How to use us

Further details in the factsheets available to download in the documents table below.

Books for your school library

Plymouth Schools Library Service:

• deliver quality books chosen by professional staff for use in schools.
• provide long-term loans of popular fiction and factual books to encourage leisure reading plus excellent reference books to support curriculum learning.

Books that are worn out or little used can be returned to us in our regular exchange to be replaced with fresh titles.  Staff responsible for the library are always welcome to come into the Schools Library Centre to select books.

Loan collections

From Egyptian mummies to modern ethics, we have a huge range of up-to-date books to create ‘tailor-made collections. Topic loans may support work in the classroom or school events such as an author visit.

Teachers from subscribing schools can pre-order two Topic collections for each term with up to 20 books in each.

Order your topic collection online.

Special educational needs

We offer an exciting range of multi-sensory resources, puppets and easy-access books for use with children with special educational needs. Our SEN Extra loans are available for individuals and groups and are borrowed as individual items.

Teachers from subscribing schools can order an SEN Extra collection by phoning 01752 780713 or emailing sls@plymouth.gov.uk. These items are in addition to teachers’ topic loan entitlement.

Our other loan collections include Challenge books to stimulate interest, creativity and problem-solving skills in children at Key Stage 2 and the First time collection of exciting books for nursery children.

Advice and support

Our experienced advisers visit schools and work with staff to evaluate book resources and plan and support developments.

Support group meetings and information and advice sessions are held in the centre for school staff and governors.

Our School Library Handbook is sent to all subscribing schools and contains useful ideas for developing your library as well as full details of all our services.

In Service Training can help you make the most of your library and book resources. We have a changing programme of courses each year.

Staff are available to answer queries by telephone or email.

Bookshop

Good quality, shelf ready books from our showroom or to order with discount. Schools can have a book purchase selected by our staff for them and our new loyalty scheme gives vouchers to collect for free books.

We publish regular lists of top new fiction and reference books and are always happy to give advice on books for your school.

Post 14 exhibition

We hold an annual purchasing exhibition of titles to support study at KS4 and KS5. Books are displayed according to their subject for easy access and school orders attract the usual discounts.

Benchmarking and consultation

If you would like to know more about our future plans and how we perform in comparison to other Schools Library Service providers, please see our Further Information page.

Subscribe to PSLS?

If your school subscribes to PSLS please contact us to gain access to the following information:

Shelving and library management systems

• Shelving
• Shelving suppliers
• Library and classroom furniture suppliers
• Issue systems
• Computerised library management systems
• Schools using computerised library management systems in Plymouth
• Library security systems
• Evaluation of the physical environment of the school library

Organising your resources

• Selecting resources for primary schools
• Selecting resources for secondary schools
• Withdrawing stock
• Categorisation of books (fiction)
• Easy guide to the Dewey Decimal Classification System
• Options for classifying non-fiction books in a Key Stage 1 library
• Classroom book corners
• Audio-visual resources
• Website links

Managing your library

• Monitoring library use
• Library policy
• Library development plan

Reader development

• Library and book promotion
• The importance of Iiformation literacy
• Booklist special issues

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