On Wednesday September 7, Year 9 and 10 students attended an excursion to the City and State Libraries for the English Curriculum Day.
The day started with a stroll along the newly developed Anzac Centenary Memorial Walk on Kintore Avenue. It was a great opportunity to share stories about friends and relatives who served our country as we observed the memorials to soldiers involved in past conflicts.
We then headed to the City Library, which functions like any council library. It has many comfortable places to study alone or in groups, and other services such as a multimedia suite and 3D printer.
We also learned that all council libraries are connected, so a library membership allows the member to borrow materials from any SA library and return them to any library, not just the library the item was borrowed from! Located in Rundle Mall, the City Library also serves as a great central location to meet people in the city.
The highlight of the day was a tour through the State Library, which, while not allowing borrowing, also has great facilities for study. Our tour included an exclusive visit to the basement archives, where the record of almost everything published by South Australians is stored. The archive makes up the bulk of the State Library’s 50 kilometres of shelving! We were able to view letters written by the first gold miners in the mid-1800s and by soldiers during World War 1.
We also observed the Mortlock Wing of the State Library, which is a stunning Victorian-age building, reminding many of the students of the Hogwarts set of the Harry Potter movies. The Wing is lined with decorative masonry columns, ornate wrought iron and gold balcony rails and rich hardwood bookshelves.
The excursion was enjoyable and educational, providing students with a rare insight into South Australia’s history and some ideas for additional research services they can utilize for their learning.
For next year’s English Curriculum Day, we are looking at organising a workshop with a published author or professional theatre performers.
Brett Ferris, Pia Bosco, Jayne Eastall, Gill Maguire and Rebecca Ramsey.