By Danny Edman ’16, Staff Writer

The library is one of the most important areas in Newark Academy as it functions as the only room in the school where students can work quietly without distractions.  Newark Academy students are generally very busy not only with rigorous academic classes, but also extracurricular activities that take up a lot of time after school; thus, students need the library to do homework and study during their lunch and free periods.

As of now, however, there is not enough room in the library to accommodate the large quantity of students who flock there every day.

This is because seating space does not account for the majority of the library’s floor space.  Instead, as expected, much of the library is filled with bookshelves overflowing with thousands of books.   To this writer, the number of books is unnecessary. With the growth of technology, the need to take out books from the library has diminished.  To research information, teachers are not encouraging students to take books out of the library; rather, teachers suggest that students use the online databases provided by the library.  Thus, we should remove the books from the library to make room for more students to sit and do work.

Top universities have begun changing their libraries.  They have remodeled their libraries to fit the needs of the students. They have significantly reduced the number of books so that a part of the library still contains books that students can borrow if they need to, but a larger area contains chairs and desks where students can quietly study.  We should follow these universities and change the format of our library to fit our students’ needs. If more seats were added, more people would be able to study in the library, and we would make better use of the space.

Mr. Austin, Newark Academy headmaster, believes that the library is a key part of our school and a great place for all students to study.  He agrees with the idea of removing books to create more space. He says, “I see merit in looking at all of the books in the library and seeing which ones aren’t used to try and create more space for students. I also believe we need to create space around the school designated for academic, and not social, group work.”  The closest areas we have to these types of spaces are two small conference rooms in the new academic wing that are almost always filled.

Progress is already being made on removing books from the library in order to create more space for chairs and tables.  Mr. Mallalieu, school librarian, says they have already started “weeding the collection” of books.  This means that the librarians are documenting which books are not being borrowed often, or even at all, and then removing or replacing those books in order to keep the library more updated and uncluttered. Mr. Mallalieu says that when he first arrived at the school, the library contained twenty two thousand books.  Currently there are fifteen thousand books in the library.  He says, “There are a few empty bookshelves in the library and soon they will be gone.  I hope to replace them with more soft chairs.”

Although fewer students are taking out books and more are looking to online resources, a library is not a library without books; thus, some books should still be left in the library.  In fact, approximately three thousand books are still taken out by students every year.  However, the library should continue to focus its attention on developing the online databases and helping students find credible research online.  In addition, the school should prioritize the development of more spaces, not solely the library, for academic study and group work like those described by Mr. Austin.  Overall, it is pleasing to see that the library is willing to adapt to the needs of the students: the fact that the library is already undergoing changes is a sign that it will remain a great place for students both to study and learn in the years to come.