Jo van Dam
“At lunchtime in our libraries, you’ll find students sharing books, quietly reading by themselves, drawing, writing, playing cards or having fun with the stuffed toy reading buddies…
It’s busy, not particularly quiet, and we like it that way!
I have the pleasure of being the librarian at two central Auckland primary schools. Both libraries are welcoming spaces with students’ art on the walls and books… lots of books. You can spot the titles written by New Zealand authors easily, they’re stickered with a koru on the spine. Both schools have Māori bilingual units – Richmond Road School also has a French unit and a Samoan unit – and the library at each school is very well used by all classes throughout the school.
I work with students in a range of ways. I teach basic library skills so that children can work independently to find what they’re looking for, though I’m there to help if needed, and I train senior students to be librarians so that they can help junior classes. Libraries can be a haven for those who want to avoid the noisy playground, and it is a privilege to be able to make those students feel safe and comfortable. I’m also the author of three children’s picture books and I take groups for writing workshops. I encourage students to have fun with words, and help them send their writing to publications such as Toitoi, in the hope they will become published authors.
Knowing the needs of the community is paramount in the success of a library and it's important that our students are able to read books about New Zealand. This is where we live, this is who we are – we are unique. I promote local authors in displays and talks. Many older children in particular respond well to stories relating to local areas and to characters and illustrations that celebrate different ethnicities and cultures within New Zealand; but just like adults, some children prefer to escape to a fantasy world that is completely different from everyday life. The important thing, for me, is to expose children to a wide selection of books: non-fiction and fiction, different genres, authors from every corner of the globe, books that represent a breadth of cultures, and diverse characters. The hook into reading will be different for every child and the library must offer something for everyone. It doesn’t matter to me what the hook is, just as long as they are hooked!
At both schools we hold an annual book fair. We invite local authors through Read NZ Te Pou Muramura’s Writers in Schools programme to visit and inspire our tamariki. We all enjoy book week and I know the students benefit from hearing the stories behind the stories that authors have written. Taking off my librarian hat and putting my author hat on, I also visit other local schools. Meeting a writer in person can reinforce the idea that it is possible for anyone (even a school librarian) to tell the stories that are important to them!”
Jo van Dam is an author and primary school librarian.