Librarian Talk – Claire Bavister – Woodland Middle School Academy
Welcome to Librarian Talk, the place where librarians get to talk about their roles, their unique situations and how Accessit Library has helped them. This week, we speak with Claire Bavister, school librarian from Woodland Middle School Academy about how she makes the most of Accessit Library.
“I have been a children’s librarian for about 6 years now. As to be expected, I am an avid reader of all fiction. Outside of work I enjoy running, going for long walks and meeting up with friends.”
What character in a book has influenced you the most?
Hermione Granger.
Tell us about your library! What makes it unique?
Our library is the heart of our school. It is a very welcoming, cosy place to be. The children can relax on beanbags and settees surrounded by colourful posters and there are display boards highlighting their reading achievements. We use the Accelerated Reader program to ensure that all children in the school read regularly. We also have weekly library lessons to monitor reading and recommend new titles. We celebrate Harry Potter and Roald Dahl day by transforming the library into the respective themes. This is a huge event and the children love coming in on those days to take part in all the activities ranging from magic spells to treasure hunts.
What is a challenge that you faced in your library recently?
The recent challenge I have faced is: How to get books to children during lockdown and before that, how to work with classroom bubbles.
How did Accessit Library help you solve this challenge?
Accessit Library solved this for us. During the first lockdown, I got the Web App up and running which enabled the children to browse and order books. I was then able to place their order and deliver their books to their classroom. With our old system, we could not do this.
I also love that pupils can access the Web App at any time, from anywhere. This is a great way for me to communicate reading achievements, promote books and just include any relevant information I think they should know.
How has your attitude changed towards the challenge you solved with Accessit Library, now that you’ve worked through it?
The click and delivery service is running very smoothly. It’s lovely to see how excited the children get when they hear the trolley rumbling towards their classrooms with the latest delivery of books. The children know they can order books whenever they like and know they will be delivered every day. When the books are returned, we use quarantine mode before putting them back into circulation.
What do you like the most about Accessit Library?
I like that it is simple to use. I also like the immediate help and tutorials that are available in the customer portal.
The Web App is my favourite feature. It’s such a valuable tool to communicate with all the children and to keep up to date with new and exciting information.
How does Accessit Library support the academic outcomes of your school?
Accessit Library ensures that our ethos of whole school reading is maintained to a high standard by allowing us to regularly communicate reading achievements to teaching staff.
A lockdown success story
Claire is one of the many librarians across the UK that has used Accessit Library to overcome the challenges of lockdown. She has achieved this by continuing to offer reading materials and homework support for students and parents using our innovative Web App. Accessit Library also enables her to highlight the many online supports the school library brings to classrooms in the cloud.
Read other stories from schools that are using Accessit Library to assist with cloud learning.
Fulham Prep School
Barker College
Here are more stories from other school librarians in the United Kingdom making the most of their library management software that may be of interest to you:
Poonampal Kaur – Sarah Bonnell School
Donna Harris – Great Baddow High School
Gemma Sosnowsky – Queen Elizabeth School
