Our students love using the Oliver search terminals. They look up specific books, figure out where to find them, and often make a note of what the book looks like.
Tanya Trebilcock, Library Manager, Victory Lutheran College
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Victory Lutheran College is located in Wodonga, Victoria. The school was established 34 years ago by the Lutheran Church as a primary school and later expanded to include secondary education in 2004. We now have around 900 students, and it’s a lovely place to be.
Our students range in age from 5 to 18, so creating a welcoming and flexible library space is really important. We’ve set up areas that cater to all age groups, including a Primary School room, chess tables, lounges, desks, and small coffee tables at the ends of our non-fiction collection where students can spread out comfortably.
At lunchtime, the library becomes a lively hub. Students drop in to read, borrow books, play chess and Uno, or spend time with our Lego and stuffed toys.
Our Primary teachers regularly bring their classes to the library. It’s a calm and comfortable space where students learn a wide range of skills and enjoy time outside the classroom. Secondary teachers bring their students too, mostly for borrowing and research when it suits their programs.
We have close to 24,000 print book titles. That includes nearly 5,000 picture books, over 400 Big Books, more than 6,000 primary fiction titles, around 1,400 senior fiction books, about 8,000 non-fiction titles across both junior and senior levels, and more than 3,000 teacher resources.
One of our most popular sections is our collection of 370 graphic novels.
We also subscribe to three key digital resources: ClickView, World Book Online, and StoryBox Library, which complement our print collection nicely.
I started working here in 2023 and while we haven’t explored everything Oliver can do just yet, I really enjoy working with it and can already see the potential it offers.
So far, we’ve focused on improving our physical spaces and weeding thousands of items from the collection, so most of our Oliver use has been for our everyday tasks and projects that help make resources easier to find. It’s central to everything we do—from loans and reservations to our annual stocktake.
Our students love using the Oliver search terminals. They look up specific books, figure out where to find them, and often make a note of what the book looks like. They especially enjoy reserving fiction books that are popular with their friends.
The stocktake module has been a standout for me. We had a massive stocktake to get through during my first year, and I found the process really straightforward and forgiving. It took a big task and made it manageable.
Softlink’s support has been excellent. Every time I’ve called or emailed, I’ve been helped by someone who knows the system and is happy to assist. If they don’t have an answer right away, they follow up with more information. That kind of service really makes a difference when you’re trying to keep things running smoothly.
After reading an Oliver case study from Loreto College, I was inspired to run a themed competition using the catalogue as a central tool. I chose a murder mystery theme to tie in with our school production, and it became a fun way to promote both the show and the library.
Students completed a worksheet by searching the Oliver catalogue to fill in missing letters and solve a mystery sentence. It was a creative, engaging activity that encouraged students to explore the collection, and it was definitely worth investing in a few small prizes. The buzz it created around the library was fantastic.
I love being part of a school where the library is valued and supported. There’s always more to explore with Oliver, and I’m excited to continue finding new ways to connect students with books, encourage independent use of the library, and keep growing our reading culture.