Throughout the year, the LMC creates different activities and displays for students to enjoy. These aim to increase involvement with the library and foster positive relationships with the staff.
The displays frequently change to reflect student interests. Oftentimes, they will alternate between “behind-the-scenes” themed ones, bulletin boards, and book recommendations. Popular examples include the Taylor Swift or William Shakespeare quote challenge and the rubber duck prizes students received after checking out a book. Not all of the activities are book-related. The LMC staff implemented a puzzle table and question of the day voting into their daily routine.
“I love participating in the activities in the libraries, my personal favorite being student recommendations,” sophomore Jasmitha Kokanti said. “I love seeing what my peers like to read and who likes to read books that I’m interested in. “
According to LMC director Amy Madzinski, the LMC assistants play a large role in making the activities.
“[Many] of our ideas will come from Pinterest or other libraries or things like that, and then we’ll take a spin-off [that] to create something else,” Madzinski said. “Most of the time, it’s the creativity of our own LMC assistants that make the displays and the bulletin boards. It’s kind of a collective thing, but I have to give them credit for actually putting them all together.”
These engagement tools are not just short stress relievers. They have connected many students to resources and highlighted the book community here at Metea.
“I don’t think students realize everything that [the LMC] can offer them, and that sometimes we make silly little games just to get them to talk to us,” Madzinski said. “We want to be more friendly with them so that they feel more comfortable to come in and ask for help when they need it.”
Over the past two years, Kokanti formed relationships with the LMC staff during her time in the library.
“I am quite familiar with two of the LMC staff,” Kokanti said. “I spend time with both Mrs. Stoller and Mrs. Madzinski due to book club as well as my own time in the morning. They are so kind, always helpful, and are great staff!
For junior Zahra Juma, the LMC connected her book club which has helped her gain skills and meet peers with similar interests.
“I’ve only enhanced [my] leadership skills, and I’ve been able to gain new viewpoints and ideas of other book club members,” Juma said.
After the pandemic, reading levels dropped significantly. A study done by the National Assessment of Educational Progress reported that 31% of students rarely or never read for fun. The display cases help students fall back in love with this hobby or introduce them to a book that fits their interests.
“Reading has an active role in my life because I’m always in the middle of a good book,” Kokanti said. “It has helped me learn new things, step out of my comfort zone, and introduced me to an amazing community of fellow readers through our school’s book club. Reading also helped me branch out my writing skills which have gotten better over the years.”
The LMC is open during all periods for quiet study and book checkout. Madzinski urges students to take advantage of the different resources available.
“We always like kids to come and talk to us,” Madzinski said. “We’re not scary people, and although we don’t give you a grade or have a direct line to like your GPA, there are still ways that we can support what you’re doing. Think of us when you need something and [come] see if we can help you.”
