Smallbone Library
Unfortunately, ‘information retrieving,’ however swift, is no substitute for discovering by direct personal inspection knowledge whose very existence one had possibly never been aware of, and following it at one’s own pace through the further ramifications of relevant literature.
- Lewis Mumford
The Smallbone Library is one of the finest facilities of its kind in the country, which is testimony to the quality of the vision that saw to its opening in 1994.
The Library houses in excess of 25,000 books, complemented by a wide range of periodicals and online resources. Middle and Upper School non-fiction is located upstairs, where there is space for 88 pupils to work in silence, a staffed Enquiry Desk, 16 networked computers and 1 dedicated OPAC terminal. Downstairs seats 56 and successfully balances the need for a comfortable recreational reading space with space for collaborative work, and includes a staffed Issue Desk, 20 networked computers, an A3 colour printer, and 2 dedicated OPAC terminals. There are rooms, both upstairs and downstairs, that can be booked for library-based lessons. The Library is open and staffed 7 days a week. The Library also houses the Careers Centre.
The Library's physical centrality means that it is a focal point for celebrating the intellectual, academic and cultural life of the School. Consequently, the Library is host to a rich variety of displays, performances, events and talks that showcase excellence across the Total Curriculum.