Interview with a High School Librarian Curate

 

    While visiting a local high school library, I got to interview Dr. Amy Savage. She is a former teacher at the high school and now works as one of two librarians. The school has around 2,100 students from the grades of 9th-12th. She has a passion for speaking up for her students and books that reflect who they are. Dr. Savage not only enjoys working in the library but also enjoys crafting and creating displays to be used in the library. I spoke with Dr. Savage about how she uses the AASL standard of Curation in her library. Our discussion centered around how they decide on what books to purchase, how they choose to structure the library, and how they get creative in obtaining funds. 

    The following questions propelled our conversation on how Dr. Savage uses curation in her library: With two librarians, how do y'all decide on books to purchase? How did you decide to set the library up to use the maximum space available? How do you manage students' and teachers' hold requests? What have y'all done to obtain funds for new books and materials? 

    We discussed how she and the other librarian work together. She states that they each make a list of preferred books. A lot of times, they end up picking different books.  It helps to create a diverse collection. They try to keep a small number of picture books in their collection for their special needs classes and students who may have younger siblings. When it comes to funding, they have a pretty substantial book fund since they have a large student population. To obtain other materials, they have to get creative. They charge a small fee for students to print or make copies. They also have a coffee and hot chocolate bar where staff or students can purchase beverages. In addition to managing their funds, they also do patron requests and interlibrary loans between other libraries. They have a spot behind the circulation desk where we keep the requests. Then, they alert the patron that they have books ready. In regards to how they set up the library space as one space that can be used for a lecture area, a project area, a study area, and a comfortable couch area. They have many students who come in when they are between classes or if they are taking classes online. 

Reflection

    During my visit, I was able to observe how students utilized the library space. Students often came in and out of the library, where they would sit and do school work or sit on a couch to read a book. I appreciated how the librarians have structured their library in a way that reflects the needs of the school. As an elementary librarian who frequently sees students for open checkout and as a classroom, sometimes I forget that the library is a shared space. I need to make sure that the library is equipped to handle whatever the needs of the school are.  

    I was at first surprised by how much funding the high school librarians had to purchase new books. However, when I heard that they did not get a materials fund, I was grateful for having both a new books budget and materials budget. I thought that the idea of creating a mini coffee bar was an ingenious way to create revenue for a materials fund, and as a way to bring more people into the library. This was an added reminder that sometimes we have to think outside the box to create funds for our libraries.