The library would not function without our dedicated team of student librarians who base themselves in the library office and help with issuing and returns, shelving, and the many activities we organise for lunch breaks. This year the team was led by Neil Fernandes, Gizza Laile and Finn Lloyd.

Neil has diligently supported collection management, including purchasing, accessioning and reorganising the books and his quiet intelligence epitomizes the school guiding principles of respect and responsibility. I am grateful to Gizza who has created many library signs, posters and bookmarks for the library, and he exemplifies St Paul's values of excellence and brotherhood. When St Marcellin Champagnat talked about the Marist Man of Action, he was referring to young men like Finn. His endless service to the school and help with library activities, like the month-long Chess Tournament involving over 50 students, were all undertaken with a calm forcefulness. 

Thank you to all the committee for your commitment and engagement. A special mention and thanks to Luka Nemaia for his assistance with our graphic novel collection, Christian Fa'aui and Kainen Fuimaono for their cultural contributions, and Brendon Le'ota for overseeing library supplies. I'm very grateful to Matthew Blanch for his intellectual engagement and Joseph Samuels for his leadership. Benjamin Turner, Douglas Calvert, Miguel Ragat and Hyrum Makata were exceptionally helpful with the Year End Stock Take scanning over 4,500 books.

The library classes have been doing a deep dive into newspapers this term, looking at the various sections and discussing how reliable the information is. Comparing news gleaned from TikTok and Instagram with that found in the newspaper, or news apps, was vigorously discussed, as was how anyone can post on social media as opposed to journalistic accountability and qualifications. So far we've read the World Section and found the places currently in the news, such as Ukraine, Israel and USA, on the school globe, the Business Section where we discussed turnover (not the apple or rugby ball turnover), different currencies and exchange rates and the NZ Stock Market. Editorials and Letters to the Editor, based on opinion not fact, have been read out and argued about. We're hoping that in the future the students will query where they obtain information from, and download reputable news apps on their mobiles so they keep up to date with recent events.

During the week of the USA election the Junior classes undertook a quiz about new terminology in the news, including terms like campaign, candidate, incumbent, concede and inauguration. The students undertook a competition to match the state acronyms with the state names using a map, a hard task but many rose to the challenge.

There has been a healthy increase in books issued in 2024 compared to previous years. Total issues have increased by 903 books, a 25% increase, compared to 2023. Non-Fiction issuing has increased by 75% due to the large number of books we have borrowed from the National Library, some for teachers studying specific topics, and many for students requesting specific books or subjects. We will continue to encourage reading across all levels in 2025 and continue the upward trend.

It's been an honour to serve as the SP Librarian this year and a real pleasure getting to know your sons.

Happy Christmas and safe holidays.
Kirihimete me te haumaru e hararei