Snapshot of a School Library During COVID-19 #18

The Library Team at Immanuel Lutheran College's Innovation Hub have been busy having lots of fun and making sure their students have the support they need during COVID-19. Kelly Dunham, Innovation Hub Coordinator answered our questions about what the library team have been doing.

What has been the focus for your school library/role during the COVID-19 Crisis?

Making sure our students and staff are supported and that they have access to a range of information that they need electronically and physically.

What major tasks have you achieved?

We have our library LibGuides page packed with databases, library catalogue details, Wheelers electronic books for both primary and secondary school students, electronic home readers and Clickview. Plus a range of boredom busters, virtual tours, reading from space, and specific pages for different subject areas. Our Teacher Librarian has continued to deliver library lessons and accelerated reader checkins via MSTeams for all Year 4 to Year 9 students, along with connecting to 53 independent learners to ensure they are continuing on their traineeships, Distance Education studies and music extension programs. Library staff are also reading aloud picture books onto camera and these clips have then been sent to all Prep to Year 3 children, thus the child sees a familiar face reading a story to them, just as we would during library lessons each week.

In addition the library is the area for supervision for all essential workers children. Thus library staff, along with teacher aides and support staff have been supervising up to 125 children most days during COVID19. Whilst we are encouraging our electronic collections for recreational reading, we do have some students visiting the library to collect books.

What has been the result for staff and/or students?

Our students and staff have remained connected electronically to both recreational reading, home readers, databases and library staff in general as we answer any questions provided by our students and staff. Also deeper connections have been formed with the children who have been in the library during this Staying Connected experience.

What reactions did you get from students/teachers/school leaders/parents to what the library staff were doing?

Mr Boman during storytime recording

Extremely positive from both students and parents. Especially from parents of essential worker children who have thanked us for taking the time to care for their students. In addition when Mr Boman read Macca's Makeover by Matt Cosgrove our Year 2 teachers sent through the parents' thanks, along with one child's beautiful drawing of an Alpaca and his written response, "Macca is gentle, he likes to share. He is caring. He likes to play. His hair is crazy. He has friends." We can see that our time is valued.

Year 2 Student Leon Krauchi's response to Mr Boman's reading.

What other information would you like us to know?

The library has become the hub of the school during our Staying Connected program for our essential workers children, which has been very busy but so very rewarding at establishing those connections with students and families.