Library

The Library is a place where students can read, borrow books and work on homework and studying. It has recently (2017-2018) been renovated so that there is a mezzanine floor upstairs. It is open from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Up untill now, there is a mini-library on the first floor.

## Primary Floor

The Primary Floor is open to all students. It contains a table consisting of five iMacs for research and accessing the library database and homework use, though many have been caught using them for other purposes. This floor contains Primary Fiction, Secondary Non-Fiction, Magazines and the Librarian's Table.

The old library, before renovation, had a hollow circle-shaped table with iMacs and chairs. There was a bust of a human (possibly male) in the middle and TVs at the top.

### iMac Stats

The iMacs are downgraded versions of the ones in the Principal's Office.

#### Display

* 21.5-inch (viewable) LED-backlit glossy widescreen TFT display with support for millions of colours
* Resolution: 1920 by 1080 pixels

#### Processor

* 2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with 6MB on-chip shared L3 cache

#### Memory

* 4GB (two 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 memory: 2.5 GHz
* 500GB (7200 rpm) hard drive: 2.5 GHz
* AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR5 memory

#### Video Support and Camera

* FaceTime HD camera
* Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to a 30-inch display (2560 by 1600 pixels) on an external display
* Support for extended desktop and video mirroring modes

#### Audio

* Built-in stereo speakers
* Two internal 17-watt high-efficiency amplifiers
* Headphone/optical digital audio output (minijack)
* Audio line in/optical digital audio input (minijack)
* Built-in microphone
* Support for Apple iPhone headset with microphone

#### Connections and Expansion

* One Thunderbolt port
* Mini DisplayPort output with support for DVI, VGA, and dual-link DVI (adapters sold separately)
* One FireWire 800 port; 7 watts
* Four USB 2.0 ports
* SDXC card slot
* Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer burning (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
* Audio in/out
* 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
* IR receiver

### Librarians' Table

The Librarians' Table is where students borrow books. It is where students can also borrow outdated Thinkpads, Chromebooks and iPads. The Head Librarians and the Librarians are stationed here. There is a printer, multiple boxes of books, and an exit. Since the installation of the mezzanine floor, there is also an elevator that can carry a maximum of 3 people. It is used to transport books. The Chromebook trolley has been removed since the 2019–2020 school year.

## Mezzanine Floor/Balcony

This is a balcony-like structure on top of the Library. It oversees a part of the library. Only the secondary are allowed on it. There is a worker's corner for library parent volunteers to sit and work. There are also rows of tables with charging ports beneath. There are several sofas on the side with the big glass windows. There is also a small librarian's desk next to the sofas, with the Sixth Stairwell entrance next to the desk, at the corner. There is a glass elevator at the opposite side of the big glass windows facing the side without the Piper's Hill Quarters, which connects to the bottom floor's librarian area. The balcony area is also off-limits to students and is sort of a mini librarian area, similar to the one at the bottom floor. Many books are stored in this area in plastic boxes. There is also a table, used for meetings. The Fourth Stairwell's top exit leads to this area and the usually enclosed area of the roof (i.e. the area inside the high fences, with lots of air ventilation ducts). The leftmost bookshelf (the one closest to the Fourth Stairwell) holds reference material, while the middle bookshelves hold novels and magazines.

## Borrowing

Every student in this school is eligible to borrow items from the library. Such as books, and board games. They are encouraged to borrow books from the library to boost the school's 'reading spirit'. Primary 1 and 2 students can borrow up to two objects, primary 3 to 5 five objects and lastly, secondary students can borrow eight items. Only teachers can borrow DVDs and CDs.

## Books

Books in the library are specially picked to suit the needs of students. All of the books are picked carefully by the librarians and the parent-teacher association. It is certainly safe to say that all the books are appropriate for the students, and if inappropriate books found, they will be disposed of immediately, though some books with 18+ content can be found, these books are often labelled as 'Senior Fiction'.

## Laptops

Students can borrow laptops from the librarian counter on the primary floor. Students will need their student ID card to borrow the computer and then can get it and go. Students should return the laptop when they finished using it and should bring it back to the counter to redeem the student card back. The librarians will let a student use a laptop only if:

1. The iMac desktop computers are all being used (in situations where teachers book laptops and/or iPads for class use, this criterion can be neglected), or;
2. They have work to do and are given permission from (a) teacher(s).

The laptops used before were Lenovo Thinkpads. Due to the ThinkPads becoming old, laggy, heavy and worn down, the school bought a new batch of laptops intended for educational uses—the 2017 EDXIS Chromebooks, with an Intel Celeron Quad-Core processor N3160 each. The operating system used is the Chrome OS. The laptops have a lightweight body which weighs only 1250 grams. They also feature an 11.6-inch 1366×768 resolution HD LED anti-glare touch screen. The new white Chromebooks are arguably better than the ThinkPads since they are faster. The librarians have recently replaced them with iPads.

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