Changes in the EHHS Library
By Matthew Gallmon
Big changes came to the East Hampton High School Library over the 2022 summer break, completely altering the way a student may go about looking for a book. During the 2021-2022 school year, the library was structured with all of the fiction genres, biographies, and text books directly to the left when entering through the main doors. On your right, when entering through the same doors, there is a small seating area and shelves where nonfiction books were focused on World War II and LIFE books.
As of the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, Library Media Specialist Mrs. Tietjen has made changes to not only the placement of whole sections, but in turn the flow of how curious students go about their search for books. Now, when entering through the main doors, directly to the left, is still the fiction section, but the fantasy books and the biographies have been moved to the shelves where the World War II books were. The LIFE books that used to be in the book shelf to the right when facing them, run along the bottom of the shelves under where Fantasy and Biographies sit.
This changes how students may look for books. The setup of the library as a whole is very conducive to browsing for books as opposed to looking for one specific book. The fiction section of the library is separated by genre, this allows for students to start at the realistic fiction section, the genre closest to the doors, and then move along the wall to different sections. This allows them to see all the genres as they progress through their interests so even if they aren't interested in the genre, they still might see a book that stands out to them as they walk past. With the new arrangement of the fantasy and biography genres, the student will walk in and immediately see the fantasy and biography sections which have many books placed on display that may capture the student’s attention. Since the fantasy section is next to the biography section, a student who doesn't read biographies very often might see one that catches their eye and be introduced to a new genre. Mrs. Tietjen has also worked to make the new set up more welcoming by creating a display of popular books among avid readers and casual readers. Pictured on the right is the display of books that Mrs.Tietjen has created. The display includes popular titles such as Dear Evan Hansan, the One and Only Bob, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This display serves to draw students in so that they’re more willing to pick a book and read.
Mrs. Tietjen and her library interns have many more ideas that they would like to implement through the current school year and the years to come. While this is likely not the only change that will come to the library this year, it is the biggest and most notable so far. Be sure to check out the library during any free periods, Mrs. Tietjen loves visitors and is happy to give book recommendations.