Margaret Spillman - Teacher-Librarian, Mackay West State School

Last week I spent 4 days with Claire Grandcourt (Young People's Librarian) from the Mackay City Council Library Service.  Much of that time was spent at Gordon White Library.  However, we did travel to the Walkerston Library for the weekly story time session conducted there.  This is followed by a craft session.  This is a popular activity and was very well attended by some 30 toddlers and their parents/day care mothers.

I also had the opportunity to look over the Mobile Library Service.  This offers a wonderful service to those library patrons who live further out of Mackay.  As part of her job, Claire regularly conducts school tours of both libraries and I assisted with these.

The time spent with Claire was a wonderful professional development experience.  I have been able to see how a city library functions and have realized that we are linked by more similarities than differences.  In my own humble way, I have tried to model elements of the School Library on the Council Library Service so that our students are advantaged in the transition from primary school and beyond.  I am keen to emphasise the lifelong learning skills, which are an integral part of both our operations.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Mackay City Council Library Service staff for making me feel so welcome and for being so willing to share their experiences and ideas.  A special thank you to Claire Grandcourt for her initiative, support and encouragement.  Our school is indeed very fortunate to have such an excellent working relationship with the Council Library Service.

Our students who are also their patrons, are the ultimate beneficiaries.

Lorraine Todd - Library Assistant, Mackay West State School

The most interesting observation I made of the Mackay City Library, which is where I spent my time work shadowing with Kate Bungay is how relaxed the patrons were.  It was not unusual to see people slumped in a chair engrossed in a book as if they were in their own lounge room.  I too noticed more similarities than difference between our libraries.  As with Mackay West, comfortable reading areas are set up in different sections of the library.  A recent addition is the Young Adult's area boasting a sofa with the novels at easy reach.

Gone are the days of the stereotypical librarian sitting behind a desk requesting total silence.  Our jobs are very much hands-on - creating displays, activities, reading stories and in Kate's case, singing and dancing during story time!

During my stay, I visited St Francis School and Walkerston State School Libraries to view their displays for Book Week.  It was great to see what other school libraries are doing and I returned with some fresh ideas.  My favourite part was working on the Reference Desk and Circulation Desk.  It was great to be able to direct people to the right area and help them locate a book on the library's computers.

I had a wonderful time and would like to thank the library staff for making my stay productive and interesting!

Claire Grandcourt - Young People's Librarian, Mackay City Council Library Service

Over the last 2 years Mackay West State School and Mackay City Council Library Service have begun to develop an excellent collaborative working relationship.  The Work Shadowing Program is another step in strengthening that relationship.  It is enabling us to gain a clearer picture of each others working environment and a greater understanding of each other's roles and how we can work together to best serve your children's needs.

As the Young People's Librarian, a large proportion of my clientele is primary school students.  During the time I spent in your library I was able to observe the workings of a school library and see for myself what our public library can do to more effectively complement the school library collection.  This experience will assist us in providing materials, resources and assistance that are beneficial to the students in their curriculum, homework and projects but also for reading development and leisure activities.

This program has been successful in providing a link between the school and the public library and has made me more accessible to your students and teachers.  It is particularly important to those students in upper primary classes to be familiar and confident coming into and using the library system and resources.

The prospect of visiting the public library may seem less daunting now that the students know a familiar face.

                              Mackay City Council Library Service

My three days at Mackay West State School Library provided me with an interesting insight into how a school library functions.  I had a wonderful time and was pleased to work so closely with school aged children. Through daily one-on-one interactions with the students I have developed a much better understanding of children’s interests and was able to identify appropriate reading levels in relation to age and year levels. I can now take this knowledge and apply it when assisting students within the public library.

I was able to see a snapshot of the many behind the scenes roles that Library staff perform within the school Library on a daily basis. Library operations like selecting new items from booksellers to uploading and creating catalogue records and then the simple things like daily shelving and tidying prove that staff have a multi-skilled and flexible role.