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Who Am I? How Am I?
In May 2024, the School Library Group of the Library Association of Ireland hosted a conference in the JCSP Library at Larkin Community College. The title of the conference was The ❤️ of a school – School Libraries, student wellbeing & building empathy Irish research about the JCSP Demonstration Library Project found that a well-resourced school library, managed by a professional librarian offers schools not only A Room for Reading (Hassett, 2005) but also More Than a Room for Reading (Henefer, 2008). The vital role school libraries managed by professional librarians play not only in the active pedagogical work in their students’ literacy skills development; …
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JCSP Libraries SNAP Photography Challenge Winners 2025
With over 150 entries for our SNAP Photography Challenge this year, our judges had a hard job selecting winners. But they have managed to do so and below are the winning entries in all three competition categories. Junior Category: Senior Category Special Needs Category Congratulations to all of our winners and to all of the students from schools right across Ireland who took part this year. We were blown away by the standard of entries – so well done everyone. Prizes for the winning entries included cameras and gift vouchers. We hope to organise an exhibition of the winning and…
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JCSP Libraries Academy Film Awards 2025
Celebrating Student Film-Makers: Highlights from the JAFAs After a long hiatus, the JCSP Libraries Academy Film Awards (JAFAs) made a welcome return recently in the Light House Cinema. It was a much-anticipated event that allowed our talented young filmmakers to showcase their work on the big screen. Throughout the year our students have been busy creating short films as part of our JCSP film making initiative. Filmmaking serves as a powerful literacy exercise that blends modern media with traditional storytelling. Students are challenged to think critically about sound and visuals as well as coming up with dialogue and narrative. By…
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Chess in JCSP Libraries
Another reason why every school should have a library is that they are the ideal venues for chess clubs! The cognitive and social benefits of chess are well known, and the ancient game is becoming ever more popular in the age of apps and social media. A lot of students have chess.com accounts and spend some of their precious screentime playing online opponents, but nothing beats moving physical pieces with another human being in a beautiful space. I was fortunate to inherit a thriving chess club when I took over the position of JCSP Librarian at Beaufort College two years ago. Students from all years, as well as…
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JCSP Libraries SNAP Photography Challenge
An exciting photography challenge is being launched by The JCSP Libraries this February! This inclusive challenge can be enjoyed by students in all year groups. The aim is to support young people to develop their artistic practice, creativity, originality and self-expression through the medium of photography. The main idea behind this challenge is to provide a creative outlet for students to express their ideas and perspectives visually. Engaging in photography encourages teenagers to focus on the present moment by connecting with the world around them. To take part, students are encouraged to take up to ten photos inspired by prompt…
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‘If Librarians Ran Europe Summit’, Amsterdam
Marino College JCSP Library participated in this year’s Europe Challenge, an initiative of the European Cultural Foundation. We were the first Irish library to participate in the Challenge and were one of only 57 libraries across Europe selected to take part. Our JCSP Library in Marino College worked in close collaboration with the local Residents’ Association to present a programme of library-based workshops and events on the theme of Marino 100, celebrating 100 years since the area (the first social housing project built in Ireland after independence) was built, as well as directly addressing the challenges of anti-immigration rhetoric in…
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Celebrating 20 Years of the JCSP Demonstration Library Project
We were very proud to celebrate 20 years of the JCSP Library Project at a very special event in the beautiful JCSP Library in Trinity Comprehensive School, Ballymun, Dublin last month. Established under the Department of Education and Skills, the brief of the JCSP Demonstration Library Project was to improve literacy levels, develop a whole school reading culture and enhance the learning experience of our students. To date the Project has expanded into 30 schools across Ireland, all in designated areas of disadvantage. Each library is staffed by a full-time professional librarian. Over the last 20 years, the range of…
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JCSP Libraries get into the Spirit with Worldwide Digital Book Club
Heartfelt, supernatural family drama “Artie and the Wolf Moon” available for free as an ebook, audiobook or readalong along with online discussion The nights are growing longer during this magical time of year. To get into the spirit of the season, members of our Sora Digital Library Service can enjoy a “coming-of-age story of family and the supernatural” for free during Big Library Read, the world’s largest digital book club. From November 2-16, booklovers from across our member schools can join thousands of others around the globe in borrowing Olivia Stephens’s Artie and the Wolf Moon from our Digital Library…
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