publications student
A bookshelf in the MPHS media center. Photo taken by a publication's student.
Books provide knowledge and perspective while creating community. They are an important tool for anyone exploring their interests, including high school students. I interviewed the Mount Pleasant High School media center coordinator, Ms. Hovey to learn more about the facility and her role in it. She described her worries and hopes for the future of libraries everywhere and what her day-to-day life looks like. In a time when libraries are facing uncertainty, Mrs. Hovey’s voice is more important than ever.
On March 19th, Ms. Hovey and I settled on a wooden table towards the front of the light filled room. The media center consists of rows of bookshelves on one side and tables and chairs on the other, with computers along the side. Ms. Hovey’s job is to manage the space and help students with books and resources. She described media centers as a modern version of a library, equipped with computers. On a typical day, Ms. Hovey comes in at 7:30 a.m., makes sure all the returns are checked in, and gets the computers up and running. Later, she helps during classroom visits, until 4pm, checking books in and out.
The Mount Pleasant High School media center is part of the Chippewa River District Library System, made up of five branches. That means it is easy to lend and borrow books within this network, and any student could request a book not available at the media center. Despite the availability, Ms. Hovey says this resource is underused and wishes students took greater advantage of the wide range of books offered. Ms. Hovey’s favorite books are romance novels.
I asked her what motivates her as a media center coordinator? She said her job is always different. There are constantly new people and new technology. When asked what aspects of the role will stay the same, she explained the way librarians organize and categorize the books does not change. Something that frustrates her is when students put books back in different places. This issue is what creates her least favorite job: shelf reading (scanning the shelves for misplaced books).
Her favorite part about libraries is how they are beneficial to you throughout your life. She adds, “If I’ve been overwhelmed about something, I would go to the library to find something to learn more about it.”
She said, “It is important to advocate for libraries because they are a great resource.” Then added, “There has been a recent effort from the federal government under the new administration to eliminate federal funds for libraries. While the Mount Pleasant High School media center will not be affected, public libraries and programs like MelCat will likely suffer.” For those unfamiliar, MelCat is a program libraries in Michigan use to share books amongst themselves. This program is incredibly helpful, especially for small, remote libraries in northern Michigan. Mrs. Hovey also mentioned the National Library Service for the Blind is also in danger of discontinuing with cuts in federal funding. Mrs. Hovey stressed that library visits are in the billions, and the people that depend on the libraries do not have access to books or the internet otherwise.
We finished our conversation by discussing the future. Ms. Hovey informed me she plans to keep developing grants to continue funding new and current materials.
Go visit the MPHS media center today!