Library At St Andrew’s College Preparatory School, we are proud to have a well‑resourced library facility that meets the needs of all our young readers.
Library Collection and Circulation In 2021, over 600 new books were added to the Preparatory School Library collection, including the latest releases from popular series, and plenty of new and exciting books from both local and international authors. This investment in our collection ensures elevated levels of reading engagement among students:
• the volume of books issued to
•
•
• •
42
students and staff during 2021 was greater than that observed in 2020, with a total circulation figure of more than 26,000 items; the most remarkable change observed was the circulation of our graphic novel collection which doubled compared to the previous year, with over 2000 items borrowed. This reflected the level of investment made in this area and the popularity of the format, especially among our less able readers; picture books continued to be extremely popular with all readers, including staff. Just over 7700 were issued in 2021; novels and first chapter books were also popular with 5300 and 4717 issued, respectively; over 3600 non-fiction books were issued during this period, a slight increase on the 2020 figure.
A particular focus for 2021 was the development and growth of our New Zealand non-fiction collection, in order that the Library can support the introduction of the New Zealand Histories Curriculum in 2022. Authors and publishers are now beginning to respond to the growing demand for these resources and as 2021 ends we are beginning to see the effects of this; we now have a more up-to-date and student focused New Zealand collection. Readership of eBooks and audiobooks through the school’s digital library facility (SORA) altered during 2021, perhaps reflecting the slightly shorter period students spent offsite engaged in at home learning. The total number of eBooks and audiobooks borrowed decreased compared to 2020, however the number of students reading on SORA increased, as did the average amount of time spent reading. The implication is that the collection now perhaps better reflects our readers. Again, SORA supported readers worldwide with a wide selection of free resources which we were able to make available to students through our online platform.
