The Library
Be a little careful about your library. Do you foresee what you will do with it? Very little to be sure. But the real question is, what it will do with you? You will come here and get books that will open your eyes, and your ears, and your curiosity, and turn you inside out or outside in.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Reading – as the above quote says – can make you think, make you happy, make you sad, educate you, make you more compassionate and open your mind to the world around you. Reading is something you can do for pleasure or instruction; it is also one solitary pursuit that you can share with friends, as there is little to compare to the joy of lending a book – and finding that the lendee has enjoyed it as much as you have. In fact one boy can enthuse about a book, and suddenly a whole class will want to read it. The joy of reading is infectious – and the AH library aims to keep spreading that infection by any means possible.
The aims of the library are as follows:
• The Arnold House Library aims to provide a well-resourced range of books.
• To have them available to all the boys in the school, according to suitability.
• To stock fiction and non-fiction that encourages cross-curricular learning, independent reading and a lifelong enthusiasm for reading.
• To encourage all readers, of every ability.
• To provide an accessible space for reading and the enjoyment of books.
• To provide positions of responsibility for senior boys.
The Library and the School
The library integrates into the school day in two ways – one, the library is open at breaktimes and two, there are library lessons. Lessons in the library start in Year 2, and the boys come into the library once a week. The lessons aim to give the boys confidence in their reading choices, to encourage them to read widely, and to slowly build up their reading ‘muscle’ by encouraging them to gradually try more challenging books. Along the way the boys learn about the library’s Dewey classification system and how to use books for research (this is incorporated into the Compass Course). Formal reading lessons end in Year 6. However the senior years are encouraged by the English Department to borrow books from the library, and also to talk with the librarian about choosing books during that potentially difficult transitional period between children’s books and teen / adult titles.
How the Library is organised
The library is clearly divided into fiction and non-fiction, with all the fiction clearly colour-coded as to reading-age suitability. The non-fiction covers the array of topics taught in the school, with a special emphasis on subjects that will be used in project work. All the Heads of Department liaise with the Librarian so that the available books match the boys’ needs. There is also a reference section and a well-stocked - and well-thumbed - shelf of comic books.
The Boys and the Library
Apart from the lessons that they will have in the Library, the boys are also encouraged to participate in the day-to-day running of the Library. Assistant Librarians are chosen from Year 7 and the Librarians and the Head Librarian from Year 8 – posts for which there is always a healthy amount of competition. The librarians catalogue, cover stock, put away returned books and talk with the younger boys, helping them to choose books.
The library is also an informal place for the boys to meet, particularly those who might, for whatever reason, not wish to play outside. The library aims to be a warm and welcoming place – something every child needs at some time or another.
Reading and not-reading
The fundamental belief of the library is that reading should be fun. However, not every boy leaps from being a non-reader to immediately being passionate about reading with the first independent reader they pick up. Sometimes it just needs practice. Reading is a muscle, the more your do the stronger you will be. Sometimes it is a case of finding the right book and the Library aims to try and match every boy with the ‘right book’. Sometimes, however, there are other factors involved, and the Library works with the SENCO and with form teachers in order to provide all boys with the extra support some boys need in order to enjoy reading.
The Library Now
Since its beginnings in 2001, The Arnold House Library has grown to become an essential part of the school, bringing authors such as Anthony Horowitz, Caroline Lawrence, Pete Johnson, Justin Somper and Robert Muchamore in to speak to the boys, taking teams from Years 7 & 8 to take part in the Kids’ Lit Quiz and running small in-school competitions.
In 2008 we were lucky enough to win the Kids’ Lit Quiz World Finals, beating off competition from as far afield as New Zealand and China. In 2009 the Year 7 team made it to the UK finals and came third. In-school heats are fiercely fought, and it is delight to see the boys so keen to represent their school at reading rather than sport.
If any parent has any query regarding their son and his reading, please do pop in and talk with the Librarian, Ms Leonie Flynn, who is always happy to offer reading suggestions. Alternatively you can email lflynn@arnoldhouse.co.uk.
Leonie Flynn
Librarian
