Lately, Park has been implementing new rules left and right. The most recent ones announced during Park Connections were centered around new media center expectations. Although most of the expectations were ones students are already familiar with, these new rules serve as a barrier and will make it harder for students to check out books and engage with the new space.
The reason behind a lot of these rules is to help maximize the time students spend in class and limit damage to the newly re-constructed space. I understand wanting to protect and preserve the new space, but these rules limit the accessibility of the brand-new area. For example, even though the media center is available twenty minutes before the first-period starts and fifteen minutes after dismissal, it could very well prove to be an issue if there are too many people there at once. Additionally, those times might not work for students who take buses. If their bus gets to school late in the morning, it won’t allow them time to do a book checkout properly. The same goes for when students are on their way home, having to rush to the bus after school doesn’t allow them the chance to go after school. Taking into account the cold weather, buses are likely to get to school later because of road conditions, and students will be going to their lockers to get jackets and then hurrying off to the bus. Furthermore, if too many people are in the media center, it will overwhelm staff and prove to be a chaotic environment and situation. Similarly, the media center not being available during fifth hour further limits their accessibility. Fifth hour is the longest hour and is likely when students have some time to spare to run down quickly and check out a book.
I can count the times I’ve been to the school library on one hand. Most of those trips include the whole class venturing down to the media center. Time restrictions during book checkout will prevent students from going. When you are going to pick out a good book, you want to make sure you pick one that catches your interest. I’m certainly the type that likes to carefully pick out a good book on my own terms, and the time constraints are hindering my ability to do this. That being said, I’d rather go to the public library where you can carefully look for a good read without time restrictions than check a book out from the school library. For students who have a more busy, packed schedule, going to a different, more accessible library would be ideal.
Although there were limitations and restrictions on the media center space that was used last year during the construction, I still have my doubts about the approach of these rules and whether or not they will make the difference they are intended to. This doubt leaves me with some questions: will these rules be effective in prolonging the quality of the media center? Will students continue to use the media center outside of when they have to for classes? I’m aware that new changes often come with uncertainty, however, I fail to see how much of an impact these rules will have. The rule such as not taking tests in the library takes away a quiet space where students can comfortably take tests, especially for students who need accommodation.
Some rules make more sense than others. One of the new rules I agree with is not using the media center as an excuse to skip/miss class. Implementing this rule keeps the media center in good condition and creates a good atmosphere for those who intend to use the library as intended. I’m still not thrilled having a couple of minutes to pick out a book, but in the long run, most of the rules aren’t too out of the ordinary and align well with most of the new rules Park has been putting into play these past couple of years.
In conclusion, the new media center rules are simple to follow and straight to the point. However, I see how it could prove intimidating to go down there now with all these expectations. These new rules will be a good thing if students abide by them and take into consideration the people who are in that space all the time.
