“Students need to be exposed to a variety of technology resources.” “Students need to be exposed to a variety of technology resources,” says Haywood. “The theory is I’m not going to be able to tell you what they’ll be using five years from now when they leave us. So, it’s important for them to be confident in many different types of technology.” If a student comes in looking to check out a novel, she loads it up on a Kindle and checks it out to the student for 21 days, exactly like she would have for a book just last year. Haywood believes the availability of e-readers has had a positive effect on leisure reading because she no longer has to start a waiting list for popular titles like The Hunger Games. “If they come in and want a particular book, I can put it in their hands in a minute. They don’t have to wait for someone to return it or for me to order it.”
Outside of the impact e-readers have made, the library overhaul also has to do with the glut of information available today and being able to skillfully find useful and accurate information. Teachers in history, English, and other courses are challenging students to use the library to figure out the best piece of technology to use to find sources for various assignments. “Now, the library has become a place that students can come to sift through the noise and information overload in their lives to find the facts and research that will help them now in school and in the future in their lives,” says Haywood. Students aren’t the only ones excited about the changes to Steward’s Middle and Upper School Library. Haywood has been invited to speak at several conferences on the topic and schools from across the state have made pilgrimages to study the space and discuss its implications with her.
Crossroads
Spring 2012
25