The Information Services Centre (ISC)/Library at QAHS provides resources for the whole school community in support of the curricular and co-curricular activities of the school. All members of the school community have access to and the right to use these resources, encouraging all to become life-long learners.
The ISC/Library provides:
- access to appropriate information sources both in print and electronically, especially in support of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO)
- resources that foster International mindedness, that is, valuing the cultures of others
- opportunities to work collaboratively with teachers in providing an information literacy framework for students and developing student research skills
- spaces that support both collaborative learning and quiet reflection
- tutorials on the location of and access to appropriate online resources both face to face and remotely
- advice on academic honesty, plagiarism, referencing and copyright
- resources that support the core requirements of the IBO Diploma Programme (DP) – Extended Essay (EE), TOK (Theory of knowledge) and CAS (Creativity, Action, Service)
- quality reading experiences that aid in the development of students’ literacy skills and promotes a love of reading.
Information use and literacy
The theoretical underpinning of the IBO has the student at the centre of learning and is supported through inquiry based learning (IBO, 2003). Inquiry encourages the student to develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalising world (IBO 2013).
The ISC/Library, working collaboratively with the teaching staff, provides learning opportunities to ensure the IL experience of our students. The Library staff adopt the relational model to using information (Bruce, 2008) which focuses on the experience of using information and incorporates the use of the Information Search Process (Kuhlthau 2009) and the Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy framework (ANZIL 2004). QAHS students are encouraged to resource their information needs not only from the school library but also from sources such as university, state and national libraries.
QAHS students are encouraged to become engaged and motivated readers of IB Literature and beyond. The importance of reading for pleasure has been well researched and studies show that students who read for pleasure in their own time as well as at school develop into successful adults (New Zealand Council for Educational Research, 2011). As a result the ISC/Library continues to generate a reading culture at QAHS by supplying a reading collection which allows students to tailor their own unique reading experience to personal context and interests.
Student access to the ISC/Library
Students are able to access the ISC during recreational times: before school, at morning break and after school. During class time students can come to the Library either individually or as part of a class with their teacher.
The Extended Essay (EE) and Theory of Knowledge (TOK)
The ISC supports the EE and TOK components of the IBO DP by providing students and staff with materials and resources specific to the IB DP curriculum. The ISC/Library staff work with Mentor Learning Community (MLC) classes to ensure that students are equipped with the information skills they need in order to successfully complete all assigned tasks. They also work with individual students assisting with research tasks and providing website support with referencing guidelines.
Partnership with Griffith University
The libraries of QAHS and Griffith University (GU) work in partnership. QAHS students are able to become borrowing members of the GU Library, accessing most print materials. GU Library staff provide tutorial sessions on accessing GU material online and also on research skills. QAHS students are able to access the GU Library catalogue online to check availability of print materials.
References
- ANZIL, (2004). The Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework http://www.caul.edu.au/content/upload/files/info-literacy/InfoLiteracyFramework.pdf
- Bruce, C. (2008). Informed learning. Chicago, IL: Association of College and Research Libraries.
- IBO 2003 , The unique benefits of the PYP, viewed 27 August 2013, www.ibo.org/communications/powerpoint/documents/PYP.ppt
- IBO 2013, About the International Baccalaureate, viewed 27 August 2013, http://www.ibo.org/general/who.cfm
- Kuhlthau, C 2009, Information search process, viewed 10 April 2010, http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/~kuhlthau/information_search_process.htm
- New Zealand Council for Educational Research (2011). Competent Children, Competent Learners. http://www.nzcer.org.nz/research/competent-children-competent-learners