One of the most used resources here at Broad Run is the library. It has access to thousands of informative texts that help students during research projects. But it also has a plethora of non-informative texts in multiple genres such as realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, and many more. But oftentimes, the ones responsible for the smooth functioning of this wonderful resource get overlooked. Today let’s shine the spotlight on the “gatekeepers of knowledge” here at Broad Run, the librarians.
According to two of our librarians, Mary Ivory and Meghan Renehan, each day at the library is a different day, so it is difficult for them to set an expectation of what a “general day” looks like at the library. “I feel like every day is different,” says Ms. Ivory. But there are some things that our librarians can predict most likely will happen at the library everyday. For example, students go into the library almost every day for study hall unless they have testing, special events, or classes that they teach, Math Lab almost always takes place in the library, and the morning announcements get recorded at the library everyday. The other reason each day at the library is different is because each day different students come into the library with different needs, Ms. Renehan says “I think the biggest challenge is having so many students come in and not know everyone individually, so it’s hard for us to set our expectations, because we have people coming in and out all the time.”
Despite being extremely involved at Broad Run, Ms. Ivory and Ms. Renehan believe that sometimes students and teachers don’t understand what they do. “I think a lot of students like the space. We provide a quieter environment for study halls…opportunity for students in study halls during the same block, but not the same room, to come and work together. The space is used well. I feel like sometimes people don’t understand what we do,” said Ms. Ivory. Students generally go to the library for the space it provides, not for the other resources it or the librarians have access to. Even teachers at Broad Run are generally on the same page as the students according to Ms. Renehan, “I think teachers don’t necessarily see our value. I have to go to them and show them what we can do and advertise for ourselves.”
The librarians work very hard to provide us with the necessary skills and resources that we need to effectively research and they are teachers just as much as they are librarians. It is only right that we show them our gratitude whenever we cross paths with them
