Secondary school with no library

my kids school was BUILT without one, they soon put one in

Well I'm also puzzled by removing Whiteboards to stop teachers having their backs to children. How do teachers display work to the whole class? Blackboards are just as bad.
I have seen teachers use interactive whiteboards from the back of the class (you only need a cheap wireless mouse), and interactive white boards are often used by pupils.

I almost want to go on a school tour just to see how they teach there.

"He justified it by saying that these days university libraries are moving away from having books as everything is available on line."

Has he ever been to Oxford? Cambridge? Or any RG university? Floors and floors stacked full of lovely books. Any student who is not comfortable among books is going to be massively disadvantaged.

Applauds bcb.

I am a school librarian and every day I see the difference the library makes to the students at my school. There have been so many issues raised with this thread that it's almost impossible to address them all! If you want to know the difference a school library with a qualified librarian makes then have a look at the research carried out by the National Literacy Trust; a school library is THE most important factor in raising attainment, above social background, above class sizes, above teaching standards. So yes, a library DOES make a difference.

A school library is more than a roomful of books: we support children in their reading for pleasure (of both fiction and information titles); we support all curriculum areas providing material at all levels and abilities enabling the less-able students to access material suitable for their needs whilst the more-able students can find resources to challenge them; we provide a safe environment for children where they can explore their interests without criticism or comment. We teach information skills so that students can become independent learners.

Everything is not available online or as an ebook, and even if it was ... who would help the child to choose a book amongst the 70,000 teenage/young adult titles published each year? Who would ensure that the website the child was accessing was relevant, accurate and up-to-date. Librarians evaluate their stock which is purchased in consultation with teaching staff. The current Ofsted Guidelines focus on reading for pleasure and reading across the curriculum - and I would question any school that does not have a library and ask how they can hope to fulfil these requirements without one. The school librarian is the expert regarding this, we are the people who know about children's books, reading and information skills - not the teachers - their job is to teach, and even English teachers are rarely au fait with contemporary children's/teenager's literature.

All year 7 and year 8 students have lessons in my library where we discuss and talk about books, where they have a chance to browse the shelves and read. For many of these children, that is the only access they have to books (and magazines and newspapers). I have relatively few computers so it is not used as an IT room and, regardless of whether the teachers see the value of reading or not (and if they don't then they shouldn't be in the profession because you have to have literacy skills to succeed in any subject, and encouraging reading/improving literacy should be the remit of EVERY teacher), I see the value of reading .... and I make sure that my students get that message!

I wouldn't reject a school because it doesn't have a library. Our school library (naturally it's now the LRC) has books and is well used but mostly by children seeking somewhere warm and comfortable, or by those who borrow and buy books elsewhere.

I wouldn't say it doesn't make a difference and I actually make children borrow books but there are more important things to consider. These things go round in circles. The school my own children attended got rid of its library in the 90s and turned it into a glorified computer suite. Now the computers have gone, iPads are in and there's ... a library with books, magazines and newspapers.

The children who really benefit from a school library (those who don't use public library and don't have books at home) are often the last to use the one at school unless teachers make a point of encouraging reading. And sadly, it's often not possible to use the library in that way because classes use it for the computers, or teachers don't see the value.

Am gobsmacked there are schools without libraries and books - how do they encourage kids to read if they don't have a ready supply of books to loan out?

Local comp that my DD attends has an "information centre", no libarary. Seems quite common these days as so much is on line now and traditional books do seem to be dying a death. Results at the school are o.k but does seem a bit of a shame. I guess that is the way things are going however. None of their work involves text books/normal books apart from English GCSE so presume the school does not think it is a worth while use of space.

Not every book is in digital form. In 2011 there was over 130 million books, and it was estimated then that it will take 6 years at least to get every book in digital format. By having no physical books you are limiting yourself. Then not everyone can read digital formats, others experience something akin to motion sickness.

Our school has a library, because lets face it, as much as I love my ereader, physical books and libraries give you more. Somewhere quiet to study. Easier to cross reference several books when they are laid out in front of you. Life skills for students who help to run the library, plus the extras they do like research etc for displays. The head wanted to do away with this element and just have the digital version, which takes up less space. So we closed it off. She quickly changed her mind when she saw how limiting it was. No it's not just full of books, we also have computers, ipads etc. We also use qr code to link vids and other digital material to books.

My DS's new school (in Reading BTW), is a Computer Science and Engineering specialist; even it has a Library, not many books (but some) and journals and lots of online stuff. All the State comps I know have Learning Resource centres with lots of books.

They are daft.

Universities do have a lot of online resources these days, but not all of it, and it never will be all of it. Largely it is to reduce pressure on having multiple copies of the same books if only one chapter/essay in it is on the reading list.

Different studying methods for different personalities applies to children who've grown up with tech too!

I understand (but don't like) the logic, but why have they already got rid of the Library when the LRC won't be open until Sep 2014? What on earth are they doing in the meantime for current pupils?
Bad management!

DD's school does not have a library, but there is a public library next to the school. They have loads of places they can go for refuge and quiet though.

That's awful

I would strike it off list too

I agree with takver's post - a library is about so much more than books.

At my school it is used every break and lunch as a quiet haven, all our pupils are expected to have a reading book with them at all times (doesn't matter if it's a novel, poetry or non-fiction!) and we have pupils as librarians who take on responsibilities each day.

A LRC is more like an ICT suite surely?

I would not think very highly of a school without a library no matter how caring it was (and I'm a Science teacher!)

Actually the closest secondary here does not have a library! Only just realised but there are so many other things wrong with the school I missed that bit!

DD lives in the school library, she's not a great one for making friends, the library is her haven.

A school with no library would not be on her short list.

Gosh! I know a former teacher at Shiplake who retired many years ago. I bet there was a library there when he was there! He even wrote a history of the school!!!

DS2 would hate to go to a school without a library. He visits the school library most lunchtimes. He and DS1 are also expected to carry a reading book at all times, but the genre isn't specified.