The ETHS Libraries are exceptional resources for students. They provide a place to study, gain knowledge, and act as a second home for many classes. With hundreds of scholars going in and out of the libraries each day, they are a popular workspace.
“On a typical busy day at Central Library, you help students [primarily] in the morning. A lot of times when they come in, they’re printing, [or] maybe they need to check out a book,” said Dr. Miriam Rosen, one of the librarians.
Rosen is shedding light on one way high schoolers utilize the library: through actively taking advantage of the many opportunities and benefits it has to offer. An obvious use for the library is finding books, which librarians such as Rosen in Central Library, or Bill Latham and Rosina Button in the East Library, help students with. Another excellent use of the library is Kit Print. Kit Print allows students to print anything they need for free. While both are common uses of the library, most students who access the library are there for studying.
“I don’t check out books often, but I check out books once or twice a year,” said senior Jaidon Santos-Volpe. “I go to the library to study.”
The libraries provide a quiet, focused learning environment, perfect for after-school studying or for spending a free period. Central Library has countless tables for studying, reading, and working. East Library has many options, from tables to couches, allowing visitors to choose what setting they are in.
While many students come to the library to study, checking out books is also a very popular activity. Even in a constantly advancing world, full of growing technology and more ebooks, Evanston high schoolers still appreciate checking out physical books.
“I thought that a lot of students would be going towards ebooks or anything digital, but surprisingly, most students, I’d say 95% of the student population, want a physical book,” said Button.
This includes teachers bringing students into the library to find books for projects, assigned independent reading, or for their own enjoyment. Students also stop by the library in search of books pertaining to their schoolwork.
“We’re always pitching books, just trying to pique interest, give you something good to read, that you’re going to enjoy, a non-fiction book or a fiction book,” said Latham. He expanded, saying, ”I like seeing students learn new skills and follow their interests… like a project topic, for example, a junior research paper.”
With the help of a librarian’s suggestions, students are able to find books that they will truly love and enjoy. The librarians are also a fantastic source to assist students in finding books for a class. Say a U.S. history student needed to learn about the Civil War, a librarian could help that student find one of the many books about the Civil War in the high school’s collection. Overall, the book selection at ETHS is extremely vast and of high quality. The quality of the libraries continues to improve as Latham conducts a project to keep the book selection current.
“We’ve been removing a lot of old, outdated items that are no longer used in this collection,” said Latham. “We can order more, newer items that are more curriculum-relevant, and it’s better suited for the collection.”
Latham is removing hundreds of pounds of these old, dilapidated books that are losing their relevance and are being recycled into new paper that can be used to make new books. This is made possible by the improved data system that keeps track of every book in the school libraries. It knows where each one is, if it was checked out, and when it was checked out. This database can tell which books aren’t checked out frequently, which is when, if the books are in bad condition, they can be removed and recycled. These
“Technology has played a really big role [in the library program]…the tables would have been filled with big boxy IBM computers, in the early 2000s,” said Latham. Button said, “[I] do the STEM activities with the students, I have 3D printing that I do with them.”
The 3D printing and STEM side of the libraries is brand new to the libraries, and any class can come into the library and take advantage of the opportunities, from science classes to ceramics classes. Along with the new database, the libraries have shown miraculous improvements over recent years.
As the countless functions of the library evolve and expand, one thing has remained the same: The ETHS libraries’ top-notch status. Readers can find a wide selection of recent non-fiction books, countless classic novels, and many other genres. With the help of a librarian, you can find more than just books, but information and help with projects as well.
“There’s a lot more to being a librarian than just books,” Button said.
