In order to foster a reading culture in schools, cultivate knowledge, hone critical thinking, and develop self-study skills for students, many schools across Khanh Hoa Province have proactively innovated their library organization and activities, built friendly reading corners, diversified ways of promoting reading, and linked reading to educational activities. Thereby, they have gradually sparked a love for reading, formed self-study habits, and contributed to improving the overall quality of education.
Creating friendly spaces, sparking a love for reading
When the drum signals recess, students of Nguyen Hue Secondary School, branch campus in Da Mai Village, Dien Tho Commune, gather at the library to read their favorite books. Ms. Nguyen Thuc Hanh, the school librarian, is also busy arranging books on the shelves, preparing to welcome the students. The library space is neatly organized, with titles arranged by section and theme, making it easy for students to search and choose. Prominently in the middle of the room is a display table of children's books featuring a wide variety of genres, from comics and fairy tales to life skills books. The library also displays numerous paintings and creative works by students who won prizes in competitions organized by the school.
 |
| Students Cao A Thai Thuan and Cao Tung Anh, class 6/7 at Nguyen Hue Secondary School, branch campus in Da Mai Village, visit the library during recess. |
According to Ms. Hanh, these works not only help enrich the library space but also motivate students to develop their talents and confidently showcase their creative abilities. The vibrant, welcoming layout allows students to easily access books suited to their interests, while stimulating their enthusiasm for reading and exploring knowledge. In that space, pages are continuously turned, mingled with the students' soft chatter, creating a familiar and peaceful library scene during recess.
 |
| Students of Phan Rang Secondary School (Branch Campus No. 1) read books at the library. |
At Phan Rang Secondary School (Branch No. 1), the library makes an impression with its lively arrangement, highlighted by a boat model crafted from books placed amidst neatly organized bookshelves. Decorated with the national flag and pennants, and paired with book titles about the homeland's seas and islands, the model creates a focal point for the reading space. The image of the boat heading out to sea conveys a message about the journey of discovering knowledge, while inspiring students' love for books and pride in Vietnam's sea and island sovereignty. Around the model, many books are conveniently displayed for students to choose and read.
More than just a place to read books, the library has also become a venue for organizing many rewarding extracurricular activities, such as: Book Festivals, new book introductions, book-based storytelling, exchanges with authors, and book club gatherings. These activities provide opportunities for students to interact, share knowledge, and hone communication, presentation, and teamwork skills. At the same time, the rich collection of resources at the library also assists teachers in finding materials for teaching and professional exchanges, contributing to enhancing the quality of education in the school.
Nguyen Ngoc Thanh Vi, a student from class 9B12, shared: “The library often organizes many rewarding activities such as book introductions, book-based storytelling, and book festivals… for us to join together. Through these activities, I have learned more good, meaningful stories. I have also learned to cherish every page and found myself enjoying reading more."
Innovating forms of operation
Aiming to bring books closer to students, many school libraries across the province have step by step innovated their operating methods, combining traditional library models with open reading spaces to create a friendly learning environment and stimulate students' love for reading. Instead of being confined to enclosed spaces and operating strictly on scheduled hours, libraries have expanded into schoolyard areas with welcoming, convenient layouts. Schools have also focused on supplementing and diversifying their resource materials. According to surveys, each school library holds over 5,000 book titles across various genres, categorized into thematic groups such as textbooks, professional books, reference books, short stories, and life skills books…, enabling students and teachers to access rich sources of knowledge to serve learning and teaching.
 |
| The library space at Nguyen Hue Secondary School, branch in Da Mai village. |
Along with supplementing book collections, schools also focus on equipping libraries with computers to assist students in looking up information and searching for learning materials. At the same time, the application of information technology in library management and reader services has been gradually stepped up. Book borrowing and returning are supported through digital software; online reading via digital libraries is also being rolled out gradually, helping to diversify ways of accessing knowledge, enabling teachers and students to proactively search for and utilize rich resources to meet teaching and learning needs in the digital era.
 |
| Ms. Le Thi Nhu Bich, a librarian at Phan Rang Secondary School (Campus 1), uses book management software to track the book borrowing process at the school library. |
Ms. Tran Thi Bich Yen - Vice Principal of Phan Rang Secondary School (Campus No. 1), shared: “Currently, teachers and students at the school must come to school if they want to look up materials in the digital library. In the coming time, the school hopes to implement access via a link so that teachers and students can search for and consult materials right at home. This will facilitate students' self-study and independent research, while also helping teachers proactively exploit rich resources to better serve their teaching work.”
THUY NHU - THANH HIEU
