The Noisiest Library Around

Most juniors dread the start of their Junior Research Paper. Why wouldn’t we? Because we enjoy searching the endless rows of library books and learning the correct ways to cite a source? I don’t think so. It is an important skill to have, being able to analyze data and make a solid concise argument, but the Modern Language Association (MLA) has changed its format again and well, the process of creating our paper becomes that much slower.

It doesn’t help that ’s jammed packed library — full of textbooks, magazines and online databases — continues to be in the renovation process. This is the first major renovation since the library opened in 1965. Built to satisfy students’ needs back then, the project hopes to have a college library feel while managing to accommodate the students’ needs today. Although I am among the students that spent more time in the Learning Center (formally located on the floor below the library), I do see how the construction will make the library more welcoming.

Welcoming or not, the renovation has taken months to complete and will continue into the summer. My AP English class had two days in the library before it closed; one of the days was spent purely on Internet bases, even though we have access to them at home. I would have liked to have the opportunity to check out some of the older periodicals that I could not find at any local library.

I do believe that my paper was directly affected by the closing of our library. More time was set aside for “at home work” than previous years, and I was limited to the number of publications that would apply to my research topic. (Librarians and teachers work together to pick out books and magazines that relate to frequently chosen topics). The fast paced process definitely challenged me as an AP student; however, good and accurate research is developed over time — and I did not have any time to spend.

I wish the timing of the renovation could have been planned with the English class schedules in mind. Why not summer?

Although the library was relocated to a multipurpose room, the learning center to an old staff dining room and the iPad lab to the Performing Arts Center, the process is not well organized, the hours are not ideal and there is a student capacity.

The renovation causes as much commotion in the hallways and in math class as it did in my English class. The library affected the locations of lockers that had to be relocated at the students’ inconvenience, and the work gives off loud noises during school hours. A friend of mine with a classroom close by complains of the interruptions; teachers must talk over the drilling.

The construction also protrudes into the hallways. It has always been a challenge to navigate through Stevenson’s hallways, but now the largest branch in the Old Building is cut in half. Traffic flows both ways and students stand in a single file line, fighting to turn the corner. I arrive later to my next class due to this inconvenience, therefore my education is again directly affected.

Don’t get me wrong, I am very excited to see the new resources the library and learning center will have to offer, but I am most excited to walk freely, without getting stepped on, through the hallways.

Is the library renovation really what Stevenson needed to better our education? Or is its placement into our schedules an intrudence, inhibiting students from learning to their fullest potential?

Mara Somlo is a junior at Stevenson High School.