Opening Hours
The library is open to students Monday to Friday 8:45-3:45 and during both breaks. Students may issue 3 physical books plus 2 ebooks for a period of 2 weeks.
https://library.aquinas.school.nz/#!dashboard
Staffing
The library is open to students during both breaks and is staffed by a team of 3 ladies overseen by Mrs Karen Guise who is the Teacher with Library Responsibility. Mrs Bev Wills is the Library Manager, with the help of two part time library assistants; Mrs Jo Van Kol, who also relieves in the main office, and Mrs Karin Small. It is important to have a team of librarians as we all have different strengths and ideas and collectively we are more creative in promoting the use of the school library.
Contact information
The library staff may be contacted by phone on 07 543 9039 or by the following email addresses:
Mrs Wills – bwills@aquinas.school.nz
Mrs Van Kol – jvankol@aquinas.school.nz
Mrs Small – ksmall@aquinas.school.nz
Activities
The library is a hub for students who come to read, study; complete homework; play card games or just sit quietly. We subscribe to the BOP Times and the NZ Herald as well as a wide range of magazines. There are a number of different display areas around the library which we change on a regular basis providing points of interest. Year level or House groups meet for an assembly on alternating weeks and we host debates for the English Department on occasion.
Usage and statistics
In 2003 the library opened with fewer than 2,000 titles, now we have around 14,000 titles including books in audio format. We have also added ebooks, these can be borrowed at any time by following the ebook link.
Students can use the library during breaks to complete projects, to study or just read. We also have a number of card games and a chess set and some board games to use on rainy days. While the library is predominantly used for study or reading it should also be a place for recreation.