Reading for the Love of It!
‘The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go’.
Library News
We certainly stand by Dr Seuss's philosophy at ATC. Already this year, we have added almost 400 new books to our print collection! There really is something for every boy in our libraries. We have also been steadfastly developing our range of non-fiction books grounded in philosophy and psychology for young men and it is a collection that is proving very popular, particularly amongst our Senior students. In addition, we have a growing collection of quality books written by First Nation’s authors.
Library Events
Each year, our library events calendar grows bigger and better, and for very good reason! Promoting books and authors in fun and creative ways helps to foster an innate love of literature and reading. When I see visiting authors at ATC being treated like rock stars, where boys jostle to shake a hand or snag an autograph, I know we are on the right track!
Earlier this term, we celebrated Library Lovers Day. Boys engaged in themed lessons, where we promoted our Relationships genre, biographies of amazing women and even loaned out a few of Charlotte Bronte's classics! Teachers were treated to heart shaped treats and bookmarks in staff rooms to celebrate our library.
Coming up we have our flagship library event, the annual Literary Festival, taking place from 7 to 10 May. For an entire week, students will be immersed in a range of informative and interactive literary experiences. This year we have a stellar line up of talented guests, including playwright David Burton, fantasy writer Vacen Taylor, author Edwina Shaw, manga artist and cartoonist Joanne Brooker, First Nations authors Auntie Rhonda Collard-Spratt and Trevor Fourmile, slam poet Anisa Nandaula and animator Lachlan Creagh.
Nick Earls (48 Shades of Brown, Ziz Zag Street, Empires) will be our special guest speaker at our twilight parent event, happening on Westcourt deck, Thursday 9 May starting at 6pm. Tickets for this event will be available for purchase from Parent Lounge early in Term 2. This year, we will invite students to attend alongside their parent/s, with a particular emphasis on bringing along dad or a father-figure/s. We wish to highlight and celebrate the important role fathers / male role models play in shaping our students lives through reading.
Also coming up in Term 2, is our participation in the annual Readers Cup competition, to be held at St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School. This is a wonderful opportunity to further engage our students in reading and promote the range of outstanding novels selected by the Children's Book Council of Australia each year. Guest author / MC this year is Kate Temple - it promises to be an exciting day for all.
Other events happening later in the year include the Premiers Reading Challenge, National Simultaneous Storytime, Reading Hour, Indigenous Literacy Day and of course, Book Week. Special events such as these contribute to building a culture of reading and a sense of excitement and wonder about books.
Technology and Reading
Recreational digital reading is enormously popular amongst our students, and it is an absolute game-changer for boys who find reading print books a challenge. eBooks and audiobooks have transformed the ways in which we engage students with stories and reading. With the flick of a switch, functions such as ‘read to me’, audio with text highlighting, embedded audio / video, text magnification, dyslexic-friendly fonts and a host of other interactive elements are engaged. Boys who struggle to decode traditional print text now have unhindered access to information and stories because the literacy barriers are broken-down.
This Easter break, I encourage our ATC community to make use of our extensive digital library. We have a wide variety of audiobooks and eBooks available, as well as the latest digital magazines and graphic novels. To access our eBooks and audiobooks CLICK HERE. To access our digital magazines and graphic novels: Sora - Explore (soraapp.com) See a screencast link in my Library notice on the ATC app as well as tips from me on how to access our digital catalogue.
In addition to these digital platforms, I highly recommend all students join their local BCC library, so they can also access the extensive range of print and digital reading material available. To access Brisbane City Council Library's digital collections please click on the links for BorrowBox or Libby.
Happy reading!
Kristy Taylor
Head of Library Services
