Transcript
NICK:
These days, students expect resources to be in a variety of formats. But it really boils down to print or digital. It can be hard if you only have print because the library might be viewed as old fashioned. But students still need to be familiar with handling books because they're still going to have to use them in everyday life. Not everything is online yet.
For print, it's good to have a broad collection, although more non-fiction is moving online. So in my library, I have fiction, non-fiction, and a reference collection, and some that cross boundaries too. You might also have a local history collection or even a school archive in your library. Depending on your budget, there are a variety of newspapers and magazines, including ones aimed at younger readers.
You should think about the needs of your school community as well and how the library can support them. Graphic novels are popular and accessible. And there are publishers that support students with dyslexia. It's important that you have books to support student's personal development as well, things that they can find in the library and access without necessarily having to ask for them. So you might have a well-being collection that deals with things like anxiety or bullying or an LGBT collection.
Online resources are growing. And there are ways in which you can take the library outside the physical space and make it accessible 24/7. As well as online textbooks, there are resources to support the A-level curriculum and online databases that are invaluable for the International Baccalaureate and the EPQ. There are also eBook and audiobook packages, which are great in supporting students who struggle to read standard text.
This also means students can borrow books from home even during the holidays. All of these online resources can be cataloged on your library management system or on your website, so they're easily accessible to students. Unfortunately, online resources can be expensive. So you need to budget carefully and make sure they're cost effective.
You could join a consortium with other schools or go through your local schools library service. Otherwise, be creative and promote alternatives. For example, more and more academic journals are now open access. And your local public library will offer eBooks, audiobooks, and online resources, which your students can access if they have their own library card.
So while books remain the key and most young people still prefer to read an actual book, it's about offering more resources and more ways to access information, so that you can support the whole school community.