When thinking of Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech), it’s nearly impossible to imagine the campus without the Media Center. Centered focally to the main quad, the library has become a bustling hub for studying, printing out essays or lunches spent in a quiet space. Available computers line the walls, couches in the corner invite comfort and tables are open for studying. The Media Center has become a safe space for students and a place to congregate or pass through, but most of its valuable resources are yet to be discovered.
Student visits to the Media Center are often to check out books for recreational purposes. Rows of books, from historical fiction to graphic novels, fill the room, free and accessible to all students. However, for a new reader, there are so many options and genres to choose from, that the prospect of checking out a new book may be overwhelming. To start taking advantage of the vast array of books, an interested reader could start with the staff librarians’ curated monthly picks put on display. This September, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, books by Latinx authors are thoughtfully chosen and put on display in the front of the library. Some featured displays in the past have fallen into the topics of Women’s History Month, Black History Month or National Poetry Month.
If the idea of searching for a specific book in the Media Center seems daunting, the online catalog “Destiny Discover” can be found on Foothill Tech’s website on the Library page, under the Student Life section. It can sort all of the books in the library into a preferred genre and lists the specific book as checked in or out for easy and quick accessibility. Simply asking one of the Media Center staff, Dianne Fergus or Valerie Zeko, is another way to discover a new read, whether it be asking for a recommendation or looking for a specific genre. “Whenever people ask for books, I just order them … we buy everything people ask for, almost everything,” Zeko said. There have been hundreds of new additions to the library within the last couple of years, as well as old books being discarded, generating copious amounts of options for readers on campus.
Unlike other traditional libraries, the Media Center also offers information about scholarships, work permits and community service opportunities. In the fall, college representative visits from universities across the nation take place and offer the opportunity to learn more about pursuing higher education. Fergus comments that the college representative visits are one of the most underutilized aspects of the Media Center. As the majority of these events take place during FIRE and lunch periods, students often choose to prioritize their break over the rep visits–despite them being an advantageous resource to prospective students on campus.
The library staff have shaped the Media Center into the place it is today. The space is not only a library and valuable academic resource but a haven for any student on campus who needs it and a community in itself. Students gather to play board games, hang out with friends or even play cards with Zeko every day during break. Zeko and Fergus both emphasized how they enjoy getting to work with different students, whether that be through helping with college essays or discussing books. The Media Center is truly one of the most advantageous aspects unique to Foothill Tech but can be often overlooked for the number of resources it has to offer. The next time you pass through the Media Center, take the chance to ask the librarians for college advice, sit down to study, or browse through the shelves for your next read.
