Hurst Prep's brand new library opens its doors

Over the summer, a great deal of hard work has taken place to transform two old classroom areas into a new Prep School Library.  The structural challenges were turned around in an unbelievably impressive short timescale and the outcome is a fantastic new learning space for all Prep pupils. The library now stocks 5,500 books along with CDs, DVDs, magazines and newspapers and has grown to be a fabulous resource for the pupils. The Schools' Library Association has identified the library as “well stocked” with over 20 books per pupil head.

The bright and airy layout, with the addition of several tables, computers and state-of-the-art projector, has enabled the library to become an ideal facility for teachers to use regularly for lessons such as RS and English.  Equally impressive is the extensive range of electronic resources including access to the College VLE, all of which can be accessed on the computers, and the soon-to-arrive notebooks.

The Year 8 pupils are enthusiastic about their library: Conor Dumbrell feels it is  it is the perfect place to work on his Geography projects with a mass of reference books.  Finty Donovan says she loves the larger space for being “more spacious and fresh”.  The biggest change for most of the students has been the layout with two distinct areas - one for study, and the other for reading, which is “well labelled and easy to use”, according to Alexander Norden.

As one might expect, the Teen Read section is awash with the likes of ‘Twilight’ and continuing the spine-chilling theme, ‘Spooks’ has also become a popular read with the Year 7 and 8s.  Nonetheless, Immy Gearing feels that there is “lots of choice and something for everyone” and the new layout makes “finding books easier”  explains Isaac Mitchinson.

Trivia, on the other hand, is proving to be a popular choice with the Year 4 pupils, and despite Katie Prothero grimacing at some of the images in the Guinness Book of Records, Toby Shepperson “loves them”.  The ever-popular Roald Dahl champions as the author of choice for the Year 4s, inspired by the Roald Dahl day in school, some of whom are pictured below in the library in their costumes on the day.

Fittingly, congratulations also go to Librarian Denise Reed who has been shortlisted for the National School Librarian of the Year award - we await the final results in October.

Prep School Head, Heather Beeby, is delighted with the well-designed and more functional space, "The new library is another exciting resource for the Prep School and it is wonderful to see the children's enthusiasm. It is another step in our continuing programme of improvements - last year saw the new academic accommodation for Years 7 and 8 open and work is underway on the College's science facilities which will see two new laboratories for the Prep School alongside the Senior School."