In addition to using the library for academic purposes, students enjoy the opportunity to decompress and have downtime in the library. The library is open to students for their free time before school, during our four lunch periods, and after school. These are ideal times for students to read for pleasure and to utilize the makerspace/creativity corner.
This school year, I was lucky enough to receive a My Library is… Grant from RAILS at Glenbard East High School. Glenbard East is a majority-minority, Title 1 high school in Lombard, IL. Of our 2253 students, forty three percent are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Fourteen percent of our students are classified as English Language Learners, and twelve percent are eligible for Special Education services. This population is reflected in both our English Dual Credit and AP English Language classes.
The administration of Saint Patrick High School in Chicago decided to renovate the James J. Barrett Learning Resource Center during the 2022-2023 school year. During the renovation, the carpeting and furniture were replaced. Before the renovation, the collection was extensively evaluated and weeded, and old technology was removed. After renovation, we continued to create a welcoming environment and provide resources that support our students academically and socially.
Are graphic novels as HUGE in your library as they are in mine? It is our most highly circulated section, and every single title circulates at least once per school year. Safe to say, we love graphic novels here at Adler Park School.
In January of 2020 our library was given a brand-new space. The idea was for our library’s physical space to be a more sophisticated college-like space for our young adult high school students. We weeded our collection heavily and got rid of the old. However, our library was still traditionally organized and our efforts to focus on our typical young adult students meant that while we had diversified our collection in terms of different voices and perspectives, we were fairly one-note in terms of access.
In the bustling halls of Northbrook Glenview District 30, a beacon of innovation and inclusion is rising. It is called RisingSTEAM, a transformative initiative that is breaking barriers and igniting the passions of young minds in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM). This is no ordinary program—it is a celebration of diversity, an homage to the unsung heroes of color who have shaped the landscape of STEAM fields throughout history.
During the 2022-23 school year, library staff were informed that both of the D219 high school libraries (Niles North and Niles West) would be undergoing significant overhauls. We knew that remodels were on the horizon as we hadn’t been updated in a very long time, but the timeline was earlier than anticipated. Tasked with this exciting prospect, we set out to transform our spaces into homes that would meet the current and future needs of the patrons we serve.
Our library was created in 2020, after returning from COVID-19, as a newly formed, K-2, dual language center. Previously, we were K-6 English, mono-lingual. With much gratitude towards the support of RAILS and the My Library Is Grant, we are creating and living a new future for our deserving students.
RAILS Member Engagement Manager Dan Bostrom talks with Jeanne' Aken from Beach Park School District in Beach Park, IL. Beach Park was the recipient of a 2022 My Library Is... Grant for School Libraries.
I think it is very important that our students are made to feel whole when they enter our East and Central Libraries at Evanston Township High School.