To members of A.B Paterson community, this CLS proposal took on the challenge of the construction of a public library, which will be setup around the school in various locations. The proposal, designed by a student group of a committed Year 12 CLS class, is keen on tackling the challenge of a low reading rate within the student community and young people as a whole.

This public library will be capable of increasing the take-up of reading books by the student population, thus indirectly improving literacy and hence academic performances and personal wellbeing. The proposal of making such a public library will grant ease of access to knowledge and the pleasure of reading books throughout the school, granting students the privilege of being able to read whenever and wherever.

Currently, only a downsized, 3D printed library is produced to serve as a prototype, but with the initiation of this program, the actual full-sized library will be installed across near the bus stop at the front of the school.

Another option for reusing texts at the College came in a vision of a buy-back system. To start the program, expressions of interest could be sent out to ensure the program is viable. Key staff members have already been contacted and are fully on board with the initiative. Senior students will facilitate the book swap through meeting with each grade to collect the books and students donating books will be noted to ensure they receive the next book. These students in charge will then organise the books and ensure there is enough for everyone. After this, the year level above will collect their donated books and then the swap is complete. This will ensure that there is less waste and students can reuse books. If books become redundant, they can be donated to the school to be involved in new initiatives, facilitated through the English faculty.

In an effort to promote literacy and sustainability further, some of us decided to develop the concept of a vending machine that dispenses and reuses books used in the Australian Curriculum. This machine works by allowing students to donate a book in exchange for a book of their choice from the machine. While this idea is futuristic, it has the potential to promote literacy, sustainability, generosity, and convenience in schools. However, users must also consider the limitations and potential drawbacks of these machines, such as limited selection, quality control, maintenance and cost. With proper planning and management, these machines can be a valuable asset to any school looking to promote literacy and sustainability.

Overall, the repurposing of books at A.B. Paterson College will be able to generate positive effects such as increased English grades, improve in NAPLAN results, and encouraging as well as promoting the benefits of reading within the College community, encouraging and improving general literacy across all cohorts. It answers the issue of waste when it comes to purchasing texts from book lists and decreases the cost of resources for parents.

The students split into groups and attacked the project in a 3 pronged approach (Public Library, Vending Machine (literacy of the future) and Book Buy Back System). 

This project was led by Senior Science Teacher, Richard Worsey and students involved were:

Connor O’Neil 1, Dean Tuesley 3, Tyson Powis 3, Oisin Fountain 2, Eric Zhou 3, Simar Deep 4, Flynn Fahy 2, Ben Canning 2, Joshua Lee 3, Ashley Williams 4, James Zhou 3, Mia Maratos 1, Charlotte Squire 5, Jessica Williams 1, Sarah Read 5, Harry Huang 2, Jasmine Neuffer 1, Harry Argent 4, Tyson Brand 4, Nikolina Subotic 5 and Zoe Vaughan 5

Daisy Ross | Junior School Service Learning Co-ordinator