It was a clear and windless day in September in Wellington (A Good Day) when an enthusiastic group of school librarians and their friends ventured out for the PD Term 3 School Library Bus Tour. 

First stop - Wellington College, kindly opened up and presented early on a Saturday morning by Library Manager Katherine McKenzie. Wellington College is a large boys college in central Wellington and its Girven Library is a large, well used vibrant space, full of resources and eye catching displays.
After a good poke around (nothing that librarians love more than having a look at other people's libraries) we boarded the large red double-decker bus, courtesy of Malcolm Little and expertly driven by Simon Cross. 

Next stop - Samuel Marsden Collegiate, newly remodeled and refurbished. Library Manager Karen Richards explained the huge amount of planning and work that has gone into making this senior school library the work of art that it is. Lots of glass and light combined with comfortable corners and modern furniture and different types of working areas, made for an enviable space for students to use. Samuel Marsden Collegiate is a private girls school that caters for Years 1-13.
Back on the bus and on the road again, we traveled the winding back roads that gave those on the top deck intriguing not usually seen views into peoples properties and weekend lives.
Next stop - Tawa Intermediate, a co-ed intermediate in the suburbs north of Wellington where Library Manager Shelley Knox gave us the guided tour and explained some of the ways she engages the students in the library. Tawa Intermediate's library is a great example of a colourful modern learning environment, with a diversity of furniture and spaces for students to be in, including a glass walled quiet room, that Shelley told us the students love and respect as a sanctuary.

Final stop on the tour - Cashmere Ave School, a medium sized primary school with Years 1-6 in the north-west suburbs of Wellington. Sarah Jordan, Digital Systems Manager and Rachel Huddleston, Library Manager, who had been on the tour with us all took on the role of library guide and explained how they made their more traditional library space the vibrant and well used facility that it is. 

Thank you to everyone involved in making this school library bus tour such a success and so much fun.
Thank you to the generosity of our hosts for letting us poke around your lovely libraries, take photos and pick your brains. Thank you to the participants for your support of each other and this SLANZA Wellington PD event. It is because of you that we do this.
Thank you to NZEI for sponsoring its members to go on this tour and thank you to Book Protection Products for your continued financial support so all this can be possible.


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