New Online Library Catalogue

Looking for books, DVDs, CDs and student friendly websites has never been easier. Our new online library catalogue can be searched at

www.isberne.ch/library.htm

ISBerne’s new online library catalogue provides an easy way to search for books, DVDs, CDs and student friendly websites. Two choices of user-friendly search interfaces are available. The first interface provides a basic, power or visual search. Younger students may enjoy the visual search as they can click on pictures and work their way through the catalogue without typing words. Students following the Primary Years Programme will see special book and resource lists put together in the visual search. New lists for all ages will be added throughout the year to encourage students to look at a variety of interesting and stimulating resources.

The second interface is called Destiny Quest. Highly graphic and engaging, students can choose their favourite background wallpaper and see the latest arrivals and most popular top ten titles as they start their quest for information. This interface may also hold strong appeal for our Elementary Students.

All search results typically include the location, book cover, book summary , bibliographic information and the interest level making it easy to see if the book is suitable before going to the library to find it. Also included in the results are student friendly websites making this library catalogue a very useful research tool.

Parents and students can open a library account to gain access to many more exciting features. They can check how many items they have on loan, renew items, make reservations, add items to lists and write reviews. Please contact library@isberne if you would like to open an account.

ISBerne’s Library and Media Centre has over 12,000 items including 27 printed magazine and newspaper titles with many more available electronically. Constantly growing, our library collection provides students with the resources they need to successfully complete the International Baccalaureate Programme, from Primary Years, through to Middle Years and up to the Diploma Programme. We encourage students to expand their imagination, delve into areas of personal interest, and develop the ability to think clearly, critically, and creatively about the resources they have chosen to read, hear or view.

Making recommendations to friends and writing reviews for items they like (or don’t like!) is a way they can think critically about the worlds of fiction and non-fiction and using the library catalogue encourages our students to use library resources as a natural step in the research process. We are very pleased to have our library catalogue online and available to all who are interested in ISBerne – please enjoy using it. Suggestions for what you would like to see in our collections are always welcome.

Jill van Niekerk
Head of Library and Media