Helene Library

The Helene Library is once again located in the heart of the College in the new Helene Province. The newly refurbished library is a hub of collaboration and learning from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm. Educational libraries are a pivotal part of any school’s learning culture and students at Ave Maria College are fortunate to have a state-ofthe-art library and committed library staff. This year our professional dedication to develop students to ‘read for pleasure’ steered the library away from the traditional alphabetical classification of novels. The library adopted a contemporary ‘genre’ classification system that was specifically researched and designed with the students of Ave in mind. Thirteen reading genres were hand-picked to represent the modern young adult fiction collection in the new lush green Reading Area. With the colourful and popular genre collection in place, library staff witnessed an increase in borrowing and students independently experimenting with different reading styles and authors. Reading improves vocabulary, increases empathy and helps students better understand and connect with people in the real world. It is exciting to see all the books back on the shelves in the new library. They are being browsed, borrowed, read and shelves left in shambles after class visits. It’s a librarian’s dream library to work in where books are still valued! Co-curricular activities in the library continue to be popular with students in all Year Levels. Attending ‘Book Corner’ or ‘Creative Spaces’ in the Library earns each student House points. Library staff put together a great program for the debut of Literary Week, a week-long celebration of all thing’s books, with guest authors, competitions, prizes and opportunities to get reading! The award-winning author Will Kostakis entertained students with his engaging stories and autographed many books. The daily emoji quiz was very popular and overall more than 230 people participated Literary Week. The week concluded with ‘Books and Breakfast’ a community event. Parents, students and staff enjoyed an enlightening presentation by bestselling Australian author and screenwriter, Anna Snoekstra. A strong sense of community is always evident in the Helene Library, we were overwhelmed with the support of all students, staff and parents, who attended and participated in making Literary Week such a success. The Library team works closely with students and teachers throughout the year to ensure students at Ave Maria College develop the necessary skills to become life-long learners and lovers of reading.

Laura Pugliese HELENE LIBRARY LEADER