Of course not. However that doesn't mean that we're not providing access to reading material for our pupils! 

Reading for Leisure
A notable feature of the lockdowns has been that so many of us (whatever generation) have found time to read more. Print books, ebooks and audiobooks have all seen surges in sales. 

Although many of us prefer to read ‘real’ books it is good to know  that our VLeBooks platform is a gateway to a huge selection of books to read for leisure - these can be borrowed and read online from any device - perhaps with a blue light filter or blue light glasses! These books are free to our pupils; the link is under the Library tab on MIS and use the Google login option on the VLeBook page. (You may need to scroll down slightly to find it!)
 

Reading for Research
I've been fascinated by the many bookshelves on display when worthy people are interviewed on tv; although interestingly I saw an article about companies  that sell 'walls' of books - they've had an  increase in sales during lockdown. 

'Books as wallpaper' aside, for pupils engaged in research we have a whole suite of online resources including Jstor, Onefile, Massolit, etc. These provide access to academic articles and news articles that support extended reading for FDP, EPQ and EE. We also provide specialised databases that support subjects such as Science, Drama, Economics, Business, English, Art, Media, History, Classics, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Government and Politics.  Our VLe platform also contains a large selection of non-fiction books to support research projects. Pupils can access these resources via the MIS - listed as ‘research resources’ under the Library tab. 
 

The Reading Room
Taking a pinch of inspiration from BookTok and #bookstagram, The 'Reading Room' is a virtual environment where pupils can meet and share posts about what they are reading. We are also meeting fortnightly to talk about our leisure reading. This is entirely voluntary and pupils can 'lurk' or participate as they wish. To join, pupils can email me (nsh) and I'll add them to the list.
 

The Reading Challenge
The Reading Challenge continues. Pupils are encouraged to read different genres, and extend their reading beyond the curriculum. Pupils can record their reading on the Felsted Diploma. 

For further information about any of these services please email nsh@felsted.org and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @FelstedLibrary

Felsted Library