Secondary School Library: Welcoming Visitors

Early in November more than forty students from the European International School came to visit the APS library. The Grade 1 students were completing a Unit of Inquiry on library spaces and were interested in comparing and contrasting a ‘big’ library with their own little Primary library space.

In a moment to make all booklovers proud, some of our Year 8 students, who were in the Library for their English lesson with Mr Redmond, started reading to the EIS students and the students had such a lovely visit that they stayed for over an hour! 

Later in November, as a part of the South East Asia Librarian Knowledge Sharing Workshop (LKSW) being held at The American School in Nha Be district, more than forty librarians visited the Secondary Campus as a part of a bus tour of international school libraries in Ho Chi Minh City. 

The BIS HCMC visit coincided with some of our busy times for the students and it was noted by the librarians that our students used the library very purposefully during breaks. Students knew which area they wanted to use, where the information or book they needed was, and while the APS library is very busy during breaks, students are on task and use the library space and resources for educational purposes.

How have we come to this? Students follow our Library Etiquette guidelines during their visits:

• As soon as I enter the library I will respect others by speaking in a quiet voice
• I will leave my bag and any food on the shelves at the entrance
• I will only bring into the library water in closed containers (No drinks at the computers)
• I will show integrity by following the guidelines listed in the BIS Learning Technology Statement
• I will ensure my screen is visible at all times
• I will use the designated quiet study area for individual reflection and educational endeavours
• I will persevere in my enquiries and not hesitate to ask for help when needed

BIS HCMC Library

The British International School’s libraries are a blend of traditional school library and 21st Century learning centre. They carefully balance two roles; that of instilling an enduring love of the written word, and to provide a first class information service to meet students’ research needs.

Linda Breard, Head Librarian