Our school library aims to encourage academic excellence by supporting the teaching and learning needs of the school community in a rich learning environment. The library at St George Girls is an inviting place to study and learn as well as a tranquil place to read and relax.
If you have a library and a garden, you have everything you need.
Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 –43 BCE), Roman political leader and scholar.
Cicero’s statement is sometimes translated more literally as, “If you have a garden in your library everything will be complete.” This might seem an odd place for a garden, but in fact, the students of St George Girls are truly fortunate, as they have a garden courtyard in the middle of their library. Here they will find a fountain, three stone dragons quietly guarding the store of knowledge and resources, and a shady space for quiet contemplation, for social gatherings and conversations, and for reading, learning and discovering.
A garden, like a library, can be a place of respite and calm, but it also needs regular maintenance, replacing old plants with new, planting large trees to form a solid foundation for other plants, and relying on perennials and annuals for colour, excitement, and seasonal blooming. Continuing the library as a garden analogy, the process of removing old, shabby, worn out books is called “weeding”. In a garden, the bright new plants can only shine through, when the rest of the garden is in good order.
Maintaining a library collection is also an organic, constantly changing and evolving process, requiring renewal and replacement, setting contemporary, popular texts, alongside the classics that have formed a literary canon for generations. Students at St George Girls are always welcome to suggest new books for their library, so the collection is relevant, inviting, and meeting their needs and interests.
Library spaces
- Two class areas, including a presentation space with electronic whiteboard
- A senior study area with a wide range of Preliminary and HSC study guides
- Three seminar rooms for small group work
- Two lounge areas for quiet reading and study.
Shady courtyard garden
Library services
- Open 8.20am to 3.15pm, except for occasional variations to routine
- 21 networked computers throughout the library
Photocopying, printing, and scanning, in black and white or colour - Recharging machine to add credit to student printing accounts
- Laptops and Casio calculators for loan (for use at school only)
Library collection
- Fiction – over 5000 books, including contemporary young adult and adult novels, graphic novels, Manga, picture books, and classics.
- Reference – over 7000 books and magazines supporting the teaching and learning programs of St George Girls, plus a wide variety of contemporary issues, leisure reading, hobbies, and general interest.
- Digital resources – the library catalogue is accessed online through the Department of Education student portal. It is integrated with the ClickView video streaming service, the Wheelers e-books collection, and various digital files covering a wide range of information sources and subject matter.
Other libraries
All students are encouraged to join their local public library and the State Library of New South Wales to extend their access to print and digital resources. Speak to St George Girls library staff for more information.
Library Courtyard
