Gilroy
– When Gilroy High School’s new library opens in the fall, half
of its shelves will be empty.
And with what little money the school has left to spend on new
library books quickly evaporating, administrators are searching for
ways to raise funds.
Gilroy – When Gilroy High School’s new library opens in the fall, half of its shelves will be empty.
And with what little money the school has left to spend on new library books quickly evaporating, administrators are searching for ways to raise funds.
The California School Library Association defines an exemplary school library as having 25 books per student, with the books having been published in the last 20 or so years.
The high school’s library has 15,900 books, and with about 2,400 students at GHS, that breaks down to slightly less than seven books per student. The association classifies school libraries as “at risk” if they have eight to 10 current books per student.
“There’s definitely a need. There’s no doubt about that,” said Fredericka “Freddie” Spencer, the high school’s library clerk.
GHS has about $6,000 left this year to spend on new books and audio, video and disc materials to fill the new library. While elementary school library books cost about $15 to $20 each, books for high school libraries are about $25 to $40, Spencer said, and some encyclopedia sets can run up to $1,000.
The $6,000 is from a state grant the high school received in 2002-03 that is due to expire at the end of this year. The dollar amount from the state to buy library books next year is still being decided, but Spencer said it likely won’t be much given the state’s budget crisis. Bond measure funds being used to build the library are for construction only, and not for books.
GHS Principal Bob Bravo recently met with members of the high school’s parent club to discuss fund raising possibilities.
“If we were trying to maintain a library, ($6,000 is) in the ballpark,” he said. “But the fact is, we’re trying to expand the library and the concern is that it might look a little empty when we open.”
Jackie Stevens, co-president of the GHS Parent Club, said a library is a vital part of a student’s experience.
“It will be a shame if we have this beautiful new library, but the shelves are empty and there’s an inadequate number of titles,” Stevens said.
Books aren’t the only thing missing in the high school’s library. According to the state association, an at-risk library has one librarian, one technician and one part-time clerk. Since the high school’s previous librarian, Carol Smith, retired in 2003, Spencer has been the only person working in the library along with student assistants. Bravo said there are no plans to hire more library support, even though Spencer said the help is badly needed.
The difference between a librarian and a library clerk is that a librarian has teaching credentials and a library clerk does not.
Buying new books isn’t only for the purpose of filling the shelves, Spencer said, but also to rev up student interest in using the library.
“I’ve had library clerks in other schools tell me that if the book looks old, the kids won’t touch it. Or if it’s in black and white, the kids won’t touch it,” she said.
Krista Marrazzo, a GHS junior and the library clerk’s assistant, said she and her friends use the library mostly for computer research and also to check out books for recreational reading.
“There’s a lot of stuff in here, but a lot of it is outdated. It’s frustrating sometimes,” she said.
The high school’s new library will include a 560-square-foot stack area, a 4,000-square-foot reading area, 30 computers and capacity for about 110 people. Construction on the facility is progressing with work about to begin on the interior.
Contribute to library
To make a donation to help purchase books for GHS’s library, e-mail parent club co-presidents Denise Apuzzo at lu*****@****ic.com or Jackie Stevens at js*******@*****er.net.
