The school library in times of the internet
The school library is one of the central institutions at DBSAA and introduces itself in an article taken from last year’s yearbook.
In past yearbooks we focused mainly on the systematic setup of the school library, which was still in its early stages five years ago.
Now we can proudly say that it worked out to expand the book collection with a good and proper supply for all ages. Hereby we are still focusing on young readers. The “adult literature” has been enhanced with a few good contemporary authors, but is still being complemented through book donations by the Swiss and the German Embassy.
In the area of children’s and young-adult literature we are in a steady dialogue with the best youth book publishers and follow corresponding recommendations as well as on young-adult literary prizes, in our yearly order. The specialist literature in our presence library is being extended in reference to consultations with the specialist teachers.
But above of all, we do see our work in keeping up the students reading motivation and to promote such. Statistics of the past few years are alarming and describe that the children’s joy in reading is on a steady decrease. Is it because of their parents, who themselves often don’t read a lot anymore? Or because of television and the internet, which present diverse information in a multimedia and bite-sized way to the children?
Not only from secondary 1 on, but already in primary school is the passion for reading on a decline unless they are promoted by parents or school. So you cannot emphasize enough that the lecture of books offers a sensible compensation for work, hectic and stress in school!
The preoccupation with books mobilizes new forces in a creative way, promotes language development and exalts the imagination.
In times of the internet, which is clearly not to be demonized in here, it is important to offer children and juveniles a meaningful, alternative leisure activity through a proper range of literature.
In good fiction and poetry the student meets fictive experiences of children and thereby learns about reality in a playful way. Through books fantasy characters find their way into the children’s world – fiction and reality are being connected in an appealing manner.
Over the past four years, for example, many a child has find its approach to books through our so-called Antolin-program, an internet reading forum, which has been successfully introduced by our librarians.
But, it is also important to facilitate older students that a mouse click at the PC or the print out of a ready-made text cannot replace the own, in-depth research in reference books and is especially in higher classes and later during studies not being accepted anyway.
Literature does not help children to escape reality, but it helps to understand and question the world.
Sylvia Maiwald - Sibylle Brönnimann Moser
Librarians at DBSAA
