Before the start of the school year, previous librarian, Mrs. Michelle Walker, passed the torch to Mrs. Beth Keene, who made some changes to the library and how it’s run upon her arrival.

“I feel ordained to be a librarian,” Mrs. Keene said. “I really love it. It’s a good fit for me. I like the variety. No two days are the same in the life of a librarian.”

According to Jacob Zettlemoyer, a junior and visitor of the library Mrs. Keene is a very good librarian. Another visitor of the library and Tabletop Club president, junior Ian Clark added that “Mrs. Keene has worked towards trying to welcome every kind of person to the library.”

During her time as resident librarian, Mrs. Keene introduced some changes like integrating more technology into the library and revision to the rules of the library.

“We changed that kids can’t use the library as a pass through anymore for classes,” Mrs. Keene said. “You know, plus we have nine stairwells in the building so there’s just no need for it. I wouldn’t walk across the football field in the middle of a game so I don’t think people need to walk through the library.”

Sophomore Abigail Cassity, a member of the Book Battle team, spent time in the library during lunch last year and due to the new rule of no food or drink in the library can no longer continue that.

“I used to eat there every day pretty much and be able do my homework there and to do it during lunch,” Cassity said. “But now it’s like you can’t really do that.”

Assistant Principal Mark Smith said that it wasn’t a rule change at all, they just got more serious about enforcing it.

“They were never allowed to eat in the library. Some people did, but they were not supposed to,” he said.

Along with changes to the way the library runs, Mrs. Keene also has some goals she’d like to achieve for the library in the future.

“Figure out what we’re going to do with the upstairs space and make it for kids,” Mrs. Keene said. “I don’t want it to turn into storage or a dungeon or office space or anything. We need to figure out what we’re gonna use it for.”

New technologies have also been introduced to the library this year. That includes everything from a 3D printer to the ellipticals, which according to sophomore Amelia Davis, are fun to use.

“We’ve really been highlighting our 3D print stuff,” Mrs. Keene said. “The 3D printing pen and the 3D printer just because it’s edgy technology and I think it’s things that kids need to learn how to use, how to do.”

Students and clubs are already using some of the library’s new technology. The Tabletop club has used the 3D printer to make some little statues. Zettlemoyer has also been using the technology recently.

“I mean we just got a whole bunch of new technology,” Zettlemoyer said “I just checked out an iPad today and I think that’s a very big improvement.”

According to Davis, the library has also grown into a place where students can hang out with friends or just find a nice place to study.

“Last year people were starting to discover, ‘oh this is the place we can go if we want to have fun, but still study’,” Davis said, “and this year everybody knows it. So you have your study groups, you have people you just know to go there.”

More students are spending time in the library doling everything from checking out books to just hanging out with friends.

“I feel like the library is a bit more alive than it was last year,” Clark said.

If you want to check out the library and everything it has to offer, it’s open to all students. For more information visit Mrs. Beth Keene’s faculty webpage.