Library
We welcome all students to the library
The library aims to support the whole school with a range of resources to support and extend students’ learning across the curriculum. It has a particular focus on developing literacy at KS3 and KS4 with an emphasis on fiction and reading for pleasure .
All students are welcome to come to the library to study, complete homework, read or borrow resources.
Opening times
The library is open to all before school from 8.00am, during the school day for Sixth Form private study and KS3 English classes, at breaktime, lunchtime and after school (until 4.30pm) for homework and quiet reading (including computer use).
Resources
We have a large selection of books located in an attractive, calm and welcoming environment, close to the Sixth Form Centre. Resources are regularly updated to ensure that sufficient copies of popular, suitable and highly recommended items are always available. The library also has sixteen computers available for student use, plus a printer/copier. It continues to be a popular space in the school, with around 5000 individual book loans made each year.
The library catalogue which lists all the books we have in the library can be accessed while in school using the link to the left.
Expectations of behaviour
Students are expected to:
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Respect the library as a place for quiet reading and study.
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Remember that eating and drinking are not allowed in the library.
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Always ensure that resources are issued to them before taking them out of the library.
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Be responsible for their own learning and ask for help to find resources if needed – the librarian is always happy to assist.
Library membership
All students are automatically members of the library when they join the school. Normally they may borrow up to two books at a time.
If an item is overdue for me than two weeks the student will receive an email reminding them to return the item or renew it immediately.
Lost items will be charged to the student who borrowed them, and a bill will be sent to cover the replacement value of the item.
Students may generally borrow any item, although books categorised YA (Young Adult) fiction are usually reserved for year 9 and above, and there is a separate 6th form fiction section.
Events
We organise library events throughout the year including for World Book Day, as well as author visits to the school and the popular Scholastic Book Fair held twice a year. In the last couple of years we have been fortunate to secure visits from popular childrens’ and YA authors Sufiya Ahmed and Manjeet Mann.
Curriculum
The library supports reading across the school, and students of all subjects benefit from its collection. However it works particularly closely with the English department, hosting fortnightly reading lessons for KS3, ensuring that all students in years 7 and 8 have a library book at all times. We also take part in the annual Bookbuzz scheme which provides all year 7s with a new book free of charge during their first term at Copthall.
Link to Barnet 24/7 Reference Library
All Copthall students are entitled to join Barnet Libraries and access the 24/7 Reference Library. This includes the excellent Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, Oxford Reference, dictionaries and newspapers, all free of charge.
The online Reference Library can be accessed through their website, www.barnet.gov.uk/research-service. Once on the website, select the desired link and enter your 14 digit Barnet Library card number.
