Mrs. Katherine Eisenstein and Ms. Caitlin Bury ‘18, the FSH librarians, have changed things around in a variety of ways in the library, in order to foster deeper student engagement this school year. The largest change is noticeable from the moment a student walks in: the front of the library is being used as a group work space, while the back is silent. 

“I want the back of the library to be more of a complete study space, where if you need to work on your own, if you’re tired and you want to read, sit on the couch, it can be a relaxing space,” Mrs. Eisenstein said. 

The front of the library is also home to seasonably appropriate and innovatively designed displays.

“We have the Heartstopper display, which is the first thing, where we’re just trying to highlight series that people might enjoy or are enjoying. We have Barbie, which happened to relate to what ASB chose as their theme for the year, and we have a Taylor Swift display right now,” Ms. Bury said. 

The displays will change throughout the year, relating to historical events, heritage months and pop culture. Another change that will be made is the addition of crafts, something Mrs. Eisenstein is excited about. 

“I bought a lot of duct tape to make these little bags with zippers with pretty decorations, and then I bought rocks so we could do rock art,” Mrs. Eisenstein said. 

Although there’s no more candy in the library, Mrs. Eisenstein promises that it will show up in crafts, including one she thought of this summer. 

“I thought of this idea like candy sushi, where the rice is rice krispies, and the middle is Swedish Fish, with Fruit by the Foot,” Mrs. Eisenstein said. 

The librarians are also trying to encourage Tologs to play the games the library offers, including card games and a Stranger Things puzzle. Mrs. Eisenstein has a word of advice for anyone interested in playing games.

“Bring the games out here so the back can still stay a quiet study space,” Mrs. Eisenstein said. 

Though they want students to know the library is a fun space, Ms. Bury and Mrs. Eisenstein also both stressed that the library should be used for study and homework purposes.

“There’s so many great websites that we have access to that you know would be great for junior research, senior research and beyond that,” Ms. Bury said. 

The librarians will be doing raffles in an attempt to get more students involved in the library, including one this October for a selection of coloring books. 

“We definitely want to try to get more students to come on in and check out books and come say hello to us and ask us questions,” Mrs. Eisenstein said. 

Ms. Bury is excited about the nonfiction section of the library and hopes to get students interested in checking out nonfiction and other not-as-popular types. 

“There have been lots of students coming in and trying different genres, and just checking out books in general, which I know I didn’t take advantage of when I went here,” Ms. Bury said. 

Mrs. Eisenstein opens the library at 7:30, and Ms. Bury closes it at 5:30. Throughout those ten hours, they’re available for book recommendations and homework help. Though much has changed, Mrs. Eisenstein is adamant that the library will continue to be the place Tologs have loved for years.

“The library still feels like the center of the school, a safe place for everybody and a welcoming environment, ” Mrs. Eisenstein said.