Guide for parents to the Library Services at The Dixie Grammar School, Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, UK

1. The Dixie Grammar School
Michael Parker & Junior School Libraries
Guide to our
Library Services
@ Your Library
Think...Ask...Read...Imagine...Create...

2. Guide to our Library Services
for Parents and Visitors
We have two libraries at The Dixie Grammar School: the Michael Parker
Library at the Senior School and our Junior School Library. This booklet
outlines of some of the main resources and services our libraries have to
offer. The booklet is also available from our Library Online website.
Staffing
Professional Librarian: Mrs Anne Robinson
School Library Association School Librarian of the Year 2005 for the UK.
Mrs Robinson manages the resources, services and facilities across the libraries at
the Junior and Senior Schools. She works alongside the Library Co-ordinator, Mrs
Enston, at the Junior School. Her role is to plan and deliver research and study skills
lessons, inductions for students and staff, INSET, reading development, ICT skills
development and extra-curricular activities in collaboration with teaching staff. We
hope to be able to extend this kind of work to the Junior School in the future.
Library Co-ordinator (Junior School): Mrs Debra Enston
Mrs Enston organises an exciting range of events and activities throughout the year in
the Junior School Library to encourage reading and literacy. She also manages the
Student Helper Team, alongside her very busy teaching commitments.
The Michael Parker Library
We are very proud of our Senior School Library. It was officially opened in March
2010 after extensive refurbishment to create a 21st century library in our historic
main building. It is very popular with our staff and students.
1) Resources
Developing range of up-to-date books to support and extend the curriculum and
encourage reading for pleasure.
Other multi-media resources include newspapers, magazines and DVDs.
Helpsheets and presentations covering a range of topics including Internet
searching, creating bibliographies,
evaluating sources.
Weblinks: Mrs Robinson collects and
organises a range of evaluated websites
to support any curriculum subject, linked
from the Library Online website.
E-resources and future developments
We have a series of superb online
subscription databases available for use by
staff and students. These databases are

3. suitable for a range of subjects. We are also
considering adding e-books and e-readers to
our services in the future. We have access to
Listening Books, an online audio streaming
service providing children’s books in audio
format.
2) Facilities
There is flexible space for class or small
group use, plus soft seating and a range of
well-used ICT facilities. The Library may be
booked by staff for classes or small groups. Mrs Robinson encourages staff to plan
activities collaboratively with her to ensure that the library is used effectively.
3) Reading Development
Encouraging our students to read:
A main focus of our work is to guide and support students in developing and widening
their reading. The following activities are offered:
Reading Development Programme: Mrs Robinson works with the English
Department to design and deliver a programme for students in Years 6 to 8 to
encourage reading for pleasure.
Individual guidance is offered throughout the day to students to help them with
selecting reading materials from a wide range of genres.
We utilise technology to encourage reading. Through Library Online, students
are supported with the use of wikis, blogs and a range of other web-based
services. We are also looking at purchasing e-books and e-readers for the
Library in the future!
Extra-Curricular Activities: reading is a constant theme throughout the year with
author visits, reading groups, World Book Day, quizzes and competitions taking
place.
4) Information Literacy Skills
Developing skills for the future:
We feel that all students need to improve these skills to be prepared for adult life:
Research and Study Skills: Mrs Robinson offers support with teaching research
and study skills such as planning research, locating and evaluating information,
citing sources, avoiding plagiarism and creating bibliographies. She works with
teachers to plan a lesson or series of lessons to be delivered in the Library using
our resources and facilities. All teaching resources that she creates are
downloadable from the Library Online website.
Library Inductions usually take place in the Autumn Term. These can be tailored
for Year 6 classes, students new to the school, and Sixth Form students.

4. The Junior School Library
Our Junior School Library is situated on the top floor of our main building in
Wellsborough. We are now entering an exciting phase in its development. Since the
Summer of 2011, our Librarian, Mrs Robinson, has worked together with the Library Co
-ordinator, Mrs Enston, to upgrade and improve the library. Many thanks are owed to
the Parent Volunteers and others for their help and to the PTA for their support in
purchasing Junior Librarian.
1) Resources
The existing books have now been assessed and sorted before being catalogued
onto our computerised system, Junior Librarian.
Hundreds of new books have been carefully chosen to support the curricular and
leisure needs of the school and are now being added to stock.
Over the next few years, we will be making further purchases in a range of media
to improve our library.
2) Facilities and Services
The Library can house one class at a time and each class will visit weekly to
choose books and read.
Students will be taught how to find books in the Library for themselves,
facilitated by clear guiding and signage.
We plan to deliver research skills lessons in the future, using the combined
facilities of the Library and the ICT room next door.
Mrs Enston organises a range of activities and events to enthuse the children
about books and reading , including the Puffin Book Club.
We also have an keen Student Helper Team with students from Year 5.
Joint Services
1) Library Online Services
The libraries have an extensive range of websites designed to support and extend our
services—Library Online Services. This Virtual Library is available any time anywhere
with library news, evaluated weblinks gathered to support staff and students, rolling
news feeds, downloadable resources and much more! Use our QR Code on the front
cover to link to the site.
The URL for our main Library Online site is: http://library-online.org.uk
2) Leicestershire Services for Education
We now subscribe to LSE, our local Schools Library Service. This enables us to
borrow collections of books support the curriculum and also to tap into further
expertise. LSE also has extensive additional services which enhance our work as a
school, such as access to online databases, audio books, artefact collections and so on.
We hope this quick tour has been useful to you!
DGS Libraries 2011