new ADDIS ZENA_MAGAZINE_JUNE19_2019_01 | Page 6

A QUIET TRANSFOR- MATION IN THE ICS LIBRARY We also hope to have more parents borrowing books for their children and themselves from both the ES and MS/ HS libraries.” (Kim Shumlanski, ES Librarian) projects such as the Passion Project.” An even more delightful addition to the library, is the Loft. With its beautiful table and chairs, sofa and comfortable pillows, the loft in the ES library aims to enhance the reading experience of the children. The Loft gives students their own special space to read and makes reading an inviting, and fulfilling experience. From the new colorful carpet to the new shelves and displays to the new home- like loft, the elementary school library has seen quite a lot of changes. With its fresh design, the ES library is solid proof of where ICS is heading in terms of personalized learning and student agency. The new child friendly shelves in the library make it accessible for students to independently search for books they like and make the library all the more exciting place to be for the children. With a new sofa and bin cards arriving soon, Ms. Kim, the ES librarian, hopes the library will become even more exciting to children, transferring more responsibility and independence. “We are making the library more organized.”, Ms. Kim explains. “With a better organization of the library, we Along with the preparation to host the Librarians’ Conference for International Schools in Africa, there has been a lot of excitement around the library this year. Mara Menzies, a renowned, African storyteller is came to perform and lead workshops. The ICS Library has also been working in collaboration with other international schools in east Africa to make the Nile Book Award bigger and more influential. Ms. Kim notes, “With the new block schedule in the elementary school, we are hopeful that there will be even more collaboration with teachers and leaders in the elementary school this year. We also hope to have more parents borrowing books for their children and themselves from both the ES and MS/ HS libraries.” are confident that students will grow more self-reliant in their daily use of the library as well as with their bigger 6