By Chan Eum

Staff Writer

   “I think the libraries, in general, have a stigma of being perceived as a really boring place,” district librarian Eileen Chi sighed.

   This school year, Gabrielino High School’s library staff are encouraging more students to come to the library. Their efforts to change the library into a comfortable and interesting place suggests that the library is not as boring as some students may think.

   “I think people [who] think the library is boring never actually went to any library and look at what’s available for them,” library technician Teri Li grieved. “Yes, they may find the books boring, but we have magazines, manga, and all things that can interest them.”

   To inform students about what is inside the library other than books, the staff hosts a monthly challenge to familiarize students with the library instead of encouraging teenagers to read more.

   In October, students participated and got a chance to win a prize by accurately filling in and submitting responses to the challenge questions related to the theme. For example, the “Get To Know Your Library” challenge enabled students to use the library catalog to find the call number of selected books.

   More than 35 students participated in the September Gabrielino library’s monthly challenge in which students tried to identify which books from the library are banned by looking at the quotes from the book. The number of submissions is increasing as time passes.

   As the students use the library more frequently, the remaining task is to get them to read more. Although what most students do in the place is doing homework, Library Aide Jennie Dana suggests the way of using the library as a source of inspiration.

   “All you have to do is get your interest,” Dana claimed, “if you like drawing or arts of craft or woodshop, the library can benefit all [your] creative ideas and everything that [you] want to pursue for fun too, [aside from] doing homework.”

   GHS senior Joey Nhi agrees to this claim. “I think the library is the place where you can find a wisdom.”

   The place’s main focus, ultimately, is reading. According to their mission statement, GHS library’s goal is for students to be successful in the 21 century, to become effective users of ideas and information, and to develop an appreciation of literature that fosters the joy of reading.

   Chi explained, “I [think] that the library is like a hub. It’s a place where students could collaborate as groups; it’s a place where the place where students could research; it’s also a place where students could see as a retreat when they want to get away from the things that [are] going on in their lives.”