While books remain at the heart of modern-day school libraries, they are far from the only medium from which children learn, says Giulia Rhodes
With squashy sofas, high speed Wi-Fi, coffee machines, mood lighting and walls of help-yourself books, magazines and newspapers, today?s school libraries are a long way from the silent, dim and dusty rooms in which many parents will have pored over their own A-Level books.
Increasingly independent schools are seeing the breadth of benefits offered by a well-resourced, expertly-staffed and carefully-designed library, with many of them now works of architect-crafted, glass-walled beauty.
Beyond the obvious purpose of helping students to pursue their academic studies, many Senior Schools extol the significant pastoral, social and technological roles of both library and librarian. And, while books remain as the solid foundation of a good school library, they are far from the only medium through which pupils learn new information. Many feared the demise of the library in the digital age, but it is clear that its relevance has actually grown. As author Neil Gaiman points out, ?Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring the back the right one.?
Today?s students ? for whom reams of information on almost any subject are available at the touch of a finger ? are in greater need than ever of guidance on how to select, sift and make use of the best of what is on offer.
Above, the library at Culford School, Bury St Edmunds...