A group of dedicated readers were rewarded for their positive attitude to reading by being invited to visit the Central Reference Library in Manchester.
The group enjoyed a full and detailed tour of the library from top to bottom. They started at the Reference Room on the top floor and they were shown all of the state of the art “clever” shelves which move around so they can store 500,000 books on that floor alone.
They then visited the Chief Librarian’s Historical Room, the Business section (where you can use a 3D printer to print any prototypes you might have in mind). They also saw the Music Library (where you can book an instrument to play), the circular Reading Room and the Children’s Library.
The tour finished with a visit to the basement to view the archives where the students saw the oldest book in the library (800 years old), the Shakespeare’s Second Folio and the tiniest book as well.
“We invited some of our most dedicated and prolific readers in Year 7 and 8 to attend the trip,” explained Ms Savova, School Librarian. “All of the students are avid readers – for example Ethan had read 1,526,094 words and Sean had read 1,026, 536 words and they all are doing a great job at raising the profile of reading for pleasure around school, constantly recommending books to their classmates and to our school library.”
“The trip to the Central Reference Library gave students the opportunity to tour one of the most interesting libraries in the country and see an astounding array or different works,” commented Mr Sharrock, Literacy Coordinator. “We are very keen to encourage reading and the joy of books at Saint Paul’s; we have some extremely avid readers. Visits like these are a great reward and provide a very valuable experience for our students and enhance the learning curriculum.”
Photos available