBooks For Schools

Sora is a special eBook library that all Guernsey schoolchildren can access.

Sora has thousands of eBooks and audiobooks that are available to your pupils both at school and at home (as well as our public library eBook collections).

Please let us know if you have any requests for eBooks that you'd like to see added to our Sora collection, perhaps to use on a large screen for class readers, or for specific planned projects in addition to our Bulk Loans.

Curriculum Visits & Project Loans

This year some of your class visits to the Library had an added twist.

To support your teaching, we hosted themed sessions based around various curriculum projects including the Victorians, the Stone Age, and the Tudors (with a visit from Henry VIII himself!) These visits can be used at the beginning or at the end of taught projects to engage or reward your pupils.

Don’t forget you can also order Project Loan boxes of non-fiction or fiction books for your classrooms, specifically curated to enhance your curriculum themes each term.