Our extensive libraries are designed for two main purposes: to provide all the materials required for curriculum work and to inspire a love of reading.
We have three libraries, the Junior School Library situated at the heart of the Junior School, The Raymond Chandler Library for the Lower School and the centrally located Wodehouse Library which is used by boys in the Middle and Upper Schools.
Each of the Libraries is staffed by professional librarians who are available with advice on anything from finding the right book for homework to extending reading tastes or recommending a DVD. Exhibitions, reading lists and a regular publication by members of the teaching staff with suggestions for a good read provide continuous inspiration.
Between them, the libraries house some 32,000 books, tapes, CDs, DVDs and video cassettes available for either loan or reference. The Technology Suite, meanwhile, makes additional documentary information available from the internet while many periodicals are regularly provided on subjects as diverse as science, the arts, political satire, economics and, of course, the news. The main part of the library provides a comfortable space for quiet study while the conversation area is always buzzing with lively discourse and debate.
Since information skills contribute significantly to the pupils’ capacity to manage their work, the libraries run an information skills programme which teaches the boys how to handle information. The aim is that they all gain the confidence to become independent, self-motivated, life-long learners.
At the heart of the libraries' website lies the catalogue which provides online access to all the College collections, including departmental libraries and the Archives.
Mr P J Fletcher
Head of Libraries