Opinion: Libraries undergoing transformation

Not surprisingly, libraries are gradually transforming into media centers. While, at first glance, this sounds a bit sterile, nothing could be further from the truth. Libraries still contain “stacks” with endless rows of books; tables and chairs for study; and comfy couches and chairs for settling in with a great read.

In addition to these, however, one now sees computers and digital tablets replacing card catalogues for quick and efficient searches. Signs for “e-books” and stations with rows of plugs for charging electronic devices are now present. “QR” codes (Quick Response, a type of matrix barcode) may adorn the walls and shelves, making instant access to media available to anyone with a free QR reader on their digital device.

All of these shifts make it possible to access an unfathomable amount of information from just about anywhere in the world. The New York Public Library, for example, recently announced that more than 180,000 items in their digital collections are in the public domain and “free to share and re-use” at http://www.nypl.org/research/collections/digital-collections/public-domain.

The Library of Congress began back in 1995 digitizing primary source materials, including books, manuscripts, images, sound files, and more. Not only is this an efficient way to share with the world, it's an excellent way to preserve the wealth of knowledge.

Our Clovis High School Library is keeping pace with it all. CHS Librarian Jenny Blaylock described some of the amazing changes afoot. E-books at CHS now number over 3,000, available to students, teachers, and parents alike. Blaylock's “Library in Your Pocket” promotes the idea that, in addition to information in conventional print formats, an expansive wealth of books and databases are also available digitally. The capability of a vast amount of content “in your pocket,” accessible from anywhere, tears down the walls of the library, so to speak.

A CMS Education Foundation grant — joint effort of Blaylock and fellow teachers Lisa Jo McCasland and James Peabody — also provided for the cozy “Library Learning Commons” used frequently by students who rearrange the comfortable furniture as needed for studying together or reading alone. A long counter has multiple outlets for device charging. A large-screen TV periodically loops book trailers created by library student helpers.

The CHS library is open before school till well after school hours and, to judge from the bustling library traffic, it's a certainty the library will be around for a long time.

Cindy Kleyn-Kennedy is the Instructional Technology Coordinator for the Clovis Municipal Schools and can be reached at [email protected]