Creative Ways to Boost Student Engagement in Your School Library

School library staff wear a lot of hats: information specialists, tech troubleshooters, reading champions, event organisers, and more. With students used to fast-paced content and interactive apps, it can be tough to compete for their attention. But you don’t need a massive budget or a major overhaul to make your space more engaging.

With a bit of creativity (and the right tools), your library can become a place students are genuinely excited to visit. Here are some easy-to-implement ideas using Oliver v5, Orbit, and LearnPath that spark curiosity, support learning, and make your library feel like the heart of the school.

Gamify the Library Experience

Looking for a low-effort way to get students more involved? Gamification is a great place to start. Many students are already familiar with badges, leaderboards, and challenges, so why not bring that into your library?

Oliver and Orbit Badges

Reward students for everyday actions like borrowing books, returning them on time, writing reviews, and more. Badges are a simple way to encourage positive habits and make achievements visible and fun.

You can even order physical badges to hand out during class visits or assemblies.

Make News Pages Work for You

Oliver’s news pages are a quick and easy way to personalise the library experience. You can:

• Promote new books or series
• Highlight student work
• Share upcoming events or competitions

They’re easy to update, look great on any device, and recent styling improvements have made them even more visually appealing.

Browse our collection of free news pages here. If you don't have access to the community portal, contact our support team at support@softlinkint.com 

Got a great idea for a news page? We’d love to hear it! Email us at communications@softlinkint.com, your idea could be our next featured design!

LearnPath: Not Just for Research

Think LearnPath is just for referencing and research? Think again. It’s also a powerful engagement tool that can turn popular reads into interactive, gamified learning experiences.

A great example is the Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief guide, which transforms the book into a themed learning quest. It’s designed to bring Greek mythology to life while encouraging deeper reading, digital exploration, and creativity.

Here’s a glimpse of what’s inside the guide:

• Hero Passport
  Students receive a printable passport to track their progress. As they complete tasks, they tick them off like true demigods-in-training. It’s a fun way to keep them motivated and on track.
• Presentation Quest
  Launch their journey with a ready-made presentation. It guides students to explore, research, and present their findings with confidence, perfect for classroom or library use.
• Interactive Elements
  Embedded videos, coding tasks, and related resources enrich the experience. From learning how to create an app with Code.org to watching animations about Medusa and Zeus, students build connections across subjects.

LearnPath users can find and download the Percy Jackson guide directly from the LearnPath Hub by searching for “Percy Jackson.”

Whether it’s for Book Week, a mythology unit, or a fun reading extension, this guide shows how LearnPath can help turn a book into a meaningful, multi-dimensional learning adventure.

If you’re thinking about creating your own themed guide, we’re always happy to help you get started or share examples.

Mystery, Made Memorable: Library Cluedo

Julie Staley at Loreto College had a great idea to help Year 6 students transition to the senior library. She created Library Cluedo, a who-dunnit-style game using Oliver to help students:

• Log into their Oliver accounts
• Search the catalogue
• Navigate Dewey call numbers
• Feel confident using library tools

Students left the program not only engaged but genuinely empowered to use the library independently. 

Read the full Loreto College case study here

 A Mystery at Victory Lutheran

Inspired by the Cluedo concept, Victory Lutheran College created a “Who Dunnit” game tied to their school production. Students completed a mystery worksheet using Oliver’s catalogue, uncovering clues to solve a secret sentence.

It was a simple, creative way to:

• Promote the library and school event
• Get students actively searching the catalogue
• Build excitement and buzz on a small budget

Read the full Victory Lutheran College case study here

Celebrate Student Voice in Oliver

Showcasing student work is a great way to make them feel seen and keep your library relevant.

Ideas to try:

• Feature student-created book covers or fan art
• Share short stories or poems inspired by their reading
• Add a “Top 5 Reads” section curated by students
• Spotlight a student artist or reviewer of the month

Use Oliver’s news pages and reviews to publish their work and promote your collection at the same time.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Even simple changes like adding a badge challenge, updating a news page, or trying one themed LearnPath guide can make a big difference in how students engage with the library.

If you’d like help getting started, our team is here to support you.

Contact us at communications@softlinkint.com to chat through ideas or request sample LearnPath guides and templates.