OLCSS Library News

A 'well trained, specialist librarian' is the factor most likely to fuel improvement in a school library. But overwhelmingly the most significant element is a headteacher who is committed, supportive and effective.

This is the realistic opinion of a new Ofsted report that follows a number of reports touching on school libraries. This one set out specifically to look at 32 good ones - and learn their secrets.

In the best schools it says; "librarians were regarded as important middle managers and encouraged to work closely with other members of staff. The most effective librarians ensured that the library contributed to meeting the school's priorities for improvement. The best librarians show great initiative in promoting the library and enthusing pupils about reading."
Good School Libraries: making a difference to learning is available at www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/index

Text above from http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/

Here are some of our Carnegie Shadowers. What exactly does Carnegie Shadowing involve?

Reading books. Past Carnegie Medal winners have become classics. These include The Borrowers, Watership Down, Skellig, Flour Babies, and Northern Lights. They are reading future classics!

Meeting other readers. There are ‘shadowing’ meetings each Friday lunchtime, at 1.20, when they can change books, chat about the ones they have read, and write reviews. Of course, they can come at any other time too. Near the end of term we will vote for our OLCSS winner.

Writing reviews. They will write a review for each of the books they read, trying to assess the book as if they are one of the judges. They post reviews on a special shadowing website. Tip to shadowers: you may find it useful to write in Word, then copy and paste it. You may also find it useful to make some notes on each book as or after you read it, e.g. names of characters, places, and complicated parts of the plot, favourite phrases or description, plus your opinion. Why not use this as an opportunity to start a Reading Diary?

Meeting Carnegie Shadowers from other schools and the Carnegie Forum. This will be the sixth year that the six secondary schools in Abingdon have worked together over the Carnegie Medal. We have already enjoyed initial reactions at a Carnegie ‘tea’ in mid-May, and will be taking part in team quizzes on 16 June. There will also be a joint Abingdon Carnegie Forum on Tuesday 4 July, where over 100 students from local schools will be discussing and voting for the Abingdon winner.

Did you know? Over 50,000 young people from about 2500 reading groups are expected to take part in the shadowing scheme in 2006.

Please read some of our reviews by going to http://www.ckg.org.uk/. Click on 'Shadowing Groups' at the top of the screen, then 'Reading Groups', and find Our Lady's Convent Senior School.

A group of keen readers at Our Lady's Convent Senior School have become 'Carnegie Shadowers' for the next few weeks. Like many students in schools around the country they are reading the books shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal, an annual award for an outstanding book for young people published the previous year. They will be assessing the books using the same criteria as the official judges, and writing reviews which they post on a special website, www.ckg.org.uk

Today some of the group met with shadowers from the other secondary schools in Abingdon for a 'Carnegie tea'. As well as cakes and drinks, they played the 'Carnegie Game', to share first impressions of the books, based on the covers, blurbs and opening paragraphs, and heard some tips for writing their reviews.

The shortlisted books are:

Clay by David Almond

Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Tamar by Mal Peet

Turbulence by Jan Mark

The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean.

OLCSS shadowers will be meeting every Friday, and there are also plans for other joint events - a quiz in June, and the well established Abingdon Carnegie Forum which will take place on 4 July.

The new Library is starting to take shape. Work over the Easter holidays saw the steel frame put in place in the (old) school hall, which will accommodate the enlarged Library and ICT2. This structure will support the new mezzanine floor, which will be exclusively for the VI Form. The Sixth Form Library will have two study areas, with an attractive balcony over the central area.

This week some of the electric lighting is being fitted. Natural light will also be available from a new roof light placed in the central area. That work will take place after the end of term.

True - it’s now a reality.

ICUE is a new service that allows you to download, read and store books on your mobile phone. You need a phone with a colour screen, and the cost is about £4.50 per book. In fact between 300 and 400 books can be stored on your normal phone memory card! You can also set the size and speed of the text – have a look at the demo on ICUE’s website.
http://www.i-cue.co.uk

Don’t think of it as a substitute for holding a real book, but a new way to read books.
So if you don’t think of yourself as a reader maybe you might enjoy reading a book on your mobile.

IMPORTANT: Make sure you ask your parents before buying any titles.

Caroline Lawrence, who visited us in October, has written to give us her latest news. The BBC is going to make a TV series of the Roman Mysteries! You can find out more by looking at her website:
http://www.romanmysteries.com/author/tvseries.htm

You can also read an excerpt from her latest book, The Sirens of Surrentum:
http://www.romanmysteries.com/books/sirens.htm