Edsel Ford’s Media Center is a central component of the school’s educational foundation. Every day, hundreds of students visit the library to meet their learning needs; some use the computers to attend online classes or perform research for a project or paper, some rent books for Sustained Silent Reading or to use in a lesson, and others only go to wait for their next class during an empty hour.
Ms. Alward, the librarian at Edsel Ford, wants this cycle to change; the library, she believes, should be an exceedingly positive addition to the school, not just one that is incidentally helpful due to its core inherent components. She wants to push forward the Library Advisory Group (LAG), a student group that meets to discuss methods of improving the Media Center by extending its functions.
The LAG, which meets only once per quarter, can only accomplish so much in one year, however, and this year, they are focusing on a long-neglected part of the Media Center: the Maker Space.
The Maker Space is a room located to the left of the library’s entrance, past the check-out desk. In it, there is a collection of board games, book shelves filled with encyclopedias, and the entrance to the server room, which provides internet access to the desktops set up in the library’s main room. The walls are decorated with labels designating a certain function; one wall has the Zen Den, one is dedicated to craft-making, and one is for the aforementioned board games.
“I wanna look at what people want to use this space for,” Ms. Alward said. “Some people use it for making posters, so I make sure we have scissors, and glue, and tape, but what else can we use the space for?”
“Some people want to learn how to crochet, and I say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know, I can help with that.’”
Apart from the Maker Space, Ms. Alward also wants the Advisory Group to help decide which books the library should order.
When asked about what the group would want from a new member, the librarian said a member should come with new ideas on how to use the Maker Space, how the main space should be used, and how the library environment could be improved. She said that the second semester is dedicated to recruiting new people to maximize the efficiency of future meetings.
Ms. Alward encourages anyone interested in joining the Library Advisory Group to fill out the Google Form linked in the Daily Bulletin. LAG meetings take place during the school day and students participating are marked with school-related absences for the hour. Students can also talk to Ms. Alward directly about joining.