MESSY BOOK SHELVES… a SIGN OF LIFE!

By: Melinda Kehe, MS Librarian

The first day of the 2022/23 school year started as it should, students browsing for books, reading, and chatting with friends. We no longer had to limit the number of patrons entering the library, we no longer had to ask students to check into and out of the library, we no longer had to wipe down books, sanitize surfaces, and other Covid protocols that were implemented during the main covid period. There was a buzz of activity and energy and it felt and looked like a school library should - bursts of laughter here and there, the sound of the printer going, and, of course, the messy bookshelves, indicating that books had been browsed, some kept and some and stuffed back onto shelves in higgledy-piggledy order.

During the height of the Covid years the library leveraged its robust online resources. Through technology, patrons had access to both physical and digital resources during this time.. A Google form was set up for patrons to request books which were gathered, packed, and delivered downstairs. We were able to Zoom into classes and provide instruction thanks to our subscriptions to numerous databases, which provided online access to newspaper, magazine and scholarly journal articles. Our subscription to OverDrive, which provides eBooks and audiobooks, also saw a spike in usage during this period.

Despite the continued reading and research as the school opened and closed due to Covid, there are of course some services that are hard to replicate online. For example, the one-on-one instruction during a research unit, the exploration of the world and beyond using VR machines, and handing a book directly to a student during an impromptu discussion in the aisles. There are always students, whether they are individuals or groups, who make the library their special place in school, you can find them day after day in the same spot, it warms our hearts to see them, knowing the library is their special place.

In addition to displaying art and student research, the library is often sought after for special events. It is also used as a location for many other programs such as Health Fairs, Professional Develop Training, and much more.

At the end of the school day, we now see trolleys full of books, chairs left out, words and diagrams scrawled on whiteboards in the break-out rooms upstairs, pencils and water bottles left behind, and those ‘messy bookshelves’ - evidence of life in the library - It’s so good to be together again!