An evidence-based approach to encouraging reading has led to a significant surge in library borrowing at Gippsland Grammar’s Garnsey Campus, with student loans rising by 73.6 per cent compared to the same period last year.
The sharp increase has been attributed to the Garnsey Campus Information Services Centre (ISC) adopting a behavioural science framework informed by recent research into the reading habits of Australian teenagers. Rather than simply expanding the school’s existing collection, the initiative focused on identifying the key barriers preventing young people from reading for pleasure and implementing practical strategies to help students discover books that genuinely
interested them.
The targeted effort resulted in total loans jumping from 193 titles during one term last year to 335 during the same period this year, with year seven students accounting for 241 of those borrowed books.
Library technician Brittany Sutherland said the campaign was built around helping students connect with reading in ways that directly reflected their personal interests and established habits.
“Reading is a journey that looks different for every student, and there can be many barriers along the way,” Ms Sutherland said.
“We wanted to make reading for leisure a fun and enjoyable experience and remove some of the barriers students experience early on.
“Once students were invested in a good book, we could continue this momentum with further recommendations and options. It really is about understanding your students, what they like to read or what they might like and bringing options to the table in a range of ways.”
Drawing on research from the Understanding Australian Readers report, the ISC introduced a series of targeted initiatives designed to make books more accessible. These included expanding face-out shelving to improve title visibility, introducing a weekly ‘Book of the Week’ display, promoting popular authors, running holiday reading challenges, and leveraging student borrowing data to guide new library purchases. Dedicated Discovery Sessions also helped students explore books by genre, while year seven transition sessions introduced incoming students to the ISC and its growing collection.
The approach also recognised shifting reading trends among students.
While fantasy and dystopian fiction remain enduringly popular, borrowing patterns are increasingly moving towards crime, mystery, and thriller titles, helping library staff make well-informed decisions regarding future book acquisitions.
Building on the campaign’s success, the ISC has since launched an ISC Ambassadors program, where student representatives meet regularly to help shape the future of
the space by offering feedback on reading trends, resource selection, and new collection ideas.
The student-led group has already contributed to expanding the library’s range of graphic novels, dyslexic-friendly texts and magazines – including the addition of a student-recommended science publication that has quickly become one of the ISC’s most popular lunchtime reads.
“By involving these students in the selection of new resources, we can ensure that student voice is at the centre of collection development,” Ms Sutherland said.
“They bring firsthand knowledge of what resonates with their peers and what the collection needs.”
To further support quiet study, the ISC has established a dedicated quiet reading space and expanded its browsing displays to make discovering new books effortless.
