Dakabin High School

SLAQ region: Murrumba

Education Sector: Govt, Secondary

Library Contact: David Puffett

Date: November 2003

School Profile

• Population: 1375
• Year levels: 8 -12
• Co-Ed
• Year school and library established: 1976
• Curriculum description if relevant: Broad mix of academic and VET subjects. Outcomes based junior curriculum with multiple extension electives. Senior students start at 8.15am, juniors at 8.40am.

Library Profile

Staff:

• Professional: 2 x Teacher-librarians
• Support staff : 1 x full-time Library Technician, 1 x part time Clerical Aid

Facilities - Spaces

• 3 x Bookable class spaces for up to 30 students. 2 areas have dedicated AV facilities, portable facilities available in other. Courtyard can be booked for special purposes, frequently booked with an adjacent space for staff PD activities.\
• 1 x Casual reading area
• 2 x Study spaces
• 3 OPACS plus 9 networked PC’s. 3 PC’s have DVD, one has flatbed scanner
• B&W photocopier, colour laser printer/copier (A3)

Management system software is AIMS

• 250 Student access points (catalogue available across school network via Intranet).
• Staff access in each staff room via Intranet

Library opening hours: Staff, 7.30am – 3.30pm. Students 8.00am – 3.30pm (closed to students 11.10 – 11.30)

Facilities - Special features:

• Staff Multimedia Centre with 3 networked PC’s multimedia software, high-speed printer, VCR, in addition to teacher reference collection.
• Courtyard with large water feature, tables, chairs umbrellas, BBQ.
• Workroom has coffee machine, fridge and microwave.
• Piped audio through library.
• All library staff have own workstations, 2 of which have scanners attached.
• All network facilities (7 file servers, hubs, switches & routers) are located in the Library. (Gives us somewhere air-conditioned to work in summer as well!)

Description of information and reading resources:

• Bookstock: 17000 fiction and non fiction titles. Faculty areas have constant input in selection of non fiction and Teacher Reference titles, whilst students are encouraged to identify fiction (and nf) titles for the collection. Where appropriate, collection is outsourced to a particular faculty area, Art being a good example.
• Electronic material: 2000 video/CD/DVD titles. Where appropriate, collection is outsourced to a particular faculty area, Film & Media Studies being a good example.
• Digitised vertical file (DigiFile) available via Intranet to 250 student workstations. This is updated on a daily basis.

Library Programs

Reading promotion: HeadSpace is our Junior (yrs 8 0 10) reading group. This group meets fortnightly and has significant input into purchases for the collection. We kick off each year with a ‘Read n Feed’ where we provide a feast in the Courtyard in return for book reviews. RIBIT and GRINAT are run in conjunction with the English faculty. Displays, some interactive/multimedia. Book club. Literary evening. Voices on the Coast.

Information Literacy: Work with staff to integrate information literacy across faculty areas, particularly SOSE and Junior Science

Integration of information and communication technology:

• 3 digital cameras available for loan and a TL is able to be ‘booked’ to assist with introduction of ICT based research units.
• Pages are created on our Intranet with required links. This prevents fruitless searching, straying etc. Assignments are placed on the Intranet as well, so no one ever has to go without details and criteria. Assignments are often published on our web site as well (where staff feel appropriate)
• Consultation with faculties on the development of units that may contain ICT components.
• Advice on appropriate use of technology and teaching strategies to best maximise learning in ICT based units.
• Demonstrating/trialing ‘new stuff’ eg. Digital cameras 3 yr ago. DVD’s 2 yr ago. Windows XP 12 months ago, Flat screen plasma monitors now.
• Formal and informal staff development/training in ICT is undertaken in the Library. The development of the teacher Multi Media Centre has allowed staff to put into practice the skills they have learned.

Promotion and public relations activities:

• Senior TL attends HOD’s meetings. Articles in school newsletter. Staff development promotion is via our ‘No such thing as a free drink’ afternoons, where we provide drinks and nibbles in the library and introduce new resources etc.
• Anything else about your library - the normal and everyday as well as the unique?
• Mission is to provide the best service and facilities possible to students and staff. Resource Centre is an integrated part of the whole learning environment rather than a separate entity.
• Web development and management for Intra/Internet. School web site is managed from the Library
• TL’s may be ‘contracted out’ to classrooms for special purposes.
• Running a chess competition at present.
• Home for the Yearbook committee
• We use the public space in the library to regularly display work from other faculty areas – Paintings and sculpture from Art, Boxer shorts from Home Ec, Ribbons and trophies from the EKKA, successes of our cattle and sheep show teams, Finger Puppets from the Early Childhood Education students etc

Last updated November 2003