Making a school library feel welcoming

Sts Peter and Paul Primary School teacher librarian Amanda Basedow. Pictures: Megan Doherty

Amanda Basedow is loving her dream job - teacher librarian at Sts Peter and Paul Primary School in Garran.

The former five-six classroom teacher moved schools two years ago so she could get her foot in the door of the library.

And the job is everything she hoped for and more. Her drive to get there was simple.

"A love of reading and a love of books," she said. "I want to instil a love of reading and give students a place where they can enjoy books, that is not about technology."

Mrs Basedow with some of her handiwork.

Her desire to make the library a welcoming space was only heightened by the lockdowns of last year.

There was online reading, but nothing beat the return to face-to-face teaching in the library.

"It's really wonderful to have everyone back this term and have all the children in the library," she said.

And Mrs Basedow is like an increasing number of teachers who are making their library an inviting place to be, with the help of a gadget with an almost cult-like following, called a Cricut.

They are smart cutting machines that work like a printer, but instead of dispensing ink, it cuts and decorates a variety of materials, from paper to leather to vinyl.

Whole Facebook groups are devoted to the Cricut and it's here that many teachers share some of the amazing projects they've come up with for their classrooms and libraries.

And labels are always important.

Mrs Basedow has used the gadget to inject some fun and creativity into the school library.

She's made street signs for literary destinations such as Hogwarts, Narnia and the Wonka factory.

There are also motivational messages throughout the library such as "Today a reader, tomorrow a leader" and "Welcome back, the books have missed you".

Not to mention the labelling for tubs and tubs of books. And it takes a fraction of the time it used to with the help of the Cricut.

"It's fun," Mrs Basedow said. "It means I can be creative and really put an effort into the library space."

The students have added their appreciation of her efforts, displaying on a board what they like about the library with contributions such as it is a "quiet, peaceful" place with "calming sounds" and "suitable for learning to make sure we can listen".