Welcome to the Library
Our school's library is located on the top floor of A Block, the original school building from 1919.
This large and airy multi-purpose space used by students undertaking private study, relaxing and reading. Both the classroom and wide reading areas are used for classes , whilst the carrel area is for senior study groups and classes.
Computers and a printer is also available for student use. Students can search the catalogue from any school computer or from home via the Oliver Library link in their Department of Education (DET) student portal.
The Library collection consists of:
- fiction, non-fiction and reference books
- regularly arriving magazines
- senior resources and study guides
- careers information.
The library is open most recesses and lunchtimes, and until 4:45pm Monday and Thursday for homework centre.
Local Library resources and e-resources
If you can't find what you're looking for in our school library, here are some other places you can go for help and resources:
Canterbury Bankstown Libraries
Try the local public library! Canterbury-Bankstown council has many public libraries. They have a great collection and friendly helpful staff. You can search their catalogue online, from school or from home.
If you are a current member and have a library card, you can access the e-resources they subscribe to for free. Check out their e-resources and homework assistance services.
Memberships to the library are free but those under 16 will need an adult to sign for them.
State library of New South Wales
Membership is free and gives access to a bigger collection and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of online databases. Many of these databases can be used for free from home once you are a member. You can join using the form on their website, and will be sent a card with an identification number which allows you to use the library resources.
It is strongly recommended that college students in particular apply for membership to support their learning.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
The ABS collects statistics on most aspects of Australian life. These statistics provide information about the wellbeing of the population, the condition of the environment, employment and economic performance and much more. The range of statistical information is freely available on their website.
Trove
Trove is a search engine provided by the National Library of Australia (NLA) to provide access to Australian digitised books, images, maps, music and more. It contains a wealth of material, especially for HSIE subjects.
Oliver (Library Catalogue) Enquiry
You can access the library catalogue via your DET student portal, by clicking on the Oliver library link in your portal.
Searching for resources
Resources can be found on the online catalogue by:
- decide what to fearch for (such as soccer)
- choose a search option (from word, subject, title, author or series list)
- type in your search term (soccer)
- click go
- from the list select the result closest to your search term eg. Soccer- Fiction or Soccer.
- from the list of titles, choose the one you want eg. The number 7 shirt by Alan Gibbons or Soccer by Damien Davis.
- to find your resource you will need to record the dewey Number (for example F GIB or 796.334 DAV).
- go and find your resource on the appropriate shelf.
Which search option do I use?
To get the best results for your searcher attempts, we encourage users to find the search option terminology located directly under the Oliver search bar. Which consists of:
- word - looks for matching words anywhere in the title, notes, name and subject.
- genre - search by literature type.
- subject - searches for topics or what the item is about, such as soccer.
- title - looks for matching words in the title only. If you are not sure of the exact title, do not use this option.
- author - looks for authors or other contributors. Enter their surname first, then their first name. For instance Shaun Tan would be entered as Tan, Shaun.
- series - type in the series name to find titles in the series eg. Naruto
- list - looks for resource lists with that specific word, for example Year 7-9 NSW Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC).