In South Division’s earliest days, many of those students spoke German and English. Today, the South Division High School Library and Media Center remains a gathering place for students engaged in academic exploration and self-expression, and books – 44,000 to 46,000 at last count. However, languages like Spanish, Hmong, and Arabic are now more commonly spoken than German. Chromebooks, smart phones, and other technological devices are replacing ink and paper.

The changing technologies and cultural shifts of the Information Age mean libraries and librarianship are more important than ever. Students can access information from a wide range of sources as they research school projects or just catch up on the news of the day. They can research from a smart device at home or in a school computer lab. Teaching students how to find, evaluate, and use information is the work of library media specialists like South Division’s Glorimar Rodriguez Sanchez.

“School libraries have transitioned to a media center approach that is inclusive of all media, from how students access information to how they use it properly.” – Glorimar Rodriguez-Sanchez, Library Media Specialist

In the school’s upgraded and renovated Library Media Center, she teaches students about information literacy using resources and technologies like:

• A computer lab, where students learn the difference between using primary sources and Google or Wikipedia for research.
• EBSCO access and training, so students can navigate one of the world’s largest collections of databases, periodicals, ebooks, and more.
• Makerspace with STEAM tools and work space, so students can recharge, create, and more!
• Green screen and whiteboard tables for projects.
• New flooring and furniture to encourage drop-in visits to the library during lunch hours and study halls.
• An easy reading corner with picture books, ESL selections, and large print for English learners, including the school’s first-ever book in the Karen language. “Having even one book in a student’s first language feels like a victory,” says Ms. Rodriguez-Sanchez.

Also new in 2023: An African American authors collection and artwork, made possible through the generosity of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated Upsilon Mu Omega Chapter.

And one thing that has not changed since the nineteenth century: No eating in the library. Aside from this, Ms. Rodriguez-Sanchez wants students and faculty to feel welcome in the library for classes, casual visits, and meetings. She hosts the school’s Manga Club there, and just expanded its Manga collection. She is updating the library’s popular fiction and Latin American literature collections in between teaching research and literacy workshops for South Division’s English Language Arts classes.