Many school services, clubs and extracurriculars have been shut down due to the concern of COVID-19. The library, however persevered and remained open, providing books and iPads, but with new terms and conditions. 

“It has been hard,” librarian Judy McClendon said. “Almost everything we’ve been doing is technology related.”

In an attempt to have the most sanitary conditions possible, no students are allowed in the library at this time, including student aids, which has dramatically decreased the amount of books being checked out by students.

“All of the secondary librarians, we met in the summer with our director,” McClendon said. “The middle school libraries, East Campus and West, we all came together and agreed on the same rules and one was that we would have no student aids.”

Though it is only the beginning of the school year, several iPads have broken or been lost, along with things not working the way they’re supposed to.

“That’s been a challenge just with getting people technology, having it working,” McClendon said.

With the new system in place, students are required to login to their own library accounts through a link on the school website. From there, students can put a hold on any book they want, and the librarians will attempt to deliver their books to the students classrooms as soon as possible. Students can also access this website through Canvas, as they registered for the library course at the beginning of the semester.

“Remote students would request a book the same way by putting it on hold,” McClendon said. “Then we call them and make arrangements on [picking the book up].”

Even if a student can’t come to the school physically to pick the book up, the librarians will still bring the book to them, even if they have to deliver their book to their home. 

Since students can’t come to the library, the librarians have to find their book themselves which takes significantly longer than it usually would. After each book it returns to the library, it has to be quarantined spaced away from the other books for four days before they can give it to another student, which takes a long time. 

But despite this, the librarians still want to make sure every student, onsite and remote can have access to what they have to offer. 

“Not having students before school and at lunch and just hanging out, makes us very sad,” McClendon said. “Because that was the most [enjoyable] part.”