Heartbreaking Start to the Year for Beckenham School Library

SLANZA wishes to join with the school library community in expressing sympathy and dismay at the loss of the library at Beckenham School in Christchurch to a fire.

It has been wonderful to see the support that other school librarians are offering to the school and the community spirit is heartening. We hope that the school can rebuild the library and any other facilities which were damaged and enable the students access to the resources, books and research materials that quality school libraries such as the one which was lost offer to students.

It would be great to follow Gerri Judkins's  suggestion of donating to the school at an appropriate time.   If that is what the school would like, perhaps someone in Christchurch could be a liaison person for a collection.

''My biggest concern is we've now lost two buildings that may be deemed by the Ministry of Education not to be a priority because they aren't classrooms.  A library is vital to children's learning, as are other learning spaces. We'll wait and see.''  said Principal Sandy Hastings.

For further details see:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8162914/Beckenham-School-on-fire