Nanneella State Primary School students with Mobile Area Resource Centre library teacher Helen McLaren.
Photo by
Lua Ikenasio
Following a generous donation, schools serviced by the Murray Plains Mobile Area Resource Centre have welcomed the new term with brand new books for students.
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The mobile library was one of five MARC vans to receive $1000 from the Terry Floyd Foundation and Dymocks Childrens Charities to purchase reading resources.
About 175 students from Nanneella, Murrabit, Koondrook, Leitchville and Gunbower will have access to the new books during their weekly library lessons with MARC library teacher Helen McLaren.
Ms McLaren said the students looked forward to their weekly library lessons and were always keen to read.
“They love it. They really do,” she said.
“I ask them what books they want me to buy and I buy what they want and so when I give them a book that they’ve asked for, oh my gosh, it’s like Christmas.”
MARC library teacher Helen McLaren has been running her mobile library in the Murray Plains area for nine years.
Photo by
Lua Ikenasio
Once the donation was finalised, schools compiled a list of books suggested by students for Ms McLaren’s consideration.
In addition to these suggestions, she also purchased titles missing from existing series and other popular choices among students, such as Bluey books.
Ms McLaren currently has a collection of about 11,000 books, which she stores at her base school, Leitchville Primary School.
As the MARC van can only carry a limited amount of books, she regularly changes the books the van carries to give students fresh options.
Ms McLaren said she was grateful to those who made the donation possible.
“I just wanted to thank Dymocks, Daryl Floyd and the Terry Floyd Foundation so much,” she said.
“We’re very, very grateful because it provides these kids now with so many more beautiful books and they just love it.
“There’s so many schools in the state of Victoria that are benefiting from them donating these books.”