This week I visited Ponteland High School Library. The visit
was arranged by Jackie Dunn, Assistant Librarian, Robinson Library and
Anne-Marie Laws, Librarian/Learning Resources Centre Manager, Ponteland High School.
The aim of the visit was to give us an awareness of the kind of facilities
school libraries have. I thought this would be useful as I’ve just registered
for Chartership and having worked in an academic library for over ten years I
think I need to increase my awareness of the wider library profession.
When we arrived at the school we were met by sixth form
students who gave us a tour of the school. They were very enthusiastic and
obviously very proud of their school. As I was last in a school more years ago
than I care to remember I could see that things have changed a lot since then!
There seem to be a wider range of subjects on offer to cater for all types of
students and opportunities to go on a variety of educational trips. Despite
this I still would not want to be back at school!
After the tour we were met by the Anne-Marie who had even
gone to the trouble of baking a cake for our visit! (It was delicious). Then we
had the opportunity to talk to her about her role. As with most school libraries,
she is the sole librarian, supported only by student library assistants. I was surprised to find that she works with a
very limited budget which would only buy a handful of books in the Robinson
Library. Because of this she can only buy books for a couple of subjects each
year. Also, it seems that a school
librarian has to be to be a jack of all trades: some of Anne-Marie’s additional
duties included selling school uniforms and invigilating exams. However like a
lot of libraries I don’t think the library or librarian get the recognition
they deserve.
We also talked about Chartership. As I have just
registered I was keen to talk to somebody who had gone through it and come out
the other side. Both Annie-Marie and
Jackie were happy to answer my questions and I felt less daunted and more
reassured about the task ahead.
Following our chat we had a chance to look around the
library. As you might expect, the library was small but I think Anne-Marie is
creative and has done a very good job with the limited space and resources she
has. Most of the books are available for loan and she provides a wide range of
information resources ranging from books (popular fiction and classics,
non-fiction and reference) to magazines and videos. I could see similarities
and differences between the school library and academic library; for instance
both use the Dewey Decimal classification system and the library is seen by
students as a place to use the computer facilities.
I found the visit very interesting and informative. Having
no knowledge or experience of working in a school library I think it gave me an
insight into an area I knew little about. However, while I can see the positive
side of being your own boss as she is, I think I prefer working in a team and
being able to confer with colleagues if I need to.
The visit has made me appreciate the facilities and staff we have at the
Robinson Library much more. Anne-Marie has kindly
offered to show us ‘A day in the life of a School Librarian’ which I may
consider at some point. Thanks again to
Jackie and Anne-Marie for organising the visit.
