Niamh Green, Head Teacher of Roedean School in East Sussex has introduced a new type of learning: how to use a library
As portraits of Roedean?s founders the Lawrence sisters stare benevolently over the newly refitted, state-of-the-art school library and its quiet hum of industry, you might be forgiven for thinking not much has changed among the stacks since they launched our famous girls? school in 1885, writes Niamh Green, Head Teacher of Roedean School in East Sussex.
But a recent conversation I had with a fellow parent has led me to introduce a new type of study here – learning how to actually use a library.
Unlike former generations who relied on the library?s contents for their GCSE and A-level study, there is a worry that Gen Z has become so reliant on the internet for research and information gathering that they may need reminding just how a library works. “The girls will be taught not just how to check books in and out but also how the Dewey Decimal System works”
During my conversation with the parent, it came to light that her daughter, a bright 19 year old at a Russell Group university, had recently received library fines but couldn?t understand why because she had returned all the books she had borrowed. When she  inquired further, it transpired that her daughter had brought the books back to the library and simply popped them on the shelves herself, without registering they had been returned. She simply hadn?t borrowed any books in her sixth ...