KRC Update

by Director of Library and Information Services, Ms Leonie Darken

Spaces in the KRC

The cold and wet weather of a Ballarat autumn has well and truly set in and we see many students using the library as their warm retreat before school, recess, lunchtime and after school.   We are fortunate to be able to maintain a welcoming environment that does provide respite from our cooler weather.  Students are reminded that the library has three areas for them to use: a study space, a chess space, and a quiet reading space.

The study space allows students wishing to study or finish off pending work, to come and get this work done.  Students are expected to be quietly studying in this space, exceptions can be made for group work as long as such does not impact the quiet work of others.

 

The chess space is a less formal space and is very popular with the boys, not only our experienced competitors but also our boys just wanting to learn the game or “have a go”.   This space can also be selectively dedicated to other extra-curricular activities.  An example of this will be when we shortly host the debating teams to conduct public debates during lunchtime.  This will give them a forum to perform in front of an audience and for our audience to observe a live debate so that they can aspire to this when asked to participate in classroom debating tasks.  We are delighted to be able to highlight this avid and talented group of speakers as they hone their skill for competitions.

The final space in the library is our quiet reading space.  Here boys are welcome to enjoy a magazine or novel in a space that is dedicated to reading for enjoyment. Not only do students sit and read, many choose to browse and borrow.

The KRC recently hosted a Year 10 Man Cave experience.  We were able to move tables and chairs and our non-fiction collection to provide a private and open space for the boys to participate in this valuable activity.  Simultaneously we were able to open our west doors to access a computer lab to facilitate many students changing their passwords.  Yet another use was when a teacher was able to utilise two teaching spaces to allow her students to spread out as they worked in groups.  The boys were able to hold lively discussions that did not impact other groups as they worked on their tasks.  We are fortunate to be able to offer such an adaptable facility, both to support teaching and learning as well as extracurricular activities.