THE BAUMBERG LIBRARY

This facility was opened in October 2001 and has been an integral part of the learning process at the college ever since. Over 1000 students and staff have access to a wide range of materials in a warm and inviting setting. The high ceilings make it a light and airy place to study and the walls are covered in bright and colourful works of art by students and staff alike – ranging from paintings to quilts to past school productions’ props and exquisite wearable arts pieces.

Library Hours and conditions:
Library hours: the library is open from 8.30am to 4.00pm every day of the week except for a short period between 2.00pm and 2.20pm when it is closed to enable the students to have some fresh air outside and eat their lunch before commencing the last lesson of the day.

Issuing guidelines:

•  3 books of any type may be issued for
•  3 weeks
•  Students may only borrow new books when old ones are returned.
•  Books may be renewed unless there are reservations pending

Break time and lunch time sees the library full of students reading quietly, discussing work, and playing games. During winter we have more than 5 tables of seriously-fought Chess games and Bridge games on the go. 

Library Staff:
Librarian :                 Alyson Murray
Library assistant:       Kay Andrews 

During intervals the library is ably assisted by our lovely library monitors. They are wonderfully enthusiastic and helpful. Their support is invaluable and we appreciate the time they spend doing their tasks. Various other helpers and teachers are also rostered on at lunch times to help with the running of the library.

Facilities:

• The Resource Centre comprises the following :
  
• Reading Room (where the students are encouraged to read from the wide variety of genres available in the library)
  
• Computer suite containing 21 computers,

• The Baumberg Library – which is itself split up into different areas,
  
• Stack – a room where old Classics, extra back-up copies and mostly un-read books are stored, allowing more space in the library for more popular books. All these books are on the catalogue and easily accessed.
  

Library sections:

 A large Fiction section contains Short Stories, Graphic Novels, Picture Books, and two stands of New Arrivals & Quick Reads (which are updated very regularly) . This side of the library  also includes a large coffee table surrounded by easy chairs for comfortable relaxation.

We are currently up-grading our ‘Graphic novel’ section – good quality, informative and fun reads that include mythology, non-fiction, movies made into books (eg. Indiana Jones), modern novels turned into graphic novels (eg Stormbreaker), popular oldies such as  Asterix & Obelix, Tintin and much more …

The ‘Teen Issues’ corner has a couple of shelves dedicated to providing books on a wide range of teen issues - such as teen health, puberty, growing up, peer pressure etc.. It is well-used.

The Information File filled with local newspaper articles on current topics of interest is also easily accessible. The students use it a lot for English essays.  

The Reference collection has been incorporated into the Non-fiction section for easier , less time-consuming access to reference material.  Many of the books are catalogued with appropriate up-to-date URLs added to enable quick access to Internet information on the same topics.   Six large tables are available in the Non-fiction area for study purposes. Teachers often bring their classes here to research topics.

2 photocopiers are stationed in this area for easy printing off the computers. Each student has an allocated sum of money on their Photocopying/Printing account and when they have used up their funds they are then required to go to the office and top up their accounts. Not only does this method save money (by cutting down on wastage) but also teaches the students to be responsible when using school resources.

Useful links:

Good Reads : http://www.goodreads.com/

The Pulse - Christchurch Library : http://thepulse.org.nz/

Fantastic Fiction : www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/

Many Answers : manyanswers.co.nz/

National Library : www.natlib.govt.nz/

Taupo Public Library : www.taupodc.govt.nz/library/

Order in the library :  www.cs.utexas.edu/user/

Computers:

The computers are linked to the internet and also to the library catalogue. There are lists of preferred website addresses on the walls for the students to use if they so wish – such as EPIC, National Library, Index New Zealand, Taupo Public Library etc. Our library catalogue is powered by Access-It software – a very user-friendly and easy-to-read system which enables searching for authors, subjects, keywords and titles to be quick and efficient.

The Library Catalogue is accessible through the TNT Home Page. Reserves and renewals may done by the students from home using a private PIN number. These are easily obtainable from the Library. Please ask Mrs Murray for details.

The Learning Resource Centre is a well-stocked educational and recreational facility for all students and staff. It is a central hub that provides a friendly and safe environment where students can pursue their academic needs or relax with a good read.