Last week we brought you part 1 of how the Eagle Grove Area School District is changing the rules of what happens in the elementary/middle school library. This week, we bring you a peek inside the exciting changes at the Eagle Grove High School library as well.
Jeanette White, head school librarian, says gone are the days of being shushed and expected to sit quietly with their head in a book. For the older kids at the high school, also gone are the days of no food or drink allowed in the library. In today’s world, White says they know students are busy and that they need to fuel up with food and drink when they have time, and most often, that’s when they’re sitting in the library studying. As long as the drinks have a lid, and the food won’t leave marks all over the books (like Cheetos), it’s fair game.
They’ve also added more comfortable seating. No longer are students required to sit in a hard chair pulled up to the table. The new and improved EGHS library now offers a comfy lounger sofa as well as a few gaming chairs – all donated pieces. All of these are a big hit with the students. This has helped the library has become the place students want to be, often requesting to head there during study hall periods to collaborate with their peers on projects they might be working on or research they may be doing.
If all their work is done, some of the students spend this study hall time, or even some before or after school hours, enjoying a new creative corner which offers scrapbooking supplies, chess, a 3D printer, and even a Makerspace to entertain them. White also started a Digital Meeting Club in early 2020…and then COVID hit. She is hoping to get this up and running again once COVID settles down and things are a little more back to normal.
White said Hailey Adams, the first-year associate librarian at the high school (and middle school cross country coach), has been instrumental in helping the high school library thrive.
“She has a handle on things and has a really good connection with the kids…which allows me to be in the classrooms helping out with library-related questions when needed,” said White.
They have also been working on restocking missing books from series they have available at the high school library. The next project they would like to achieve is getting the average publication date of their books more current.
These changes have been happening one step at a time, but White knows they are drawing kids back to the library. The proof? Circulation rates at the high school library have doubled from September of 2019 to September of 2020.
