"For those of you that didn’t know, there is a new library coming to Oakland School for the Arts next fall, if not earlier. This is courtesy of middle school English and Social Studies teacher Amanda Farmer, along with the help of Assistant Principal Katy Zaugg, English Department Chair and teacher Laurice Guerin, Dean Anna Deroos, the SLU (Student Library Union), and Farmer’s daughter, Alice Farmer, who is a 7th grade Theater student." -- Isaiah kahn, 6th grade
The idea for the library began last year during online school. Farmer and her now seventh-grade daughter were “shocked” at the idea that there wasn’t already a library at the school, so they decided that something should be done about this. “[My daughter] wanted to make a change, and thought it would be a good Silver Award project for Girl Scouts,” said Farmer. “After meeting with Ms. DeRoos, Ms. Guerin, and Ms. Zaugg, we determined that working together we could make this happen.”
The Silver Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout can get while in grades 6 through 8, Farmer explained, “it involves a certain number of hours of community service, research, planning, fundraising, and a ‘take action’ community service project that will last even after the scout has moved on.”
When asked why OSA didn’t have a library before, Farmer said, “I don’t know for sure, but I can speculate that it has to do with the mobility of the school (the fact that the school has moved around so much in the past) and the lack of space on campus. OSA has also never employed a librarian.”
The library (which is inside room 245 in a walk-in closet) currently holds about 1500 books, which are being organized by Teacher Assistants (TAs) and volunteers. Currently, the main problem is shelf room. “The SLU is fundraising to purchase some new shelves for our space,” said Farmer.
“There will be a barcode on every student's ID card that will be scanned using a barcode scanner,” said Farmer, in response to a question about the check out and return system. “This will bring up the student's account. Students will be permitted to check out a certain number of books, and keep them for a certain amount of time. Normally this is 3-5 books for up to 3 weeks.”
There will also be a repercussion system. “If books are not returned,” says Farmer, “[...] access to Powerschool may be frozen, and the student may not receive their report card until the book is returned or paid for.”
To those who are worried about the current smaller scale library in room 245 (Mrs. Farmer’s room), it is not going anywhere. “My class library (books marked with colored labels on the spines in room 245) will remain my personal/class library,” says Farmer.
“Students can come to the Student Library Union during lunch on Thursdays to help volunteer and organize the space,” says Farmer. “Parents can donate to the GoFundMe, or contact me ([email protected]) to sign up to volunteer.”
Finally, when asked how excited for the library she was on a scale of one to ten, Mrs. Farmer put herself at a 12.
The Silver Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout can get while in grades 6 through 8, Farmer explained, “it involves a certain number of hours of community service, research, planning, fundraising, and a ‘take action’ community service project that will last even after the scout has moved on.”
When asked why OSA didn’t have a library before, Farmer said, “I don’t know for sure, but I can speculate that it has to do with the mobility of the school (the fact that the school has moved around so much in the past) and the lack of space on campus. OSA has also never employed a librarian.”
The library (which is inside room 245 in a walk-in closet) currently holds about 1500 books, which are being organized by Teacher Assistants (TAs) and volunteers. Currently, the main problem is shelf room. “The SLU is fundraising to purchase some new shelves for our space,” said Farmer.
“There will be a barcode on every student's ID card that will be scanned using a barcode scanner,” said Farmer, in response to a question about the check out and return system. “This will bring up the student's account. Students will be permitted to check out a certain number of books, and keep them for a certain amount of time. Normally this is 3-5 books for up to 3 weeks.”
There will also be a repercussion system. “If books are not returned,” says Farmer, “[...] access to Powerschool may be frozen, and the student may not receive their report card until the book is returned or paid for.”
To those who are worried about the current smaller scale library in room 245 (Mrs. Farmer’s room), it is not going anywhere. “My class library (books marked with colored labels on the spines in room 245) will remain my personal/class library,” says Farmer.
“Students can come to the Student Library Union during lunch on Thursdays to help volunteer and organize the space,” says Farmer. “Parents can donate to the GoFundMe, or contact me ([email protected]) to sign up to volunteer.”
Finally, when asked how excited for the library she was on a scale of one to ten, Mrs. Farmer put herself at a 12.
