MEET OUR NEW LIBRARIAN!

What is your favourite genre and book?

My favourite genre is magical realism and I absolutely adore it! My favourite book altogether is called 'The House Of The Spirits' by Isabel Allende I think I must have been around 32 or 33 when I first read it and I was abroad in the Canary Islands. I thought it was just magical: it just suddenly slips off into a strange world when everyone starts seeing the future, having strange feelings, and going on those instincts I love that about it because it just makes life magical

Have you

always been a keen reader?

Yes! It took me a long time to read because when I was little I had problems hearing so I was a very late reader, but I had a mum who was a teacher She would always read to me and I was always interested in what was in the book. I think that is where my fascination for stories has come from I would say I am obsessed with stories more than anything! So yes, I am a keen reader but nowadays, because I get very exhausted, I listen to a lot of audiobooks.

When did you join RGS and what made you interested in joining?

I joined on the 17th of April of this year I saw the job advertised back in January and I thought what a wonderful place to work! I've had a long association with the school: my father went to the school back in 1952 We found some of his records and information When I was around 17 or 18, I used to have friends who went to Reigate Grammar too so I’ve always liked the school, and coming here has always been something that I thought would be great And then I saw the job advertised and I thought ‘I can do all the things on that list, so I am going to apply!’

What do you like about working in the RGS library?

Well, who wouldn’t like to work in a library like this? If you ’ re a librarian and you walk into this library, you can imagine the wow factor it has. When I was taken around by Ms Robertson and I was shown the library, I was just blown away It was like being shown the best thing ever! The building, and all of you of course, are just as amazing because what would the library be without the people who come?

What is the latest news in the library?

At the moment, we have got all our summer reads out and on display. We are also about to send postcards out Everyone is going to take a postcard home and write on it where they go in the world this holiday We are hoping that everyone will send one in because it doesn’t matter if you don’t move from your sitting room this summer, you can still go anywhere in the world with a book It is the cheapest method of travel there is! And not only are we going to give it to students, we are going to give it to teachers, canteen staff, the estates team... They are all going to get one! In September, there will be a big display of them all I would like everyone to use this library because it is open to everyone, not just students, so we can all be reading. You would be surprised by who is a keen reader You might find someone cleaning your classroom and they have taken a few books out because they love reading too and have access to this amazing library.

What about the library do you think could be improved and what is your vision for the library in the future?

My vision for the library in the future is to connect more departments so that everything you learn in your lessons is linked or included in the books and resources we have here in the library. Obviously, we ' re going forward in a digital way so everything will be more online with digital resources, but I think there will always be a place for books Even with AI, I think reading skills will still be super important for programming and the best way to learn those skills is through books

What is your advice for students who are reluctant readers?

I think they are just missing out on so much because you can get a completely new and different point of view on something Sometimes I go away and I'm just relaxing and reading, and I suddenly see something from a totally different point of view, so it helps every day to consider things from all angles It doesn't matter whether you ' re reading a factual or fiction book, you can see things from different points of view It doesn’t need to be a particularly complex book either. I think it just gives your brain a rest and takes you somewhere else.

What is going to be different in the library in the Autumn Term?

It will have some different displays obviously, and we ' re going to have Library lessons in the First and Second Form The library is a place where we get together, and I hope there will be cross-curricular projects through the library and all its resources. Maybe the science department will work with the English department; for example, it would be really interesting if there was a project on Frankenstein looking at whether or not you could scientifically build someone and then ethically think about whether or not that is the right thing to do in English or T and P We need all these things to come together I think it would be really fascinating!