Since April is National School Library Month, let’s find some time this month to celebrate and appreciate our school librarians: Ms. Tierney, Ms. Guelli, and Ms. McDonald!

When interviewed all three of our librarians stated that their favorite part about being a librarian is getting to see the students. “Watching them grow from freshmen to seniors that’s my favorite part,” Ms. Guelli states. Similarly, Ms. McDonald says her favorite part is, “Seeing the kids all day come in and out.” Our librarians care about our wellbeing so much and they are constantly looking for new ways to connect and aid us students every day.

Some students say they think “the librarians really work hard to make a connection with everyone, not just the students they see everyday.” The librarians try to get to know each student when they come in for class and they always remember those students when they see them again. 

What many people don’t realize is that librarians are often overlooked and underappreciated. “A lot of time we have to do a lot of work to advocate and justify our positions and what we do and why we should even have a job,” Ms. Tierney says. On a national level, their importance is being questioned. Even Ms. Guelli hints at lack of respect for her title when talking about the data she collects, “in case we ever need to prove: yes we are an important place.” It’s obvious that not enough people truly understand the full scope of every duty librarians perform…And there’s a lot.

Librarians are not only in charge of checking out your books and hounding you down when they’re late (which Ms. McDonald says is her least favorite part about the job). They are also tasked with maintaining order within the library during lunches, distributing loaner chromebooks and chargers, coming up with book displays, assisting teachers with their curriculums, buying, cataloging, and shelving books, and just generally being a support system for all the students and teachers in the building. 

It’s evident how much emotional support is gained when talking with other students. One student says, “It’s always welcoming. It’s a much quieter place than the cafeteria if you want to get work done. It’s really comfortable.”

An important part of our school, that is all thanks to the librarians, are the thoughtfully crafted and wonderfully executed book displays. Inspiration for these displays comes from whatever national month it is. April, being Autism Acceptance Month, prompted a display with books surrounding autism acceptance. The librarians encourage the different clubs at school to offer ideas. “I welcome advice and kids who want to help… I love that.” Ms. Guelli says. The library had a really positive experience with the Latin Student Union’s display of ofrendas during Latin History Month. Lots of representation in the school comes from the book displays at the library. Some other months that have been portrayed in the displays are Black History Month, and International Women’s Month.

Another vital aspect of our school that Ms. Tierney heads up, is the Book Club. Book Club meets once a month during Hawk Block. Each month they’re given a new book to read following the Project Lit Model, which is a national model that focuses on a different social justice topic. They then meet to discuss their opinions of the book. Ms. Tierney mentions having looked for grant money to buy these books, but her searching has proven useless thus far, though she remains hopeful. If Book Club members are ever put in a situation where they won’t get physical copies of the book they’re reading, Ms. Tierney is already prepared. She’s looked into online websites such as Hoopla which allows several readers to read the same book at the same time. 

Diving deeper into other responsibilities of the librarians, let’s learn about how new books come into rotation in the library. Ms. McDonald says she starts the process by weeding out old books in the system that haven’t been checked out in ages. She then gives the books to Ms. Tierney to get the final say on whether the books stay or go. With the stack that’s been approved to get rid of from the library, Ms. McDonald heads out to donate them. All of this is done so that new books and materials can be added to the Waltham High collection. With a budget of around $5 per student (making about $8,000) Ms. Tierney starts the process of gathering new books and other resources that will most benefit the students. Though, a conflict that’s arisen for next year is that, by mistake, her budget has been cut in half. She jokes, “We’re going to have to tighten up a little.”

Librarians and the library are really important to our school, whether people recognize that or not. The library is not only literally the center of our school, but emotionally as well. You most likely rely on the well being of it, so try a little harder to show your appreciation.