CGGS Mother Tongue Library Collection
“A language is far more than a means of communication; it is the very condition of our humanity. Our values, our beliefs and our identity are embedded within it. It is through language that we transmit our experiences our traditions and our knowledge. The diversity of languages reflects the incontestable wealth of our imaginations and ways of life”
Maya Hayashikawa, Director General of UNESCO 2018
CGGS is privileged to have students, families and staff members from a range of Cultural and Language backgrounds. Many members of our community speak and read two or more languages and this diversity brings richness and depth to our school.
The CGGS senior library celebrates and promotes this diversity through a robust and ever-growing Mother Tongue Collection. We have books in a range of written languages, including French, German, Japanese, Simplified Chinese (Mandarin), Spanish, Maori, Arabic and Hindi and are seeking to expand our collection to fully reflect the school community.
We encourage students to access these books both to enjoy reading in their established languages, as well as to enhance their language learning journey.
The library is continually growing its Mother Tongue Collection, and welcomes input from students, families and teachers who read these languages. If you have a recommendation for a text to include in the collection, please fill out this form and we will endeavour to source it to add to our library.
https://form.jotform.com/232117926828866
We also welcome donations of books in good condition, these can be sent in with students and presented to library staff.
References:
Hayashikawa, Maya. (2018). Message from Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, 21 February 2018. [Conference session] UNESCO.