Innovating reading activities in libraries.

During recess at My Hung Primary School (My Loc Ward), many students seek out reading corners under the trees or in the school library. In their hands are fairy tales, life skills books, and colorful children's stories. The quiet, focused atmosphere reflects a clear shift: reading is becoming a habit in school life. This is the result of the school's focus in recent years on innovating library activities, bringing books closer to students through various flexible and engaging methods.

Teachers and students of Tan Hiep Secondary School ( Ha Nam Ward) consult books and materials for teaching and learning at the school library.

From the perspective of promoting a reading culture among students as a crucial task, the school library has been reorganized to be open, friendly, and easily accessible. In addition to the main reading room, the school has created many reading corners, such as in classroom hallways, under trees in the schoolyard, or on bookshelves in classrooms. This allows students to read at various times throughout the day, from recess to breaks between classes.

To make reading more engaging, the school library has developed a monthly themed reading plan. The chosen themes are all relevant to students' age group, such as fairy tales, books about President Ho Chi Minh, life skills books, and books exploring nature. Thanks to this specific guidance, students can easily choose books that suit their interests and learning needs.

Many book-related experiential activities are also regularly organized by the school. On the first Monday of each month, during the weekly flag-raising ceremony, the school holds a book introduction session. Teachers or students share the main content of a good book, recounting interesting details to spark curiosity and interest in reading among the students.

Other activities such as storytelling based on books, writing reviews of favorite books, or drawing pictures based on the stories are also maintained. Through these activities, students are encouraged to read, express their feelings and thoughts about the books they have read. This helps them develop their expressive abilities, literary appreciation, imagination, and creativity.

In addition to in-person reading, the school also offers online reading through the Vietbiblio library software. Using this application, students can access and read books on their computers, smartphones, or tablets from the comfort of their homes. This method allows them to access a richer and more convenient source of learning materials.

Ms. Dang Thi Thao, a librarian at My Hung Primary School, said: “Combining traditional reading and online reading has yielded positive results. Previously, students mainly read books when they came to the library, but since the implementation of the electronic library, they can read books anytime, anywhere. As a result, the number of students interested in books is increasing.”

Tran Minh Anh, a 5th-grade student at My Hung Primary School, shared: “I enjoy reading fairy tales and life skills books. At school, I often read books in the library, and at home, I read on the online library. The school library has many great books.”

While in primary schools, library innovation focuses on fostering a love of reading, at Tan Hiep Secondary School (Ha Nam Ward), reading activities are organized systematically and closely integrated with students' learning process. The school has reorganized the library space to be more scientific , friendly, and convenient for students. The bookshelves are designed to suit students' height, making it easier to find materials. Besides the main reading room, the library has also created a "green library" space with a cool and airy reading environment, providing comfort for the students.

Currently, the school library has 6,352 titles with 12,761 copies, categorized into groups such as professional books, textbooks, subject-specific reference books, literature, law books, life skills books, children's stories, etc. The library also features themed displays such as "Recommended Books of the Week," or book introductions related to events throughout the school year, helping students easily discover new books or books with content relevant to the current time.

The school library is gradually becoming a familiar destination for students at My Hung Primary School (My Loc Ward).

Through the school's "open library" model, students can choose books from the shelves or access the school's electronic library to register for borrowing. The borrowing and returning process is managed through library software, making it quick and convenient. Library hours have also been extended. In addition to scheduled reading sessions, the library is open during recess, self-study hours, and after school hours to provide students with more time for reading.

The school also established a library volunteer team consisting of students who love reading. These students help organize books, guide readers, and introduce new books to their classmates. Simultaneously, a reading culture club was formed, creating an environment for students to exchange and share their feelings about the books they have read.

Alongside its traditional library, Tan Hiep Secondary School has also developed an electronic library system. The school's online resource collection is rich in data from e-books, reference materials, videos, and electronic lectures. The current digital resource pool comprises approximately 145,700 books, significantly expanding students' access to knowledge.

Ms. Le Thi Phuong, a librarian at Tan Hiep Secondary School, said: "After implementing innovative activities, the number of students visiting the library has increased significantly. The traditional library recorded 5,706 visits, while the electronic library reached over 507,000 visits."

To encourage students to read, in recent years, schools in the province have actively innovated reading activities in school libraries. With many synchronized solutions, schools are gradually spreading a reading culture among students through building friendly library spaces, developing classroom book collections, organizing library reading sessions, book festivals, book introduction competitions, storytelling based on books, etc., creating an environment for students to access books naturally and enthusiastically. Notable examples include: Nam My Primary School (Vi Khe ward), Tran Nhan Tong Primary School (Dong A ward), Yen Ninh Secondary School (Yen Khanh commune), Truc Noi Secondary School (Truc Ninh commune), Dien Xa Secondary School (Vi Khe ward)...

Currently, the school library system throughout the province has millions of books, newspapers, and reference materials; many schools have flexibly expanded reading spaces in classrooms and schoolyards, combining them with electronic libraries to meet the increasingly diverse reading needs of students. These efforts contribute to forming reading habits, enriching knowledge, nurturing the soul, and inspiring a spirit of self-learning in students, thereby contributing to improving the quality of teaching and learning in schools.

Text and photos: Minh Thuan

Source: https://baoninhbinh.org.vn/doi-moi-hoat-dong-doc-sach-trong-thu-vien-260321133550589.html