Murray Centre and Library Manager: Miss Dani Kirby
Murray Centre Graduate Assistant: Miss Grace Vandenham
A 21st century library
The Murray Centre Library is a dynamic space designed to inspire and support students and staff with its comfortable study areas, a vast selection of resources and a serene environment tailored to 21st Century learning. Home to a collection of over 13,000 books, the library provides access to an extensive range of constantly updated fiction titles, that inspire reading for pleasure and a collection of non-fiction books to support independent learning. Our library system, Oliver, gives each student their own personal library account, where they can loan, renew and reserve books, explore the library catalogue and access personalised reading recommendations. Within Oliver, LearnPath functions as a comprehensive platform for expertly curated academic resources designed for all age groups, significantly enhancing learning across various subjects. E-books are also available for borrowing and can be accessed online.
Multifunctional Learning Area: A Collaborative Space for Study and Discovery
The Murray Centre is a purpose-built space designed for students of all ages and staff, providing a dedicated environment for private academic work. It is fully equipped with connectivity to ensure fast and easy access to online resources. In case the students encounter issues with their personal Surface devices, we have a few spare devices for them to use in the Murray Centre Library.
The library also runs a variety of events to cultivate a love of literature including author visits, reading programmes and other engaging activities. All Lower School and Upper Four English classes visit the library fortnightly for reading lessons, where they can enjoy the space and find inspiration from our supportive library staff for book choices. Our Remove girls (Year 7) love their participation in the Book Trust: BookBuzz initiative, where they are gifted a book of their choice from a set of new releases. After sharing their thoughts in book groups, they are then challenged to write a review, with the best five winning prizes. The library also hosts the Scholastic Book Fair for over a week, featuring a diverse array of the latest titles for the girls to browse and purchase. While providing the opportunity to explore a range of authors and genres, the fair also offers books at discounted prices, and every sale contributes credits to the school, enabling the library to acquire new titles.
Our Lower School Reading Ambassadors are a great addition to the library team. Not only are they trained to be library assistants but they also inspire a love of reading and books in their houses. The Literary Senior also plays an invaluable role in ensuring that literature is valued across our whole community. She does this by encouraging students to explore diverse genres in a Creative Writing Group, sharing advice and assisting the library staff to develop a lifelong passion for literature, amongst our students.
Recommended Reading Lists
Each year, the library and academic staff curate a comprehensive Recommended Reading List of both fiction and non-fiction books. This is divided into the three school sections – Lower School, Upper School and Sixth Form – and provides each student with ideas of literature to nurture her love of reading, to explore around her academic subjects and to expand her mind. These reading lists were compiled by our previous Librarian, Mrs Jenny Hill.
Recommended Reading Lists:
Opening times
The library is open from 8am until 10pm from Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 9pm on a Sunday every week during term time. Staff are always available to offer help and guidance to support students with their book choices and learning.
Social Media
For regular updates including library events and book recommendations, follow us on Instagram.
For more information about our Library, please contact Miss Dani Kirby
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