The library is home to many individuals who either like to read or just want a quiet place to chill and stay. It’s open for almost all days of the week, and especially during lunch where it is the busiest. Now that it’s getting colder, students are running up to the library to stay somewhere nice and warm.
If students are avid readers, there are a wide variety of books for them to choose. Whether they like romantic books, horror books, science fiction, or manga, the library has it all. There are also new additions to the library. Lisa Williamson, the librarian at Shadow Ridge, brought in a bunch of new activities for students to use in the library.
“I’ve already brought in quite a bit of new things this year. More board games, ping pong, origami, coloring and puzzles. I also have a few book displays highlighting a monthly theme, and have started some dynamic shelving, which turns books cover forward, making it easier for students to find books that might interest them. And today, I created a display of books with QR codes linked to a book trailer on YouTube, so students can watch a short video about the book to see if they like reading it. Sometimes the cover doesn’t do the book justice, so it’s nice to have a little more information before checking it out.”
The library is a nice calming place to socialize, there’s soft background music and a quiet environment for people to chill out. Kylene Hernandez, senior, is a student aide in the library and frequently finds herself in the comfort of the library.
I have seen a difference in students visiting the library since the improvements. Last year, as a junior I would come into the library quite often and usually it would just be me and a few other students keeping to ourselves…
— Kylene Hernandez
Mrs. Williamson wasted no time in adjusting the environment for all students to feel comfortable.
“It didn’t take long. I wanted to make the library a more welcoming place, and not just a place to check out books, but for anyone to recharge themselves, or find a safe space- an escape from lunch chaos. My thought was “low-budget, high function” and a variety of things to do to reach as many students as possible. Also, once I ran a report on our book collection, it was obvious based on the statistics, we need to add more new books that our students WANT to read, like Manga. They have also requested the fiction section be sorted by genre. It’s going to take some time, but once it’s done we will have decreased the average age of our books, updated outdated materials and have more students utilize the library. So far, I’ve seen students respond well to the new additions, and it’s rewarding for me to see that my hard work is paying off!”
Mrs. Williamson’s efforts to revive the library have been a success. Ever since the new additions, there have been more students making their way to find comfort in the library.
