Our school has limited options for spaces for large groups which means that the library is often repurposed as an exam space. This year our school’s HSC exams were supposed to be in another block but due to some construction on the nearby council sporting ground they had to be relocated at the last minute. Despite the interruption this created to my programs and classes, I tried my best to make it work.
Last year during my prac, I was inspired by Wollondilly Library’s mobile library service. Taking notes from their wonderful work servicing the far-flung communities of their council area, I decided to run a similar ‘mobile library’ which ran out of one of the History classrooms. While I couldn’t run my Wide Reading lessons in the space due to it being shared by the Learning and Support faculty, I was able to run my regular rotation of break activities, arrange book loans on request, and provide a safe space for those students who need a break from the chaos of the playground.
While it didn’t reach the large numbers we’ve come to expect patronising the library during the breaks, we usually still managed between 6-42 students as well as a couple of loans each day, which was also pleasant to see. Over the four weeks we were closed and relocated, we loaned out 79 books which was definitely better than nothing!
Was our forced relocation ideal? Of course not. But thanks to my prac experience and the willingness of my students to follow me to a new space, I was able to be flexible and make the library magic work in a small, but different, way.