PaliHi Revamps Library

The library at Palisades Charter High School came back to life in September, after being closed for more than a year. New librarian Andrea King has spent the past several months (as well as the summertime) revamping and upgrading the facility, with the help of student volunteers and faculty members. Last school year, because of a shortage of space, the library was used as a classroom and students could not check out materials. Furthermore, there was no librarian and much of the library’s collection was damaged and outdated. ‘The students are just waiting to get in every day,’ King said when school started. ‘Teachers are so excited. They can’t wait to get their kids in here doing research and checking out fiction books and just getting back in the habit of using the library.’ King began the overhaul by removing one-third of the library’s collection. She eliminated outdated and damaged books, as well as books that had never before been checked out, despite being on the shelves for many years. ‘There are also good books here,’ King said. ‘There were good books on the shelves; they were just hidden away.’ So far King has spent a little more than $15,000 of the $50,000 allocated to the library by the school’s governing board to purchase about 1,000 new books. She ordered a variety of texts, including modern fiction that will appeal to teenagers, classics and perhaps most importantly, books that teachers believe will complement what they are teaching in class. With the help of student volunteers, King also rearranged the library, making materials and study space more accessible. ‘The library wouldn’t look the way it does today without those kids,’ said King, who previously worked at Emerson Middle School in Westwood. ‘I’m really excited because it’s a lot better organized, cleaner and more open,’ junior Fiona Hannigan said in September, after helping out over the summer. ‘Mrs. King is the sweetest person, and she wants to make the library a hub, like the study center.’ Forty laptop computers are also now available in the library that students can use with the newly installed wireless Internet. However, they cannot be checked out by students outside of class time until the security system, which has been ordered and paid for, is installed. ‘The laptops are amazing,’ said junior Diva Joshi, ‘and now kids can go to the library so there’s more room in the study center for tutoring.’ A new automation system was also installed, allowing for library records to be updated and possibly be made available online through the school’s Web site. This fall, King has been busy setting up the fiction section and ‘putting in authors that they may like.’ She also ordered new, smaller worktables that allow flexibility for students working in small groups. Textbooks used in various courses have also been made available for the first time in the library for students who forget them at home, but still wish to work on homework while at school. King also ordered beanbag chairs that have been placed around the library so students can work or read comfortably on the floor. And soon, thanks to a donation by Rose Gilbert, the library will undergo further remodeling with the installation new tables and chairs as well as a new circulation desk. King now offers a research skills class at the library that teaches students different ways to do research in and out of the library, good study habits and note-taking skills and other important tasks such as creating bibliographies. After receiving her B.A. in history from UCLA and a master’s degree in American studies from Pepperdine, King obtained teaching credentials for English and history as well as her library media services credential from Cal State Long Beach. Before coming to Palisades High, she spent 17 years at Emerson, 14 as a teacher and three as a librarian. She lives in Westchester with her husband, Robert Rowe King (an AP teacher at Pali), and her four-year-old twin boys.