Library Learning Commons

Welcome future Sabres!

Your Teacher-Librarian is me, Ms. Blom! I have been back at Southwood since 2014, after starting here teaching history in 1998, and then moving on to teach history and English at a couple other schools in the intervening years.  In addition to loving books,  helping students find books they will love, and guiding students in research  skills, I love connecting with our students over a love of the outdoors.  I hope to see you in the library come September 2024.  If you have any questions about our policies or procedures you can contact me at shelly_blom (at)wrdsb.ca

The Library Learning Commons (LLC) at Southwood is located at the west end of the school.  It is a large bright space with windows overlooking the sportsfield.  We had a renovation in 2019 so it is now a modern flexible learning space with both group and individual work areas.  

We have a diverse print collection to serve a variety of academic and personal reading needs, and also have equipment to support the creation of videos and podcasts.  Additionally we have a puzzle and game station, with a jigsaw puzzle area for stress relief, as well as a collection of games that enhance language and critical thinking/reasoning, such as Scrabble and Chess.  

Our LLC is open to students throughout the school day for research, reading, study, and other school-related activities; it is also open before and after school between bus drop-off and pickup.  

LLC Policies and Procedures 

LOAN PERIODS

Regular loan periods are three weeks with one renewal.  DVD material loans are for one week. Your student card is your library card.  When borrowing materials, please present your student card to a member of the library staff at the circulation desk.  Students are welcome to submit suggestions for books to be added to our collection which will be considered as budget permits.

OVERDUES

• Students are responsible for returning all materials by the required due date. 

• Library overdue notices are not printed except for major reminders at the end of the semester.  Check the date stamp in the back of your book, or sign in to the Library Learning Commons and check out your borrowing status under the “My Account” tab.  Students are expected to respond to the first notice and return materials or clear fine accounts promptly.

• Lost library materials incur fines until the book has been paid for–the fine is the replacement cost of the item. To avoid large fines, be sure to speak to someone in the library as soon as your book goes missing.

• All outstanding fines and lost or overdue book obligations must be cleared up before you can write your exams.

COMPUTER ACCESS

• We have one high processing networked computer station in the library that students can access --this work station is prioritized for the processing of assignments needing specialized programs.  Otherwise students should be using their Chromebooks to access class and database resources.  WE can also print from your Chromebook in the rare case that a hard copy is needed.

• Wireless access is available throughout the school building

• The best place to save your work is in your school Google Drive.  This way it can be accessed on any internet connected device, such as your board issued Chromebook, anywhere there is a network connection.  

SCHOOL LIBRARY WEB PAGE

Our library site provides access to a wide range of electronic resources for research and study.  These resources may be used at school or at home.  Please see the Teacher-Librarian or posted tutorials at the official  SSSLibrary page for processes for at-home access to our online databases and other electronic resources.  We share a centralized catalogue with all other schools in the board where students may search our collection, and access digital resources such as academic databases, encyclopedia, e-books, and videos.

PHOTOCOPIER

The photocopier in the library is password operated only for copying.  Students do not have pay copy access.  However, this copier also functions as a scanner.  If you need to make a copy of notes or a worksheet, you may scan it and save to a thumb drive, or email it to your school GMail account (username@wrdsb.ca)

FOOD AND BEVERAGES

Food and beverages are not permitted in the library.  We ask that students go and eat in the cafeteria before or after they spend time in the library.  This is to protect the resources in our collection (that don't fare well with bugs or mice!!) and also to protect the well-being of students and staff with allergies.