In light of the newly implemented Chromebook 1:1 policy, the school library has documented a record-low amount of visitors. With students no longer needing library desktops, the 2024’s fall semester only recorded 7,497 total sign-ins—a 48.7% decrease from last year.
“Even now as it is, you don’t see a lot of kids in libraries anymore,” sophomore Chelsea Nwakanma said. “They come here to talk, not really [for the] purpose of [the] library – to read.”
Amid this growing digital landscape, libraries are seemingly becoming obsolete. Nevertheless, libraries have carved their own niche – they remain a rare third place in a world full of digitization. In fact, lunchtime, the social hour of a student’s school day, marks the busiest time in the library with a daily intake of about 74 students.
“It’s just that [in the cafeteria] everyone’s pushing around, talking, [and] screaming,” sophomore Daniela Alvarado Mendoza said. “It’s much better staying in a quiet place where you can talk on your own voice level with people.”
The library is not only perfect for afternoon lounging – it’s loved for its vast collection of physical books. Even in an age where digital media is more accessible than ever, circulation statistics show that students still vastly prefer physical books over digital ones.
“For me, I like physical copies more than audio because I can’t concentrate with audio,” Nwakanma said. “Also, I [can] string [books] around and I don’t have to charge anything – it’s just right there.”
Books are just one of many amenities that the library offers. Our library also contains an on-going community puzzle table, hosts club meetings, and offers students a safe space to decompress. What remains most integral to a library, however, is meeting the needs of the students, even if that means adopting a more technology-centered mindset.
“I think we’ll just take time and students will realize that we haven’t gone away,” librarian Lisa Nguyen said. “We’re still here to help them with books and technology and printing and all the things that we’ve done in the past.”
Despite shifting trends, libraries remain a vital part of student life, fostering both intellectual growth and socialization.
“Seeing that we are moving to a digital world is definitely important,” Nguyen said. “But, I don’t think in my lifetime that libraries will ever go away or turn all digital. So evolving, I think, is the right word to say.”
