<p>Is your high school library an inspiration to learning or a depressing closet of dispair? How should a high school library be? How many books, librarians, desks, computer connections...would you have if they gave you a budget?</p>
<p>link to my daughters urban public high school library
we can always use more money
<a href="http://ghs.seattleschools.org/content/library/index.php%5B/url%5D">http://ghs.seattleschools.org/content/library/index.php</a></p>
<p>I've worked in a school with no "library" at all, just lots and lots of books in each teacher's classroom. It's a lot less important than you'd think, esp. when students have no study hall (and thus no free time in the school building) as a school policy. Field trips to the community library work very well, and there's an enormous amount of information on the internet, including most of the stuff you used to have to go to the library to find--esp. in school districts with subscriptions to search services.</p>
<p>what library? LOL </p>
<p>S only goes into it twice a year...in September to pick up class texts, and in June to return them.</p>
<p>Actually, we have a wonderful lib with ~20 computers, small QUIET reading room, and extremely helpful staff. School size = 1900</p>
<p>My high school library was very important to me, and it was AVAILABLE to me because my high school had "modular scheduling" and the kids could roam the building quite freely. I feel bad for kids who can only go to the school library by missing study hall or something like that. </p>
<p>But I haven't missed my high school library since seeing my alma mater university's library. THAT'S a good library. My son will have circulating privileges at State U., my alma mater, next year, when he advances to a college-level course in his accelerated math program. The university library has 6 million volumes; 38,000 periodical subscriptions; 5 million microforms; and an online computerized catalog that is the envy of librarians all over the country. My son will have the choice of circulating up to 350 items at a time, with a six-week loan (renewable twice, online) and will have full access to a vast array of online databases. Pretty good for a thirteen-year-old, don't you think? </p>
<p>I've seen the libraries of some of the local high schools, particularly the library of the local high school that Jay Mathews of the Washington Post praises most often. That's kid stuff. My son gets to learn in the big world.</p>
<p>Its not really that good. The librarians are very nice and try to help you find what you need. But it usually isn't there anyway. Public schools need more money.</p>
<p>EK4, I had a feeling your D went to GHS from reading your posts about her school being an inner-city academic powerhouse.</p>
<p>My school library isn't that great... It's pretty depressing when Campbell's biology 2nd ed. is considered one of the newest and best textbooks on our shelves. </p>
<p>Our librarians are helpful and we have a good number of computers, internet connection, and a laser printer.</p>
<p>Crayon I admit I do feel a bit smug about it, but she went to another school for 6 years where I didn't get followup until it was too late to matter anymore, so I am thrilled for her to be at a school where the teachers return my emails.
I know that things are really disproportinate though.
I went to a school where I maybe went into the library once or twice although now I think that school has pumped a lot of money into the library. Some schools have really sad libraries, old materials and not enough time and energy to keep them up.
I used to run a book group when she attended her previous school, the school had a specific section for book group books ( copies of 5 or more) and that was great because students weren't restricted by grade or reading level. But most of the books were paperbacks and many were falling apart, not very much fun to read. I did go out a buy a few copies of some books I wanted my group to have a chance to read and donated the ones that came back to the library, but it is an ongoing battle to have books repaired and updated.
I am glad that the city libraries are getting updated, but even at the downtown library, so many books seem really old :(</p>
<p>Old books aren't bad as long as they are kept while new ones are bought. Most of the library books I read as a kid are no longer in my county library system, which means I can't read them to my kids or let them read the books themselves. The best public library system in our town, from that point of view, is one across the metropolitan area that buys plenty of new books but also keeps all the old ones. There I can find some of the books I read as a kid that have vanished from other libraries.</p>
<p>The library at my school is spacious and has most new fiction books, but they've totaly given up on getting new non-fiction books due to the internet (have about 30 computers). We have subscriptions to about 20 magazines and get the local papers.</p>
<p>BTW: I'm a library aide during study hall, it beats sitting in a room for 45 minutes.</p>
<p>Our HS library was greatly improved when the entire school was renovated 2001-2003. It's a beautiful space with computers and on-line access to a number of databases (available remotely through the website as well). A cyber locker is also offered: "CyberLocker is a place for students from the High School to store electronic files. It is intended for use with class assignments, homework and projects. You can access your files from anywhere on the internet. School Library, Public Libraries, home (if you have internet access)." Kids use it a lot during the day because the HS has open campus.</p>
<p>The elementary school's library was also enhanced when the school (K-8) was renovated 1999-2000. D got to enjoy it for a year before she graduated.</p>
<p>Because we live in the Greater Boston area, D can request materials from libraries within the Minuteman system via the Internet and pick them up at our local branch.</p>
<p>I don't know how good our library is; to me, the important thing is that the librarian is great. She can point students to resources, has created webquests for different classes, has links to writing guides, etc... Much of it is on the school's website.<br>
My S has used our public library for research. It is part of a network of libraries. Often, he can get books through interlibrary loan (this has taught him to start his research early).</p>
<p>It's impossible to get anything done in my library because, even though the facilities are quite nice, it's very, very difficult to concentrate because the two librarians are head hunters who are always looking to hand out infractions to anyone who moves a piece of furniture (like moving an extra chair up to a table to work with friends) or wears a thermal undershirt (in February). It's an all-girls Catholic school, btw.</p>
<p>n o</p>
<p>I didn't check out a single book from my high school library in the 4 years I was there... went to the regional library when I needed books for school work, which wasn't often.</p>
<p>My high school did have access to some online things like jstore ane lexusnexus I believe... but I never used those either.</p>
<p>My library is pretty good. There are a ton of ancient books though but a lot of new ones too. Like for example we have all the Harry Potter books but I also remember checking out a book about the Beatles published in 1967! we also have like 5 sets of encyclopedias, one set's a least twenty years old, another set is a dinky kiddy set, the others are recent and informative. we also have many other reference books like atlases and almanacs.
that said, we have NO periodicals. even my elementary school in the same district subscribed to US News and Time but not the HS.
the librarians are very nice.</p>
<p>I liked the library at my HS - and the librarians were great. There was a separate library for the elementary students, so the HS library was pretty serious. The librarians were always quick to order books I recommended or wanted to read, and they had decent computing, online and microfilm capabilities. That said, I was shocked to learn that they didn't have a single copy of A Tale of Two Cities. How does a high school library not have a copy of that?! After my outrage, I think they bought two within a month.</p>
<p>My D's high school library can be found at <a href="http://www.amazon.com%5B/url%5D">www.amazon.com</a>. She's spent a fortune there.</p>
<p>An affordable alternative to Amazon is <a href="http://www.alibris.com%5B/url%5D">www.alibris.com</a>. D needed books for her senior paper and we found them (gently used but in great shape) for a fraction of the retail price at alibris.</p>
<p>The libraries are my daughters schools are amazing. There are two--because the school have a split campus.</p>
<p>Students can access the catalog from our home computer and request a hold on a book, have it sent from one campus to the other.</p>
<p>What my daughters have found most useful is the ability to access the catalog from home. (when working on a report, for the bibliography--they sometimes forget to get all of the info for the biblio)</p>
<p>The only issue with the library really is tied to the large enrollment. There are over 4000 students. On one or two occasions I have bought a book because the girls didn't want to wait until it came back in. But for research projects--they have had no problem getting material.</p>