Book Week Event – Literary Speed Dating at the State Library of NSW

St. Joseph’s College Resources Centre and Monte Library initiated a highly successful joint literary event to celebrate Book Week 2019.  Forty-five students from Years 7 to 11, who were identified as passionate readers, were selected to visit the State Library of NSW and participate in a library tour and Literary Speed Dating activity. Each student was asked to bring along a book they had read and loved with the aim of convincing other students to read it.

The excursion began with a behind the scenes tour of the library, including descending five stories underground to explore the “stacks” containing thousands of rare books and artifacts. Our students were then divided into groups, placed in concentric circles and were given five minutes to introduce themselves and convince the student they had met to read the book they had selected. The students all enjoyed being allowed to visit areas of the State Library not normally open to the public and, especially, the opportunity to meet students from Monte and share their mutual love of reading. In the words of Benji in Year 8:

“Today I had the opportunity to share my passion for reading with a range of different people. The State Library was an exceptional venue and had many interesting artefacts. Our friendly tour guide explained many fascinating things that belong to the library, like a huge atlas that needs to be carried by seven men and a tiny book that has been microscopically printed! We were also guided through the library’s underground artefact storage facilities called the ‘stacks’. These exclusive areas contain more than six million Australian artefacts. The highlight of the day would have to be entering the Shakespeare room, which was a replica of a study that Shakespeare himself, might have worked in”. 

Staff and students all agreed that the event was so successful that it should be held annually.