Scotch College has two separate libraries servicing students from K-12. The Junior Middle Library (JML) meets the needs of all students from Years K to 8 with three teacher librarians and three library support staff. The Senior Library services all students from Years 9 to 12 and has two teacher librarians and one support staff member.

Primary Years Library Programme

The JML is highly committed to the support of the Primary Years Programme (PYP) by offering programmes specifically in support of the classroom and those that are distinct to allow for inquiry outside of the curriculum focus.

One of our key roles when working with students in the junior years is to promote a love of reading. Scotch College works hard to ensure that your son is able to explore and interact with his imagination through fiction reading. Students often focus on reading within their interest areas first and the library team actively engages each student individually to ensure that he has everything he needs to support his interests.

Complementary to this is the importance of exploring new subjects and genres; your son will be challenged to read outside of his immediate interests and be introduced to non-fiction that expands his understanding of other topics. The exploration of interests through non-fiction reading is a key driving strategy in 2017/2018 as we ensure that students can access age-appropriate resources that complement and diversify their understanding of the world they live in.

In addition to this, the library has a large emphasis on play with students being able to access games, LEGO, makerspace items and 3D printing. The ability of the students to use these resources outside of a learning context is key to ensuring that students are able to explore in unstructured ways and extend their learning beyond the classroom.

Finally, a key focus of the primary years library programme is the commitment to research skills and information literacy when conducting research. In Years 1 to 5, your son is taught how to use the digital encyclopaedias for research (Britannica and World Book), how to begin referencing sources and why this is important. This builds in each year over their time in the Junior School and forms a critical part of the final project in the Year 5 Exhibition.

Middle Years Library Programme

For students in the Middle School the JML builds on the foundations of the Unit Of Inquiry, which explores the personal aspects of students through the PYP. The Middle Years Programme begins to lead students beyond the personal to local and international communities, and it is the library’s role to maintain links to resources delivering differing levels of complexity for your son to access for his classes and his own personal interests.

Students in Years 6 and 7 have a timetabled library period directed by the teacher librarian and the classroom teacher. Both are present in the library while the lesson is delivered and play co-operative roles in the delivery and support of the lesson content. These lessons are based on the scope and sequence to teach students research techniques while encompassing the general competencies that are a part of the Australian curriculum.

Year 8 students do not have a dedicated library period; rather the library is involved in lessons by accommodating requests for research guides which the teachers deliver inside their normal classroom. The boys do have dedicated borrowing periods where teachers bring them to the library to borrow new books and to discuss their reading with the teacher librarian. This represents the start of a change in the operations of the library as this is the same methodology in the Senior Library.

As your son progresses through the library in Years 6 to 8 the following are key areas of development that will be addressed:

• Students understand the difference in primary and secondary sources.
• Students understand how to evaluate sources of information and ensure that only reliable sources are used in assessments.
• Students learn how to navigate the various resources provided at Scotch College in the form of books or academic databases.
• Students, by Year 8, can create a report/essay using correctly formatted APA referencing.

An important role of the library, in addition to the purely academic, is to ensure that students do not see reading as a chore. As the boys progress in age, their commitment to co-curricular programmes increases and reading time comes under pressure, so library programmes have time built in to ensure they are given both occasion and encouragement to read fiction.

Senior Years Library Programme

The Senior Library supports your son in his studies from Years 9 to 12 as his focuses shift to achieving high academic results. The library provides many services to help him achieve his best and these include a comprehensive set of library research guides along with a significant investment in research databases. While traditional non-fiction books are available, the collection for your son is dedicated to what he would study in his courses instead of having a broad general collection. The fiction collection, however, has a focus on senior secondary reading with novels and epic tales being a greater focus for those readers extending themselves beyond young adult fiction reading.

The library space in the Senior School is also very different with booth seating and a more open group work plan. This is complemented by a silent glass room for those times when your son needs a quiet work space. Finally, the library is set up to connect your son to the world with digital signage playing news from various countries’ perspectives. It is a strategic goal of the Senior Library to ensure that your son understands that he is part of a global community and is aware of the international events that may directly or indirectly affect his life now or in the future. The International Baccalaureate terms this International Open-mindedness, that is to be aware of surroundings, aware of other cultures and aware of your son’s place in the world.

The library offers many services for your son that are all located on the main library website. Here: http://library.scotch.wa.edu.au/services