The library at Green Hope High School is one of the most resource-filled places on campus, yet many people ignore it or use it for leisure. At Green Hope, students have access to a quiet working space with thousands of books. However, many questions remain about whether students are using these resources to their advantage. Who actually uses the library for studying? What resources are students missing out on? As students move through free periods like lunch it is worth asking: Is the Green Hope library being used to its full potential?
Although the library has a wide range of resources, many students seem to use it as a place to pass time during lunch. While there is nothing wrong with using the library to relax, this pattern raises concerns about whether or not the resources in the library are being fully utilized. In the library there are resources such as AP textbooks, but students still decide to go online to find their own.
In an interview with Karyn Wilson, a Green Hope librarian, she said that, “I don’t know if I can judge effectiveness, but I can say that it is being used a lot by students. Book circulation is way up.” She shared that the space is used a lot by students during lunch and in the morning before class. Most students who do visit the library don’t use it to the full potential, rather than browsing for books many students use their phones. Although she is happy with how much the library is being used she still thinks “I don’t think i have a problem with people in here being on their phones. I think it would be awesome if the kids interacted more with the stuff we have here.”
Another reason the library isn’t being used to its full potential is that many students are unaware of the resources it offers. Wilson says that a lot of students overlook all their resources and search elsewhere for them. “Instead of buying an AP study book, we have those available for students to check out.” Since students are often unfamiliar with the library’s materials, they tend to google things and hit paywalls. There are endless tools to explore in the library, but they collect dust because students are not informed of them.
Student Sahishnu Popuri (‘29) said that he rarely uses the library for studying. “In the morning I always come to the library and just chill and during lunch I sometimes come to the library to hangout with my friends.” Another interesting statement Popuri made was that, “If I have assignments due or I need to study for an upcoming test I just go to SMART lunch.” SMART lunch is where students go to the classroom and learn, reinforce classroom lessons, or finish up missing work. His overall opinion is that the library isn’t necessary to study for classes especially because of SMART lunches. However, SMART lunches only happen on certain days, whereas the library always offers a quiet space and countless resources for studying. Every class has only two days of SMART lunch where students can come into the class during lunch and learn/get extra help from teachers. SMART lunch definitely does not even come close to replacing study time in the library because if you quiz you need to study for SMART lunch won’t always be there.
As of now, it is clear that the Green Hope library is not being used to its full potential. Although there are SMART lunches there are not SMART lunches everyday. It is understandable to not want to study during lunch time; lunch time is there for students to have a break, but that still doesn’t excuse not using the library to its full potential. As Wilson said, students tend to look outside of school and research online even though they have the resources they’re looking for for free at school. Considering all the resources it has, students should start to use the library for educational reasons instead of taking it for granted.
