Librarian - Fun Activities - Information, Media and Telecommunications

Office and Administration - LIBRARIAN

Is Dewey working in your Library?

Primary Middle

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Numeracy

1. You are to investigate the cataloging in your library - School or Public Library. Most libraries follow the Dewey System.

Dewey Decimal System
A classification scheme used by libraries based on the assigning of particular decimal numbers to particular subjects. The original scheme was devised by a librarian called Melville Dewey. Call numbers usually include the decimal number assigned to items.

Call Numbers
All items in a library are assigned a number for shelving and retrieval purposes. This number is prominently displayed on the item. Call numbers allow items with the same topic or in a particular format to be shelved together.

Dewey Spines Call Numbers

Each item within the Library is assigned a call number so that it can be found on the shelves. Call numbers usually have three parts:

A prefix which indicates the collection where the item is shelved; e.g. DVD or VHS for an item in the Video collection.
A Dewey number, which tells you where to look on the shelf; e.g. 005.8 for an item on Network security.
A series of letters, usually the first three letters of the author's surname or the first three letters of the title. (Source: Chisholm Library)

2. Armed with a copy of the Dewey Decimal classes from Wikipedia, go to your Library and investigate how your library is organised. Ask the Librarian to explain the system to you.

3. Treasure Hunt: In pairs, gather the call numbers of 10 different books and items in your Library. Note down the Author and Title or Item Description. Write up your 10 different books and items' call numbers on post-it notes. Gather the class' post-it notes.

Now go and find 10 other books and items from other pairs work. Check to see you have retrieve the right information.

Celebrating a National Book Week Theme and Activities

Primary Middle

Australian Curriculum General Capability: ICT Capability

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Numeracy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Australian Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priorities: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

1. Each year The Children's Book Council of Australia has "Book Week"

2. You are to explore the previous themes for Book Week (1945 - ) - Word doc and with a partner come up with a new theme for next year. Give reasons for your choice of theme. What suggestions would you make to the other Librarians about the choice of books for your theme? Think about an Indigenous writer, Illustrator or story that you would recommend. Write up a list with your partner.

Share your list with the class.

Analyse the other themes and come up with significant reasons why your theme and book list should be considered.

3. Write up at least 3 activities you would like to participate in around your Book Week theme.

4. Create a database showing all the activities of each pair within your class.

5. Create a Venn Diagram - using Lucid chart (free) and reduce the activities to 5 that can be used for all themes.

Banning Books - Is this Ethical? Community of Inquiry or Debate

Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Ethical Understanding

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Philosophy

Cooperative Learning Activity

Teacher

To understand and conduct a Community of Inquiry, click here.

1. In groups of 3 - 4 students, read the following articles and then conduct a Community of Inquiry or a debate. Write statements and questions as you read these articles. Concentrate on the following questions:

What is censorship? Book burning? Banning Books - is this Ethical?

2. Read through the following from The Conversation 31 May 2022 Read

Read the following article from The Conversation 14 September 2015: Sex and other reasons why we ban books for young people: Read

After reading the article, discuss with a partner the reasons why we ban books.

3. Read the following article in The Conversation 2 October 2015 - "I'm a librarian who banned a book. Here's why." Read

4. The National Archives of Australia has published a blog called "Banned". Investigate this site. Read Complex article.

4. Analyse

Analyse the following banned books particularly the reasons for banning:

Title	Author	Year Published	Reason for Banning
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland	Lewis Carroll	1865	Children's novel/adventure. Formerly banned in the province of Hunan, China, beginning in 1931, for its portrayal of anthropomorphized animals acting on the same level of complexity as human beings. The censor General Ho Chien believed that attributing human language to animals was an insult to humans. He feared that the book would teach children to regard humans and animals on the same level, which would be "disastrous".
All Quiet on the Western Front	Erich Maria Remarque	1929	Anti-war novel. Banned in Nazi Germany for being demoralizing and insulting to the Wehrmacht.
Animal Farm	George Orwell	1945	Political novella. Completed in 1943, Orwell found that no publisher would print the book, due to its criticism of the USSR, an important ally of Britain in the War. Once published, the book was banned in the USSR and other communist countries. In 2002, the novel was banned in the schools of the United Arab Emirates, because it contained text or images that goes against Islamic values, most notably the occurrence of an anthropomorphic, talking pig. The book is still banned in North Korea, and censored in Vietnam.
Brave New World	Aldous Huxley	1932	Novel. Banned in Ireland in 1932, allegedly because of references of sexual promiscuity. Banned in Australia from 1932 to 1937.
The Canterbury Tales	Geoffrey Chaucer	late 14th century	Story collection. Banned from the U.S. mail under the Federal Anti-Obscenity Act (Comstock Law) of 1873, which banned the sending or receiving of works containing "obscene," "filthy," or "inappropriate" material.
The Da Vinci Code	Dan Brown	2003	Novel. Banned in September 2004 in Lebanon after Catholic leaders deemed it offensive to Christianity.
The Diary of Anne Frank	Anne Frank	1947	Non-fiction. Banned in Lebanon for its positive depiction of Jews.
Frankenstein	Mary Shelley	1818	Novel. Banned in apartheid South Africa in 1955 for containing "obscene" or "indecent" material.
The Grapes of Wrath	John Steinbeck	1939	Novel Was temporarily banned in many places in the US. In the state of California in which it was partially set, it was banned for its alleged unflattering portrayal of area residents.
Nineteen Eighty-Four	George Orwell	1949	Novel Banned by the Soviet Union in 1950, as Stalin understood that it was a satire based on his leadership. It was nearly banned by U.S.A. and UK in the early 1960s during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was not until 1990 that the Soviet Union legalised the book and it was re-released after editing.
Sophie's Choice	William Styron	1979	Novel Banned in Lebanon for its positive depiction of Jews.
Uncle Tom's Cabin	Harriet Beecher Stowe	1852	Novel Banned in the Confederate States during the Civil War because of its anti-slavery content. In 1852, Uncle Tom's Cabin was banned in Russia under the reign of Nicholas I because of the idea of equality it presented, and for its "undermining religious ideals."
Wild Swans	Jung Chang	1993	Autobiography/Biography Banned from publication in the People's Republic of China for its depiction of Mao Tse-tung.

5. How many of these books are on your reading list for senior or junior school? How many have you read? Why were these particular books banned? Historical context?

6. As a class,

Debate