Library

Glenmore Primary School

2001
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Library Monitors

Left to right

2nd Row: Mrs. D. McColl, Shavorne Baker, Ellah Dube, Noxolo Thobela, Siphesihle Ncama, Mrs. M. Coombs

Seated: Jason Ward, Nolwazi Mwandla, Stephanie Mitchell, Kylie Vorster, Timothy Sabwelera

At the end of 2000, after seven years as the senior primary librarian, Mrs. Sue Young retired and I apprehensively assumed her role. It was an exceedingly steep learning curve because my experience of libraries had always been that of borrower not as lender nor custodian.

I think it is a credit to the librarians who came before me that Glenmore Primary has the basis of a remarkably good collection of both reference and fiction material. The scope of the books is sufficiently broad to provide an adequate research resource for all the learners in the senior primary phase. Because of the rapid developments and advancements in modern research the material is, in some cases, unavoidably dated but hopefully this can be overcome through the acquisition of CD ROMs and ultimately by access for all the learners to the Internet which despite its pitfalls is proving to be a powerful teaching and learning medium.

A decision was taken this year to extend the library and upgrade the facilities available to learners. Building begins at the end of the fourth term and the new enlarged library should be operational in the new year. In addition to the structural enhancements the new library will house several computers to be used exclusively for research through computer based programmes which, can never replace book learning, but will ideally complement traditional study methods. The introduction of electronic study aids will expose all learners to widely used information technology.

As an aid to the present and future harried, overworked librarians the school has purchased an electronic library administration programme and while the initial data capture for the system will require hours of drudgery, the end result will be a library that is contemporary, user-friendly and an asset of worth for the school.

Mrs. Diane McColl