About the Learning Resource Centre

The Learning Resources Centre is a bright and spacious area staffed by two chartered librarians and a library assistant.  Open from 8.30am to 4.15pm, Monday through Friday, it's a centre of learning activity.

"Students who score higher on tests tend to come from schools which have more library resource staff and more books, periodicals and non-print resources, and where the instructional role of the librarian and involvement in co-operative program planning and teaching is more prominent." The Impact of School Library Media Centers on Academic Achievement, Keith Curry Lance, 1999.

Aims
The LRC aims to provide the school community with a resources and information service that supports learning and teaching, and helps enable pupils to achieve their goals.

Specifically by:

• promoting reading for enjoyment
• providing an appropriate range of resources to support learning and teaching
• promoting and supporting the development of learning skills
• promoting and supporting the use of ICT ensuring that resources can be easily accessed by users
• ensuring inclusion of all pupils by providing appropriate resources and a welcoming and supporting environment
• promoting the LRC to pupils and staff
• liaising with other information providers and wider school community
• providing and maintaining areas conducive to independent study
• providing resources to support applications to colleges and universities, including UCAS guides and information on applying to Cambridge University and Oxford University
• providing resources to support investigations into GAP year options and activities.

Supporting the Curriculum

Raising Achievement
The LRC enables pupils to develop and practise the research and investigative skills that they will require for 5-14, Standard Grade and beyond.
Integrated within the History curriculum, S1 and S2 are introduced to critical research. Pupils investigate how to locate, select, and organise information using a variety of resources. These skills are further built upon from S3 to S6 when pupils learn the value of active research through History and Modern Studies.
From S2 onwards, pupils continue to receive support and make progress with research in all subjects via class, group or individual sessions in the LRC.

Personal Reading
All pupils are actively encouraged to spend time at home on reading for enjoyment by borrowing books from the range of resources, which have been selected to suit a wide range of interests and ability.
Personal reading is actively promoted in the LRC. S1 - S4 pupils visit the library every two weeks with their English classes. During this time they select personal reading from a well stocked and up to date fiction collection.
Pupils in S1 are introduced to relevant web sites which review books and encourage reading.
A well-stocked Senior Fiction area provides pupils with a wide choice of up-to-date material from which to select for Special Study and Advanced Higher.

Use your LRC for...

• researching a project
• reading for enjoyment
• Internet or CD ROM
• revision and study
• borrowing books
• personal reading
• class visits
• discursive essays
• preparing to give a talk
• finding out about personal and social issues
• careers information
• leisure interests and hobbies
• accessing UCAS instructional guides and examples of Personal Statements
• exploring GAP year options and activities

Facilities

Staff :

• LRC Co-ordinators:
  • Mrs J Baron
  • Mrs K O'Donnell
• LRC Assistant:
  • Mrs J McNeillis

• Central Resources Area - over 10,000 resources, including fiction, non-fiction and multimedia items. There is a comprehensive Reference Section together with various Special Collections
  Pupils can borrow and exchange books daily, either during break or lunchtime with the option to extend loans when required.
  Seating for up to 30 pupils.
• ICT Area - equipped with 11 computers, which have Word Processing, Internet and E-mail facilities. Interactive Whiteboard.
• Staff Resources Library - this area contains publications of interest to staff, including staff development materials, reports and other resources relating to teaching and learning.

Library Initiatives

Carnegie Shadowing Scheme

• The Carnegie Award for Children's Literature is announced every year in July. Through the library a group of S1 - S4 pupils take part in a shadowing scheme. This involves reading and discussing each of the seven nominations and voting for the title which they think should win the award.

• Pupils are encouraged to keep in touch with literature for young adults through book reviews in journals and the press. A group of volunteers select new titles for the library, managing a small budget. They review the books themselves as a comparison with professional reviewers.