Marrickville Library After School Programs

Marrickville Library is offering some great after school programs for primary school children.

Visit the Marrickville Library website for details:

http://www.marrickville.nsw.gov.au/en/library/

The Student Tuition program runs from Monday to Thursday afternoons, with our volunteer tutors offering assistance in a range of subjects.

The Kids Zone afterschool activities happen every second week, and are open to children aged 5-12 years.

The Youth Zone activities occur on the alternate weeks, and are suitable for children from 10-16 years.

2014 - Here we come!

I know the year has been powering along for several weeks, but it has taken me a little longer than usual to get back into action on this blog.

This is an exciting year for me since I am continuing in the role of Teacher Librarian, but will also be the eLearning Coordinator at our school. The new title for this position gives prominence to the idea that we are using technology for a purpose - to enhance learning and teaching. 

                                                                       CC licence  Some rights reserved by internet and tacos

Since improvements in technology are happening all the time, you can be sure that this is going to be a year of rapid change. There are several exciting innovations arriving soon, and I will keep you posted. 

I'd love to have more parents following my blog, so just enter your email address and you will receive updates. 

Overdrive is Live at St Brigid's!

At St Brigid’s, Marrickville our school library is a hub of learning, where students are keen to discover the latest in information technology and the benefits of engaging with reading.

Our library used to be inside a building, but the walls of this building are now opening wide.  Through our Oliver OPAC, we are able to access quality weblinks, connecting us with places and people all over the world.

Today we moved even further into the 21^st century, when we went “Live with OverDrive”. We now have access to eBooks 24/7 – every day of the year – during school terms and during holidays. These eBooks can be read on our iPads, laptops and desktops. It is now possible to change the font size, page colour and line spacing of text, allowing our students to tailor the print to their own preference.

Are we excited? We certainly are!

We’ve been waiting for OverDrive for many months now, with the excitement building each week. And it’s not just the students who are excited, it’s also our teachers, support staff and parents.

eBooks here we come!

Author: Jackie French

I recently went to Darling Harbour to hear another Australian children's author, Jackie French, speak. Well, actually it was more of a performance than a talk. Jackie is a theatrical presenter whose passion for her writing is quite contagious. 

Jackie introduced us to some of her favourite picture books and had the whole audience participating in no time (the adults as well as the children). She told us of her life and of her struggles. 

Image from Jackie French's website

Amazingly, Jackie is dyslexic and this fact makes her success as an author even more amazing. Here is a link if you would like to know more about this: I Speak of Dreams

I found her to be an inspiring speaker and it you ever have the opportunity to hear her speak I would highly recommend that you go.

Mem Fox @ Newtown Library

Last week, I attended a presentation by the wonderful Australian author, Mem Fox at Newtown Library. 

She spoke with great passion about her books. She promoted the idea that children need to be read to by their parents and grandparents. 

Mem also made the point that a child who has only a digital device for company can be very lonely and isolated. She said that connections with significant adults through books are vital, if we are to help children love reading.

CC image courtesy of Philip Martin

Marrickville Library - BOOKS AT BEDTIME

On Tuesday 19th November, 2013

at Marrickville Library

Join everyone for an evening storytime with Books at Bedtime.

Don't forget to wear your pyjamas and bring along 

your favourite teddy or toy to share the fun.

This event is recommended for 4 - 10 year olds.

Light refreshments will be available. 

Bookings can be made by phoning 9335 2173 or going online at http://marrickvillelibrary.eventbrite.com.au

Welcome back to Term 4!

This year is disappearing so quickly. We have a few short weeks left before the Christmas holidays.

Last week in library lessons we learned to use the Drawing app in Google Drive. We were able to create posters using images that were free to use (Creative Commons) and we added a title using WordArt. 

This week we will be discussing what it means to be good digital citizens by staying safe on the internet and behaving responsibly. We will also learn how to comment on this blog and create alerts using students' school email addresses.

Creative Commons image from Google Images. Original from 

http://www.tidesinc.org/resources/digital-citizenship/